Video Web Conferencing (Business Justification Report)
ADMN 233
Assignment 4
Assignment 4 Instructions

Assignment 4 is worth 20% of your final mark. It should be completed and submitted after you finish Chapter 13 in your textbook.
This assignment is divided into three parts, corresponding to the topics in Unit 4 (Chapters 12 and 13) of the textbook.
In this assignment, you will plan, research, and write a business report.
Part 1: Analyze and Plan (20 marks)
Part 2: Research and Organize (20 marks)
Part 3: Write the Report (60 marks)
As you have learned, business reports are more difficult to produce than other forms of professional correspondence. Reports vary in length, content, form, and level of formality. However, reports all have one common purpose: they attempt to answer questions and solve problems following an indirect or direct style. The writing tasks you will complete in this assignment are based on a real-world scenario.

General Instructions

1. Read the scenario below and examine instructions carefully in order to understand the actions that you need to take.
2. Hand in all three parts of this assignment, including all questions and answers; number your questions and answers clearly. Submit all three parts of this assignment.
3. Think about your texts as you prepare to write them. Organize your information clearly in order to communicate to a reader efficiently.
4. Limit your answers to one sentence per mark, unless otherwise instructed.
5. Integrate the information you prepare in your initial reflection, analysis, and outline into your final text.
Review the following pages in the Welcome and Orientation section of this course Web site before you complete this assignment:
? Marking Guide
? Questions of Style
? Applying the 3-x-3 Writing Process
Citing Sources

In Parts 2 and 3 of Assignment 4, each time you use another writer’s words or ideas, provide an in-text citation and a complete reference in a reference list at the end of your paper. ADMN 233 encourages you to use American Psychological Association (APA) style.

APA citation is a two-step process:

1. Cite the original source of the material(s) that you’ve
quoted or paraphrased in the text of your work (in-text
citation).

2. Cite the original source of the material(s) in your list of
references. The list of references appears at the end of
your work.

Appendix B of your textbook provides valuable information about using APA style for documentation. Refer to Figure B.3 on page B-4 and Figure B.4 on page B-5 near the end of your textbook.

Citation is not required for Part 1 of Assignment 4.

All questions and writing tasks in Assignment 4 are based on the following workplace scenario.
Topic: Video Conferencing
Video conferencing is an advanced communication technology that uses specialized video and computer equipment to establish real-time communication links between people in distant locations. Video conferencing helps remote participants be present at a meeting through technological media such as satellite, telephone, and the Internet. Video and sound help communicate the essence of body language.
The technology for video conferencing can be sophisticated or relatively simple, depending on whether the virtual meeting is held in a very formal or informal setting, how many people interact in a meeting, and the quality of sound, text, and video transmission required at the meeting.
Organizations relying on video conferencing must carefully weigh the costs and benefits of conducting virtual meetings.

Part 1 Analyze and Plan (Questions 1 to 9) 20 marks
Refer as needed to material in Chapters 12 and 13. Read the instructions carefully and answer all questions clearly and concisely. Include examples to highlight your comments.
Scenario 1:
You are the Director of Communications at the Management Group, a large Canadian organization specializing in corporate accounting located in Ottawa, Ontario. This corporation employs over 700 employees who provide accounting services to large pension funds, to foundations, and to other institutional investors located throughout Canada.
Your responsibilities in this institution are numerous. Among these, you are to inform the Board of Directors about emerging communications technology that can enhance corporate communications and to advise the board about purchasing new technology.
Board members include bankers, lawyers, and fund managers. Most are men and women in their fifties and sixties who are accustomed to travelling long distances to attend meetings throughout the country. This particular group of individuals generally hesitates to adopt any new communications technology. These people are nevertheless aware of the rapid expansion of the company into every major Canadian city, the increasing need to keep in touch regularly with company representatives in every province, and the increasing travel costs of getting employees to and from Ottawa headquarters. While they are receptive to the idea of using video conferencing as a new communications tool in their organization, they know very little about the costs and benefits of investing in new communications technology.
Pat Caring, Chairperson of the Board of Directors of the Management Group, asked you to provide her a three-page justification/recommendation report discussing the benefits of video conferencing.

1. Explain the purpose of this report by formulating a clear, concise statement of purpose. Consult pages 279 and 280 in your textbook to decide what you must tell your readers in order for them to act on your recommendation(s). This statement should answer the following questions: What? To whom? Why? (2 marks)
2. Describe the target audience for this report. Be specific. (1 mark)
3. Describe at least two things that your readers likely already know about this topic. Be specific. (2 marks)
4. Write five different points that relate to the topic. Use complete sentences. (5 marks)
5. Indicate whether you plan to write an informational report or an analytical report that is persuasive in nature for the Management Group, and give the reasons you prefer one type of report type over the other. (2 marks)
6. Explain whether you plan to use a direct pattern or an indirect pattern to structure your report, and give the reasons you prefer one pattern over the other. (2 marks)
7. Indicate whether you plan to use a letter, memo, or manuscript format to write this report, and give the reasons you prefer one format over another. (2 marks)
8. Explain whether you plan to use a formal or informal writing style for this report. Explain your choice. (2 marks)
9. State whether you should rely on primary and secondary data (or just one type of data and information source) to complete this report. Explain your choice. (2 marks)

Part 2 Research and Organize (Questions 10 to 13)
Refer as needed to the material in Chapters 12 and 13 of the textbook. Keep the following tips in mind as you research data, as well as organize, analyze, interpret, and illustrate these data:
• Use the Internet, Athabasca University Library, or your local library to search for information about video conferencing. Do not use Infotrac, the textbook publisher’s search engine, for this report. Athabasca University does not provide technical support for this service.
• Gather relevant information about the five points you wrote about in Part 1, question 4 in the form of articles, Web site material, or other literature. In other words, collect five sources of literature on this subject.
• Focus specifically on information that can help you identify the problem you need to inform your audience about—that is to say, the value of investing in video conferencing.
10. Describe key aspects of this information using complete sentences. In addition, explain how this information is relevant to the report you plan to write.
11. Cite these five sources of information in APA style. Refer to pages B-4 and B-5 in Appendix B at the end of your textbook.
12. Once you have collected information about the topic of your report and assessed it for relevance and usefulness, create an outline for your report. Refer to Figure 6.3 Two Outlining Formats on page 117 in your textbook to decide whether you wish to format your report using an alphanumeric or decimal outline. Remember to transfer this outline to your report in Part 3 of this assignment.
13. Create at least one table, chart, or illustration to summarize key information for one of the topics you have selected, and present it. Copy and paste this graphic into the text box below.

• Do not copy or paste a table, chart, or illustration from a Web site or other external source.
• Use simple program commands in your word processor to create a simple table.
• Alternatively, use design features to create a table that highlights key information with arrows or captions.
• If possible, use more sophisticated spreadsheet programs to create more complex charts.
• Focus on one specific issue or topic.
• Write a caption or heading using bolded capital letters to explain this visual information. Refer to pages 301 and 302 in your textbook to review how to incorporate graphics in a report and to pages 298 to 301 to learn to simplify complex ideas using graphics.
• Write a statement in your report to introduce your graphic.
• Remember to transfer this graphic to highlight parts of your report in Part 3 of this assignment.

Example 1 – Chart Example 2 – Table

THE VANCOUVER STREET
FESTIVAL’S EXPENSES,
2006–2010
THE VANCOUVER STREET FESTIVAL’S EXPENSES, 2006–2010
2010 $5,000
2009 $4,000
2008 $3,000
2007 $2,000
2006 $1,000
Part 3 Write the Report (Question 14)
14. Refer as needed to the material in Chapters 12 and 13 in your textbook, notably pages 324 and 325, to write an analytical justification/recommendation report following a direct pattern.
• Consider your readers’ interests. Decide what you must write in order for them to act on your recommendation.
• Think about the technology of video conferencing and how it can benefit your readers.
• Explore various formats of video conferencing and provide recommendations to your readers.

• Use the outline you developed in Part 2. Your headings must reflect your subject, points, information, and the purpose of your report.
• Refer to the sources you cited in Part 2 to build an argument in favour of the outcome you desire that your readers focus on and approve.
• Include the graphic you designed in Part 2 to explain key information visually in page 2 or 3 of your report.
• Announce your recommendations concisely with action verbs.
• Explain more fully the benefits of your recommendations.
• Model your report on Figure 13.8 Justification/Recommendation Report: Direct Pattern on page 326 of your textbook, taking care to create your own content following your own outline. Do not plagiarize other people’s text, content, or outline!
• Address this report to Pat Caring, Chairperson of the Board of Directors of the Management Group.
• Ensure that your report is 3 to 4 double-spaced pages in length (900 to 1200 words), including a reference list. Do not include a cover page.
• Provide in-text citations and a reference list on the last page, following APA style. Appendix B of your textbook provides valuable information about using APA style for documentation. Refer to Figure B.3 on page B-4 and Figure B.4 on page B-5 near the end of your textbook.
• Submit your report only when you are confident that you have revised your draft versions and made appropriate corrections to your text.