The Final Portfolio
PROMPT
You have almost completed your course in Business Writing. The Final Portfolio assignment gives you the chance to revise some documents you have already completed and write a few new ones to test your skills. Now is the time to show what you have learned. You will turn in several pieces, which will be graded and evaluated according to the Written Communication Rubric.
CONSIDERATIONS
Everything should be clearly labeled and in order. This should be submitted as one document, with each assignment on a separate page.
These assignments will either be new or revised. If they are revised, you will find your rough draft in the discussion board post of the week listed.
You will want to review the purpose of each assignment. Also review your textbook to make sure you are meeting guidelines and formatting criteria for the type of writing you are doing. Use the revision checklist at the end of each chapter for extra guidance.
Chapter 11: “Designing Successful Documents and Websites” gives great information about how to format and design business documents (formatting text, heads (headings) and sub-heads, page layout and presentation of information, and other things).
ORDER OF ASSIGNMENTS
Summary of Rules for Business Writing
Good or Bad News Letter
Complaint Letter
Memo
Sales Letter
Instructions
Progress Report
GUIDELINES FOR ASSIGNMENTS
1. Summary of Rules for Business Writing
[New Assignment: Reference Chapter 1: “Getting Started,” and Chapter 2: “The Writing Process at Work”]:
In approximately one single-spaced page, with one or two paragraphs for each question and with headings, answer the following questions for an audience of new students in a business writing class:
What makes good writing in business?
What is the writing process for business writing? In other words, what do you do before, during, and after writing a document?
What should you look for when revising a business document?
2. Good or Bad News Letter
[New Assignment: Reference Chapter 4: “E-Communications at Work: Email, Blogs, Messaging, and Social Media,” especially the “Customer Relations Letters” section from pages 198-202]:
Select one of these two scenarios and write an email to inform your boss:
You have just made a big sale
You have just lost a big sale
The name of your boss, type of sale, profits made or lost, type of company, and other details are completely up to you. Be as creative as you like. I will be reading for how well you write and format the letter, and how you apply the guidelines and principles from Chapter 4, but the other elements are up to you.
Pay attention to the structure and style of a letter, and make sure that you appropriately address your audience and their needs by having a “you attitude.” See “Achieving the “You Attitude”: Four Guidelines” on page 167 in Chapter 5.
3. Complaint Letter
[New Assignment: Reference Chapter 6: “Business Letters and Memos,” especially the section on “Complaint Letters” from pages 203-208]:
Write a complaint letter to a company about one of the following:
An error with your phone, credit card, or tuition bill
An order you placed that either arrived damaged or did not arrive at all
Incorrect or misleading information on a website
Poor service that you received at a local business
4. Memo
[Revised Assignment from Week 9: Reference Chapter 6: “Types of Business Letters and Memos”]:
Last weekend at The College at Brockport, a student returned to his dorm room to find racially-charged hate speech scrawled in permanent marker on the marker board outside his door. The student reported the incident, and authorities are working to track down the culprit. You have been tasked with the job of writing a memo to the entire Brockport community, which must inform them of what has happened, explain Brockport’s stance on this event, and provide information on what the College will do to address this issue (consider what the college should do or has done in the past in similar situations). You want to inspire confidence that this is being adequately addressed. This should be roughly one page single-spaced, and properly formatted. Use your textbook for reference and see the section on memos, beginning on page 220.
OR:
There has been another outbreak of Covid-19 and the college needs to shut down campus and return to online. You need to write a memo to communicate to students what this means for them and answer immediate questions they may have about things like their classes or potential refunds for room and board. You will want to convey a sense of understanding as well as competence, as you need the student body to believe that you are taking the best actions with their interests in mind. This should be roughly one page single-spaced, and properly formatted. Use your textbook for reference and see the section on memos, beginning on page 220.
5. Sales Letter
[Revised Assignment from Week 11: Reference Chapter 6: “Types of Business Letters and Memos”]:
Write a sales letter for this discussion board post. You can either write one for a fictional company, or write one for one of your favorite local companies (no chains please). Your goal in writing this sales letter is either to gain new customers or to encourage sales. Include information on the services this company offers, and specific promotion details to encourage these customers to visit. Including visuals is optional. ½- 1 page, single spaced.
6. Instructions
[Revised Assignment from Week 12: Reference Chapter 12: “Writing Instructions and Procedures”]:
Imagine that one of your friends is about to start work where you work. Create a document for them that details some aspect of the job. For example, this document might include instructions about what to wear or how to perform some aspect of the job.
If you don’t have a job or would rather write about something different, write instructions about some aspect of what you do as a student, for instance, how to stay on track with online coursework, or how to write an email to a professor.
You may include visuals if you would like to, but it is not required.
7. Progress Report
[New Assignment: Reference Chapter 14: “Writing Effective Short Reports,” specifically 567-571 on “Progress Reports.”]
Think about the work you have completed and the quality of your work. How have you grown as a writer in this course? What have you learned, and what do you still hope to learn? How will the information from this class and from your text be useful to your future, in classes and in your career? What specific things will you do to continue growing as a writer? 1 page. I am your audience.