Introduction to Business – BUSA 2115 – Fall 2020

Written Assignment: BUSINESS LETTER Paper

For this assignment, each student is required to write a 3-5 page business proposal. The assignment includes a 1-page cover letter and the body (2-4 pages) of the letter. The cover letter is an executive summary of your proposal. The body contains the details of your proposal. Remember, you are providing this to a busy executive, so be concise and to the point with your information. Be sure and give rationale for your recommendations. This is an individual assignment. Your written assignment (BUSINESS LETTER) will be rubric graded.  Please review the rubric before you complete the assignment. Please use APA or MLA format for your paper.

The premise of your assignment:

You are a manager in the marketing, strategic planning, or operational department of an American company – you choose the company (real or imaginary) and your department. You have received an assignment from the CEO of your company to find new opportunities to improve the sales and the market share of your company, either in the US or abroad.

This assignment includes creating a written proposal of these new opportunities. In this proposal, you need to write (1) a business cover letter and (2) an attachment containing the detailed proposal. The proposal should address the following items: your company, the business type of your proposal, the marketing strategy, the marketing mix, the financial status, and the goals.

In this paper you need to demonstrate knowledge of basic business concepts and managerial functions in a business context. In your paper you will identify some key components of a business plan. You may choose to propose to your CEO to partner with (or purchase) another company. If so, please provide your plan to attract your prospective business partner.

Grading Rubric for BUSINESS LETTER Assignment

Description Pts Score

Cover Letter: Demonstrate knowledge of key concepts and business terminology learned in class. Use correct and complete format of a business letter consisting of 6 essential parts; use either APA or MLA format

Post completed assignment in COUGARVIEW 25 Attachment Describe your company 5 Describe your proposal 15 Explain your marketing strategy10 Describe your marketing mix of 4Ps 20 Describe your financial status and goals 15 Readability – were there sentences or sections that did not fit, make sense, or stay on course with the paper itself? Other minor errors in word usage, spelling, grammar etc. 10 Submit paper by deadline – 10 points deducted per day late TOTAL POSSIBLE POINTS: 100 YOUR SCORE: _______________

Business Letter

1. Demonstrate knowledge of key concepts and terminology learned in class.

Highlight any terms or concepts from the textbook. You can use any method you choose to highlight your terms. I simply want to see that you have used proper and appropriate business terms.

2. Describe your company.

This is like the Company Profile of the Case Assignment you have already completed.

3. Describe your business proposal.

What type of new business opportunity or opportunities are you going to propose for your company? Is your proposal for a sale or purchase? Manufacture or licensing or franchising? Joint venture or wholly owned operation? Feel free to be creative and pursue any of the concepts you have learned in this course. There is no single “right answer” for this type of assignment. It always depends on your proposal for pursuing this new business opportunity.

4. Explain your marketing strategy

Please provide a clear explanation of your marketing strategy for your business proposal, which should include your target market and the appropriate marketing mix to satisfy the target market.

5. Describe your marketing mix of 4Ps.

You need to address 4Ps of the marketing mix (product, price, placement, and promotion) for your proposal.

6. Describe your financial status and goals

You need to address the financial status of your company and your financial goals along with your business proposal.

APPENDIX – Rubric for the BUSINESS LETTER Paper

Criteria Exceeds expectations

(90-100%: A) Meets expectations

(80-89%: B) Does not meet expectations (less than 70%: C) Fail to meet expectations (less than 69%: D or less)

Cover Letter

(30 points) The cover letter uses the correct and complete form for a business letter. A business letter contains the six essential parts: heading, inside address, salutation, body, closing, and signature. The description provides the six parts in general but not in clear and professional manners. The description provides a few of the six parts not in clear and professional manners.

The description fails to provide a business letter in clear and professional manners.

Demonstrate knowledge of key concepts and terminology of business. (10 points) Descriptions use knowledge, concepts, and terminology from the class to describe the business letter and proposal: in the attachment parts, descriptions cite specific chapters from the textbook when using terms and or ideas: descriptions are very theoretical and analytical; statements are quantitatively enough. Descriptions use knowledge, concepts, and terminology from the class to describe the business letter and proposal, but not completely: descriptions are simple and descriptive; statements are quantitatively not enough. Descriptions need to use much more the knowledge, concepts, and terminology from the class to describe the business letter and proposal: descriptions are not academic; statements need more quantitatively. Descriptions fail to address the assigned items in effect in quantity as well as quality.

Describe your company (10 points) The profile includes all parts of a company profile such as history, vision and missions, CEO, product lines, organizational structure, supply chains, employees, financial statements, competitors and current issues; descriptions are very theoretical; the contents are quantitatively enough. Descriptions follow the guide but not enough in terms of the number of the items: the profile includes the information on the company, but not sufficiently or correctly; descriptions are simple; the contents are quantitatively not enough. The profile does not include all of the information on the company; descriptions are not academic; contents are quantitatively too brief and superficial. Descriptions fail to address the assigned items in effect in quantity as well as quality.

Describe the business type of your proposal. (10 points) Descriptions clarify a business type for the proposal with explanation on the benefits and costs on both sides of the business partners; it explores the alternative business types, and how it is determined in terms of optimum solution: descriptions are very theoretical and analytical; statements are quantitatively sufficient. Descriptions contain a business type for the proposal with explanation on the benefits and costs on both sides of the business partners, but not complete and clear; it explores the alternative business types, and how it is determined, but not completely: descriptions are simple and general; statements are quantitatively not sufficient. Descriptions do not clearly explain about the business type properly and explore few of the alternatives: descriptions are not academic; statements need more quantitatively. Descriptions fail to address the assigned items in effect in quantity as well as quality.

Explain your marketing strategy (10 points) Descriptions clarify a marketing strategy for the proposal with explanation on the pros and cons on both sides of the business partners; it explores the alternative marketing strategies, and how it is determined in terms of optimum solution: descriptions are very theoretical and analytical; statements are quantitatively sufficient. Descriptions contain a marketing strategy with explanation on the pros and cons on both sides of the business partners, but not complete and clear; it explores the alternative marketing strategies, and how it is determined, but not completely: descriptions are simple and general; statements are quantitatively not sufficient. Descriptions do not clearly explain about the marketing strategy properly and explore few of the alternatives: descriptions are not academic; statements need more quantitatively. Descriptions fail to address the assigned items in effect in quantity as well as quality.

Describe your marketing mix of 4Ps (10 points) Descriptions explain well about the 4Ps of marketing mix of your company product and business and provide an analysis for the alternatives; descriptions are very theoretical and empirically deep and accurate in information; contents are quantitatively sufficient. Descriptions contain the 4Ps of marketing mix of your company product and business and provide an analysis for the alternatives, but not completely and not enough in terms of the number of the items: descriptions need to be more theoretical and deeper empirically; contents are quantitatively not sufficient. Descriptions do not follow the guide in items: descriptions are not academic; descriptions lack significantly the analysis; contents are quantitatively too brief and superficial. Descriptions fail to address the assigned items in effect in quantity as well as quality.

Describe your financial status and goals (10 points) Descriptions specify a complete information on the financial status of your company; an analysis on the financial statements is addressed; then the financial goals from the business proposal is described; descriptions are very theoretical; the contents are quantitatively enough. Descriptions specify some information on the financial status of your company and provide an analysis on the financial statements, but not complete and correct; the financial goals from the business proposal is described, but not sufficiently or correctly; descriptions are simple; the contents are quantitatively not enough. Descriptions specify the information on the financial status of your company and the financial goals poorly and incorrectly; descriptions are not academic; contents are quantitatively too brief and superficial. Descriptions fail to address the assigned items in effect in quantity as well as quality.

Readability – were there sentences or sections that did not fit, make sense, or stay on course with the paper itself?

Other minor errors in word usage, spelling, grammar etc.

(10 points) 4 points

Sentences and sections are completely fit, make sense, or stay on course with the paper itself and few minor errors in word usage, spelling, grammar, etc; contents are quantitatively sufficient. 3 points

Sentences and sections are not completely fit, make sense, or stay on course with the paper itself and minor errors in word usage, spelling, grammar, etc; quantity of contents is not enough. 2 points

Sentences and sections are not fit, not make sense, nor stay on course with the paper itself and many errors in word usage, spelling, grammar, etc; contents are quantitatively too short. Descriptions fail to address the assigned items in effect in quantity as well as quality.

TOTAL POSSIBLE POINTS: 90-100 80-89 70- 79 Less than 70