DISCUSSION 1

"Report Types" Please respond to the following:

*Choose one of the scenarios listed here. Select one appropriate report type for the scenario and explain why this report type fits the scenario, who the audience would be, and whether or not the report needs to be distributed externally or internally.


* A company's Chief Financial Officer has suggested to Human Resources that the group cut 100 jobs to anticipate another economic downturn.


* A partner at Company X has discovered a new accounting software that will save the company thousands of dollars. She wants the company to adopt this software.


* A chocolate manufacturer is introducing a new candy bar that will revolutionize its brand.


Make a comment/answer the following discussion made by a student. It would be great to end up your comment with a question to help push the discussion forward. 


Hey professor and class, I picked the chocolate manufacturer scenario. They would have to introduce the candy bar to the executives before putting the bar out for sale. I believe this would be in front of the big time managers, supervisors, and marketing team. They would all have to come together and give the candy bar a name and a slogan. Then they would determine what ingredients would go inside the bar. The marketing team would have to figure out how to market the candy bar to the world.


The following was a comment made by the professsor, please answer his questions.

An analytical report would be a better idea in this case. The main reason is that the informational report is typically just that: informational. There is not a sense of suggestion for what to do about the situation (that would be more like an analytical or justification report). Informational reports are useful for times when you need to show compliance with a policy or procedure or to update a supervisor on what happened at a particular meeting or conference. Making a recommendation requires details and evidence to persuade. An informational report typically only gives the details.
Where you make a good point is when you explain that the informational report will provide detailed information on the status of the company's labor force. Such a report would likely be requested by upper management before a formal analytical or justification report would be filed.
In the above scenario, how could the company benefit from using multiple, targeted reports to access the situation of laying workers off? Do you think that this is a "real world" scenario? How common are business reports in corporate positions?

Make a comment/answer the following discussion made by a student. It would be great to end up your comment with a question to help push the discussion forward.

I chose the second situation in which a partner has discovered a new software program that will allow the company to save money. I feel that an analytical report would be best since this is most likely one partner communicating with another partner and thus an upward-directed report wouldn't necessarily apply. An analytical report would present a viable solution for accounting needs and cost less than what is already in place. Thus I feel an analytical report type is the most appropriate.

DISCUSSION 2 


"The Number 1 Fear " Please respond to the following:

Describe the last time that you had to speak in front of a group in as much detail as you can recall, including any physiological or psychological responses you experienced. 


If you have experienced speech anxiety, explain what you can do to deal with these reactions. If you do not have anxiety, describe an anxiety-producing speaking situation that you observed and offer suggestions for how people can deal with this anxiety.

Make a comment/answer the following discussion made by a student. It would be great to end up your comment with a question to help push the discussion forward.


The last time I spoke in front of an audience was for my last Criminal Justice class (CRJ333) in June of 2011. The assignment for that day had me taking about the written assignment we turned in at the beginning of class. Let me tell you, I hate talking in front of an audience. I get nervous and start forgetting about what I'm taking about, and I stutter once in a while. To attempt to deal with the forgetfulness I usually make a set of crib notes on my talking points, and I follow these while I speak. This helps, sometimes. For the stuttering problem I'll usually pause, take a deep breathe and release it while appearing to focus my thoughts (I look at spot on the back wall over everyone's head), and then continue speaking. Again, this helps, sometimes. Sometimes none of this works and I'm forced just to force my way through it, in which case I just start reading my crib notes word-for-word.

The following was a comment made by the professsor, please answer his questions.


Often, we are our own worst enemies when it comes to public speaking. When we are given the responsibility to present in front of other people, anxiety and tension can set in. There are several ways to minimize this anxiety, however. For instance, speakers can pay particularly close attention to their materials and focus on their presentation. There are several people who can get "lost" in the presentation and completely tune out the fact that an audience is watching them. This is just one of several possible solutions to the anxiety issue revolving around public speaking and presentations.

When you consider this possible solution, what stands out to you, class? Can you think of other ways to help reduce the stress associated with public speaking and presentations? What is the number one way to avoid problems with public speaking?

Make a comment/answer the following discussion made by a student. It would be great to end up your comment with a question to help push the discussion forward.

The last time I had to speak in front of a group of people was when I was presenting a group project; During my last year of college. I was very nervous, palms was sweating, miss pronouncing my words,etc. I had to start my sentence over I have never been a person, who could speak in front of a large group of people. After that I practiced on my speech presence I had my friends and family to sit down as my audience and let me speak in front of them that practice really paid off, because after that presentation I had another presentation I did a excellent job!