Professional Documents
Culture Documents
Bring to class an example of a periodic report from your present or previous job or
from any community, religious, or social organization to which you belong. In an
accompany- ing memo to your instructor, indicate who the audience is and why
such a report is nec- essary, stressing how it is organized, what kinds of factual
data it contains, what visuals were used, and how it might be improved in content,
organization, style, and design.
Memo
To: Instructor
From: Donald Le
Date: 19/11/2023
This report contains key sales data like total sales, new accounts acquired, and big
deals closed. It covers the highlights of the month and calls out any notable
achievements or issues.
The report is organized chronologically, starting with a brief overview of the month
and then covering weekly highlights and totals. I included a simple table to
summarize the weekly and monthly sales data for easy reference.
The only visual used is the sales summary table, which condenses the key numerical
data into an easy-to-read format. In the future, it may be helpful to include visuals like
charts showing sales over time or pipeline trends.
This report could be improved by providing more analysis and insights into the trends
and numbers. Adding more commentary to explain fluctuations and calling out
opportunities would make this report more useful to the sales manager. I would also
recommend including forward-looking recommendations and forecasts. Overall
though, this report serves its purpose of providing a regular status update and tracking
sales performance over time.
2. Assume that you are the manager of an apartment complex (300 units). Write a
periodic report based on the following information: 26 units are vacant, 38 soon
will be vacant, and 27 soon will be leased (by June 1). Also add a section of
recommendations to your supervisor (the head of the management company for
which you work) on how vacant apartments might be leased more quickly and
perhaps at increased rents. Consider such important information as decorating,
advertising, installing a new security system, pro- viding Wi-Fi access, and
amenities such as a pool, fitness center, or clubhouse, and first- month discounts.
Date: 19/11/2023
As of June 1st, the occupancy rate for our 300-unit apartment complex stands
at 91%.
There are currently 26 vacant units
An additional 38 units will become vacant by the end of June as leases expire
27 new leases have been signed starting June 1st
This puts our projected occupancy for July 1st at 88% if no additional units are
leased.
a) Interior Upgrades
Fresh paint, new carpets, and updated light fixtures could make units more appealing.
Budget permitting, these upgrades could attract tenants willing to pay higher rent.
b) Advertising
Run ads in local papers highlighting upgraded amenities and any first month
specials.
Promote on apartment listing websites like Apartments.com.
Update website and social media with photos of upgraded units.
c) Amenities
Install a pool and fitness center this summer before lease season ramps up.
Market these new amenities.
Provide free WiFi in common areas.
Host resident events like movie nights to build community.
d) Incentives
Offer 1 month free on 12-month leases for a limited time. This could motivate
faster leasing.
Waive security deposits for tenants with good credit and references.
Please let me know if you would like me to put together proposals for any of these
initiatives. I'm happy to gather estimates and further details. I believe these
investments would allow us to lease vacant units faster and increase rents. Let me
know if you need any additional analysis or have any other recommendations for
improving occupancy.
3. Assume you work for a household appliance store. Prepare a sales report based on
the information contained in the following table. Include a section on
recommendations for your manager.
Date: 19/11/2023
Summary
Sales Data
Recommendations
Given the spike in freezer sales, I recommend increasing our freezer inventory going into
the holiday season. Customers may be buying extra freezer space for holiday meals and
gifts.
Let's expand our microwave selection based on rising sales. Additional models with
convection cooking seem popular.
Dishwasher sales declined, possibly due to fewer home remodeling projects this time of
year. We could incentivize purchases with a discount on installation.
Dehumidifier sales fell with the change of seasons. However, we should still carry some
inventory for year-round demand.
Please let me know if you would like me to research pricing and availability for any
expanded inventory. I'm also happy to develop promotional plans to boost appliance sales
next month.
4. Write a progress report on the wins and losses (and, if applicable, ties) of your favorite
sports team for the past season. Address the report to the director of publicity for the
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team and stress how the director might use those facts for future publicity. As part of
your report, indicate what might be an effective lead for a press release about the team’s
efforts.
From: Donald Le
Date: 19/11/2023
Overview
The Aroma finished the 2023 season with a record of 82 wins and 80 losses, finishing
second in their division. Here is a summary of the team's performance:
The team got off to a strong start in April and May, but hit a slump in June and August.
They rallied at the end of the season to finish at .506. While they did not make the
playoffs, the team showed improvement from their 75 win season last year.
Key Players
Player 1 led the team in home runs with 38 and RBIs with 102.
Player 2 had the best batting average at .312 and stole 25 bases.
Player 3 led the pitching staff with 16 wins and a 2.89 ERA.
Publicity Angles
For next season's publicity and promotions, I recommend highlighting our power hitters
like Player 1 and speedsters like Player 2 to showcase an exciting brand of baseball. The
pitching staff's improvement could also be a good angle.
"Behind an offensive attack led by star slugger Player 1 and speedy catalyst Player 2, the
Aroma exhibited improvement in 2023 by finishing 82-80 and raising their win total for
the second straight season."
Let me know if you would like any additional analysis or ideas for capitalizing on this
season in next year's publicity and ticket promotions.
5. Submit a progress report to your writing instructor on what you have learned in his or
her course so far this term, specifying which formatting and writing skills you want to
de- velop in greater detail, and how you propose doing so. Mention specific memos,
emails, letters, instructions, reports, summaries, websites, social media posts, blogs, or
proposals you have written or will soon write.
To: Mr. Peter Jung
From: Donald Le
Date: 19/11/2023
Overview
So far this term in [Course Name], I've learned valuable skills related to workplace
writing that I know will help me in my future career. Here are some of the key things I've
worked on:
Writing memos, emails, and letters using proper format and tone
Creating clear, organized instructions and procedures
Conducting research and documenting sources
Writing summaries and reports for business audiences
Developing websites, social media posts, and blogs
Presenting data visually in tables, charts, and graphs
As we move into the second half of the term, I would like to continue improving in these
areas:
I hope to apply these skills in upcoming projects like AISEC. Please let me know if you
have any other suggestions for skills I should focus on developing. I appreciate your
guidance in helping me become a better, more effective writer.
6. Prepare a site inspection report on any part of the college campus or plant, hospital,
of- fice, store, or other facility in which you work that might need remodeling,
expansion, rewiring, or new or additional air-conditioning, plumbing, and/or heating
work.
From: Donald Le
Date: 19/11/2023
Overview
Findings
Roof: The roof is over 20 years old and leaking in several sections allowing water
damage. It needs full replacement.
Electrical: The current electrical system does not fully meet the needs of inventory
machinery and lighting requirements. Additional circuits and wiring upgrades are needed.
Plumbing: Drainage piping is outdated and clogged causing occasional flooding. Water
pressure is insufficient in bathrooms.
Ventilation: Current system does not adequately control temperature and humidity. This
could lead to inventory spoilage.
Safety: Emergency lighting, exit signage, fire extinguishers need to be upgraded to meet
codes.
Recommendations
Replace the outdated roofing system to stop leaks.
Update plumbing and drainage to prevent flooding and increase water pressure.
Make safety upgrades including emergency lighting, exits, and fire suppression.
The warehouse needs major upgrades to roofing, electrical, plumbing, ventilation, and
safety systems. I recommend budgeting for these projects over the next 2 years,
prioritizing any critical safety issues first. Please let me know if you need any additional
inspection details or budget estimates.
From: Donald Le
Date: 19/11/2023
Overview
Findings
Roof: The roof is over 20 years old and leaking in several sections allowing water
damage. It needs full replacement.
Electrical: The current electrical system does not fully meet the needs of inventory
machinery and lighting requirements. Additional circuits and wiring upgrades are
needed.
Plumbing: Drainage piping is outdated and clogged causing occasional flooding.
Water pressure is insufficient in bathrooms.
Ventilation: Current system does not adequately control temperature and humidity.
This could lead to inventory spoilage.
Safety: Emergency lighting, exit signage, fire extinguishers need to be upgraded to meet
codes.
Recommendations
The warehouse needs major upgrades to roofing, electrical, plumbing, ventilation, and
safety systems. I recommend budgeting for these projects over the next 2 years,
prioritizing any critical safety issues first. Please let me know if you need any additional
inspection details or budget estimates.
7. You and your collaborative team have been asked to write a short preliminary
inspection report on the condition of a historic building for your state historical
society. Inspecting the building, the home of a famous late-nineteenth-century
governor, you discover the problems listed below. Include all these details in your
report. Also supply recommenda- tions for your readers: a director of the state
historical society, a state architect, and four representatives of the subcommittee on
finance from your state legislature. Design two appropriate visuals to include in your
report.
o The eight front columns are all in need of repair; two of them may have to be
replaced.
o The area below each bottom window casement needs to be excavated for
waterproofing.
o The slate tile on the roof has deteriorated and needs immediate replacement.
o The front stairs show signs of mortar leaching and require attention at once.
o Sections of gutter on the northwest and northeast sides of the house must be
changed; other gutters are in fair shape.
o Wood shutters need to be repainted; four of the twelve may even need to be
replaced.
o All trees around the house need pruning; an old elm in the backyard shows
signs of decay.
From: Team 5
Date: 19/11/2023
Overview
Findings
Columns - The eight front columns all need repair. Two may need full
replacement due to extensive damage.
Windows - The area under each bottom window casement needs to be excavated
and waterproofed to prevent further decay.
Roof - The slate tile roof has deteriorated significantly and is in immediate need of
full replacement.
Front Steps - The front steps show signs of mortar leaching and separation. They
require re-mortaring soon to prevent further damage.
Gutters - Sections of gutter on the northwest and northeast sides need replacement.
Other gutters appear in fair condition.
Shutters - The wooden shutters all need repainting, and four require replacement
due to deterioration.
Landscaping - Trees surrounding the mansion need pruning for health and safety.
One large elm tree in back shows signs of decay and poses a falling risk.
Siding - The exterior siding requires power washing, scraping, priming, and
repainting. Old paint is severely cracked and peeling.
Brickwork - The brick near the front entrance needs cleaning and moss removal.
Recommendations
We estimate the top priority repairs will cost approximately $[amount] based on
contractor estimates. Full restoration of other issues like siding, shutters, gutters,
landscaping and brickwork could likely be budgeted over the next 3-5 years.
Please refer to the attached diagrams illustrating the locations needing priority repairs.
Let us know if you need any clarification or additional details regarding our inspection
findings. We are happy to answer questions and assist with planning the restoration.
8. Write a report to an instructor in your major or to an employer about a trip you have
taken recently—to a museum, laboratory, health care agency, correctional facility,
radio or television station, plant or factory, or office. Indicate why you took the trip,
name the individuals (with their job titles) you met on the trip, and stress what you
learned and how that information will help you in course work or on your job. Include
a relevant visual as part of your report.
From: Donald Le
Date: 19/11/2023
Overview
On 12/2/2023, I visited the Sunny Days Nursing Home and Rehabilitation Center to learn
more about careers in elder care as part of our coursework on health professions. Below
is a summary of my visit.
Purpose
People Met
Key Takeaways
This experience helped me better understand the operations of a skilled nursing facility
and role of various staff members. I'm now more interested in pursuing elder care as a
career. Visiting the nursing home brought textbook concepts to life and revealed services
I didn't know were offered. I appreciate the chance to gain this invaluable first-hand
perspective.
Please let me know if I can provide any other details about my nursing home visit.
Introduction
As a customer service representative at Acme Retail Inc. this past month, I supported
company goals of boosting sales and member retention through the following:
Responded to over 2,000 member inquiries via phone, email, and chat with an
average satisfaction score of 4.8/5 from survey responses.
Upselled high-margin accessories during support calls, generating $5,000 in
additional sales.
Developed 3 new help center articles to deflect common questions and reduce call
volume.
Key Activities
Handled inbound calls and live chats from members needing order, payment, and
delivery support. Resolved most inquiries in under 5 minutes.
Identified at-risk members based on frequency of issues and proactively contacted
them to resolve problems preemptively.
Collected voice-of-customer feedback to identify common pain points and
opportunities for improvement.
Completed a 3-week product training course to improve my ability to recommend
related purchases.
In the weeks ahead, I will continue using my customer service and sales skills to:
Drive member renewals through outreach and exclusive renewal offers.
Reduce response times by creating more self-help resources.
Suggest complementary products during support interactions.
Identify service trends to recommend ongoing improvements.
10. Submit a test report on the purpose, procedures, results, conclusions, and
recommenda- tions of an experiment you conducted on one of the following
topics:
d. automobiles j. food
Title:
Purpose:
To compare the fuel efficiency of a hybrid electric vehicle (HEV) with a fuel cell electric
vehicle (FCEV) under simulated city driving conditions.
Procedures:
Test vehicles were a 2022 Toyota Prius HEV and 2022 Toyota Mirai FCEV.
Vehicles were tested on a chassis dynamometer to simulate a city drive cycle.
City cycle was repeated 3 times per vehicle with a 10 minute break between
cycles.
Fuel consumption was precisely measured after each cycle.
Cabin climate control was standardized across tests.
Vehicle speeds and dynamometer loads were controlled via programming.
Results:
HEV fuel economy averaged 62.1 mpg over the 3 city cycles
FCEV fuel economy averaged 68.3 mpDge (miles per diesel gallon equivalent)
The FCEV demonstrated 9.9% better fuel efficiency on average.
Fuel use patterns were consistent across the 3 cycles for each vehicle.
Conclusions:
The FCEV demonstrated superior fuel efficiency to the HEV in city cycle testing.
The hypothesis that the FCEV would achieve better fuel economy was supported.
FCEV's higher efficiency is attributed to differences in powertrain design and
energy conversion.
Recommendations:
11. Write an incident report about a problem you encountered in your work or at home
in the last year. Document the problem and provide a solution. Use the memo
format shown in Figure 14.11.
From: Donald Le
Date: 19/11/2023
On the morning of June 5th, one of the racking units in aisle C of the warehouse
collapsed, causing several pallets of inventory to fall. I was notified of the incident at
around 10:15am.
Upon inspecting the rack, it was discovered that one of the footplates had cracked due to
fatigue failure from repeated use. This caused the frame to destabilize and eventually
collapse under the weight of the stored pallets. No one was injured.
The damaged racking was disassembled and removed from the warehouse to prevent any
other safety hazards. The inventory from the fallen pallets was inspected and restacked. A
replacement racking unit has been ordered and will be installed within 2 weeks.
Please let me know if you need any other details on this incident or have additional
recommendations for preventing warehouse equipment failures.
12. Write an incident report about one of the following problems. Assume that it has
hap- pened to you. Supply relevant details and visuals in your report. Identify the
audience for whom you are writing and the agency you are representing or trying
to reach.
a. After hydroplaning, your company car hits a tree and has a damaged front
fender.
b. You have been the victim of an electrical shock because an electrical tool
was not grounded.
c. You twist your back lifting a bulky package in the office or plant.
d. A virus has infected your company’s intranet, and it will have to be shut
down for 12 hours to debug it.
e. The crane (or other piece of equipment) you are operating breaks down, and
you lose a half-day’s work.
f. The vendor has been unable to repair the corrupted software on your
computer, and you cannot complete a job without buying a more expensive
software package.
g. An electrical storm knocked out your computer; you lost 1,000 mailing
label addresses and will have to hire additional help to complete a
mandatory mailing by the end of the week.
i. An irate customer threatens one of your sales staff, but there was no
physical vio- lence, though the daily routine of your business was disrupted
and several other customers walked out.
j. After attending a trade show for your company, you find out that you have
been a victim of identity theft, and that your company-issued credit card has
been compromised.
Date: 19/11/2023
Overview:
At approximately 9AM this morning, our office intranet was infected with a virus that
began corrupting files and crashing systems across the network. In order to contain the
virus, our local IT administrator shut down the intranet per corporate protocol.
Scope of Impact:
All systems connected to the XXX Street office intranet remain offline
Email, file servers, databases inaccessible
75 employees unable to access critical systems
Customer service, operations disrupted
Estimated outage timeline: minimum 12 hours based on prior incidents
We urgently need corporate IT support to identify the virus, purge it from our systems,
and bring our intranet back online. We also request guidance on any additional
precautions needed once systems are restored. Our team will provide any logs or data
required for investigation. Please advise IT help desk on next steps.
Please let me know if any other details on this incident would be helpful. Our priority is
restoring email and other critical systems as soon as possible with corporate's assistance.
Thank you for your prompt response.
13. Choose one of the following descriptions of an incident, and write a report based on
it. The descriptions contain unnecessary details, vague words, insufficient information,
unclear cause-and-effect relationships, or a combination of those errors. In writing your
report, correct the errors by adding or deleting whatever information you believe is nec-
essary. You may also want to rearrange the order in which information is listed. Use a
memo format, like that in Figure 14.11, to write the report.
a. After sliding across the slippery road late at night, my car ran into another ve-
hicle, one of those fancy imported cars. The driver of that car must have been
asleep at the wheel. The paint and glass chips were all over. I was driving back
from our regional meeting and wanted to report to the home office the next day.
The accident will slow me down.
b. Whoever packed the glass mugs did not know what he or she was doing. The tape
was not the right type, nor was it sealed correctly. The carton was too flimsy as
well. It could have been better packed to hold all those mugs. Moreover, since the
bus had to travel across some pretty hilly country, the package would have bro-
ken anyhow. The best way to ship these kinds of goods is in specially marked and
packed boxes. The value of the box contents was listed at $575.
From: Donald Le
Date: 19/11/2023
As I was approaching Exit 47, my car began to hydroplane on a slick road surface due to
heavy rainfall. I attempted to regain control but was unable to avoid sliding into a second
vehicle in the lane next to me. Based on the angle of impact, it appears the other driver
may have veered into my lane, possibly due to drowsiness or inattention.
Both vehicles sustained significant damage to front quarter panels, headlights, and front
bumpers. No injuries were reported, but both cars had to be towed from the scene.
I promptly notified local law enforcement and exchanged insurance information with the
other driver. Because my vehicle needs collision repairs, I will be delayed in submitting
my regional meeting report. However, I have retained all necessary notes and materials to
complete the report as soon as I am able.
Please let me know if you require any additional details on this incident. I apologize for
the upcoming delay and will keep you informed on the status of my car repairs and
meeting report timeline.