Professional Business Letter Assignment

Purpose
While the ever-evolving technology is enabling faster methods of exchanging information, the business letter remains the foundation of all business communication. Although letters may not be sent through postal channels, professionally formatted letters with signatures are scanned and sent as attachments to letters. Professionals are expected to understand and apply the standard business letter format in their written correspondence with internal and external audiences. Letters achieve the purpose to inform, persuade, or promote good will.
Your Task:
You will assume the role of a representative for one of the companies, governmental bodies, or organizations represented below. You are tasked with writing a letter to communicate some bad news. You anticipate the recipients will not be pleased with the news. You do not want to cause panic so you will want to highlight the benefits this change will bring.
You may choose one of the following price increases or changes in policy reported in the news as the topic for your letter:
• Read the following article: “Horrible Holiday Results at Macy’s Jumpstarts a Major Restructuring.” Send a letter to employees notifying them of this restructuring. Date letter January 6, 2016, and use the information in this article for your letter to employees: http://www.forbes.com/sites/walterloeb/2016/01/07/macys-horrible-holiday-results-jumpstarts-a-major-restructuring/
• Read the following article: “Texans Hike Ticket Prices by Nearly Six Percent.” You will send a letter to regular ticket buyers notifying them of the price increase. Date letter January 22, 2016, and use the information in this article for your letter:http://profootballtalk.nbcsports.com/2016/01/22/texans-hike-ticket-prices-by-nearly-six-percent/
Note: Please use real facts in this message. In other words, use only the real information from the article provided as information in your letter. No references or citations are needed because you are supposedly an employee of the company making the announcement.
For the purposes of the letter format, you will use fictional information for the name of the letter’s sender. The return address should be that of the company, governmental body, or organization listed above. You can make up the name and address of the recipient.
FORMAT
The email should adhere to the following format:
Size 12-Point; left-justified
Font Calibri, Arial, Times New Roman,
Spacing Single; Block style—no extra After spacing
Margins 1 inch
Length One page or less (including signature)
Format Example Pearson Business Reference and Writer’s Handbook pp. 265-279
Organizational Pattern Indirect (inductive) approach (Three paragraphs that follow the pattern for an indirect or bad news message – beginning, middle, and end.)
Preparation
Students will read and use the following chapters in the BCOM text:
• Ch. 6 – Delivering Good- and Neutral-News Messages
• Ch. 7 – Delivering Bad-News Messages
Criteria for Evaluation
• Demonstrates responsiveness to the audience’s subject knowledge, attitudes, interests, and values as well as the purpose and occasion.
• Employs format specifications detailed in the “Your Task” section of this assignment description.
• Incorporates effective language for the audience, purpose, and situation.
• Utilizes the appropriate organizational pattern for the message’s purpose.
• Reflects professional communication standards including tone, grammar, and overall writing standards.