As a management trainee at the Continental Packaging Company, you are currently assigned to the office of the operations manager, Jim Hartman. Your job is to help him and to learn all you can about your chosen career. Today you receive what you regard as your first real test.
The company president has passed on to Jim a message from the president of the neighborhood association for the residential area adjacent to the plant. As explained in the message, Continental employees speed and drive recklessly as they leave the plant at the end of the day. In the words of the association's president, "The way some employees speed out of the plant exit, you would think the 5:00 whistle is the starter's signal at the Indianapolis Speedway." Further down in the message the president notes that "such driving through a residential neighborhood will someday lead to a fatality. Luckily, no one has been hurt yet, although one child was narrowly missed by a speeding car and one pet was killed." The message concluded with the request that Continental "get the word to the drivers or we will reluctantly ask the police to correct the problem."
The company president has asked Jim to take care of this task, and he is delegating it to you. Specifically, he asks you to persuade the employees to drive more carefully and generally be good members of the neighborhood. "Use whatever appeals you think will be effective," he instructs. Jim plans to send the message out under the company president's signature. Employees with computers will receive the message in email form; the others will receive it by company mail.
1. Which of the following is the BEST assumption to make about your readers?
They will need to be ordered to change their behavior.
They can be persuaded to change their behavior if given good enough reasons.
They won't change their behavior unless threatened with punishment if they do not comply.
2. Which of the following would be the BEST subject line to use for the email?
Protecting Our Neighbors by Driving Safely
Slow Down or Else
New Safety Policy
3. Which of the following would be the BEST opening sentence to use for the message?
It has come to my attention that we are putting our neighbors at risk.
Did you know that over 20 children live in our neighborhood?
It is very important that you drive safely when leaving the plant.
4. Which of the following would be the BEST use of a logical appeal?
Say how much the fines will be if the police get involved.
Say that jobs may need to be cut if the neighbors sue the company.
Cite statistics on how dangerous even a slow-moving car is to pedestrians.
5. Which of the following is the BEST advice about using emotional appeal in this message?
Use emotional appeal that will enable readers to care about their neighbors.
Tell stories about maimed or killed children to impress on the reader the seriousness of the topic.
Avoid using emotional appeals—they will only alienate the reader.
6. Which of the following is the BEST advice about using scenario painting in this message?
Avoid it—it will make the message too long, and your readers' attention span is short.
Use it to help readers envision the potential danger that unsafe driving poses to their neighbors.
Avoid it—it will undercut the logical appeal of the message.
7. Which of the following would be the best way to end the message?
So please keep our neighbors in mind when leaving work, and drive safely.
Please prevent further corrective measures from being taken by driving safely when you leave work.