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APPLY YOUR KNOWLEDGE
15.1. This reporting scenario presents a couple of dilemmas: How much information do employees really have
a right to know about the performance of their own managers and other managers in the company, and
how much do the various managers deserve to know about each other’s performance? A good approach
for resolving these dilemmas is to focus on the ultimate goal of the rating process, which we can assume
is to give managers feedback on how they can improve their performance. Viewed from this perspective,
MyBCommLab for additional insights)
15.2. The risks of not explaining the purpose of a proposal within the introduction are that the reader might (a)
MyBCommLab for additional insights)
15.3. A company that solicits a proposal and then adopts the recommendations in that proposal without hiring
the submitting firm is acting unethically. One could argue that if the proposal were unsolicited, then any
ideas freely given are “fair game,” but many would probably see this behavior as unethical. Exceptions
(See MyBCommLab for additional insights)
15.4. For any report that is a persuasive message (such as business plans written to solicited outside funding),
the executive summary is by definition a persuasive message because it is a summary of the larger
PRACTICE YOUR SKILLS
15.5. Message 15.A Executive Summaries Any suggested revisions would need to be based on assumptions or
conclusions about the purpose of the document and its intended audience. Students will probably notice
that this document has a formal tone and appears to be aimed at policymakers and other professional
15.6. If the Electrovision report is for information only, it will contain no recommendations and so will need a
new title, such as “Electrovision’s Travel and Entertainment Costs.” Most headings will need to be
changed to reflect the informational nature of the report, and the section titled “Methods for Reducing
15.7. This exercise gives students a hands-on example of how headings, transitions, previews, and reviews
guide readers through a lengthy report. Discussion might center on articles that did not accomplish this
15.8. When you are writing the report, the ethical move would be to mention your recent discovery about the
faulty survey in the introduction (as you explain “limitations”—factors beyond your control that affect
your report’s quality). Since the report is due in three days, you’ll probably want to go ahead and present
your findings and recommendations but inform your readers of the discrepancy you found. In truth, a
AACSB: Ethical understanding and reasoning
15.9. Student versions of this letter will vary. In general, it should be upbeat, stressing the group’s gratitude for
the County Arts Council grant, and should mention that the grant allowed the Friends of the Library to
15.10. Point out to students that this situation may not actually be an instance of idea-stealing at all. Perhaps they
can brainstorm other possibilities; for example, given the number of active minds and informal
You might ask students how they could determine more about the boss’s behavior. Has she
exhibited similar behavior in the past? Is she ignoring other communications or only this one?
The simplest and safest first step would be to ask the boss (in a neutral way) if the report met her
needs and whether she has any questions. If she simply forgot or hasn’t had time to get back to
If this conversation doesn’t give you a satisfactory answer, then you need to decide how to
proceed, based on whatever you learned from the exchange. Students can brainstorm the options
As the teams explain the rationale behind their solutions, you might get other teams to play
devil’s advocate and challenge their assumptions. For example, if a team decides the boss should
be confronted directly, ask members what they would do if the boss were to deny taking credit
(even in the face of irrefutable evidence to the contrary) or provides an innocent explanation you
[LO-4] AACSB: Ethical understanding and reasoning
15.11. One possible revision (28 words):
The 376 employees (57 percent of the workforce) who completed our online survey are primarily
[LO-4] AACSB: Written and oral communication
15.12. Students should recognize elements such as these:
Purpose: To give parents entertaining and engaging activities to promote the joy of reading
Type of report: Informational
Structure: Students can pick up the structure from the Contents page
Online medium: Links make it easy to navigate to sections of interest
[LO-4] AACSB: Written and oral communication
CASE SOLUTION GUIDELINES
Here are solution guidelines for this chapter’s cases, along with a completed solution to 15.40.
15.13. Message Strategies: Informational Reports
Students should be aware that this report will meet with serious resistance from some potential readers—
namely, those who benefit from the widely used strategy of having young athletes specialize in one sport
at an early age and throwing them into a practice and competition regime that more or less takes over
[LO-1] AACSB: Written and oral communication
15.14. Message Strategies: Analytical Reports
From Case Tables 15.1 through 15.3, students should be able to identify a possible “sweet spot” in the
data: kitchens, bathrooms, and home offices are the most frequently tackled rooms; $10–$20k is the most
common budget range; and the tasks that are (1) of most interest to “heavy-hitter” DIYers and (2)
The follow-up research task, then, is to see whether a magazine market really exists for homeowners who
want to extensively remodel kitchens, bathrooms, and home offices (as well as other rooms, but these
would be the big three) with fairly sizable budgets in projects where they would tackle conceptual design,
The funding request portion of the report needs to make a strong case for pursuing the additional research,
[LO-1] AACSB: Written and oral communication
15.15. Message Strategies: Informational Reports
This project will test students’ ability to distinguish causation, correlation, and coincidence. Look for
[LO-1] AACSB: Analytical thinking
15.16. Message Strategies: Informational Reports
The audience for this information report will be interested, so the direct approach is appropriate. The
The purpose of the report should be clearly identified in the first paragraph. Information in the report
The reader will be interested in points such as the number of semesters the student has been in school, the
number of courses typically taken each semester, and the number of courses remaining. As students assess
the number of courses remaining, they will need to research the course offerings carefully and consider
their own financial situations. They should research answers to such questions as the following: What
Although the report will be relatively short, the reader will benefit from headings such as “Progress as of
[date],” “Remaining Coursework,” and “Related Completion Activities.” To provide additional clarity for
[LO-1] [LO-2] AACSB: Written and oral communication
15.17. Message Strategies: Informational Reports
Students will find it helpful to put themselves in the mindset of a business manager who agreed to fund an
employee’s college expenses and wants to know how well the investment is likely to pay off over the long
[LO-1] [LO-2] AACSB: Written and oral communication
15.18. Message Strategies: Informational Reports
Tempers are no doubt flaring across the company and people are surely demanding answers, so both
timeliness (to proceed toward a resolution as quickly as possible) and accuracy (to avoid fueling the fire
Analyzing the situation: Because the assignment from the CEO is merely to provide information about the
situation and not to solve the problem, starting with a clear statement of purpose is vital—both to guide
Gathering information: The CEO asked for a report on available information, so students won’t need to
allow for additional information gathering, such as an employee survey. However, in their role-playing,
Selecting the right medium: Confidentiality is the overriding concern in this case and there’s already
evidence of vulnerabilities in the company’s electronic communication network, so a printed memo with
no copies and hand-delivered to the CEO is probably the best choice.
Organizing: A direct approach is called for since the report is primarily about delivering information, and
the CEO requested it. To organize the information, a comparison approach will be most effective, and
Adapting to the audience: Since the report writer is a new employee, his or her response to this crisis is
likely to be a career-defining moment. The CEO’s assessment of that response, positive or negative, will
help establish perceptions that could last years. Consequently, the report needs to clearly and directly
Composing the report: The report should be written in a calm, neutral style. A voice of reason is doubly
appreciated during a time of crisis. Any insights the writer can find that might help define a solution
Revising, producing, proofreading, and distributing: The primary concerns here are accuracy and
confidentiality.
[LO-1] [LO-4] AACSB: Written and oral communication
15.19. Message Strategies: Analytical Reports
This is a good opportunity to practice evaluating information sources. Look for students’ ability to
distinguish logical, fact-based projections from marketing hype and wishful thinking. For example, any
company that stands to profit from a growth in either technology is likely to present the future of its
[LO-1] [LO-2] AACSB: Analytical thinking
15.20. Message Strategies: Analytical Reports
Students are preparing this report for a counselor or academic adviser, so they can assume they have an
interested reader. An important planning step for this report is identifying and prioritizing the criteria that
Students can conduct the necessary secondary research by reviewing course descriptions in the school
The report should present the information in a clear, straightforward manner, using unbiased language and
eliminating any negative references to individuals teaching the various courses. The report should close
