Communication Strategy Worksheet - Assignment Example

Communication Strategy Worksheet The Communication Strategy Worksheet is the first activity youll complete as you develop your Comparison Report. It will help you organize your thoughts and determine your purpose as you begin to plan your Report. 1. “Save” the worksheet to your Desktop (or flash drive). You will then be able to add your comments to the worksheet. You should save the document with a file name that contains the initials of the course module you are in, the worksheet you are working on (you are presently in Module 2 and working on the Comparison Report Communication Strategy Worksheet), and your user name. For example: m2_communication _strategy_jdoe.docx Once the file is saved to your desktop, you will be able to quickly access it as needed throughout the Module. Please use this naming convention for every document you submit: initials of the mod, assignment, user name example: m2_communication_strategy_jdoe.docx 2. Upload your completed worksheet to the Comparison Report Communication Communication Strategy Worksheet is in the next page: Communication Strategy Worksheet Comparison Report Instructions: Complete this Communication Strategy Worksheet for your Comparison Report. Visualize your reader and answer the prompts/questions thoroughly. The more thorough you are, the easier it will be for you to write the report. 1. What is the name of the person to whom you are writing this report? Jeff Smith 2. What is your primary reader’s relationship (within company) to you (boss, colleague, etc.)? Boss 3. What is your primary reader’s job title in the company? Executive Director and Chief of Operations 4. Why will your reader be interested in your report? He needs to know what products are the best to purchase in terms of quality of price 5. In addition to your primary reader, who else in the company may need to read the report? Marketing Manager and Purchasing Manager 6. What does your reader already know about the topic? Need to know about the topic? Our company is introducing a new product to the market and thus need to figure out how to procure and then sell these products. Price is the number one factor followed by quality 7. What reaction do you anticipate from the reader when he/she reads your report? Will the reader classify the situation as high importance, moderate importance, or low importance? I anticipate that Jeff will be extremely interested in this report because he wants the product to be popular with the consumer market but also profitable enough to be financially viable. This report is of high importance because the products need to be released to the market by the end of the month 8. Is your reader a manager, an expert, a technician, or a general reader? The reader is a manger so he is responsible for the final decision. This report will help him to make to best choice for the company. 9. What three or four items (services, vendors, or products, etc.) will you compare? As our company is an athletic shoe company, we will compare a number of different athletic shoes from at least three suppliers 10. What three or four criteria will you use to compare the items? Price, Durability, Appearance, and Convenience 11. How and where will you collect the information you will use in your comparison (for example, will you use a paper survey, will you talk with colleagues, will you review company documents, will you review the company Web site)? Price will be calculated from the quotes from each of the suppliers. Durability will be tested in our laboratories. Appearance will be derived from surveys that are given out to focus groups. Lastly, convenience will cover the transportation costs involved with shipping the items to our warehouse 12. Do you plan to make a recommendation? Yes, I will calculate the best supplier to get the shoes from based on all of the above criteria 13. What visuals or attachments might you include in this report? There will be no visuals in this report, only recommendations. 3-Column Log Worksheet Now that you have determined your purpose, audience, items to be compared, and the criteria to be used, you are ready to complete a 3-Column Log, which will help you organize the discussion section of your Report. Click here to see a sample 3-Column Log. 1. Click here to open the 3-Column Log Worksheet. 2. Save this file to your desktop as a Word document so you can fill it out. 3. Submit your completed 3-Column Log Worksheet to the Comparison Report 3-Column Log assignment under "Assignments." Sample of 3-Column Log: 3-Column Log: A heuristic to help you organize your investigation. Here’s a sample: A = Arkway Chunky B = Keeter Chocolate Chip C = Saltridge Farm Chocolate Chip IDEAL (criteria) REAL (evidence) JUDGEMENT (difference)   A B C A B C 15 chocolate chips 10 25 5 - + - Soft & chewy Kind of Hard Very Soft -/+ - + Large (5 inches) 3 in 2 in 5 in - - + Taste good Yes Yes Yes + + + Look appealing Kind of No Yes -/+ - + Overall Claim: Based on the above investigation, the Saltridge Farm Chocolate Chip cookie (C) is the best cookie; therefore, we recommend Saltridge Farm Chocolate Chip cookies. 3-Column Log Worksheet is in the next page: Comparison Report Comparison Log The Comparison Log is an excellent heuristic to use when comparing items. Use one or something similar for your Comparison Report. The Log is easy to use. Here is how it works. 1. Make a table to fit the number of items you are comparing and the number of criteria you are using to judge the items. 2. List the items (products, services, vendors, parts, etc.) you are comparing in the top header row. (Alternatively, you can list them in the far left column.) 3. Think about the needs of your reader(s). What criteria will you use to judge the items? Place these criteria in the far left column. (Alternatively, you can list them in the top header row.) 4. Include these three items: IDEAL (your list of criteria) REAL (what the product/service is really like) JUDGMENT (the difference between the ideal & real) (Realistically this item can be omitted depending on the complexity of your comparison.) 5. Write your OVERALL JUDGMENT at the bottom of your log. Here’s a simple example with only the first criterion identified. IDEAL REAL DIFFERENCE CRITERIA Supplier 1 Supplier 2 Supplier 3 Supplier 4 JUDGMENT W1 W2 W3 W4 Cost equal to or less than $100.00 per pair $99.99 $109.99 $89.99 $119.99 + - + - Is waterproof or not No Yes Yes No - + + - Is physically appealing Yes Yes No Yes + + - + Located less than 100 miles away from Warehouse 180 miles 95 miles 120 miles 60 miles - + - + Overall Judgment: Considering all the criteria, Supplier 2 is the one our company should buy from because it is durable, looks fashionable, and the supplier is located within our ideal criteria. The price is higher than other suppliers although this extra money is worth it considering the benefits. Design Worksheet The Design Worksheet builds on your Communication Strategy Worksheet and the 3-Column Log. This worksheet will help you create the First Draft of your Comparison Report. 1. Click here to open the Design Worksheet. 2. Save this file to the desktop as a Word document so you can fill it out. 3. Upload your completed Design Worksheet to the Comparison Report Design Worksheet assignment under "Assignments." Design Worksheet is in next page: Instructions: Complete the following prompts thoroughly for your Comparison Report. Read More