Business’Report’Assignment

Business’Report’Assignment

Overview
This!assignment!100 points and!is!designed!to!provide!you!with!an!opportunity!analyze,!visualize,!and!report!data!
in!the!form!of!a!typical!business!report.!
Instructions
You!have!already!completed!two!writing!assignments!and!received!written!feedback;!however,!it’s!important!that!
we!review!my!expectations!once!again:
• Students!will!familiarize!themselves!with!the!assignment’s!instructions,!referenced!textbook!pages,!
evaluation!criteria,!deadlines,!and!submission!requirements.!
• Assignments!will!be!prepared!using!a!business!writing!style!as!outlined!in!your!textbook.!This material!has!
already!been!assigned!and!you!have!been!tested!on!the!content.!As!you!know,!unlike!SMS!text!messages!
(textIspeak)!which!use!phrases,!abbreviations!and!lack!capitalization,!business!writing!requires!attention!
to!detail,!format,!grammar,!capitalization,!style,!and!spelling.
• Assignments!will!be!free!of!significant!grammar,!punctuation,!capitalization,!organization,!and!format!
errors.!Please!proofread!your!assignment!before!submitting!it!for!evaluation.!
• Assignments!will!be!the!original!work!of!the!student!enrolled!in!the!course. Please!review!the!syllabus!and!
the!University’s!Honor!Code!for!clarification.!
Preparation’Materials
Before!attempting!this!assignment,!please!take!time!to!prepare!yourself!by!reviewing!the!following!materials:!
Review!the!assignment.!
• Routine!Report (Business!Report)!Instructions Below
Review!your!textbook.!
Review!how!to!create!and!embed!chart!in!MSWord:
• MSWord!07:!Description!of!how!to!use!MSWord!07!and!Excel!07!to!create!graphs.!
http://office.microsoft.com/en-us/word/HA100997391033.aspx
Report’Assignment’s’Instructions
1. Read!the!University’s!Academic!Honor!Code.!Conduct that!violates!the!University’s!Academic!Honor!Code!
will!result!in!a!failing!grade!for!the!entire!course.!This!policy!will!be!strictly!enforced.!
2. Create!your!assignment!in!MSWord.!You!may!use!either!MW!Word!07 or!higher.!!You!must use!MSWord.!
3. Save!the!assignment!and!include!your!last!name!in!the!title!of!the!file!(e.g.!REPORTIGARCIA)!
4. Upload!(do!not!copy!and!paste)!the!saved!file!in!the!correspondingly!named!”Assignment!Drop!Box”!at!
Turnitin.com!by!the!posted!due!date.
Late’Assignment’Policy
• Assignments!not!submitted!by!the!originally!posted!due!date!are!considered!late!and!may!be!submitted!
into!the!late!drop!box.
• Assignments!not!submitted!according!to!the!posted!instructions!are!also!considered!late.!
• Late!submissions!must!be!uploaded!in!the!appropriately!labeled!”Late!Drop!Box”!at!Turnitin.com!by!the!
posted!”Late!Assignment!Deadline.”!
• Late!submissions!are!only!eligible!for!a!maximum!of!50%!of!the!assignment’s!original!point!value.!
Late’Submission’Instructions’for’Partial’Credit'(Maximum’50%)
1. Review!submission!instructions!above.!
2. Upload!(do!not!copy!and!paste)!the!saved!file!in!the!correspondingly!named!”Late!Assignment!Drop!Box”!
at!Turnitin.com!by!the!posted!due!date.
Routine Report Assignment
Scenario:
Your company is the largest private employer in your metropolitan area, and the 43,500
employees in your workforce have a tremendous impact on local traffic. A group of city and
county transportation officials recently approached your CEO with a request to explore ways
to reduce this impact. The CEO, Ms. Suarez, has assigned you the task of analyzing the
workforce’s transportation habits and attitudes as a first step towards identifying potential
solutions. She is willing to consider anything from subsidized bus passes to company-owned
shuttle buses to telecommuting, but the decision requires a thorough understanding of
employee transportation needs. Figures 1 – 4 summarize data you have collected in an
employee survey.
Figure 1: Employee Carpool Habits
• Frequency of Use: Carpooling Portion of Workforce
• Every day, every week 10,138 (23%)
• Certain days, every week 4,361 (11%)
• Randomly 983 (2%)
• Never 28,018 (64%)
Figure 2: Use of Public Transportation
• Frequency of Use: Public Transportation Portion of Workforce
• Every day, every week 23,556 (54%)
• Certain days, every week 2,029 (5%)
• Randomly 5,862 (13%)
• Never 12,053 (28%)
Figure 3: Effect of Potential Improvements to Public Transportation
Which of the following would you encourage you to use public transportation more
frequently? (Check all that apply) Portion of Respondents. Employees can check more than
one.
• Increased perceptions of safety 4,932 (28%)
• Improved cleanliness 852 (5%)
• Reduced commute times 7,285 (41%)
• Greater convenience: fewer transfers 3,278 (18%)
• Greater convenience: more stops 1,155 (6%)
• Lower (or subsidized) fares 5,634 (31%)
• Nothing could encourage me to take public transportation 8,294 (46%)
Note: This question was asked to those respondents who use public transportation randomly
or never, a subgroup that represents 17,915 employees or 41% of the workforce.
Figure 4: Is Telecommuting An Option?
• Does the nature of your work make telecommuting a realistic option? Portion of
Workforce
• Yes, every day 3,460 (8%)
• Yes, several days a week 8,521 (20%)
• Yes, random days 12,918 (30%)
• No 18,601 (42%)
Task:
Write a recommendation memo report to your supervisor, Ms. Suarez illustrating the data
you have collected and recommending two ways to solve this problem.
This is a short report; therefore, your report will not include a title page, a table of
contents, or appendices. The visualized data must be within the text (body) of the report;
do not place the data at the end of the report.
Organizational Guidelines:
TO: Ms. Suarez, CEO
FROM: Insert Your Name
DATE: Month Day, Year
SUBJECT: Workforce Transportation Habits
Begin your report memo with a brief introductory statement outlining the background,
problem/opportunity/purpose, scope, and organization of the report. Refer to your text for
assistance.
In the body of your report, you are required to illustrate each set of data with figures.
Keep in mind this portion of the report requires an appropriate heading, and each of the
four figures requires a reference statement, a caption, and if applicable, a legend. Do not
place the data in a bulleted/numbered list or in a table.
For example:
APPROPRIATE SECTION HEADING
Precede the graph with a reference statement explaining what the graph illustrates. For
example, Figure 1 illustrates the employees’ carpool habits.
Figure 1: Employees’ Carpool Habits
Create the figure. Determine which figure best illustrates the data. Should you use a pie
chart, a bar chart or a line chart? Once you have decided which chart to use, review your
text for format requirements. How large should the chart be? Should the data be an
ascending or descending order? Where should you place the labels? Does the chart require a
legend? Is the visual clear, complete, concise, connected, and compelling (see textbook for
guidelines)?
Note: If you are not familiar with how to create chart using MSWord or importing them from
Excel and embedding them into MSWord, you should consult the Help function in MSWord or
you may also find it useful to review the following webpages:
Immediately following the chart, explain the significance of the data. This is referred to as
the illustration’s caption.
For example, As you can see from Figure 1,….
After all four chart are completed, offer two possible solutions to the problem. Each solution
should be logically derived from the data and each must be adequately explained. This
section of the report also requires an appropriate heading. There should only be two
solutions for the entire report.
For example:
APPROPRIATE SECTION HEADING
Introduce this section of the report with a paragraph previewing your recommendations.
Solution 1: XXX
Explain your solution and why it is a logical option.
Solution 2: XXX
Explain your solution and why it is a logical option.
Close your report with a summary of the key points as they appeared in the report body. Do
not introduce new facts into your closing paragraph. End by inviting Ms. Suarez to contact
you to discuss the report’s recommendations.
Evaluation Criteria
Outstanding: (90-100%)
The report demonstrates superior application of business communication concepts and
principles outlined in the readings and exercises. The assignment does not contain errors in
content, grammar, spelling, punctuation, format, and/or the visualization of the data. All
four of the data sets are illustrated properly.
Above Average: (80-89%)
The report demonstrates above average application of business communication concepts
and principles outlined in the readings and exercises. The assignment has a few minor
errors in content, grammar, spelling, punctuation, format, and/or the visualization of the
data. All four of the data sets are illustrated properly.
Satisfactory: (70-79%)
The report demonstrates satisfactory application of business communication concepts and
principles outlined in the readings and exercises. The assignment has a moderate number of
errors in content, grammar, spelling, punctuation, format, and/or visualization of the data.
Three of the data sets are illustrated properly.
Poor: (1-69%)
The report has an inconsistent application of business communication concepts and
principles outlined in the readings and exercises and/or has frequent and serious errors in
content, grammar spelling, punctuation, format, and/or the visualization of the data that
distorts the meaning. At least two sets of data are not illustrated properly.
Incomplete: 0 points (0%)
The memo was not submitted before the due date and/or was not completed according to
the published instructions.
Conduct that violates the University’s Academic Honor Code will result in a failing
grade for the entire course. Please review the University’s Honor Code and your
syllabus for additional details. If you have questions regarding the policy, please
speak with your instructor and/or your academic advisor. This policy will be
strictly enforced.