WRIT 250 Writting in Business Contexts

Business writing involves writing both informal and formal reports that geared toward a specific audience and written with a clear purpose. You composed an informal report in your last assignment. In this assignment, you are being asking to analyze a complex situation, conduct research, select appropriate sources and engage with these sources to persuade the reader to accept your recommendations. There are different kinds of "long" reports, but I’ve kept the assignment title vague so that you are not restricted by one structure or another, and can adapt the genre to your topic.

This assignment will call on all of the knowledge and skills you’ve gained so far in this course – think of it as a kind of summative assignment where you can display your mastery of the learning goals of this course.

PLEASE NOTE: This final assignment requires more research than your previous assignments. Allow yourselves ample time to draft, revise, and edit this long report. Expect to spend more time than you think is necessary to complete this assignment. Please start working on this project immediately after Assignment #4.

INSTRUCTIONS

The long, formal report is your final opportunity to put into practice all that you have learned.

In this long report, you will choose a Canadian company to pair with one of the three scenarios outlined below. From the perspective of a consultant hired by the chosen company, you will write a long report, with numerical data and recommendations, about the topic outlined in the scenario you’ve chosen.

Please click on each to access the instructions.

Choose a Canadian Company

You’re welcome to write on the Canadian company of your choice, but remember that it will be easier to compose your report if there are resources available on the company, and if the company's regular operations relate directly to the topic you've chosen. Also, keep in mind that you’ll want to choose a company whose context and portfolio pairs well with your chosen scenario so that you have rich information and data to draw from.

If you’re stumped, Wikipedia has a helpful list of Canadian companies, but make sure to double check the information from Wikipedia before going forward.

I have provided three scenarios for you – please select either Scenario A , B, or C outlined in the Scenarios section.

Choose a Scenario

Scenario A:

Topic: Carbon reduction

Many Canadian companies do not have a long-term business plan that sufficiently addresses climate change and a carbon-reduced economy. In some cases, businesses have invested in new green technologies, but their current business model still relies on traditional technologies that extract and burn as much fossil fuel as possible.

As a consultant, you must explore ways to reduce the carbon footprint of the company of your choice, but still remain profitable. Conduct research on possible business strategies to increase the company's long-term sustainability as the world economy moves away from carbon. Highlight strategies to enhance sustainability such as operations, manufacturing, resources, production and supply, using alternative resources, or strengthening infrastructure, to name a few.

Scenario B:

Topic: Virtual Office Space Versus Traditional Office Space
Numerical Data:

There is a new approach to office space arising called a “virtual office”. Implementing a virtual office space can take advantage of cutting-edge technology while reducing operating costs.

Imagine that the president of your company is looking for the most cost-effective office space in which to launch a new online product (please select a product based on the company’s portfolio). The President must decide whether or not to expand their headquarters in the centre of a large metropolitan area or explore other options. There are several virtual office spaces in Toronto. Such a virtual office is appealing because it uses technology and a physical address to support a business’s operations. However, traditional, brick-and-mortar offices are still the norm.

For this assignment, write a recommendation report exploring the following: Costs/benefits of setting up a virtual office versus a physical office in downtown Toronto, Canada.

Scenario C:

Topic: Digital and Physical realities / adaptations / policies / in the Covid era
Numerical Data:

The Covid-19 pandemic has brought about social distancing and stay-at-home orders, and brick-and-mortar businesses have suffered from decreased traffic. As of this spring in Ontario, only businesses with street access have been able to open, and while restrictions continue to be lifted, the business landscape will be forever changed.

With pandemic restrictions in place, more cashless transactions are being made. According to the CBC, "E-commerce sales more than doubled over the year, with a 110.8 percent increase compared with May 2019". Businesses that have both physical stores and online sales have fared well, but increasingly, traditional businesses with physical stores must redefine their business models to accommodate a "blended storefront" – that is, a virtual and a brick-and-mortar store. Business owners are now asking, how can the digital and physical storefront work more efficiently together?