Robert M. Rowan, Instructor. Last Updated: 7/2/13

Eng145.13 Projects 1

English 145.13 Projects– Fall 2013.

Robert M. Rowan, Instructor. Last Updated: 7/2/13

Projects

Three of our four projects this semester will center on a fictional company over a twenty-year period. We will discuss and create many different kinds of documents that are relevant to each stage of the company’s growth. We cannot possibly cover all of the types of documents or types of audiences a company might produce; instead, we will practice with several combinations of these as part of a larger exercise in gathering knowledge on how to work in different formats.

Our fourth project will be part of the English Department’s program assessment of English 145 and 145.13. For the assessment, each group will be given a business scenario and asked to research and write in the appropriate genres. Your responses will be collected anonymously by the department and used to evaluate how well the students of English 145 and 145.13 are learning and using the course material.

Class Schedule

In general, we will spend our days as follows:

On Mondays we will talk about the documents you’re working on for the current projects, including questions, problems, advice, warnings about potential pitfalls, and peer review sessions.

On Wednesdays we will work on individual or group assignments.

Project assignments will be due at the start of the last day of that project (listed below). Due to our two-day schedule, the end of a project and the start of the next project will be on the same day. Special events such as peer reviews, presentations, or other activities will be announced in advance.You will need to work with your group outside of class to finish your group projects.

Document Management

We will use Google Drive(formerly known as Google Docs) for our document management. You can sign up for a Google Drive account for free. If you have a Gmail account, a Google Drive account is already included. All of your written assignments are to be handed in electronically in the proper folder and with the proper naming method. All group and individual items are to be saved in your group’s folder. The only exceptions are (a) physical items such as a model or mock-up, and (b) your Progress Journal if you prefer to keep it private.

Naming method for assignment files: Last Name and First Initial, Underscore, Project Number (F for Floating), Underscore, Brief Assignment Name. For group assignments, use the word Group and the group’s number instead of Last Name and First Initial. Don’t use spaces or special characters in the file name. Each group will have dozens of files by the end of the semester, and this naming style makes sorting and finding documents much easier. Examples:

Eng145.13 Projects 1

RowanR_2_MyResume

Group2_1_BusinessPlan

Group2_3_BusinessPlan-GUS

SmithJ_2_LowEmpProposal

SmithJ_2_LowEmpProposal-GUS

SmithJ_2_LowEmpProposal-Fix

Eng145.13 Projects 1

Groups

During the second week of class, I will assign you to groups. This is usually done alphabetically by last name. Each group of 3-4will sit and work together for the rest of the semester. Each group should select one person to be your Tech Leader, who will handle technology-related issues for your group, such as helping to set up Google Drive accounts for group members. If no one in your group is able to fill this role, I may switch group memberships for some people. Your group will also be asked to provide occasional feedback on other groups’ assignments.

Selecting a Business

You can start a company in any industry, but keep in mind that some businesses and industries are VERY complex, and you’ll have to become pretty knowledgeable about your chosen industry. Starting a shoe factory might work; starting a pharmaceutical company would probably be too hard for you at this point. It’s your call, though. You don’t need my approval for your choice of business, but you are responsible for dealing with any problems that may result from your choice.

Your business can begin with one reasonable asset, such as some computers or a small piece of farmland (a few acres at most). Starting with your own space shuttle or refinery is too much. You have to pay property tax to the city/county/state (it varies) on any land or buildings your company owns, so starting out with a factory automatically puts you in debt even if you haven’t set foot in the place.

Below is a list of the business types that students in my previous classes have worked with. You do not have to pick from this list. The fictional business you create should be reasonably capable of growing to 100 employees. Businesses such as dog-walking services, daycares, lawn care companies, restaurants, or coffeehouses are probably notthe best choices here, because they’re harder to expand beyond a few dozen employees at most unless you franchise the business, which is a lot of additional work. You can assume that your business will be successful overall for our purposes, but you will still have challenges to deal with.

Eng145.13 Projects 1

• Freight (trucking) company
• Shipping (package delivery) company
• Restaurants/pubs/pizza places (several different kinds of each)
• Lawn care company
• Recording studio/record label
• Energy drink manufacturer/sales
• Winery
• Brewery
• Graphic design company
• Water-soluble film and packaging material manufacturer
• Sporting goods store
• Sports collectibles store
• Clothing manufacturer/store
• Tutoring center
• Cigarette manufacturer/sales
• Used furniture buyer/reseller (college student furniture)
• Online grocery store chain
• Screen-printing company
• Bed & breakfast
• Computer-aided classroom (computers, projectors, smart boards) sales and installation

Eng145.13 Projects 1

Here are a few sites to look at for general information on business and industry types:

Web Text

Some of the documents we will work on have full examples available on the web for cheap or free. In the real world, it can be perfectly legitimate to copy and modify these texts (with some exceptions) for your own use – often the author has made them available for that very purpose. I recognize this reality, so I’m offering you a compromise. You can copy & paste web text for your assignment (twice max per semester), but you must do two things: (a) modify it in some substantial way to make it more directly applicable to our projects, and (b) on your GenreUnderstanding Sheet (below), tell me where you got it from, what it means, and what you changed. You can use web text to fulfill your assignment twice max during the semester.

Important: You are fully responsible for every word on every assignment. If you use web text that you don’t understand (such as a copied legal document), it’s your job to figure out what it means before using it. Creating or signing a contract or other document that you don’t fully understand could be disastrous for your business and for you personally!

Graphic Sources

For each graphic (image, picture, photo) you use in this class, you must give credit to the graphic’s creator if possible. This is often challenging for graphics you find on the web, but you must do it anyway. Just because a graphic is available on the web for anyone to see, that doesn’t automatically mean anyone can use it in their own projects or documents. When a real-world company wants to use a graphic that someone else created, it has to contact the person or company who owns the rights to that graphic and get their permission or risk being sued for copyright infringement. Getting permission often involves buying or leasing the rights to the graphic, and there are companies which specialize in doing this (such as Corbis or IStock Photo).

For class purposes, we will be slightly less strict: you do not have to get permission from the rights holder, but your GUS must list the specific source for each image you’re using (which website it came from, and the name of the creator/designer if at all possible). DO NOT list a Google search string as your source – this will result in either a Fix or a lawsuit.

Research Sources

We will use the web for a lot of our research in this class. Not all sources of information on the web are the same, and I expect you to make smart choices about whether your source is reliable, thorough, and relevant to whatever you’re trying to do.

From our Learning Goals (Item 3):

In some cases, I will give you a specific number of sources to use. These sources should be non-trivial and peer-reviewed or otherwise respected in the relevant field. Dig deep; use the library. Don’t simply take the first item Google offers. Just because it’s in print doesn’t mean it’s legit.

Bad: sources like dictionary.com (trivial), Billy’s Blog (probably not peer-reviewed or respected by the industry), articles on Ask.com (probably trivial, probably not a respected source for your industry), a small-town paper’s letter to the editor from a random crazy person (random, crazy).

Good: sites/sources such as New York Times, Chronicle of Higher Education, Advertising Age, Washington Post, Journal of Business Education, or a noted economist’s, scientist’s, or industrialist’s blog (e.g. Paul Krugman, Michio Kaku, or Bruce Wayne).

Projects

Per our contract, you must successfully complete the quantity and type of items listed below.

Project / Group / Individual / Peer Review / Advanced
One / 2 / 2 / 0 / 0
Two / 2 / 2 / 1 / 0-1
Three / 2 / 2 / 1 / 0-1
Four / 1 / 0 / 1 / 0-1
Floating / 0 / 2 / 0 / 0-1

Each project has a number of options listed which are generally appropriate to a business at that stage of development. You are welcome to make other suggestions as well, but if you modify or change an assignment you must clear it with me first and include a note with the assignment itself reminding me what you’ve done. You can choose assignments from current or previous projects that you haven’t done yet, but you can’t choose assignments from future projects.

For each written project-specific assignment (whether group, individual, or advanced), you must include a separate documentanswering the questions in the Genre Understanding Sheet (GUS). Floating assignments and the peer review exercises do not require a GUS.

Some of the group assignments could get very long; a thorough policy manual could be hundreds of pages. You don’t need to write that much, but you do need to give me enough that I can tell whether you’ve got a handle on it. For many assignments, I’ve chosen a page length that’s much shorter than a business version of the document is likely to be. Research each genre carefully, even if you think you already know all about it. Choose a few parts or sections that you understand and can do well. If an assignment doesn’t have a page range listed, then it’s up to you to decide how long it needs to be to accomplish the business task described in the assignment. That’s how it goes in the working world—you will very rarely (if ever) be given a page length by your boss when asked to write something.

The Work column tells you whether the assignment is meant to be done by the group or by an individual student. All of the assignments with a Work type of “Mandatory” are group assignments. The Advanced assignments are optional, butremember that you can only do one per project—this is to keep people from turning in a huge pile of advanced assignments at the end of the semester.

The Category column is a loose classification of assignments by the kind of expertise involved. This column has no bearing on the assignment itself other than as an additional piece of information for you. The same is true of the Employees and Gross Profit figures – they are only there as ballpark or guideline figures.

Not all assignment options will be a good fit for your company. Don’t try to force it.

Eng145.13 Projects 1

Project One: Year Zero

Date range: August 19 to September 16 (written items due on this day)

By the end of this project, your fictional company will be open for business.

Employees: 3-4 (your group)

Approximate Gross Profit: $10,000 (adjust as needed) loan from SBA, bank, or another source

New assignment options available:

Assignment / Description / Category / Work
Marketing Plan / A 4-5 page section of a marketing plan for your company. This is not an advertisement--this is an internal plan for how, where, and why* you are going to market your products now and in the near future. *Why = explain your choices. / Advertising and Marketing / Group
Business Plan and SWOT / A 4-5 page section of your new company's business plan. Research business plans and choose a few sections which you can reproduce and which apply to your type of business. In addition, write up a 1-page SWOT (Strengths, Weaknesses, Opportunities, and Threats) analysis. / Proposal / Group
Challenge and Opportunity / A 2-3 page executive summary addressing one specific challenge or opportunity (whether new or ongoing) in your company’s industry, written for your business partners and yourself. Use sources such as trade journals or entrepreneurial guides/magazines to help you fill out the content. The term "Executive Summary" can refer to a few different types of documents, so be sure to research this genre carefully. Must have at least 3 sources. / Research / Individual
First-Year Budget / First year income and expense budget by month, with annotations (explanations). Do not simply copy the same figures for each month! Create as realistic a budget as you can, including all projected income and expenses, month by month. / Accounting / Individual
Two Ads / Two mass-media advertisements for your company’s goods or services, each for a different medium (radio, TV, print, web, or other) and a one-page explanation (total, not each) of your strategy/thought process in creating these ads. Use the appropriate format for the genre you’ve chosen. A radio or TV ad should be in the form of a script, and you should research what a radio or TV script looks like, why it’s done that way, and how it works. A print ad should be laid out exactly as it will appear in the publication you’ve picked (this is called “camera ready”). For each ad, research and list the approximate costs to produce and distribute it (e.g. to write and film your TV ad, and to run it on a particular TV station several times a day for a month). / Advertising and Marketing / Individual
Website / A real website (using a free hosting service of your choice) for your company, with at least 5 separate pages filled with content. / Advertising and Marketing / Individual
Business Cards / Three different designs for your company’s business cards, including cost for each.
Warning: Proofread very, VERY carefully. No mistakes allowed. / Advertising and Marketing / Individual
Price Sheet / A price or rate sheet for your goods or services. This document can either be given out to customers and prospects, or used within the company, or both. Decide which, because it makes a difference in how you will design the document. Note that most companies do not share their wholesale cost information with their customers. / Office Policy / Individual

Project Two: Year Five

Date range: September 16 to October 14(written items due on this day)

By the end of this project, your fictional company will be five years old.

Employees: 50

Approximate Gross Profit: $4,000,000

You can do any assignment from previous projects that you haven’t done yet. New assignment options available:

Assignment / Description / Category / Work
Zoning Letter / Letter to a local planning/zoning board requesting a variance (special permission) so your new facility can be built or so you can make use of an existing building in an area where your type of business is not currently permitted. Look up the actual people and procedures involved, based on the location of your building. / Proposal / Advanced
Product Placement / Proposal to your boss or business partners for product placement in a movie or TV show. Specify which show and why. Include mock-up images/samples. / Proposal / Advanced
Non-Profit Collaboration / Proposal for collaboration with a non-profit entity of your choice (local, regional, national, or global). This should be more than just an offer to donate money—do some research on how your company could realistically help a non-profit organization to reach one or more of its goals. Your proposal can be aimed at either your company’s leadership or the other organization. Pay close attention to the difference between those two audiences. / Proposal / Advanced
Noise Letter / Letter to neighbors requesting approval for live music at your business. Your research should include the local (city or county) government's rules and procedures for this type of request. / Proposal / Advanced
Angry Customer Letter / Letter responding to an angry customer, plus a 1-page internal write-up of the original incident. / Public Relations / Advanced
Law Research / A 3-4 page executive summary for your business partners on new laws that could affect your business. Research at least two pieces of real state or federal legislation (pending, proposed, or passed into law within the last 5 years) which have the potential to impact your group’s company or industry. You do not need to write a separate paper for each piece of legislation, but part of your argument should include the reasons why you’re addressing them together. / Research / Advanced
Brochure / A six-panel, two-fold brochure for your company or a product/service you offer. / Advertising and Marketing / Group
Interview Questions / A list of 8 or more questions that you would ask in an interview with a potential employee and an explanation of what you expect to learn from the respondent for each question. / Human Resources / Group
Two Job Postings / Job postings (newspaper, website, or other) for two positions and a one-page explanation (total, not each) of your strategy/thought process in creating these postings. / Human Resources / Group
Four Job Descriptions / In-house job descriptions (not advertisements) for four positions. / Human Resources / Group
Expansion Plans / Expansion plans or proposal for your company. This should be plans for expanding your business operations, not the physical building you're in. / Proposal / Group
Project Status Update / A detailed email or letter to your team updating them on the status of a project or initiating a project. / Documentation / Individual
Boss Problem Email / A detailed email to a boss concerning an issue you have while on the job. / Documentation / Individual
Major Memo / Internal memo on a major issue (something that's big news or a big change, either good or bad). / Documentation / Individual
Real Resume / Your real-life resume and a cover letter, written as though you are applying to your group's fictional company and for a position you would actually be likely to get (not CEO). / Human Resources / Individual
Bad News Letter / Letter delivering bad news to your employees or customers. Firing or layoffs are not allowed for this assignment. / Human Resources / Individual
Purchase Recommendation / Proposal making recommendations to your boss or your partners on a significant company purchase. / Proposal / Individual
Bid Letter / Bid letter (with supporting documents as needed) to a prospective client. You can assume that the prospect has told you what they're looking for and asked you to create a bid for them. / Proposal / Individual
Something Special Letter / A detailed email or letter to your boss, asking for permission to use a special product or to host a special event. / Proposal / Individual
Floor Plans / A floor plan for a new store or factory for your company, or two sets of plans: one for the existing building and one for an improved building. Include a 3-4 page paper describing your strategy for this plan and how your new plan improves on existing plans—this is in addition to the printed or hand-drawn floor plans. / Proposal / Individual
Peer Review One / Review and critique another group's assignment for this Project. This is an in-class exercise, meaning you must be here to get credit. / Peer Review / Mandatory

Project Three: Year Ten