Business Writing Portfolio

Name

Professor Name

Class Number and Title

University Name

December 11, 2000

Part I - Communication and Collaboration Strategy

Step 1: Identify the target audience. The audience for the business letter includes Store Managers. The audience for the business memo is store employees. The audience for the e-mail message includes retail customers and the public.

Step 2: Identify the communication types that will be used. For the Store managers, a business letter will be used. For Store employees, a business memo will be used. For retail customers and the public, an email message will be used.

Step 3. Identify the appropriate communication styles for each audience. For the store managers, using a business letter, the style will be formal. For the store employees, using the business memo, the style will be persuasive. For the retail customers and the public, I will spin the message to the advantage of the store, while making them feel that they are not losing anything.

Step 4. Write the communication.

Step 5. Read and rewrite, as necessary.

Step 6. Put it aside for a while. Come back to it and, if necessary, rewrite again.

Step 7. Distribute message to recipients.

Part II – Portfolio Item #1 – Business Letter

John Doe

5555 Deer Way

Anywhere, Anystate Anyzip

December 11, 2009

Store Manager

Store Name

Store Street Address or PO Box

Store City, Store State Store Zip

Dear (Name of Store Manager):

As you are aware, the costs for our store operations have been climbing at the same time gas prices have been increasing. This has created a hardship on our company and our employees and has stressed our profit margins. Because of these issues, we have made the decision to change the work hours for employees and the hours of operation for the stores. Fortunately, we will not be closing any stores. However, there will be no new stores opening in the near future.

By implementing new work hours and hours of operation, we will save on our energy costs and realize the benefit of other economic factors. To that end, we will close stores on Sundays, open an hour later and close an hour earlier on Monday through Saturday.

We realize that our employees have been impacted by the recent economic downturn, as well, and know that the reduction in store hours will be a cause of concern for them. We will not be reducing their work hours, but will be compressing the work schedules. Full time employees and managers will work four ten-hour days a week, staggered to ensure the store is covered at all times when open. In addition, part-time employees will consolidate their hours and work one, two, or three days, depending on the preference and at the discretion of the Store Managers.

Your cooperation and assistance in making this a smooth transition is greatly appreciated. As we enter this new period, we will continue to focus on providing our customers with outstanding service, provide our employees with a good work environment, and continue to serve as a keystone for the communities in which we operate. Thank you for your continued commitment to excellence as we move forward with these changes.

If you have any questions or concerns about these changes, you can contact me by telephone at (555) 555-5555 or by e-mail at me@companyname.com. Again, thank you for your continued support and commitment to our team.

Sincerely,

Part II – Portfolio Item #2 – Business Memo

December 11, 2009

MEMORANDUM

From: Me

To: Store Employees

Subject: Change in Store Hours and Implementation of Compressed Work Schedule

Companyname is appreciative of the dedication and commitment you have shown to our company. Our team members are among the finest in the industry, and we are very fortunate to have assembled a solid team. As a member of that team, your work is essential to our success. Also as a member of the team, we are concerned with the impact you are feeling as a result of the recent economic downturn. With the rise in gas prices, our company has been trying to identify cost savings methods that will have the effect of lowering our costs of operations while having the least negative impact on our employees. We believe we have found a way to do that.

Beginning January 1, 2010, all of our stores will begin closing on Sundays, and will reduce the hours each day that the stores are open by opening an hour later in the mornings and closing an hour earlier in the evenings. This will not change the overall work hours of our employees, but work schedule will change. Full time employees and managers will work four ten-hour days each week, while part-time workers will consolidate their hours in one, two, or three day weeks, depending on the number of hours they are scheduled to work. Work days will be staggered to ensure that the store is covered every day for the hours we are open. We believe these changes will save energy costs for both the store and our team members.

We have been able to implement these changes and accommodate the rising costs of energy without having to close any stores, and will delay opening any new stores for the near future. Your continued support and dedication to world-class customer service and operations during these changes will help our company weather the economic downturn.

Your store manager will be happy to help you address any questions or concerns you may have about these changes. Again, many thanks for maintaining your high level of performance and excellence as we implement these changes.

Sincerely,

Part II – Portfolio Item #3 – e-mail to Retail Customers and the Public

Greetings,

We at Companyname appreciate your patronage and interest in our company and want to notify you that we will be changing our hours of operation beginning January 1, 2010. These changes are necessary in order to accommodate increased energy costs without increasing our prices. As always, we are concerned about our customers and how the economy is affecting you, and are making these changes without impacting the price of our products or passing on increases to you.

Effective January 1, 2010, we will close one day a week, on Sundays. In addition, we will be opening an hour later and closing an hour earlier from Monday through Saturday. Fortunately, no stores will be closing, so you can continue to enjoy the high quality support and products that you have come to expect from our company.

We appreciate your continued patronage during this period, and will be pleased to offer you the same high quality customer service and product selection as we have offered in the past. Our goal is to delight our customers with our serviced and products, and we will continue to do so now and in the future.

You can view the store hours for your location by visiting our Web site at companyname.com. Again, thank you for your continued support. We love to serve you.

Sincerely,

Part III – Reflection

This assignment has been very different from other assignments in my academic career. The primary differences between this assignment and research papers is in the format, tone, and audience to whom I am communicating. When I write a research paper, my audience is my instructor or facilitator, my peers, and an academic audience. The audience for this assignment, however, is a business audience, comprised of managers, employees, customers, and the public.

Another key difference is the tone. Research papers tend to be formal and academic in tone. Business letters, memos, and e-mails, while they may be formal in format, have a more conversational tone. They are professional, but not as formal as an academic paper. Of course, the other difference is in the format. Instead of a double-spaced, APA formatted paper, business communications are formatted in a single-spaced, block communications style.

In reflecting on the differences, I found that I prefer the business communications, writing, and formats to academic writing. I believe business writing comes more naturally to me than academic writing, and as a person who enjoys a good conversation and likes to communicate clearly business communications afford me the opportunity to practice those skills. This exercise helped reinforce what I already knew – that I enjoy communicating with others, and the professional and less formal tone of business communications is a style I prefer.