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BCOM 600 Assessment Guide &

Marking Rubrics

Assessment 1: Emails and Memo (30%)

In this assignment, you are tasked to write 2 short messages that

follows the format of an email and a memo. This assignment tests your
understanding of PAIBOC and your ability to apply the concepts. The
conditions and details of each task are as follows:

TASK 1: Email
Word Requirement: 300-400 words

The image on your right is a complaint letter written by Ms Valeria

Dumitrescu to the General Manager of Iris Hotel in Romania.

Your task is to appropriately respond to this letter via email. Assume

that you are Tudor Gheorghe when replying the email.

Penalty Disclaimer: a) Word count penalty: Minus 10% of total grade for missing 5 - 20% of minimum word count. Minus 20% of total grade for missing 21% - 49% of minimum word count. Any word count less than 50% will be
ungraded and given back to the student to re-write on a pass and fail basis. b) Any work that does not meet academic ethics and integrity will automatically fail and be given (at maximum) 20% of the assignment grade.

Rubric Disclaimer: “Excellent” is de ned as a written work that meets industry and scholarly best standards with minimal revision. “Fair” is de ned as a written work that meets minimum industry and scholarly standards but requires
substantial revision. “Poor” is de ned as a written work that does not meet industry and scholarly standards, and requires re-assessment.

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TASK 2: Memo
Word Requirement: 300 - 400 words

Scenario: You are the operating manager of a building construction company and manage 25 staff. You have been tasked to inform all your staff
members that personal leave must be taken at least two weeks in advance. There have been several complaints from HR that you have approved
leaves with very short notice. This has caused operational inef ciency because HR does not have suf cient time to nd a replacement for that
person’s role. It also causes more burden on the team and creates higher cost for the company due to overtime pays.

Your management would like to you to write a memo to fully convey the issues above to your staff members and to ensure that everyone knows
that taking leave prior to 2 weeks’ notice will not be tolerated.

Assessment 1 Marking Rubric

Excellent (14 - 20) / (21 - 30) Fair (7 - 13) / (10 - 20) Poor (0 - 6) / (0 - 9)

Structure and Format The short message uses correct formatting and
20% it is well organised. The structure has
appropriate subject line, headings and
subheadings and the message is properly
placed into appropriate paragraphs.
The short message has some incorrect The short message has substantial formatting,
formatting that distracts the reader from the paragraphing and structural issues. But the
message. Generally, there are appropriate message is still understandable although
paragraphing, headings and subheadings. confusing and ambiguous.

Analysis and Evaluation The paper has logic issues and the analysis The paper has substantial logic issues. The
Provides clearly de ned points, analyses the
30% and purpose are vague. Evaluations, analysis and purpose for writing are vague.
problem and provides accurate solutions.
recommendations and/or solutions are Evaluations, recommendations and/or
Evaluations, recommendations and/or
explained but with unclear statements. solutions are explained but with signi cant
solutions are clearly explained and directly
ambiguity.
addresses the issue.

Penalty Disclaimer: a) Word count penalty: Minus 10% of total grade for missing 5 - 20% of minimum word count. Minus 20% of total grade for missing 21% - 49% of minimum word count. Any word count less than 50% will be
ungraded and given back to the student to re-write on a pass and fail basis. b) Any work that does not meet academic ethics and integrity will automatically fail and be given (at maximum) 20% of the assignment grade.

Rubric Disclaimer: “Excellent” is de ned as a written work that meets industry and scholarly best standards with minimal revision. “Fair” is de ned as a written work that meets minimum industry and scholarly standards but requires
substantial revision. “Poor” is de ned as a written work that does not meet industry and scholarly standards, and requires re-assessment.
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Language Use Writing and content are clear and concise. No Writing and content are understandable but Writing and content are very unclear and
20% errors in spelling, grammar or punctuation. with quite a lot of vague meanings. There are generally confusing to read. There are also
also some parts with signi cant grammatical signi cant grammatical errors although the
errors. general meaning is still understandable.

Communication, Knowledge and Practice Writing shows understanding of good
30% communication practices and student shows
the ability to correctly and unambiguously
apply politeness, and the right methods and
strategies to solve an issue.
Writing is generally correct with some errors
that shows a weaker understanding of
communication theory and practices. There is
also indication of impoliteness in the message.
Writing shows poor understanding of
communication theory and practice with major
errors. Signi cant levels of impoliteness found
in the writing and laden with very ambiguous
meanings.

Penalty Disclaimer: a) Word count penalty: Minus 10% of total grade for missing 5 - 20% of minimum word count. Minus 20% of total grade for missing 21% - 49% of minimum word count. Any word count less than 50% will be
ungraded and given back to the student to re-write on a pass and fail basis. b) Any work that does not meet academic ethics and integrity will automatically fail and be given (at maximum) 20% of the assignment grade.

Rubric Disclaimer: “Excellent” is de ned as a written work that meets industry and scholarly best standards with minimal revision. “Fair” is de ned as a written work that meets minimum industry and scholarly standards but requires
substantial revision. “Poor” is de ned as a written work that does not meet industry and scholarly standards, and requires re-assessment.
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Assessment 2: Recommendation Report (40%)

Word requirement: 1200 - 1500 words
Reference Requirement: 6 peer-reviewed articles (minimum)
Context
The email (left) was sent to company XYZ. The
sender of that email was an employee from your
marketing company that provides cold-emailing
services to increase sales in a business. You are the
manager of this cold-emailing marketing company
called CEM. Companies who received this email
complained that it was unprofessionally written,
too informal, and impolite.

Task
As the manager of CEM, you are required to write
a formal Recommendation Report on how best to
avoid the communication issues caused by the
email (left).

In this report, you must include knowledge from

ONE module/topic that you’ve learnt in the
Analysis section of the report. This means that you
must apply your understanding of the most
appropriate module/topic as a solution to the
problem.

Penalty Disclaimer: a) Word count penalty: Minus 10% of total grade for missing 5 - 20% of minimum word count. Minus 20% of total grade for missing 21% - 49% of minimum word count. Any word count less than 50% will be
ungraded and given back to the student to re-write on a pass and fail basis. b) Any work that does not meet academic ethics and integrity will automatically fail and be given (at maximum) 20% of the assignment grade.

Rubric Disclaimer: “Excellent” is de ned as a written work that meets industry and scholarly best standards with minimal revision. “Fair” is de ned as a written work that meets minimum industry and scholarly standards but requires
substantial revision. “Poor” is de ned as a written work that does not meet industry and scholarly standards, and requires re-assessment.

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Report Organisation Structure:

You must organise your report with the following sections:

* Cover Page
* Executive Summary
* Content Page
* Introduction
* Analysis (Using 1 module/topic you’ve learnt)
* Conclusion/Recommendation
* Bibliography

1. Executive Summary: Explains very brie y the problem and the recommended solutions. An exec summary cannot be longer than 150 words.

2. Introduction: Outline the problem and issues that you nd in the email communication. Study the problem and provide a summary of your
solutions.

3. Analysis: Analyse the communication problem in greater depth using research and one module/topic learnt in this course.

4. Conclusion: Provide a summary of your recommendation/solution and also a sample of an appropriate email (no more than 300 words) so
that future sales employees that offer their cold calling services can follow.

5. Bibliography: This section lists all the research used for this report. You must use APA Style for your references. Please visit https://
owl.purdue.edu/owl/research_and_citation/apa_style/apa_formatting_and_style_guide/general_format.html if you do not know how
to do citations or referencing.

Penalty Disclaimer: a) Word count penalty: Minus 10% of total grade for missing 5 - 20% of minimum word count. Minus 20% of total grade for missing 21% - 49% of minimum word count. Any word count less than 50% will be
ungraded and given back to the student to re-write on a pass and fail basis. b) Any work that does not meet academic ethics and integrity will automatically fail and be given (at maximum) 20% of the assignment grade.

Rubric Disclaimer: “Excellent” is de ned as a written work that meets industry and scholarly best standards with minimal revision. “Fair” is de ned as a written work that meets minimum industry and scholarly standards but requires
substantial revision. “Poor” is de ned as a written work that does not meet industry and scholarly standards, and requires re-assessment.

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Important Note: Remember that a report is not an essay. The entire report must use headings and sub-headings to ensure that your reader is able
to clearly follow your thoughts. If you are unsure on how to do this, please refer to Module 17 in your Business Communication textbook on how to
write formal reports and use headings and sub-headings.

CAUTION: Do not make bulleted points in this recommendation report. Write all your thoughts in proper sentences and paragraphs.

Assessment 2 Marking Rubric

Excellent (14 - 20) Fair (7 - 13) Poor (0 - 6)

Problem Identi cation The problem is introduced, and readers are Readers are given the overall problem that is Neither implicit nor explicit reference is made
Marks: 20 shown why this topic is signi cant and must be to be examined. to the problem that is to be examined.
addressed.

Organisation The report is organised according to criteria. There is a basic organisation that follows The report appears to have very little
Marks: 20 Each section is outlined and written clearly criteria, but it is not well integrated into the organisation, with subtopics re ected in most
and correctly; formatting is correct. sections. There is ambiguity in meaning and paragraphs that shows no cohesion. It is also
does not correctly follow criteria. incorrectly formatted.

Appropriateness of content The content is well developed, providing the The content is generally suf cient and meets The analysis fails to address the criteria and
Marks: 30 reader with the required analysis. The content most of the criteria but sometimes lacking in reader's needs. The content may be
is professionally written, re ects the readers' speci city. The analysis may not always re ect super cial, and lacking speci c
needs and level of knowledge. the reader's needs or level of knowledge. communication concepts.

Style The writer uses active sentences. Vocabulary
Marks: 10 is appropriate for the audience. It is written
with the professional use of language,
grammar and punctuations.
Writing is generally clear, but there’s evidence
of passive sentences. Meaning is sometimes
hidden. Sentences employ informal language
not appropriate for the audience.
It is hard to know what the writer is trying to
express. Writing includes excessive
nominalisation, passive voice, informal
constructions, or other features that are not
appropriate for an audience of decision
makers.

Penalty Disclaimer: a) Word count penalty: Minus 10% of total grade for missing 5 - 20% of minimum word count. Minus 20% of total grade for missing 21% - 49% of minimum word count. Any word count less than 50% will be
ungraded and given back to the student to re-write on a pass and fail basis. b) Any work that does not meet academic ethics and integrity will automatically fail and be given (at maximum) 20% of the assignment grade.

Rubric Disclaimer: “Excellent” is de ned as a written work that meets industry and scholarly best standards with minimal revision. “Fair” is de ned as a written work that meets minimum industry and scholarly standards but requires
substantial revision. “Poor” is de ned as a written work that does not meet industry and scholarly standards, and requires re-assessment.

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Email & Recommendations The writer provides a clear and succinct
Marks: 20 summary in the conclusion that ties in all the
recommendations. The sample email is polite,
adheres to professional standards and
formatted correctly.
The author provides concluding remarks that
show an analysis and synthesis of solutions.
However, the solutions may be ambiguous or
ill-de ned. The email is generally well written
but with formatting errors. It also lacks
professionalism.
There is no indication the author tried to
synthesise the information or make a
conclusion based on the problem. There are
no clear recommendations. The email is
written unprofessionally with ambiguous
meanings, severe formatting errors and
language issues.

Assessment 3: Video Presentation (30%)

Presentation time: 5 minutes. (Presentation time penalty of -20% of assessment grade for less than 4 minutes presentation. Students will be
automatically stopped at 5 minutes regardless of completion point.)
Reference Required: 6 peer-reviewed sources

You are tasked to provide a 5-minute video presentation to explain the recommendations that you made in (Assessment 2).

TASK:

In the presentation, there must be 3 sections:

1) Introduction: This part of your presentation explains the problem that you analysed for your report.

2) Body: This part of your presentation explains the solution, research methods and results.

3) Conclusion: This part of the presentation summarises everything that you have said. This is what we call the take home message.

Remember that unlike a written report, a presentation must be visually appealing. It must be delivered in an engaging and unambiguous manner
so that the audience fully understands the content within a very limited time.

Penalty Disclaimer: a) Word count penalty: Minus 10% of total grade for missing 5 - 20% of minimum word count. Minus 20% of total grade for missing 21% - 49% of minimum word count. Any word count less than 50% will be
ungraded and given back to the student to re-write on a pass and fail basis. b) Any work that does not meet academic ethics and integrity will automatically fail and be given (at maximum) 20% of the assignment grade.

Rubric Disclaimer: “Excellent” is de ned as a written work that meets industry and scholarly best standards with minimal revision. “Fair” is de ned as a written work that meets minimum industry and scholarly standards but requires
substantial revision. “Poor” is de ned as a written work that does not meet industry and scholarly standards, and requires re-assessment.
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INSTRUCTIONS:

1) Visit OBS Studio (https://obsproject.com), Screencast-O-Matic (https://screencast-o-matic.com) or use any presentation

recording software that you wish to employ.

2) Follow the instructions and take time to learn how to record your presentation via your computer screen. Unlike traditional
presentations, a lot more prep time is required so make sure you learn how to use the software in advance.

3) Make sure you check for mic connectivity and check for clarity of your voice. Marks will be deducted if your examiner is unable to
hear you or understand you clearly. Please note that clarity is not affected by one’s accent but on the quality of speech and
recording. A good way to avoid miscommunication is to provide a transcript of your presentation to your reader (optional).

4) Due to the lack of a physical presence for marking, this video presentation requires referencing from expert sources to validate
and qualify your thoughts. You are required to research to justify your claims.

Assessment 3 Marking Rubric

Poor (0 - 6) / (0 - 3) Fair (7 - 13) / (4 - 6) Excellent (14 - 20) / (7 - 10)

Organization Audience has dif culty following presentation Student presents information in logical,
Audience cannot understand presentation
Marks: 20 because the student’s thoughts and ideas interesting sequence which audience can
because there is no sequence of information.
jump around. follow.

Penalty Disclaimer: a) Word count penalty: Minus 10% of total grade for missing 5 - 20% of minimum word count. Minus 20% of total grade for missing 21% - 49% of minimum word count. Any word count less than 50% will be
ungraded and given back to the student to re-write on a pass and fail basis. b) Any work that does not meet academic ethics and integrity will automatically fail and be given (at maximum) 20% of the assignment grade.

Rubric Disclaimer: “Excellent” is de ned as a written work that meets industry and scholarly best standards with minimal revision. “Fair” is de ned as a written work that meets minimum industry and scholarly standards but requires
substantial revision. “Poor” is de ned as a written work that does not meet industry and scholarly standards, and requires re-assessment.

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Student does not have grasp of information;
Subject Knowledge
weak subject expertise; student does not
Marks: 20
qualify or justify knowledge with reliable
sources (minimally 6).
Student is uncomfortable with information; Student demonstrates full knowledge (more
has subject expertise but with ambiguous than required) and justi es each presentation
explanations; student has some justi cations section with expert knowledge (more than 6
using some reliable sources (minimally 6). sources).

Student occasionally uses graphics but often

Graphics Student uses super uous graphics or no Student's graphics explain and reinforce
does not support text and presentation; some
Marks: 20 graphics; student focusses on one slide for screen text and presentation; slides move at
inappropriate and lengthy explanation on
too long or inappropriately. an appropriate pace.
slides but not uncomfortably long.

Student's presentation has four or more
Mechanics
formatting, spelling errors and/or grammatical
Marks: 20
errors. Layout of the presentation slides are
poorly made and/or uncomfortable to view.
Presentation has three formatting, Presentation has no formatting, misspellings
misspellings and/or grammatical errors. or grammatical errors. The layout of the
Presentation slide layout is generally pleasing presentation is very well designed for a
to the audience with some minor errors. professional audience.

Student's voice is non-conversational and at

Elocution Student mumbles, speaks too quickly or Student uses a clear voice and correct, precise
times too mechanical. Student incorrectly
Marks: 20 slowly, incorrectly pronounces terms, and is pronunciation of terms so that all audience
pronounces terms; audience members have
generally incoherent. members can hear the presentation.
dif culty hearing presentation.

Penalty Disclaimer: a) Word count penalty: Minus 10% of total grade for missing 5 - 20% of minimum word count. Minus 20% of total grade for missing 21% - 49% of minimum word count. Any word count less than 50% will be
ungraded and given back to the student to re-write on a pass and fail basis. b) Any work that does not meet academic ethics and integrity will automatically fail and be given (at maximum) 20% of the assignment grade.

Rubric Disclaimer: “Excellent” is de ned as a written work that meets industry and scholarly best standards with minimal revision. “Fair” is de ned as a written work that meets minimum industry and scholarly standards but requires
substantial revision. “Poor” is de ned as a written work that does not meet industry and scholarly standards, and requires re-assessment.
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