WI Chapter 7 Negative Message Email Rubric

The assignment is at the bottom. Almost everything covered to date is incorporated into this rubric. Page numbers are included to help you refer back to things you need to review. Most mistakes are worth a half point or less. However, there are some mistakes that are more serious than others; mistakes worth a full point deduction are noted on the rubric.

Writing Techniques– worth three points

(-3 points for 6 or more mistakes) _ (-2 points for 4-5 mistakes) _(-1 point for 2-3 mistakes) _(full credit for 0-1 mistakes)

__1___ Cultivate “You” view and stress audience benefits WHEN APPROPRIATE (pgs. 44-45).

__2___ Be conversational but professional (pgs. 45 – 46). *Business writing should be conversational. Ask yourself, “Would I phrase it in this way if I were speaking to someone face to face?”

__3___ State things positively whenever possible and avoid unnecessary negative words (pgs. 47 – 48). Be courteous (pg.48 – 49), and use a proper tone overall

__4___ Use bias-free language (pgs. 49 – 50).

__5___ Use plain but precise language (pgs. 50 – 51). *For example one should use “honesty” instead of “candor.”

__6___ Develop parallelism in writing as well as in bulleted/numbered points (pgs. 72 – 73).

__7___ Keep paragraphs short (pg. 75). Our text recommended that paragraphs be eight or fewer lines.

__8___ You are not required to use an emphasis technique. Generally one should de-emphasize negative information.

__9___ Be concise: avoid flabby expressions, long lead-ins, filler words (there is/are & it is/was), redundancy, and empty words (pgs 88 – 91). *Remember that audience writing should be concise and audience oriented. Not everything in the writing prompt is useful information for the reader of your letter.

_10___ Be clear. Avoid trite business phrases, slang, buzzwords, clichés. Don’t bury verbs or use unclear words (pgs. 92 – 95).

Grammar/Mechanics – worth three points (grammar/mechanics rules in Appendix D are referenced)

(-3 points for 6 or more mistakes) _ (-2 points for 4-5 mistakes) _(-1 point for 2-3 mistakes) _(full credit for 0-1 mistakes)

_20____ Avoid: fragments and run-ons (pgs. 68 – 69). *These are major issues and will result in one full point deduction for every occurrence not to exceed – 3 points.

_21____ Avoid comma splices (p. 69).

_22____ Check noun-verb agreement (G/M 1.10 a. – j.) and pronoun case (G/M 1.07 -1.09).

_23____ Use colons properly. A list should always be preceded by a complete thought punctuated with a colon (G/M 2.17a).

_24____ Avoid comma mistakes:

• Use a comma before the conjunction for items in a series to ensure separation of the last two elements (G/M 2.01).
• Use a comma(s) to set off the names of individuals being addressed (G/M 2.02).
• Use a comma(s) to set off parenthetical expressions IF they interrupt the flow of a sentence AND are unnecessary for grammatical completeness (G/M 2.03).
• Use a comma(s) to set off the second and succeeding elements of dates, address, and geographical items (G/M 2.04 a).
• Use a comma before and, or, nor, or but if the conjunction joins independent clauses (a group of words that has a subject and a verb AND could stand as a complete sentence) (G/M 2.05).
• Use a comma after an introductory dependent clause (G/M 2.06 a).
• Use a comma after an introductory phrase if it has four or more words OR if it contains a verb form (G/M 2.07).
• Do not use commas needlessly (G/M 2.15).

_25___ Apply capitalization rules correctly:

• Do not capitalize titles common titles in a sentence that follow names or appear alone (G/M 3.06 c and d).
• Capitalize the names of departments within your own organization (G/M 3.09).

_26___ Apply dates rules properly. Numbers appearing after month should be written as cardinal figures (1, 2, 3, etc.). (G/M 4.03).

_27___ Avoid spelling/typo/omitted or doubled word issues by carefully proofreading your work.

Email Formatting – worth 2 points – See page 118

(-2 points for 4 or more mistakes)________ (-1 point for 2-3 mistakes) ________(full credit for 0 – 1 mistakes) __

_30____ Use left alignment with ragged right margins.

_31____ Use single-spacing within paragraphs and signature block. Leave one blank line between paragraphs.

_32____ The only guide word I will be assessing is Subject. Make sure to capitalize all major words in the subject line.

_33____ Do NOT use end punctuation with the subject line.

_34____ Do NOT refer to the negative situation, the bad news, or anything negative in the subject line

_ 35___ Do NOT use a complete thought for the subject line.

_ 36____ Use proper salutation, complimentary close, and FULL signature block (no letterhead so include full contact information)

_37____ Use a 12 – point font size for easier grading even though a 10-point or 11-point are acceptable.

_38_____ Use either a sans serif font (Arial, Calibri, Tahoma, or Verdana) for a clean look or a serif font (Times New Roman) for a traditional look.

Important – This assignment should not exceed one page. Business writing should be concise and audience oriented.

Organization for Indirect Request – worth 2 points – See Figure 7.3 and 7.4 and review pages 190 – the top of 197

(-2 points for 4 or more mistakes)________ (-1 point for 2-3 mistakes) ________(full credit for 0 – 1 mistakes) __

_40____ Start with an appropriate buffer – one full point deduction.

_41____Follow buffer with well-developed reasons.

_42____Convey bad news tactfully in one of the following ways:

• Use passive voice AND place bad news between neutral or positive sentences (Do NOT begin or end a paragraph with bad news)
• Imply the bad news with well-developed reason(s).

_43____Mention the bad news ONLY ONCE in the document. Do not refer to the bad news more than once in the document.

_44____Closewith a personalized,forward-looking statement. Do not bring up the situation or bad news in the closing by apologizing. Only include positive and forward-looking statements.

Important – The writing plan in Figures 7.3 and 7.4 does NOT mean you should have three paragraphs. Some students will be able to write this very concisely in less than three paragraphs; others students, in more than three paragraphs. Consider the opening, body, and closing more of an indication of the order of information.

Other possible point overall point deductions

_50___ Use your own words. Not everything included in the writing prompt needs to included in your email. Including information that isn’t important for the customer to read will result in up to one half point deduction.

_51___ Check for comprehension. Read the prompt several times as you write your paper. Ask questions if you aren’t sure about the content. Read the prompt one more time before you submit your assignment to make sure you have all the details correct. Misunderstood content results in one full point deduction.

_52___ Students that submit the wrong file type will have one full point deducted from their grade if it won’t open within Blackboard.

WI Chapter 7 Negative Message Email Assignment

BuyCostumes, the world’s largest online costume and accessories retailer, is proud of its extensive stock of costumes, its liberal return policy, and its many satisfied customers. However, one day an e-mail arrived with a request that went beyond the company’s ability to deliver.

The customer said that he had ordered the Men’s Batman Grand Heritage Costume. This costume comes with a jumpsuit with a molded logo, removable cape, molded gauntlets, 3D boot tops, belt, and a full vinyl mask. http://www.buycostumes.com/p/33020/batman-dark-knight-batman-grand-heritage-collection-adult-costume (Links to an external site.)

The customer complained that the costume did not arrive until the day after his super-hero themed Halloween party (October 31, 2018). He planned an elaborate party with a super hero theme, and he was extremely unhappy that he did not have his costume. He wants BuyCostumes to reimburse $250 that he spent on theme-related decorations(The Joker Ground Breaker, The Joker Candy Bowl Holder, cups, plates, streamers, etc.) which he says were useless when he failed to receive his costume in time for his Halloween party.

As a customer service representative, you checked his order and found that it was received Saturday, October 27, during the busiest time of the year for your company. It’s so busy that your staff grows from 60 core employees to over 300 during this season. His order was filled quickly – the very next day, but the customer chose economy shipping requires five to nine business days for delivery. The customer did not order premium, express, or standard shipping; he marked “Economy” as his shipping method which takes five to nine business days. You want to retain the customer’s goodwill. Obviously, BuyCostumes is not going to shell out $250 because the costume arrived after his party, but the company can allow the customer to return the unopened decorations for a refund. You are also able to provide any disgruntled customer with a digital coupon for $20 off their next costume purchase.

*You cannot reimburse the customer for party supplies (look up reimburse vs return).

Write an e-mail (in Word) that retains the goodwill of this customer. The only guide word I will assess is the very-important subject line. Chapter five gives guidelines for typical e-mail subject lines, but in this case consider that no negative information belongs in the subject line. Additionally, the subject line should not give false hope that his request has been granted. Some students choose to create an original subject line. Others choose to “reply” to the subject line the customer used (assuming the customer used an appropriate, non-negative subject line).

Rubric

WI Chapter 7 Assignment

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