Business Proposal

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Assignment 6-2

Business Proposal

Class Participation and 280 total points

Purpose

To assess your ability to:

write a researched report or proposal for a business audience
plan an extended business report or proposal
locate, sum m arize, and critique secondary research to be used in a researched report
identify the special features of different types of reports and proposals

Deliverables

Project Plan, worth 30 points and due Nov 11.
Draft and Peer Review, worth 30 points and due Nov 25.
Progress Report, worth 30 points and due Dec 2.
Final Version, worth 150 points and due Dec 14.
Presentation, worth 40 points and due TBA.

Overview

Business proposals are som e of the m ost em powering pieces of writing, com bining critical analysis, careful research,
and practical problem -solving, all to persuade an audience to take a particular course of action. For the final project of the
course, you will develop a business proposal addressing a specific, local issue. This project also includes a num ber of
supporting pieces of writing. Most substantial writing projects in the business world evolve alongside shorter docum ents
establishing with greater and greater clarity the relevance, purpose, and scope of the project. Your final paper, likewise,
will build upon shorter pieces of writing you produce along the way. By the final weeks of the class, your proposal should
suggest a clear plan of action to a specific audience who can im plem ent it.

Possible Topics: For this project, you will address a specific issue related to your workplace or local com m unity. Begin
by identifying a problem to solve or an opportunity for im provem ent. Here are som e com m on topic areas that lend
them selves to business proposals:

Resources: The problem could be related to not having enough technology to get the work done effectively, having
too few resources, and so on.
Staffing: Problem s m ight exist in relation to turnover and retention, em ployee recruitm ent, perform ance evaluation,
interviewing and selection, em ployee discipline and training, and so on.
Managem ent: Problem s could include unclear inform ation on policies and procedures, a lack of em ployee
em powerm ent to m ake decisions, poor m orale and attitudes, and so on.
Marketing: Problem s m ight relate to im pending threats, ineffective branding, and so on.
Policies: Problem s arise when m ultiple policies are contradictory, when policies are not enforceable, when
policies work against the m ission of the organization, and so on.

As suggested above, you can direct your business proposal to civic audiences or non-profit organizations. In doing so,
however, keep in m ind the differing aim s of doing business. A city council should be interested in m aintaining public
safety, am ong other things, even if they also want to prom ote local for-profit industries. Non-profit organizations can have
quite narrow m ission statem ents, ranging from feeding the hom eless to sharing best practices am ong executives. Even
so, governm ents and non-profit organizations need to consider m any of the sam e business issues listed above. As a
citizen, you m ay find business proposals as em powering in civic life as they can be at the workplace. For this paper, you
can direct your proposal to either kind of audience, as long as you can identify the specific audience who can approve and
im plem ent the course of action you suggest.

Thesis and focus: Academ ic papers, as discussed with the first project in this class, focus on dem onstrating a unifying

Business and Professional Com m unications

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thesis statem ent asserting som e com pelling observation about the topic under investigation. Business proposals,

however, are action-centered, even when they include extensive research and substantial analysis. In place of a
traditional academ ic thesis statem ent, you will present a plan of action, that is, a solution to a problem you are
addressing or a specific suggestion for taking advantage of an untapped opportunity. The thesis statem ent for a paper
like this is m ore or less equivalent to the proposal itself: “You (the audience) should approve and work towards action(s)
X to address issue(s) Y.”

The body of your paper should present the following to support the proposal:

An analysis of the problem or untapped opportunity, which should draw upon prim ary and secondary research in
evaluating the current situation.
An analysis of one or m ore possible solutions, including costs and benefits, which should draw upon prim ary and
secondary research in presenting the details for each. Note that som e issues warrant the consideration of m ultiple
solutions, especially if your proposal offers an alternative to a plan of action already m ade public. Still other issues
warrant a m ore focused plan highlighting just one proposal in detail. Part of the challenge of this paper will be
deciding how to approach the issue–both the problem and the solution–based on the rhetorical situation, which
should account for your audience’s current understanding and thoughts on the issue, as well as ongoing public
discourse on the issue (both of which should be researched).
Recom m endations for a specific solution (i.e. the specific plan of action you are advocating), along with justification
for why it is the best choice.

Requirements for final paper: Business proposals should generally be carefully tailored to m eet the special needs
and expectations of the audience m aking the decision on the proposal. For this assignm ent, however, in order to provide
a standard of evaluation for you and your classm ates, you are expected to m eet certain m inim um requirem ents (see
below). These requirem ents reflect the extra evidence and reasoning you would need to convince a skeptical audience to
act on an unsolicited proposal—if you can convince the naysayers, you can surely convince the enthusiasts. (See m ore
about “unsolicited proposals” in Thill and Bovée). Skeptical audiences, especially those who are budget-conscious, tend
to raise objections wherever they can. Consequently, your proposal needs to consider potential objections and locate
sources that support your justification of the need for change, as well as your explanation of how your proposal is feasible
and will im prove the status quo. Here are the m inim um requirem ents for the final written proposal:

The proposal m ust be between 1000 and 1500 words (not counting the title page, executive sum m ary,
References page, or appendices).

At least four secondary sources m ust be referenced in the body of the paper. Although, you can use other
sources in addition to these (all carefully assessed for credibility), the five required sources m ust be from
academ ic journals, trade publications, relevant organizational Web sites, or reputable news sources.

In-text citations and the References page m ust include all the typical details and punctuation required for APA
documentation, even though the docum ent’s form at (i.e., m argins, spacing, etc.) will follow formatting
guidelines for business reports and proposals, as outlined in Chapter 13 of Thill and Bovée.
You m ust use at least one primary research source (a survey you conduct, an interview, etc.).
The paper m ust include one visual for support (a graph, a diagram , etc.), properly cited and form atted for
business purposes.

The paper m ust be form atted and docum ented according to the guidelines for “Com pleting business reports and
proposals” in Thill and Bovée. Keep in m ind that m eeting the m inim um requirem ents is ‘C’ work. To m ove towards an
excellent proposal, you can provide extra research, strengthen your analysis to consider m ore potential objections, edit
your prose to be m ore engaging and efficient, and so on. In short, there are m any ways to go beyond ‘C’ work, but in order
to do so, you need to go beyond the m inim um requirem ents.  

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