10.11 Persuasive Request: Junk Food Props Up School Budget (Obj. 3)
Current date
Board of Directors
Gresham-Barlow School District
P.O. Box 310
Gresham, OR 97033
Dear Directors:
Recent surveys show that approximately one third of U.S. children aged 6 to 19 are overweight,
Although many factors including lack of exercise contribute to the obesity problem, a significant
element is poor nutrition. The American Academy of Pediatrics says that cutting out soda pop
A school should provide a healthy learning and living environment. Vending machines with soda
and snacks fail to accomplish these goals. We applaud the school boards in the nation’s two
As parents, however, we know that the consumption of soda pop and snacks will be greatly
reduced if the temptation is not readily available. We are doing our students no favor by selling
We realize that the district has come to depend on vending machine sales to provide extra funds
Sincerely,
10.12 Persuasive Claim: Pricey Hotel Breakfast (Obj. 3)
Current date
Customer Service
Country Inn, Inc.
428 Church Street
Nashville, TN 37219
Dear Customer Service Representative:
In recent years my company has recommended that its traveling employees use the Country Inn
On May 4 and 5 two employees and I attended a conference in Nashville. We spent the evening
of May 4 at your hotel and had breakfast on May 5 in the Atrium. Because this was a weekend,
I was surprised to see on our credit statement a charge for $114 for three champagne buffet
10.13 Persuasive Claim: Anything but Heavenly Legal Fees (Obj. 3)
Current date
Mr. Henry Giordano
Attorney at Law
Giordano, Murphy, and Associates
254 Sherborn Street
Boston, MA 02215
Dear Mr. Giordano:
Mystic Pizza® has a reputation for excellent pizzas made from its secret recipes. Naturally, when
Giordano, Murphy, and Associates drew up contracts regarding the use of Mystic Pizza’s name
and quality standards for the distributed product. The bill we received included 38 hours of
We would like to continue working with your prestigious firm, Mr. Giordano. However, we
expect accurate billing statements and competitive rates. Please adjust the billing hours and rate
10.14 Persuasive Claim: Hawaiian Toner Scam (Obj. 3)
Current date
Copy Machine Specialists
4320 Admiralty Way
Honolulu, HI 96643
Dear Copy Machine Specialists:
SUBJECT: Returning Two Bottles of Toner
Your telephone marketer misrepresented himself in a recent call to the Waialae Country Club. As
This toner is inferior to the Xerox Toner Model 1313 that we normally order from Island Office
You misrepresented yourself as our supplier, which you are not. We feel no obligation to pay any
Yours truly,
10.15 Persuasive Organizational Message Flowing Upward: Can We Create Our Own
Business Podcasts? (Obj. 4)
E-Mail Cover Note
To: Bradford Trask <btrask@abc.com>
From: Your e-mail address
Subject: To Podcast or Not to Podcast
Cc:
Attached: Podcasting Memo
Mr. Trask,
Memo Attachment
Date: Current
To: Bradford Trask
From: Your name
Subject: To Podcast or Not to Podcast
Defining Podcasting
Podcasting is an easy way to send and receive audio and video files over the Internet. Providers
Users generally download podcasts from a company website or from a podcast directory. Audio
Listeners and Their Benefits
Stephen Malaster of StreetIQ.com describes typical podcast listeners in this way: “The listening
audience for Podcasting is not the 18-year-olds with their iPods so much as it is people a little bit
older. They’re finding demographics in the mid-30s—your typical, well-educated Mac user.”
Three Good Reasons for Podcasting
Malaster identifies three compelling reasons that should prompt companies to embrace this new
technology:
Bradford Trask Page 2 Current date
Resources Needed
Podcasting is relatively easy and inexpensive. A few hundred dollars can get us going. Our
Webmaster can add a link on our company Web site that would allow clients to subscribe or
Advice From Experts
Business podcasts should be concise, focus on one topic, and be conversational. Nothing turns
Experts agree that a business podcast should not exceed 15 minutes to avoid taxing listeners’
Even if we decide that we cannot produce our own podcasts, we could provide links to
Please call me before March 1 at Ext. 304 to arrange a demonstration. If we get started before the
10.16 Persuasive Organizational Message Flowing Upward: Combating “Mall Rat”
Invasion (Obj. 4)
Date: April 2, 2015
To: Gerard B. Gordon, President, Oak Park Associates
From: Emma L. Markham, General Manager, Oak Park Town Center
Subject: Encouraging Adult Shoppers to Return to Oak Park Town Center
Families and adult shoppers have largely disappeared at Oak Park Town Center after 5 p.m.
Restricting Access
It might be wise for Oak Park to follow the lead of other malls facing similar problems. A survey
Mall of America, Bloomington, Minnesota, prohibits unchaperoned teens 17 and under
Benefits of Restricted Access
If Oak Park institutes restrictions, we could experience a number of benefits:
Increased profits by attracting a wider range of customers who spend money
Winning support for a teen restriction policy at Oak Park would require cooperation from school
If we don’t begin to restrict teenagers, Oak Park will continue to lose adult shoppers, and we may
Attachment
10.17 Persuasive Organizational Message Flowing Upward: Three-Day Weekends,
Anyone? (Obj. 4)
Date: Current
To: Skin Essentials Management Council
From: [Student names]
Subject: Saving Energy, Reducing Costs, and Pleasing Employees
Skin Essentials has always been an employee-centric company with an emphasis on
Many companies and municipalities are switching to a four-day workweek to save energy, reduce
A four-day workweek would involve 10-hour days for employees. By coming to work only four
Many municipalities have already implemented a four-day workweek. In Avondale, Arizona, the
city ran a pilot program known as “Green Friday,” to save energy and reduce overall costs. The
Researchers at the Romney Institute of Public Management at Brigham Young University studied
the effects of a compressed workweek in more than 150 cities in 38 states. Their findings
Changing the workweek at Skin Essentials represents a serious move, but it could be tried in a
pilot program over the summer to test its effectiveness. Our committee of managers strongly
10.18 Persuasive Organizational Message Flowing Upward: The End of Apples? (Obj. 4)
An e-mail would be equally appropriate in this situation in an organization as welcoming of
employee empowerment as Omni Hotels seems to be. However, a letter is always a more
formal record. It is more likely to be considered seriously than an e-mail that’s much easier
to ignore or more likely to disappear among the hundreds of e-mails executives receive each
day.
Current date
Mr. Richard Johnson
Vice President, Omni Hotels
420 Decker Drive
Irving, TX 75062
Dear Mr. Johnson:
As an Omni associate, I am grateful to be employed by a luxury chain known for its high
I understand that Omni is considering giving up its practice of offering free apples in its lobbies.
In my opinion, this is not the best way to cut costs. Yes, I know that hotels, like other businesses,
are looking for ways to reduce expenses. However, cutting apples is a step in the wrong
Surely our excellent managers can find other ways to cut costs that have less impact on guest
A bowl of Granny Smith or Red Delicious apples lifts the spirit and says, “Welcome!” Bowls of