For this project you will write a formal proposal letter seeking my approval for the project that will become your Project 5: Formal Analytical Report. This proposal is the first document in a series of tasks which will culminate in that final project.
Your audience for this letter is me, your instructor. Think of me as someone who wants to be sure that you choose a project from which you can learn a great deal and on which you can do a good job. I need to be convinced that this project is important to you and that you have the ability to complete it.
Your proposal should persuade me that a significant business challenge exists in a real organization and that you should be permitted to address it. You do not have to have the solution to the problem at this time; rather you are suggesting that the organization must invest its faith in you to research and devise a solution.
After you have convinced me of a need for your work, include a detailed description of your work plan. Will you go to the library and research the latest techniques in your field? Will you investigate the cost of new equipment? Will you talk to people who have solved the problem for other organizations? Will you research social media communication plans? Some combination of these? Convince me that this plan for research is the right path leading to a solution and that the time exists in this semester to do the work well.
This work plan must also be plotted with time; you must indicate what work you will be doing during each of the weeks left in the semester. You should also have sections of your proposal detailing your qualifications to do this work.
While I am willing to consider a wide range of topics for your report, you must persuade me that you have chosen a worthwhile issue that you are capable of handling well. In reading your proposal letter, I will be looking for answers to the following questions:
What business challenge will your report address? Have you clearly defined a conflict between a desired situation and the current situation? Have you provided enough background detail about the organization? Is the problem statement clear?
Who is affected by the situation? Who will be the audience for your final report? What is your position in relationship to the audience?
Why is this challenge significant for this final audience? What is at stake?
Do you have a possible feasible solution for the problem? Have you established what a good solution would require? Have you thought about alternative plausible solutions?
What makes you qualified to carry out the project? How is the topic related to your major? Your career plans? I prefer projects that give you practice using the skills you will need in your career.
What will it take to gather the necessary information and complete your analysis? Can you complete your report in the time left in this semester, using the resources readily available to you?
Do you have a work plan for your project, a plan that shows specifically when certain activities must be completed this semester if you are to finish the project on time?
Note: Since Project 1 is the first step that will lead to Project 5: Formal Analytical Report, be sure to read that assignment description as well. Project 5 will be due at the end of the course.
Details
Craft your proposal in the form of a formal business letter to me (See BCE Appendix A). Select your information and organize it in such a way that it is persuasive and accessible. Remember, this proposal is not merely informative: it is an argument for why your topic should be approved. Your proposal will most likely include the following sections:
An introduction that tells me why you are writing.
A section on the business challenge, including an explicit well-developed thesis statement.
A section describing your research plans for this project. Convince me that you know what kind of information you’ll need and where to find it. Include an analysis of your readers and what information they’ll need in order to adopt your solution.
A discussion of your credentials and motivation. Convince me that you have the background and resources necessary to conduct your research. Be sure to also indicate your motivation for and/or connection to this particular project.
A schedule. Convince me that you know what activities your research will require and that you can get them done on time.
A conclusion that formally requests permission to proceed.
Evaluation Criteria
Content and persuasiveness. I will be looking to see that you are taking on an actual project related to your professional and academic expertise and that you can complete the project by the end of the semester. Make your proposal convincing; demonstrate that you have singled out a worthwhile problem to solve and that you are the researcher to solve it.
Style, clarity and arrangement. Your proposal must be well written. The problem statement is clear and logically stated, sentences are correct, concise and arranged so that the meaning is easily obtained and the prose is effective for a general reader. Paragraphs are coherent, unified and relatively short (125 words or fewer).
Design and format. Your design choices, including paragraph length, headings, subheadings, font choices, etc., increase document professionalism and accessibility. Business letter format is used consistently and appropriately.
Complete the formal analytical report that you described in Project 1 Proposal. The report must do the following:
define a problem,
analyze the criteria for a satisfactory solution,
propose one or more alternative solutions, and
argue for the solution that satisfies the criteria best.
The problem may involve an institutional, technical, or public policy issue that you are working on or have worked on in your other courses; or it may be something related to an organization to which you belong; or it may be related to a job that you’ve held or now hold; or it may be a new area that you are interested in.
The solution to the problem may involve coming up with an original design, choosing between available alternatives, or providing needed information. See this report as a kind of “final exam” for our course-a place to demonstrate everything that you’ve learned about writing in this course.
Details
The Rhetorical Situation
For the purposes of this report, you should find a real situation in which you are writing the report to a primary reader who has the authority to reject or use your work. So the primary goal of your report is to convince this reader to adopt your recommended solution(s). The report may also have secondary audiences as well; for example, it may serve as a plan for the technical staff who will implement the solution and as an historical record of the decision-making process for future readers.
The problem situation should be real. A real situation is one that you have actually encountered: it might involve a current or former employer, a specific office or department within the University, or a service group to which you belong.
Audience and Style
Your report should be written directly to a person within your real situation who has the authority to decide whether to accept your recommendations. Your tone should be appropriate to the situation–in most cases it will be fairly formal.
Body of Report
All reports should introduce a problem, analyze criteria for a solution, evaluate several solutions against the criteria, and recommend the best solution(s).
Prefatory and Supplemental Elements
Your report should include the following:
a letter or memo of transmittal
a cover page
a title page
an executive summary
a table of contents
at least two visuals
references
appendices
Length
Your report should be as long as it needs to be, but will probably run about 8 pages (2,000 words), excluding the front and end matter. I would prefer that you keep it under 20 pages (5,000 words).
Evaluation Criteria
Content. The report introduces a focused, significant problem, analyzes criteria for a solution, analyzes at least one solution and recommends the best course of action. The report contains all the research necessary for a persuasive argument. The analysis is logical and complete. The audience is clearly identified and appropriate.
Prefatory and Supplemental Parts. The report contains all the required prefatory and supplemental parts. Each part is well-written, appropriate to the rhetorical situation and follows the guidelines recommended in the textbook and in class.
Organization. The entire report is clearly, obviously and effectively organized according to the rhetorical situation.
Readability and Design. The report is highly readable, utilizing effective headings, subheadings, lists, previews, reviews and other transition elements. The report is attractively and professionally designed.
Style and Tone. The report is well written and more formal in tone. There are very few, if any, sentence-level or grammar errors. The report uses appropriate vocabulary. Each sentence is clear and effective. Paragraphs are short, unified and coherent.
Visuals. The report contains visuals. The visuals are appropriate in content, type and emphasis. The visuals are incorporated correctly into the text, according to the guidelines set forth in the textbook and in class.
