Assignment 2.1: Bad News Message – Draft Version

Due Week 4 and worth 15 points

 

Write a bad news letter to a customer who has requested an exemption to a company’s policy. Possible requests that would be subjects of bad news letters are:

·A request for a refund or replacement of a $1,000 piece of equipment that broke after three (3) years, one (1) year past the warranty date.

·A request for a refund or voucher for a ruined two-week vacation (due to bad weather: rain or snow) at an expensive resort.

·A request to change a company’s “no-pets indoors” policy to a “pet-friendly” policy to allow customers to bring pets inside the restaurant and allow them to sit at tables with their owners.

·A request to change a company’s “pet-friendly” policy to a “no-pet” policy to prohibit customers from bringing their pets into the restaurant’s eating areas – inside or outside.

·Other: Write a bad news message based on another scenario.

 

The message should take the “form” of a letter; however, you will submit your assignment to the online course shell.

 

1.Format the letter properly:

§Include “to” and “from” addresses and the date

§Include appropriate greeting and salutation

§Use bullets as needed to emphasize key points

2.Show appreciation and concern for the customer from the beginning (possibly with a brief buffer) and throughout the letter. Avoid being overly apologetic or complimentary.

3.Provide the turndown or bad news early in the letter.

4.Make the turndown clear and support it by providing two (2) to three (3) key reasons for the turndown.

5.Provide an alternative and / or a positive expectation of a future with the customer.

 

Your assignment must:

• Be typed, single spaced, using Times New Roman font (size 12), with one-inch margins on all sides; citations and references must follow APA or school-specific format. Check with your professor for any additional instructions.

 

Submitting your assignment:

• Submit your assignment through the online course shell.
• You do not need to email your assignment to your instructor.

 

The specific course learning outcomes associated with this assignment are:

·Use writing process strategies to develop brief business documents, such as routine messages, bad news messages, and persuasive / sales messages.

·Support ideas or claims in body paragraphs with clear details, examples, and explanations.

·Organize ideas logically by using transitional words, phrases, and sentences.

·Use sentence variety and effective word choice in written communication.

·Write clearly and concisely using proper writing mechanics.

 

Grading for this assignment will be based on answer quality, logic/organization of the paper, and language and writing skills, using the following rubric.