18 Jan You must contact your instructor

WRTG394 Advanced Business Writing

Week 4 Assignment

Research-Based Report

You will begin a 2000-3000 word, research-based business report to a decision-maker. The report will identify a problem in an organization or community and propose a solution to that problem.

Writing Assignment #4

Research-Based Report

to a Decision-maker

Summary of assignment

• Task: You write a report that does the following:

o defines a problem persuasively and accurately

o proposes a solution or solutions to the problem or issue

o presents that solution to a decision-maker or group of decision-makers who can

implement the recommendation

• Topic: You will choose the same topic on which you wrote the memo for writing

assignment #3.

• Length: 2000-3000 words

• Format: Your sources will be cited and listed in APA format.

• Writing Process: You will submit a first draft of the report to the assignment folder.

The first draft will be given comments by the instructor. After receiving comments from

the instructor, you will submit a revised draft. The final draft will be graded.

If you do not submit a second draft, the first draft will be graded.

• Components of the report:

o title page

o letter to the decision maker (this should be a business letter, not a memo)

o executive summar

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Primary and Secondary Sources

The report must incorporate the results of your own primary research. When integrating primary

research, you must explain the method(s) you used to gather that research and insert a copy in

your report’s appendices of any collection instrument you used. For example, if you interviewed

some people for the report, you would put the list of interview questions you asked in the

appendix. If you arranged for a group of people to take a survey, you would put the survey in the

appendix.

The complete report should also cite at least seven secondary sources. At least three of these

secondary sources should come from peer-reviewed, scholarly journals.

As noted above, your primary and secondary sources will be integrated into the paper to

explain the problem, to provide evidence of the problem, and to support the solution.

Please note that, if you interview people for your research, you must cite the interviews in your

paper. In the paper, you cannot simply write that you “spoke with employees.” A URL that

shows how to cite an interview in APA citation style is provided in the list of components

for the report.

You might have taken WRTG 393 at UMUC. In WRTG 393, the final paper is a white paper.

This assignment is different from the white paper in WRTG 393. In this paper for WRTG 394,

you are writing to a specific decision-maker about a specific problem in your workplace or

community. The audience is much more focused than that for the white paper in WRTG 393.

Graphics

Your report might benefit from graphics. As mentioned above, pictures of your workplace or

community situation might help illustrate the problem you are trying to address. Graphs, tables,

or charts might help show trends that will persuade your decision-maker that the problem exists.

Please do not incorporate a graphic for the sake of incorporating a graphic. Include a graphic

only if it helps communicate a message in your report.

Due Date

Your instructor will notify you of the due date. You will write a first draft, your instructor will

comment on the first draft, and you will submit a second draft using the comments as your guide.

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Guides to Help You in Writing this Assignment:

• Victoria University of Wellington

• Murdoch University

• Colorado State University

Topic Selection:

For this report, you will write on the same topic on which you wrote the memo for writing

assignment #3. In addition, it should be related to the topic on which you wrote writing

assignment #2. The secondary research you conducted for writing assignment #2 should be

usable in some form for this report.

You must contact your instructor for approval before changing your topic from writing

assignment #3. In addition, if you do so, you must re-submit a memo for writing assignment #3.

Submitting the assignment:

You will submit a first draft of the essay to the assignment folder. The first draft will not be

graded. The instructor will provide comments on it.

After receiving comments from the instructor, you will submit a revised draft. The final draft

will be graded.