Case Analysis â€In Basket Exercise

Introduction An in basket exercise is a test used to check if administrators and senior managers have the ability to plan, organize and manage different activities and delegate responsibilities to the most competent assistants. In the test, the candidate is expected to respond to letters, emails, memos, telephone messages, fax and other communiquà © at his desk within a stipulated period of time (Stillman 23).Advertising We will write a custom case study sample on Case Analysis –In Basket Exercise specifically for you for only $16.05 $11/page Learn More The test is usually administered to managers in the public and private sector (University of British Columbia 1). The candidate is given a limited time to respond to urgent matters and this requires that one develop a plan of action, set priorities on the different tasks, evaluate the task and make tradeoffs and give a rationale for selecting a given task (Public Service Commission of Canada 4). D escription of the case study In this case study, I.M Trubble is the Assistant Deputy Minister for Immigration in the republic of Canada. After returning from a trip, Trubble finds 16 urgent letters and memos that need to be addressed within a short duration. The letters require her attention on various matters. These matters are classified as: Drafting letters and speeches for the minister Departmental roles such as approving travel and leave application Personal matters such as attending the divorce proceedings All these matters need her urgent attention but not all these tasks can be performed at the same time. At the moment, she cannot delegate these roles as her two assistant are not within the premises. This means that Mrs. Trubble has to perform a critical analysis of all the tasks so as to prioritize the main tasks and delegate others at a later date. In the case study, Mrs. Trubble must perform all the activities on Sunday evening. In order to make these decisions and set priorities, an evaluation of the tradeoff between different activities must be done Determining and Classifying Items The first step is to determine the nature of all the 16 items in the waiting lists. This was done by listing all the items and classifying these items into three categories. A study of all the 16 items indicate that there are four persistent issues that need to be addressed by the assistant minister, these are Refugees operations being handled by the minister Visit by the head of state Other issues such as fraud Personal issues such as the divorce proceedings Table 1 below shows the classification of all the items into the different themesAdvertising Looking for case study on business economics? Let's see if we can help you! Get your first paper with 15% OFF Learn More Theme Item/letter number Details Actions required Refugees operations 4 Letter to Manama prepared by administrative assistant Read, verify and send the letter back to the assistan t for posting 1 Letter from Latin Americans Draft letter accepting the invitation to the conference to be held in July. 7 Explanation for lost commodities Prepare answers/explanation for the loss. This is a serious matter that has tainted the image of the ministry. 13 Letter addressing refugees plight Requires a letter drafted for the minster to sign 15 Letter about the immigrants from Nicaragua Requires action by office to guarantee safety of the refugees in Canada. Visit by head of state 3 Invitation to dinner Note on the dairy and draft memo to the assistants who will prepare for the event. 6 Prime minister speech Prepare notes for a short speech to be made by the prime minister. The meeting by the president is very important Other official matters 2 Note members on leave Note the members of the department who are on leave. This matter can be delegated to the operation assistant when he returns. 5 Study an make a report on treasury board estimates preparation Prep are a report with reactions and comments. 8 Preparing the travel report. Prepare travel report –can be delegated to the operations assistant when he resumes. 9 Fraud case notification Note the issues, no immediate action required–can be done by assistants when they resume. 10 Public service commissioning on 25thJune Require the assistant minister to attend. The role must be delegated as there is another important meeting on the same date. 11 Notification of those travelling abroad Note the names and dates –can be delegated to the administrative assistant who can deal with the issue later. Personal issues 12 Divorce proceeding Must attend hearing. The meeting is on the same date and time as a crucial crisis meeting with the minister. 14 Letter from Hamburg Notification- not urgent and important Priorities list In order to draw the action plan, it was necessary that a priorities list be created. This list documented the main activities and determine d if they were urgent or important. Important activities are those that results to one attaining personal goals and aspirations and must be handled by the senior manager (Henry 10). The important activities in this case were crucial crises meeting and instructions from the minister’s offices. Under urgent matters were those tasks requiring immediate attention and were considered imperative to the success of the assistant minister. A priority table, classifying items based on their importance and urgency was prepared (Denhardt 54). This table is shown in figure 1 below. Figure 1 From the diagram, the activities in the top right Conner are critical and should be performed first. This is because they are both important and urgent. They should be followed by important but less urgent matters; that is, activities in the top left portion of the graph (Watson 143). Duties considered to be urgent but less important should then follow. Lastly, those activities which are less importan t and urgent should be handled. From the figure 1, the most urgent and important activities are the president’s visit, preparation of ministers speech notes and to prepare a response to the questions on of stolen items. These items are crucial and should be addressed first. The next activities are those that are important but less urgent. They include: seminar with Latin Americans, leave application, travel reports, refugee issues in Central America and the fraud case. These issues should be addressed after critical issues. Next are the less important but urgent matters. They include: Trubble divorce proceedings, and the languages bureau meeting. Lastly, there are the less urgent and less important issues such as meeting with Von during lunch time. These activities can be ignored or cancelled Based on the priorities list, the order of attending issues is shown in table 2 attached at the appendix.Advertising We will write a custom case study sample on Case Analysis â€⠀œIn Basket Exercise specifically for you for only $16.05 $11/page Learn More Priorities and tradeoff In terms of priorities, the roles to the minister were given more priority. This is because Mrs. Trubble is the assistant minister and failure to deliver the assigned roles would affect the functionality and integrity of the whole ministry. For example, if Mrs. Trubble did not prepare a report to address the stolen materials required on Monday morning, then the whole ministry would be touted as corrupt by media. This would affect her career and performance. Also, the ministerial speech to welcome the president was not prepared, then, the president would receive a poor welcome and this would affect the ministry. In this regard, these activities were given the first priority. During the preparation of the priority list, several tradeoffs had to be done. For example, on Monday June 25, Mrs. Trubble had the following meetings: Attend a meeting with the minister to answer question about stolen items Attend a language bureau meeting Attend the court as instructed by the royal magistrate For this role, tradeoff had to be done. The most important and crucial activity was to attend the meeting with the minister. The consequence was that by doing so, Mrs. Trubble had to ignore the court order summoning her to appear in court. However, the consequences of not attending the court case are not a severe as failing to fulfill her ministerial responsibilities. Another tradeoff is the fact that Mrs. Trubble had to deal with is the sensitive issue of refugees concerns and other departmental duties. If she addressed refuges matters before the departmental roles, then the departmental activities may delay or are mismanaged. Addressing the refugee’s issues should be a primary concern as opposed to other departmental duties. Preservation of human life and averting hunger and death are paramount to attending departmental roles. To prevent the depart ment from mismanagement, Mrs. Trubble should delegate non sensitive departmental roles to his administrative and operation assistance. A cross-examination of the departmental activities also reveals that most roles don’t need immediate attention. Thus, the tradeoff between refugee’s activities and departmental roles is not likely to affect the department. In terms of the departmental and ministerial duties, the ministerial duties were given priority to departmental issues. This tradeoff required Mrs. Trubble to deal with duties delegated by the minister first and then deal with departmental roles.Advertising Looking for case study on business economics? Let's see if we can help you! Get your first paper with 15% OFF Learn More Again, the tradeoff did not have a big negative impact as most of the departmental roles could be delegated to the assistant. It was also noted that most departmental issues were not very sensitive as compared to the duties allocated by the minister. Another tradeoff was made during the assigning of roles to her assistants. It is important that the assistants are given jobs matching their education and skills. Very sensitive and crucial issue should be handled by the assistant minister. The decision to delegate some activities therefore involves a tradeoff between perfect work done by the assistance minister and the work done by her assistants. Action plan The action plan will comprise of all the major activities to be undertaken by the assistant minister within the next 24 hours. The action plan has the main activities and the specific time for performing these activities. The action plan also shows the person delegated to perform the given task. Table 3 in the appendix section sho ws the action plan developed. Conclusions and recommendations In this analysis, the main tasks assigned to Mrs. Trubble were prioritized and an action plan drawn. This was based on the evaluation of the different roles and setting the priorities based on the tradeoff between different actions. All activities were grouped into themes and the consequences of each action identified. Based on these consequences, a tradeoff was made. Activities with the greatest priorities had the largest negative consequences and were addressed first. Activities with the least negative implications were performed last. This prioritization is important in scheduling complex office activities which often overlap. Works Cited Denhardt, Robert. Public Administration: An Action Orientation, Stamford, CT: Cengage Learning, 2008. Print. Henry, Nicholas. Public Administration Public Affairs, Upper Saddle River, NJ: Pearson publishers, 2012. Print. Public Service Commission of Canada, 2010, Testing in the Publi c Service of Canada.  Web. Stillman, Richard. Public Administration: Concepts and Cases, Stamford, CT: Cengage Learning, 2009. Print. University of British Columbia, 2010, Testing: In Basket Testing. 2013. Web. Watson, Robert. Public Administration: Cases in Managerial Role-Playing. Upper Saddle River, NJ: Pearson publishers, 2010. Print. Appendices Table 2: The major activities classified in terms of priorities GROUP ACTIVITIES LISTED IN ORDER Critical activities 1) Prepare answers for the crucial meeting to be held on Monday June 25 (item 7). 2) Preparation of minister’s speech (item 6). 3) Reply the minister’s letter on Nicaragua refugees (item 15). 4) Take note of the fraud case details (item 9). 5) prepare a reply to the minster’s letter (city of Windsor letter)(item 13). Important but less urgent 6) Sign Mrs. Perez letter and place it in out tray (item 4) 7)Take note of those on leave(item 2). 8) Take note of people travelling abroad (item 11). 9) Prepare travel report (item 8). 10) Confirm attendance of Latin American meeting (item 1). 11) Attend president dinner on June 27 (item 3). Less important but urgent 12) Attend divorce proceedings (item 12). 13) Attend the languages bureau (item 10). Less important and urgent activities 14) Prepare appraisal for the manual (item 5). 15) Respond to Mr. Von Giestlos lunch invitation (item 14). Table 3: Priorities List Item Action /delegate Time 7 Mrs. Trubble should prepare notes to answer questions on stolen items during the meeting. Sunday 7.30-8.30 6,11, 9,3 Mrs. Trubble to prepare the ministers speech and note the dinner date. She should also note the fraud case in item 9. 8.30-9.00 15,13,4 Mrs. Trubble should draft letters as requested by the minister. She should also read, approve and sign Mrs. Perez letter in item 4. 9.00-10.00 2,11,8 Mrs. Trubble to write a memo delegating roles in item 2, 11 and 8 to the operation assistant. 10.00-10.20 1,5,10 Mrs. Trubbl e to draft a memo authorizing administration assistance to deal with issues in items 1, 5 and 10. 10.20-10.40 12, 14 Trubble to ask lawyers to represent her in the divorce case. She should also call Von to postpone the lunch date. 10.40-11.00 Attend crucial meeting with the minister Monday 9.30 am This case study on Case Analysis –In Basket Exercise was written and submitted by user Alfonso Fletcher to help you with your own studies. You are free to use it for research and reference purposes in order to write your own paper; however, you must cite it accordingly. You can donate your paper here.

Sony Corp. Business Case study

Sony Corp. Business Case study Free Online Research Papers In an economy that thrives thoroughly on technology and progression itself, there are many companies that have taken advantage of the opportunities that have been offered to them through science. Because of the continuous growth in technology, companies have been able to find ways to further their success by offering competitive products and service. One company, in particular, that has taken full advantage of this feature is Sony. This company alone has had tremendous success because of their strategic ways of thinking and their unbelievable talent in taking advantage of every ounce of new technology that is able to be utilized. But also by taking advantage of online commerce or e-commerce Sony has grown greatly. The history of the Sony world is an excellent indication of how much work and time has been put into developing the nation’s leading supplier of the electronic world. Sony shocked the world when they released the first ever CD player. They dropped jaws when they introduced this device that could play music and was also conveniently portable. After this brilliant experience the founder of Sony, Tsurushima decided that it wasn’t enough. He and his colleagues set off immediately to find a way to create yet another compact disk player that not only would do the same thing, but also be smaller, and more affordable. Being able to cut down the costs of the semi-conductors used, and the optical pickup device, were the two key ingredients that would launch Sony into profit. The countless claims of impossibility only catapulted these dedicated employees further into the want and need for a better device. Finally, in 1983 despite all the negative remarks and doubts, Sony ca me up with the exact technology that it would take to build and create a CD player that was one-tenth the size of its predecessor, and almost half the cost. Once again, the drive for success and satisfaction forced Sony to create yet another device, this one even better than the last. They called it the â€Å"d-50† and it is known as the world’s first portable CD player; (Business the). Sony always has been the best in the industry for cutting size, and they continue to be the force to be reckoned with as they proceed to launch the hottest, most dynamic technologically advanced products on the market today. The Sony Corporation of America, based in New York City, proves to be the leading manufacturer in audio, video, communications, and technology products both on a consumer, and a business basis ;(SONY). Sony provides its consumers with entertainment and business based products that always prove to be the best in quality and service. From music, to movies, games, computers, downloads, and anything else you need to be satisfied, Sony is there to make life itself easier. The main headquarters of the Sony Corporation is not based in the U.S. because the founders and head CEO’s of this company are based in Japan. Their service is not only found in America but is also found world-wide. With companies such as Sony Electronics, Sony Pictures Entertainment, Sony Computer Entertainment, and Sony BMG Music Entertainment, this company is obviously close to the best at marketing and commercializing their products in a general sense. They have re-defined the meaning of customer satisf action and guaranteed cooperation with valuable service. All Sony products are compatible, easy to use, practical, and affordable because Sony’s focus is not on how to make the products better; it is strictly on how to make the product good enough for the consumer to purchase. Sony employs approximately 158,500 people world-wide who are all dedicated to the same goals. Their company is stacked with hundreds of perfectionists whose goal is to make the product the right way, every time. They do their best and they perform to the top of their ability all the time. Dedicated employees and an everlasting drive for efficiency is why Sony makes an average of 64 billion dollars a year. Sony has proved to be a powerhouse in the majority of their companies in the industries that they’re involved in. They have been successful innovators for the highest level of technology and growth. In the electronics field alone, Sony Electronics inc. have snowballed into being one of the most detailed, and graphically brilliant companies there is. In September of 1995, Sony entered the gaming system world with the extremely popular Playstation. They sold over 100 million units, 16 million over the internet; (Sony Style). Playstation was only the beginning to this thriving industry of the gaming world. Sony continues to release new and improved versions of playstation. Everyone knows that whenever a Sony gaming system is released, it becomes and instant hit with consumers. People line up weeks in advance for the newest product Sony has mustered up. They pay strict attention to when their product will be released, how it will be released, how it does against the compe titors, and also how much it sells. Sony works so hard in the gaming industry to release countless amounts of technology and skill into their products. Talent and time is put into every Sony system on the market to guarantee that you get the very best things out there. As soon as a new technology scheme is found, Sony is the first one to the labs. They begin to create something tremendous. The Ps3, which is the newest system released by Sony, had been a work in progress for almost 5 years. New chips and memory spaces were added to the already glorified Playstation 2. Sony builds and creates their products until they have a finished product that is breathtaking. Once this product is released, they continue the cycle over and over again to stay on top of their game and ensure that their customers and consumers in general are getting the very best from the technology field. In the future, I see Sony as being exactly what they are today. Sony is the company that people rely on to technologically feed them. They are the source of diversity and wealth in an entertainment sense. Sony has mastered the fine art of consumer interest and they continue to remain at the top of their game. They guarantee that you will be happy with the products they produce, because they are constantly changing. Who knows what Sony will come up with next? Whether it is in music, games, movies, devices, hand-helds, or E-books; (Sony the Private.) Sony is a definite success in any field they are involved in. With the latest and most affordable way to apply and create new technology, this company is sure to meet their customer’s demands. There are endless possibilities for Sony just for their Playstation products alone, not counting all the other masteries they have created in music and television. Sony has pretty much commercialized the technology world into a field where growth, communication, profit, and business are all reasonable values. Sony will continue to shrink and improve the majority of their products for continuous profit and interest of consumers. There is literally no end to the countless innovations and skills that there dedicated employees can come up with. Sony literally is technology of the future. Now that Sony has become such a world leader in technology that they have also learned that with that title there comes many complications. Lawsuits are something every large company has to worry about. People are sue happy which means that people will find any way possible to sue a company for anything. To help protect Sony from this they have spent millions on trying to follow every legal or civil law there is in every country they are in.( Sony .net) One example is making sure that the people they hire are all treated and hired in the same manner, so that no discrimination charge could be filed against them. Due to of all of the time and man power that Sony has put into this, they have become one of the best companies to work for. On the financial side of Sony their market shares and sales for the fiscal year of 2008 have increased dramatically. Their operation income for motion pictures has increased by 26.5%, (Sony.COM) this is because of more contracts to produce movies all around the world has increased. No longer are they in just America for the movie business they now are also producing motion pictures in India, Japan, China, and even England. Also Sony’s operation income from electronics has increased 121.8% over last year, (Sony.com). This is mostly because of the higher sales in PSP or playstation portables and in the higher sales in the Playstation 3, also because of the battery change policy is up from past years; where Sony replaced all of the faulty batteries in laptops for free, at a cost to the company of 15 Billion yen. The Sony Corporation is all around the world and is doing extremely well in every market place. Some of the company’s strengths included electronics, in which they are one of the world’s biggest producers of electronic equipment in the world, and because of this there aren’t many high up competitors that can compete with Sony. This is also because any time Sony begins to get a competitor in any of the fields they deal in, Sony normally try’s to buy that company and add it to Sony’s corporation. As of right now Sony does not have any real difficulties in any field they are involved in. This is mainly because the company has not tried to venture into any new fields in such a long time. Sony feels that it would be unwise to join a field of development that it doesn’t currently work in. The lack of competition in their current fields of expertese and high risks associated with new technology keeps Sony happy where they are. The Sony Corporation is still one of the best corporations to work for especially in electronics and is definitely a company that is making huge profits and success. References 1. Http://www.sony.com/sca/index.shtml 2. Http://www.sonystyle.com/is-bin/INTERSHOP.enfinity’eCS/store/en/-/USD/Default-star 3. Http://www.sony.net/Fun.SH/1-21/h1.html 4. Sony, by Nathan, John; Houghton Mifflin Company, New York, New York 10003 5. Business the Sony way, John Wiley Sons; Capstone publishing limited, 8 Newtec place Magdalen Road Oxford Ox4 IRE; United Kingdom 6. Sony the Private Life; by Nathan John; John; Houghton Mifflin Company, New York, New York 10003 Research Papers on Sony Corp. Business Case studyAnalysis of Ebay Expanding into AsiaMarketing of Lifeboy Soap A Unilever ProductDefinition of Export QuotasOpen Architechture a white paperTwilight of the UAWMoral and Ethical Issues in Hiring New EmployeesNever Been Kicked Out of a Place This NiceBionic Assembly System: A New Concept of SelfThe Project Managment Office SystemThe Hockey Game

Amazon Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 3500 words

Amazon - Essay Example Amazon strives to offer the widest selection of both new and used products. They not only sell books in a wide category but also electronics, apparel, gift cards, shoes, accessories, watches, photography, software, tools and hardware, cameras, movies, toys, house items, computers, games, music, jewelry, magazine subscriptions, gourmet food, kitchenware, cellular phones, sports items, among others. This diversification of products has transformed Amazon into an all-in-one online retail store (Amazon.com). Amazon has focused on building a reputation to gain new customers and retain existing ones. The company calls itself the biggest bookstore in the world and has used diverse strategies to gain a positive online reputation. The company uses its extensive resources, communication strategies, positioning (name and motto), targeted advertising, and web design to create reputation as a leading book retailer and the leader in the online retail industry (Mellahi and Johnson). Amazon is the broadest discounter globally in whichever product type one chooses to buy. The company also offers loyalty packages, which come with massive benefits like getting movies without any additional cost. Amazon provides free shipping offers and customers can also avoid state sales tax. The company sells Kindle at a deficit ($59 instead of $79) and has a Price Check App. In relation to physical book retailers, Amazon prices are lower because of reduced transaction costs and streamlined distribution processes (Amazon.com). Amazon was the first company to start book retailing business model in the online platform and has made numerous innovations and significant research and developments (e.g. â€Å"one-click† shopping) to improve customer experience, hence, gaining support from the online community. Amazon is the first company to develop most of the currently known technologies in online retailing. The Amazon brand was

Portfolio Management based on Market Share and Market Growth Assignment

Portfolio Management based on Market Share and Market Growth - Assignment Example It was initially formed as a joint venture with Daimler-Benz AG of Germany. The company received a breakthrough by the launch of its first passenger car, The Tata Indica, in 1998. The company is headquartered in Mumbai, India. The company’s global recognition can be established by the fact that it is the fourth largest truck maker and third largest bus manufacturer in the world. The first Tata car was rolled out in the year 1954. Most of the production facilities of the company are located in India itself. Globally, Tata Motors have significant operational presence in UK, South Korea, Thailand and Spain apart from the market presence in Europe, Africa, Middle East, South America, South Asia and South East Asia. (Tata Motors, 2011) Some of the big ticket acquisitions and joint ventures inside and outside the country have helped Tata Motors to grow at a higher rate. Some of the big acquisitions made by Tata Motors are South Korea’s Daewoo Commercial Vehicles Company, acqu isition of 21% stake in Spanish bus maker Hispano Carrocera and UK’s Jaguar Land Rover. Some of the notable joint ventures of Tata Motors are Tata Fiat in India, Tata Marcopolo and Thailand’s Thonburi Automotive Assembly Plant Company. Tata Motors has also made impact by introducing the world’s cheapest car Tata Nano in 2008. Even during such tremendous growth period, Tata Motors is highly impacted by globalisation. Globalisation has impacted Tata Motors in many ways. Increased competitions, technological advancement, marketing challenges, etc. are some of them. This essay will make a closer look into the various impacts of globalisation on Tata Motors. II. Theoretical Framework The impact of globalisation on Tata Motors can be analysed based on the various theories and models. Some of the models that can be used in this case are Pestel Framework, SWOT Analysis, 4 P’s, Porter’s Diamond Model and Boston Matrix. Using these tools will help to look cl osely into the globalisation issues of Tata Motors. Pestel Framework: Pestel framework will help to analyse Tata Motors regarding the challenges like political, economical, social, technological, environmental and legal factors. It can be said that most of the impacts of globalisation can be discussed under any of these six environmental factors. â€Å"By using the PESTEL framework we can analyse the many different factors in a firm's macro environment.† (Oxford University Press, 2007) Understanding the factor(s) that has the most impact is important to formulate future strategies for the company. Therefore, a PESTEL analysis will help to identify which factor(s) cause the most impact on the businesses and operations of Tata Motors. SWOT Analysis: SWOT analysis is important in this case because it will help to identify the internal and external advantages and disadvantages for Tata Motors. â€Å"SWOT is the overall evaluation of a company’s strengths, weaknesses, oppo rtunities, and threats.† (Wang, 2007) Understanding the strong and weak areas of a company is extremely important in order to decide how well it can make use of the market

Five Guys Case Study Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words - 1

Five Guys - Case Study Example The restaurant did not need to spend heavily for advertising the restaurant in order to gain more customers as the marketing of the restaurant was done through word of mouth. The satisfied customers were quite impressed by the way the food quality was maintained and the food itself made them market the product amongst their relatives which helped in increasing the number of customers. During 2002, the company decided to franchise their business with a plan of expanding at a very high rate of opening more than one thousand franchises towards the late 2011. The business even made a plan of making over one billion US dollars in sales. The plan was made along with the idea of maintaining the same quality of food and service in all the outlets they planned to start. Five Guys started operating as a restaurant and developed into chain of food business and the specialty of the business included French fries, hotdogs and hamburgers. The business is recognized as a fast casual dining business because of the quality service, food and rates they offer in their outlets. Casual fast dining is referred to those restaurants that offer high quality service and food but they do not offer full table service as regular restaurants. The ingredients used to produce food are of very high quality and their clean and tidy kitchen area is easily visible to the customers. The restaurant is renowned to offer an essence of the diners of the period of 50s along with the taste of homemade food of the same era. They have a restricted menu which allows them to focus on the quality of their specialty offering rather than diversifying their offerings and compromising the quality of their specialty items. The atmosphere and the food they are offering is such that they get the customer gets the comfort of sitting in an atmosphere of a dinning along with food that falls in the category of fast food, this technique of Five Guys is highly appreciated and attracts customers who are living in an

Hypoglycaemia in a Term Infant Form Diabetic Mother

Hypoglycaemia in a Term Infant Form Diabetic Mother Hypoglycaemia in a term infant form diabetic mother ASSIGNMENT TITLE: Critically analyse the care provided to an infant from a diabetic mother and family The following assignment will discuss the care of an infant within a special care baby unit, the care provided will be critically analysed and local, national guidelines and recent research associated with the care of the infant will be discussed. In order to ensure confidentiality and in accordance with Nursing and Midwifery Council (2015) the infant being discussed will be referred as Infant B. for the purposes of this assignment the nursing framework Casey, A. (1988), will be used. Casey model includes child, family, health, environment and nurse however to personalize the care provided the main focus within this assignment will be concerning blood glucose control though, temperature control, minimized pain, maintaining a safe environment, establishing feeds, communication and family centred care will be discussed as well in relation to blood glucose control. The rationale supporting the use of Casey model is said to focus on family centred care that is redefining the relationships in health care, increasing and becoming one of the main goals on the neonatal units across the world (Staniszewska et al., 2012). Casey, A. (1988) acknowledges the vital role of the parents and family and ensures the everyday care of the child through a partnership and negotiation between parents and family and the nurse (Casey and Mobbs, 1988; Patient- and Family-Centered Care and the Pediatricians Role, 2012). This assignment is focused on the care of infant B, born at term at 41 weeks and two days gestational age within an antenatal diagnosis of maternal diabetes mellitus type I with a birth weight of 3140 grams, over two consecutive night shifts. Admitted to special care with one day of life with diagnosis of hypoglycemia one of the most frequent causes of admission in this sector (NHS Improvement, 2016). The assessment of infant B. was performed at the moment of admission on the first day after transferred from post-natal unit as per Trust policy. An adequate assessment is a crucial component of nursing practice, mandatory for planning and provision of patient and family centred care (Staniszewska et al., 2012) fundamental for their professional accountability and responsibility RCN (2014.) IDM according with UNICEF (2013) are at risk and need to be correctly identified and managed appropriately. The definition of hypoglycemia in the newborn infant has remained controversial because of a lack of significant correlation among plasma glucose concentration, clinical signs, and long-term sequelae (WRIGHT and MARINELLI, 2014; Hay, et al 2009; UNICEF, 2013) Bulbul and Uslu (2016) concluded that there has been no substantial evidence-based progress in defining what constitutes clinically important neonatal hypoglycemia, particularly regarding how it relates to brain injury. However they consider clear the definition of transient and persistent hypoglycemia and their differences (Cornblath et al.,2000). Many authors have suggested a numeric definitions of hypoglycemia that are variable in postnatal age (Cornblath and Ichord, 2000; Harris at al, 2012; Hawdon 2013; Arya at al, 2013; Stomnaroska-Damcevski, 2015; Adamkin, 2016). The value 2.6mmol/l was adopted by many clinicians and by the Trust as well, however there is no scientific justification for this value (Wright and Marinelli, 2014). On admission infant B. presented with a low blood glucose level (BGL) of 1.3mmol/L, In order to increase blood glucose level, a peripheral venous line (PVL) was inserted in right foot as per Trust policy (2012) (NICE,2015), 10% Dextrose bolus administered, started intra venous fluids of 10% Dextrose and a nasogastric tube inserted. Blood glucose level checked 30mins after (NICE, 2015), level increased to 3.1 mmol/l. IV fluids started (60ml/kg/day) (NICE, 2015; BNF, 2015) and BGL checked 1-2 hours after. Frequency was based on infant B condition (Stomnaroska-Damcevski et al, 2015). Dextrose 10% is given to restore blood glucose levels and provide calories minimizing liver glycogen depletion (BNF, 2014). Administration of a 10%Dextrose is protocoled but this value, once more, it is not consensual in literature (BNF, 2010; Arya at al 2013; Adamkin, 2016). A bolus was given first, with higher concentration that infusion, to increase quicker the values and followed by the infusion to stabilize the levels (Adamkin, 2011). The goal is to achieve a blood glucose level of 2.6 to 9mmol/L (Rennie and Kendall, 2013). Frequent Dextrose bolus are not recommended (WHO, 1997) per risk of hyperosmolar cerebral oedema. A study developed by Heagarty (2016) showed significant benefits of oral dextrose gel as an option for treatment of symptomatic hypoglycemia. Shows that is most effective, well tolerated and reduce 50% the incidence of neonatal hypoglycemia in high risk infants, but just for newborn babies in postnatal unit, not indicated for NICU admissions due to severity conditions (BNF, 2015). Hawdon et al (1994) describe a persistent effect and side-effects, and high doses can stimulate insulin release, that can be a reason why oral glucose gel it is not used in NICU. Other option is glucose water however studies (Wight and Marinelli, 2014) indicate that has insufficient energy and lack of protein. At delivery, glucose supply from mother to the infant stops, and consequently glucose concentrations decrease rapidly, until a exogenous source of glucose is available, the infant depends on his hepatic glucose production to face metabolic needs and maintain the homeostasis during the first few days (Boissieu et al. 1995; de Rooy and Hawdon, 2002). The pediatric endocrine society considers the first 48h of a health newborn infant a normal period of transitional hypoglycemia (Cornblath and Ichord, 2000; Merenstein and Gardner, 2011). Low ketones levels, inappropriate preservation of glycogen, and low glucose levels, are characteristics of this period and may activate mechanisms for brain protection (Adamkin, 2016; Standley, et al, 2016). Acute neurophysiological changes occur when human neonates are low in BGL and the long-term significance of these acute changes is not clear (Cornblath and Ichord, 2000). The presence of risks factors, as an infant from a diabetic mother (Rennie and Roberton, 2013) predisposing an infant to hypoglycemia, and increase the risk of persistent hypoglycemia (Thornton et al., 2015). Highlighting the risk factors may determine an appropriate management and a proper planning since the delivery (Lang, 2014) and according with UNICEF (2013) IDM are at risk and need to be correctly identified and managed appropriately. Based on this we can consider infant B a high risk baby to develop hypoglycemia with risk for persistent hypoglycemia. As an IDM, infant B. developed in postnatal period a hypoglycemia episode, this can be considering a transitional hypoglycemia that is caused by hyperinsulinemia (Stanley at, 2015). A study developed by Isles, Dickson and Farquhar (1968) suggests IDM removes glucose quicker than babies from a non-diabetic mother, and that comes from the ability to produce more insulin based on memory of levels experienced in utero. Hyperinsulinism is the most common cause of increased utilization of glucose, and can be temporary, for example when the fetus has been in contact with a hyperglycemic environment by poorly controlled maternal diabetes, (Rennie and Roberton, 2013). In this stage is important to screen for transient and persistent hypoglycemia, the last one with high risk to develop permanent hypoglycemia and consequently induced brain injury (Adamkin, 2011). Neonatal hypoglycemia is commonly asymptomatic but non-specific and extremely variable signs can be presented (Merenstein and Gardner, 2011). In the Trust we apply N-PASS scale to assess pain, agitation and sedation (Hummel et al, 2004) Neurological manifestation as irritability, jitteriness, lethargy, seizure and cardiorespiratory manifestations like cyanosis, pallor, apnea, irregular respirations, tachypnea and cardiac arrest can be presented. Infant B on admission had an appropriate crying not irritable, appropriate behavior, relaxed facial expression, normal tone and with vital signs in normal range. N-PASS scale was applied every three hours when vital signs evaluated, on every procedure and every time that was appropriate. Hypoglycemia cannot be defined only based on single BGL, has to contextualize with infant and mother history (Cornblath and Ichord, 2000). A study developed by Eidelman and Samueloff (2002) associate directly physiopathology of an IDM with metabolic processes including fetal hyperglycemia and fetal hyperinsulinemia, this fetal hypermetabolic state promote somatic growth, obesity, and metabolic disturbance in short and long-term consequences. Diabetic control early in pregnancy is associated with normal neurodevelopment outcome, but according with Schwartz and Teramo, (2000), blood glucose control increases their importance during the pregnancy and especially during the labor and delivery. IDM according with WHO (1997) as high risk for hypoglycemia however, Hawdon (2015) and NICE (2015) says if prenatal and intrapartum are followed by a specialist and monitored this babies should be treated in a first approach as a low risk infant, and the baby can stay with the mother after birth to monitor BGL for 24h or 12h if stable (Adamkin, 2011). IDM is not an indication to be admitted in the neonatal unit. Managing a baby asymptomatic with confirmed hypoglycemia relies on continuing breastfeeding but now more frequently (Amended, 2015), feed 1-3ml/kg (up to 5ml/kg if needed) of expressed breastmilk (EBM) or substitute nutrition (formula, donor human milk) (NICE, 2013; Hegarty, 2016). Increasing frequency will provide more colostrum for the baby, will stimulate the breast to produce more milk, its a moment to practice skin-to-skin, provides a relaxing healthy moment for both encouraging bounding (Adamkin, 2016) Infant B. developed hypoglycemia in post-natal unit and formula milk was started, to receive proper neonatal care had to be separated from mom. This fact interfered with breastfeeding, production of breast milk and bonding between mother and newborn (Sparshott, M., 1997). Mother B didn ´t have any milk production and that was a trigger for a stressful situation. Assessment of knowledge of all situation was done; emotional support was given, educated and encouraged to continuing breastfeeding, explained importance of breastmilk. Colostrum is the first milk produced by a mother, as a high concentration of nutrient and sugar and ideal to help blood glucose level to reach acceptable values (Wight and Marinelli, 2014). Breastmilk is preferred to formula for association with increase of ketones production (Hawdon et al 1992) and lower blood glucose values in term babies fed with formula, related with insulinogenic effect of protein in formula (Lucas et al, 1981). In partnership with mother B. was planned to stop formula milk when possible and all the EBM expressed was given to infant B. Encourage skin-to-skin contact and unlimited access to breast. (Wight and Marinelli, 2014) It is extensively documented in the literature (Tessier, (1998); Almeida et al., 2010; Heidarzadeh et al., 2013; Blackman, 2013) that kangaroo care provides health benefits not only for the infant but also for parents. A study performed by Heidarzadeh et al. (2013) conclude 62.5% of the mothers that provide kangaroo care to their babies were discharged from the hospital exclusively breastfeeding their babies, comparing with 37.5% of the group that didnt provide kangaroo care. Almeida et al. (2010) in a similar study concludes 82% on discharge go home exclusive breastfeeding. Blackman in 2013 performed a study where one of the subjects evaluated was blood glucose level when provided kangaroo care and results were significantly higher comparing with infants that didnt rece ived. Tessier in 1998 cit by Poppy Steering Group (2009) conclude kangaroo care reduce maternal anxiety, and increase a mothers sense of competence and sensitivity towards her infant. After birth, one of the most important changes is related with metabolism energy and thermoregulation. Infant B. is a term baby however, is a newborn and the risk of disturbance of the thermoregulation is present (Arya at al 2013). A newborn after birth, loses heat immediately by evaporation, convection, conduction and radiation, dependent on the ambient air pressure, temperature and humidity and the temperature of surrounding surfaces (Waldron and Mackinnon, 2007) The newborn has an ability to control and balance temperature, glucose and oxygen perfusion constitute the energy triangle (Aylott, 2005) Variations in this gradual transition can result in disturbances of the neonate regulation such as neonatal hypoglycemia or hyperglycemia. Infant B. had initially presented with an axilla temperature of 37.1 °C, normothermic according with World Health Organization (2006), whilst nursed in an open cot. To prevent variations in temperature infant B. was dressed with a vest and Babygro, a hat and wrapped with a shawl and a light blanket on top NHS (2015) and nursed away from draughts and windows to reduce heat loss by convection (Vilinsky and Sheridan, 2014). Furthermore, care was taken to reduce over exposure of the infant due to procedures, as minimize handling and promoting kangaroo care. World Health Organization (1997) describes kangaroo care as a method to keep babies warm and improve the experience during painful procedures as heel pricks (Johnson, 2007). In order to avoid overheat, as Trust policy, temperature was monitored every three hours by use of a tempadot placed under the axilla for 3minutes and room temperature was set at 24-26 °C. It is essential that neonates are nursed within their neutral thermal environment, defined as a temperature where a baby with normal body temperature has a minimal metabolic rate and minimal oxygen consumption (Waldron and Mackinnon, 2007). Hypothermia can lead harmful effects as hypoglycemia, respiratory distress, hypoxia, metabolic acidosis and failure to gain weight (McCall et al, 2010). During this two night shift, Infant B. was able to maintain his temperature. Detect pain in a neonate it ´s a challenge for multiple factors, a complete and efficient evaluation results in an adequate plan of interventions. As referred previously, N-PASS scale it is adopted by the Trust as a tool to assess pain in neonates. Infant B is exposed to frequent acute pain for heel pricks for evaluation of BGG and cannula in left foot. On admission pain score 0 but during the procedures pain score 1 with consolable crying, tachypneic, tachycardic and clenched Non-nutritional sucking with and without sucrose, swaddling or facilitated tucking and kangaroo care are non-pharmacological techniques adopted to minimize pain to infant B. (2016). Non-nutritional sucking demonstrates to be effective to calm and decrease, particularly mild and moderate pain experienced by the neonate and behaviour responses to pain (Liaw et al., 2010). Baby regulates and organizes himself and relief pain through sucking with no nutritional intake objective. Sucrose effect is mediated by endogenous opioid pathways activated by sweet taste (Gibbins and Stevens, 2001). Beyond non-nutritional sucking, others interventions can be applied, and most of them in partnership with family and parents. Individualised developmental care to include family, explained how to reposition the baby in a comfortable way, swaddling and nesting, and during the procedure containment holding. Encourage parents to touch the neonate and talk with him. If the procedure allowed, do kangaroo care. Minimize painful procedures and clustering, discuss with parents schedules and develop a plan with team. Manipulate the environment decreasing noise and light (Sparshott, 1997). An approach based in recognition and appreciation of parents roles, siblings and other family member allow the nurse to recognise critical steps on the care pathway (Staniszewska et al., 2012) Maximising opportunities for communication with parents/ family increasing confidence in role as a parent and supporting parents-infant relationship. Within the special care unit family-centred care is essential as is advocated by the unit in which the care was being received. During this episode infant B. was placed in a normal cot, because he is a term infant and able to maintain his temperature. This fact allowed his mother as well to be more closed, with no physical barriers. The poppy Steering group (2009) indicate through the needs of parents with an infant requiring neonatal support, the findings show that parents need to have the opportunity to get to know their babies, emotional support, involvement in care and decision making and to establish effective communication with health care staff. When mother B. was able to attend the unit she appeared worried and anxious about not being with infant B. in port-natal ward. It was clear that she saw the change to a different place as a barrier. Explained that she can stay all day and night with infant B. only in handover time, she need to leave for 30 mins, was discussed the bette r time for cares and handling the baby for procedures. Infant B. father was not in the unit during the night, went home to rest, nursing staff were the only support available to her. A study developed by the poppy steering group (2009), showed evidence that improved communication and involvement in their baby ´s care promotes positive parent-child interaction and attachment. It is important for them to have the opportunity to spend time with their baby and know them in partnership with the nurse that is responsible to provide emotional support and provide involvement in care being open to discuss decisions to be made and stablishing effective communication. Mother B. referred that the possibility to do skin-to-skin when it is appropriate for her and for her baby, helped her to cope with sensation of losing control of her baby. Create opportunities for the mom to feel participative in the care, especially during feeding time, like helping with nasogastric feeding encourage bounding and promote attachment in situations of separation between mother and infant. (Bliss, 2011) In second night shift Infant B. remains on IV fluids, intravenous infusion rate was increased to 90ml/kg/day, as per Trust policy. Infant B was able to maintain blood glucose levels between 3.1-4.2mmol/L. Following Trust guidelines supported by NICE (2015), glucose measurements are now twice a day after two consecutive measurements above 2.6mmol/L if infant B developed symptoms of hypoglycemia frequency will be increased. Stablishing breastfeeding but followed by top up ´s through nasogastric tube (2mls every 2 hours) (Wight and Marinelli, 2014) given all EBM available and formula milk to achieve amount of milk that infant B needs. Intravenous fluids as decreased as feeds increased, titrating, to meet infant B intake requirements. Infant B was tolerating well his feeds, abdominal not distended and soft, minimal milky aspirates the plan is normalizing baby, decreasing amout of fluid given by intravenous line and increase feeds hoping baby can return to post-natal unit in the next day. Screening high risk babies is other controversial intervention. A utilization of a tool to screen universally IDM after birth will allow more accurate assessments. NICE, 2013 preconize a standard approach, considering IDM healthy babies until any underling condition appears. However Stomnaroska-Damcevski et al (2015) thinks that assessment is important and. Tools like CRIBS and SNAPPE both based in specific criteria but different between should be used. BGL checked by test-strips provides a estimative value, vary 0.5-1mmol/l (Hay et al, 2009) laboratory enzymatic methods is the most accurate method, but results not quick enough for rapid diagnosis, delaying potential interventions and treatment. A Test-strips is important but must be confirmed by a laboratory testing, however the treatment shouldnt be delayed in order to wait for the values, preventing neurologic damage. (Polin, Yoder and Burg, 2001, Adamkin, 2011) All literature consensual in therapeutic through IV dextrose bolus, and IV dextrose continuing infusion, increasing to 12.5% dextrose if values not stable (NICE,2013; Stomnaroska-Damcevski et al ;2015) but when start therapeutic interventions remains not clear. Need more research about oral glucose gel, and more studies about hypoglycaemia to try to understand values of reference and what is dangerous for infant. NICE, 2013, recommends an individualized approach to management with treatment personalized to the specific disorder, taking in mind patient safety and family preferences. Ungraded best practice statement. The available studies are inconclusive and ambivalent about the subject of hypoglycaemia. Primary studies about blood glucose levels are old, and that fact can compromised the conclusion of the case study for up to date resources. Flexibility of sources becomes easy to get lost in the main questions. A case study it ´s about a particular subject and become individualized losing the relevance. However the context of the phenomenon subject of study is explored in its context with is significance and understanding (Gerrish, K. and Lacey, 2006). This subject is something that we expect to see improving and more reflexion about practice. Diversity of literature helps contextualize diferent prespective through the time. Explain to women with insulin-treated pre-existing diabetes that they are at increased risk of hypoglycaemia in the postnatal period, especially when breastfeeding, and advise them to have a meal or snack available before or during feeds. [2008] To test BGL, in the Trust, it is used Bedside glucose reagent test strips, according with Akalay et al (2001) this are inexpensive and practical but are not with significant variance from true blood glucose levels, especially at low glucose concentrations. Ho et al (2004) preformed a study with five different glucometers, concluding that alone they are not sensitive enough to do a diagnose, just for initial assessment, advising a laboratory analysis to be more accurate. Tools para haver tools tinham de diferentes para cada grupo de risco (Harris, 2012) References AACN., NANN., AWHONN., and Watson, R. (2014). Certification and Core Review for Neonatal Intensive Care Nursing. 1st ed. Elsevier Health Sciences. Adamkin, D.H. (2016) Neonatal hypoglycemia, Seminars in Fetal and Neonatal Medicine, . doi: 10.1016/j.siny.2016.08.007 Adamkin, D.H. and Polin, R.A. (2016) Imperfect advice: Neonatal hypoglycemia, The Journal of Pediatrics, 176, pp. 195-196. doi: 10.1016/j.jpeds.2016.05.051 Al-Agha, R., Firth, R., Byrne, M., Murray, S., Daly, S., Foley, M., Smith, S. and Kinsley, B. (2011). Outcome of pregnancy in type 1 diabetes mellitus (T1DMP): results from combined diabetes-obstetrical clinics in Dublin in three university teaching hospitals (1995-2006). Irish Journal of Medical Science, 181(1), pp.105-109. American Academy of Pediatrics and College of Obstetrics and Gynecologists. Guidelines for Perinatal Care. Elk Grove Village, IL: American Academy of Pediatrics; 2012. Armentrout, D. and Caple, J. (1999). Newborn hypoglycemia. Journal of Pediatric Health Care, 13(1), pp.2-6. Arya, V., Senniappan, S., Guemes, M. and Hussain, K. (2013). Neonatal Hypoglycemia. The Indian Journal of Pediatrics, 81(1), pp.58-65. Aylott, M. (2006a) The Neonatal energy triangle part 1; Metabolic adaptation. Paediatric Nursing. 18, 6, 38-42 Casey, A., 1988. A partnership with child and family. Senior Nurse 8(4), 8-9 Cho, H.Y., Jung, I. and Kim, S.J. (2016) The association between maternal hyperglycemia and perinatal outcomes in gestational diabetes mellitus patients, Medicine, 95(36), p. e4712. doi: 10.1097/md.0000000000004712 Clinical Features of Neonates with Hyperinsulinism. (1999). New England Journal of Medicine, 341(9), pp.701-702. Corkin, D., Clarke, S. and Liggett, L. (2011). Care planning in children and young peoples nursing. 1st ed. Chichester, West Sussex, UK: Wiley-Blackwell. Cornblath M, Hawdon JM, Williams AF, Aynsley-Green A, Ward Platt MP, Schwartz R et al. (2000) Controversies regarding definition of neonatal hypoglycaemia: suggested operational thresholds. Pediatrics; 105: 1141-5. Cornblath, M. and Ichord, R. (2000). Hypoglycemia in the neonate. Seminars in Perinatology, 24(2), pp.136-149. Cornblath, M., Hawdon, J., Williams, A., Aynsley-Green, A., Ward-Platt, M., Schwartz, R. and Kalhan, S. (2000). Controversies Regarding Definition of Neonatal Hypoglycemia: Suggested Operational Thresholds. PEDIATRICS, 105(5), pp.1141-1145. de Boissieu, D., Rocchiccioli, F., Kalach, N. and Bougnà ¨res, P. (1995). Ketone Body Turnover at Term and in Premature Newborns in the First 2 Weeks after Birth. Neonatology, 67(2), pp.84-93. de Rooy, L. and Hawdon, J. (2002). Nutritional Factors That Affect the Postnatal Metabolic Adaptation of Full-Term Small- and Large-for-Gestational-Age Infants. PEDIATRICS, 109(3), pp.e42-e42. DePuy, A.M., Coassolo, K.M., Som, D.A. and Smulian, J.C. (2009) Neonatal hypoglycemia in term, nondiabetic pregnancies, American Journal of Obstetrics and Gynecology, 200(5), pp. e45-e51. doi: 10.1016/j.ajog.2008.10.015. Deshpande, S. and Ward Platt, M. (2005) The investigation and management of neonatal hypoglycaemia, Seminars in Fetal and Neonatal Medicine, 10(4), pp. 351-361. doi: 10.1016/j.siny.2005.04.002. Eidelman, A. and Samueloff, A. (2002). The pathophysiology of the fetus of the diabetic mother. Seminars in Perinatology, 26(3), pp.232-236. Feldman, A. and Brown, F. (2016). Management of Type 1 Diabetes in Pregnancy. Curr Diab Rep, 16(8). Gerrish, K. and Lacey, A. (2006). The research process in nursing. 1st ed. Oxford: Blackwell Pub. Gibbins, S. and Stevens, B. (2001). Mechanisms of Sucrose and Non-Nutritive Sucking in Procedural Pain Management in Infants. Pain Research and Management, 6(1), pp.21-28. Guthrie, R., Van Leeuwen, G., Glenn, L. and Jackson, R.L. (1968) The incidence of asymptomatic hypoglycemia in high-risk newborn infants, The Journal of Pediatrics, 72(4), pp. 582-583. doi: 10.1016/s0022-3476(68)80380-4 Hansmann, G. (2009). Neonatal emergencies. 1st ed. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press. Harris, D.L., Weston, P.J. and Harding, J.E. (2012) Incidence of neonatal hypoglycemia in babies identified as at risk, The Journal of Pediatrics, 161(5), pp. 787-791. doi: 10.1016/j.jpeds.2012.05.022. Hay, W., Raju, T., Higgins, R., Kalhan, S. and Devaskar, S. (2009). Knowledge Gaps and Research Needs for Understanding and Treating Neonatal Hypoglycemia: Workshop Report from Eunice Kennedy Shriver National Institute of Child Health and Human Development. The Journal of Pediatrics, 155(5), pp.612-617. Hillman, N., Kallapur, S. and Jobe, A. (2012). Physiology of Transition from Intrauterine to Extrauterine Life. Clinics in Perinatology, 39(4), pp.769-783. Isles, T., Dickson, M. and Farquhar, J. (1968). Glucose Tolerance and Plasma Insulin in Newborn Infants of Normal and Diabetic Mothers. Pediatric Research, 2(3), pp.198-208 Isles, T., Dickson, M. and Farquhar, J. (1968). Glucose Tolerance and Plasma Insulin in Newborn Infants of Normal and Diabetic Mothers. Pediatric Research, 2(3), pp.198-208. Jobe, A. (2015). Transitional neonatal hypoglycemia. The Journal of Pediatrics, 166(6), pp.1329-1332. Johnson AN. The maternal experience of kangaroo holding. J Obstet Gynecol Neonatal Nurs 2007;36(6):568-73. Lang, T. (2014). Neonatal hypoglycemia. Clinical Biochemistry, 47(9), pp.718-719. Liaw, J., Yang, L., Ti, Y., Blackburn, S., Chang, Y. and Sun, L. (2010). Non-nutritive sucking relieves pain for preterm infants during heel stick procedures in Taiwan. Journal of Clinical Nursing, 19(19-20), pp.2741-2751. Lula O.,Lubchenco, M.D, and Harry Bard, M.D (1971) Incidence of hypoglycemia in newborn infants classified by birth weight and gestational age. pediatrics, 47(5), 1971, pp.831-836. Lyon, A. (2004). Applied physiology: temperature control in the newborn infant. Current Paediatrics, 14(2), pp.137-144. Merenstein, G. and Gardner, S. (2011). Merenstein Gardners handbook of neonatal intensive care. 8st ed. St. Louis, Mo.: Mosby Elsevier. Patient- and Family-Centered Care and the Pediatricians Role. (2012). PEDIATRICS, 129(2), pp.394-404. Polin, R., Yoder, M. and Burg, F. (2001). Workbook in practical neonatology. 1st ed. Philadelphia: W.B. Saunders. Polit, D. and Beck, C. (2012). Nursing research. 1st ed. Philadelphia: Wolters Kluwer Health/Lippincott Williams Wilkins. Postnatal Glucose Homeostasis in Late-Preterm and Term Infants. (2011). PEDIATRICS, 127(3), pp.575-579. Rennie, J. and Roberton, N. (2013). Rennie and Robertons textbook of neonatology. 5st ed. Edinburgh: Churchill Livingstone Elsevier. Rozance, P. and Hay, W. (2012). Neonatal Hypoglycemia-Answers, but More Questions. The Journal of Pediatrics, 161(5), pp.775-776. Schwartz, R. and Teramo, K. (2000). Effects of diabetic pregnancy on the fetus and newborn. Seminars in Perinatology, 24(2), pp.120-135. Sparshott, M. (1997). Pain, distress, and the newborn baby. 1st ed. Abingdon, Oxon, OX: Blackwell Science. Staniszewska, S., Brett, J., Redshaw, M., Hamilton, K., Newburn, M., Jones, N. and Taylor, L. (2012). The POPPY Study: Developing a Model of Family-Centred Care for Neonatal Units. Worldviews on Evidence-Based Nursing, 9(4), pp.243-255. Stanley, C., Rozance, P., Thornton, P., De Leon, D., Harris, D., Haymond, M., Hussain, K., Levitsky, L., Murad, M., Simmons, R., Sperling, M., Weinstein, D., White, N. and Wolfsdorf, J. (2015). Re-Evaluating Transitional Neonatal Hypoglycemia: Mechanism and Implications for Management. The Journal of Pediatrics, 166(6), pp.1520-1525.e1. Stomnaroska-Damcevski, O., Petkovska, E., Jancevska, S. and Danilovski, D. (2015). Neonatal Hypoglycemia: A Continuing Debate in Definition and Management. PRILOZI, 36(3). Strozik, K., Pieper, C. and Roller, J. (1997). Capillary refilling time in newborn babies: normal values. Archives of Disease in Childhood Fetal and Neonatal Edition, 76(3), pp.F193-F196. Thornton, P., Stanley, C., De Leon, D., Harris, D., Haymond, M., Hussain, K., Levitsky, L., Murad, M., Rozance, P., Simmons, R., Sperling, M., Weinstein, D., White, N. and Wolfsdorf, J. (2015). Recommendations from the Pediatric Endocrine Society for Evaluation and Management of Persistent Hypoglycemia in Neonates, Infants, and Children. The Journal of Pediatrics, 167(2), pp.238-245. Thureen, P. and Hay, W. (2006). Neonatal nutrition and metabolism. Cambridge, UK: New York. Wielandt, H, Schà ¸nemann-Rigel, H, Holst, C, Fenger-Grà ¸n, J 2015, High risk of neonatal complications in children of mothers with gestational diabetes mellitus in their first pregnancy, Danish Medical Journal, 62, 6, MEDLINE, EBSCOhost, viewed 9 October 2016.

american gods :: essays research papers

American Gods There was silence as they crossed the bridge. "Who did kill those men?" she asked. "You wouldn’t believe me if I told you." "I would." She sounded angry now. He wondered if bringing the wine to the dinner had been a wise idea. Life was certainly not a cabernet right now. "It’s not easy to believe." "I," she told him, "can believe anything. You have no idea what I can believe." "Really?" "I can believe things that are true and I can believe things that aren’t true and I can believe things where nobody knows if they’re true or not. I can believe in Santa Claus and the Easter Bunny and Marilyn Monroe and the Beatles and Elvis and Mister Ed. Listen-I believe that people are perfectible, that knowledge is infinite, that the world is run by secret banking cartels and is visited by aliens on a regular basis, nice ones that look like wrinkledy lemurs and bad ones who mutilate cattle and want our water and our women. I believe that the future sucks and I believe that the future rocks and I believe that one day White Buffalo Woman is going to come back and kick everyone’s ass. I believe that all men are just overgrown boys with deep problems communicating and that the decline in good sex in America is coincident with the decline in drive-in movie theaters from state to state. I believe that all politicians are unprincipled crooks and I still believe that they are better than the alternative. I believe that California is going to sink into the sea when the big one comes, while Florida is going to dissolve into madness and alligators and toxic waste. I believe that antibacterial soap is destroying our resistance to dirt and disease so that one day we’ll all be wiped out by the common cold like the Martians in War of the Worlds. I believe that the greatest poets of the last century were Edith Sitwell and Don Marquis, that jade is dried dragon sperm, and that thousands of years ago in a former life I was a one-armed Siberian shaman. I believe that mankind’s destiny lies in the stars. I believe that candy really did taste better when I was a kid, that it’s aerodynamically impossible for a bumblebee to fly, that light is a wave and a particle, that there’s a cat in a box somewhere who’s alive and dead at the same time (although if they don’t ever open the box to feed it it’ll eventuall y just be two different kinds of dead), and that there are stars in the universe billions of years older than the universe itself.

Creative Writing: Continue the Story of “The Other Time” by Peter Appleton

Creative Writing : The Journalist’s visit Continue the story (The other time, by Peter Appleton) †¦ â€Å"Yes. † she answered blankly. At first sight, the man standing in front of her wasn’t impressive, nor a surprise. â€Å"Hum, yes uhm, my name is Scoop, Scoop Appleton. And, uhm, I am here as a journalist from the Sunday Blare. You see, we find your†¦ story†¦ very intriguing, interesting. I am sure you have had other people come and ask you for details, but we are extremely serious in this relevant loss and we know that for you†¦Ã¢â‚¬  â€Å"What. That it’s horrible for me? That I should want to kill the judges? That I should want fight my sadness by shouting injustice?! Look. Talking drama will not change a thing. Your offer does not interest me†¦Ã¢â‚¬  She said this staying calm and not caring but still with an incredible force in her voice. Scoop was still under shock of her beauty and character. He only managed to get a few words working their way out of his mind. â€Å"Yes I understand, but I am sure our offer will cover the emotional difficulty this would imply†¦Ã¢â‚¬  â€Å"Paul is dead. That’s basically it. Your money will not get him back, and I don’t see how your article will be beneficial for me or change other’s point of view. † â€Å"It must be hard to be like this on your own now. We can help you to have an easier time. We know that it is during mourning that people need some help, support. And we can give you that. We think people need to know the truth, the injustice here. This might change everything! All we want is your story† â€Å"We surely have never been rich, and now I need money more than ever. But I am not interested in your money. † She said firmly. Surely she has her principles, Scoop thought, but her loss must be raging inside her. â€Å"We understand. We know it must be hard for you. But we are not looking for problems. We think you are an intelligent woman who has the right to be heard. I’m sure your husband was a good man, and your life must have been lovely in your lovely home†¦Ã¢â‚¬  He could see from where he was standing that the furniture inside was neat and classical. No particular style elements, just a random English house like any, maybe even neater than the rest. â€Å"Let’s not stay standing here if you’re planning to talk a lot. She suddenly added, interrupting him in his maybe-too-obvious peaking. Scoop, shaken up by the surprising invitation calmly followed her. He could hear that behind the hard side she was showing, there was maybe a desperate need to talk, to have a human contact. He tried to grasp as many details as he could, walking towards the lounge area. â€Å"Sit here, Ià ¢â‚¬â„¢ll make some tea† She said calmly, walking to the little kitchen bloc. There was nearly a friendly tone in her voice. But Scoop tried to stay in his professional attitude, even if he seemed more clumsy than at ease. Sitting down, he noticed how this sitting chair had used fabric. This must be someone’s chair. Maybe it was her husband’s. He could picture the man sitting here, resting after a hard day of work, while she would be making dinner for her love. The few words she had said about her husband had made it clear to Scoop that she loves him, that he had been a good husband. There seemed to be a special light coming in the house. A warm, orangy light, giving a cozy home feeling. But also a feeling like the one you get when you’re in your grandparent’s old home, after they have left the world. A feeling of silent memories, of peace but also of emptiness. â€Å"Mrs. Rhiannon. It’s important that you understand that we do not seek for drama. We don’t want do abuse your story or your name in any way. We just consider your loss as a relevant tragedy and want to understand at best what kind of man your husband was. † â€Å"Yes. Surely I understand Mr. Appleton† she said, sitting down with two cups of tea in the opposite chair. Scoop was surprised she had remembered his name. â€Å"But you see, I don’t want any more fuss. Some things will just remain as they are. My man was a good man. I have learnt a lot from him. And one thing his personality has taught me is that there’s no need to do something un-useful. And I think causing another stir will only make me and you loose credibility and respect. I am sad, but I don’t want anger words to be shown as my story. He was a good man, we had plans, we had a future. But things happened and now it’s all changed. And I’ll just have to adapt. † â€Å"But telling your story will make people reconsider the trial. Maybe this could change the country’s legal system and stop injustice from happening! â€Å"I don’t think there is a problem in our legal system. I don’t think we will make anything better by showing a picture of me looking at his picture and tell how devastated I am now. One of the only things I still have is my pride. And as a principle, drama would not make me or my husband proud of myself. † â€Å"Ok, I understand Mrs. Evans. â⠂¬  He noticed the way she looked at her husband’s picture hanging on top of the chimney. It was like he was still there to watch her. Everything in the room was tidy and clean. She must have made time pass by cleaning up everything. He could see though that there was an unusually big pile of papers on the corner of the desk behind her seat. Maybe she had been busy organizing some things, a job or maybe a closer investigation on the case†¦ â€Å"I was wondering Mrs. Evans, if you don’t mind telling. How has it been for you since, uhm, since Mr. Evans’ uhm, departure. Do you know what really happened? Why there was a fight? † â€Å"I have to say, I have mostly stayed here since. I don’t like the way people look at me now. They think my husband was a violent psychopath. But I don’t blame them, they didn’t know him and they don’t know what happened, but nor do I really. I think it’s all in the past and that I should start moving forward now. When I’ll start my new job things will get going again. † Scoop could feel this was coming to an end. He wasn’t going to hear much more. But he still had so many questions. And his boss would hate him to not get a story back. â€Å"So, thank you for the offer, but no matter what amount of money, I just don’t want a story about me. Thank you for coming by. † â€Å"It was a pleasure Mrs. † He said standing up. He had been so attentive for every little detail that he hadn’t even touched his cup of tea. When she took the cups back to the kitchen, he saw that there was a distinctive ring mark on her annular but no ring to be seen. â€Å"I don’t mean to be intrusive Mrs. Evans, but what have you decided to do with your wedding ring? I can see you took it off†¦Ã¢â‚¬  â€Å"Uhm, that was when I was washing the dishes. Yes. Uhm. And then you rang at my door. So uhm, yes. † He could see how uncomfortable she suddenly was. Maybe she had had to sell it to get some living money. It must be a sensitive subject anyway. â€Å"Oh yes of course. Thank you again for letting me in. But you know that if any time you change your mind, we are the first you can trust! † â€Å"Right, right. † She said with the same not blank but not curious tone she had when she opened the door. Clearly talking in the entrance made her somewhat emotion-less. She still had some suspicions about the press, Scoop thought. Suddenly his eyes caught something on his way out. Above the mantel, hanging on the wall in the hall, there was a tiny gold box with blue velvet inside and a gold, shiny medal. He turned around to ask her while pointing at the shiny thing. â€Å"What is this beautiful metal? Did you win it? Was it your husband’s? What did he get it for? † He asked, maybe with a little too much enthusiasm. â€Å"Oh that. They pinned that on him the other time he killed a man. † Scoop was speechless. She walked him to the door, said another goodbye and closed it. For her he had been quite a revelation. He wasn’t so talky and intrusive as the others. And he left her space to be human, not just a drama storyteller. Now she wasn’t going to tell anything, but she could see he had an eye for detail, unlike some others. She’d have to keep the story well hidden to not get any more fuss. And she’d start by taking of the medal. The one reminder for how things had started to go bad for Paul. He was too nice to kill when he left. And war had made him go very far away from who he used to be. If only he was still sitting on his chair, as he used to. He was still walking at the same speed to his car, and just couldn’t stop wondering, how much there is behind this whole story. He was now very intrigued. The intelligent irony, the pride, the strength of the beautiful queen had fully fascinated him. He felt a sudden need to find more about her. She looked strict but still so naturally smashing. He could see she was trying to hide she was having a hard time accepting the death. By keeping the photos, the seats, the medal exactly as it was before, she has to face it each day, alone. As if she was waiting for him to come back. But she knew. Her eyes, as beautiful as they were had been crying and her ring had been taken off. And there was her intelligence, her rationality that had stroked him too. She knew what was best to do. That’s why she hadn’t accepted their offer. He was now sitting in his car, looking at the house. He would have to go soon, he knew she’d watch him leave. But something was just making him stay, he felt the need to wait a bit, as if waking up fro a dream. The house was simple but very tidy, she took good care of it. But she must be feeling lonely, vulnerable, with no family, no surroundings and no people to be there for her, even though she seemed so loving. The love with her husband must have been strong, from her reaction in court. But Scoop was thinking there must have been something he or she was hiding. A good man wouldn’t suddenly have killed another because of alcohol, he had fought for our country! But maybe that was the problem. Maybe killing men there had changed his way of living, being, seeing things and people†¦ But this will be something for which he’ll have to dig deep to find the answer. Will she one day change, get on with her life, tell her story? How is she going to live? She seems so out of this world. Her beauty, her strength, her voice,†¦ so surnatural and oh so enchanting! He could see the lace curtains move up, it was time for him to leave. He didn’t want to scare her forever. She might always cal back. One thing for sure is that there was a lot more to find out about Mr. Evans. M. P.

Three Step Writing Process Essays

Three Step Writing Process Essays Three Step Writing Process Essay Three Step Writing Process Essay TAfter studying this chapter, you will be able to â€Å"People have just gone ahead and experimented. There are some very interesting models emerging. † - Ben Edwards Manager of Investor Communications, IBM www. ibm. com 1 Describe the three-step writing process 2 List four questions that can help you test the purpose of your message 3 Describe the importance of analyzing your audience and identify the six factors you should consider when developing an audience profile 4 Discuss gathering information for simple messages and identify three attributes of quality information List factors to consider when choosing the most appropriate medium for your message 6 Explain why good organization is important to both you and your audience 7 Summarize the process for organizing business messages effectively After launching a breakthrough podcasting series called â€Å"IBM and the Future of . . . † as a way of letting IBM experts share knowledge on a wide ran ge of topics with customers and investors, the company made podcasting tools available to all its employees, then sat back to see how they might take advantage of this exciting new medium. Not surprisingly for a company full of bright, creative people, IBM staffers began distributing a wide variety of messages via podcast. One gained an instant following by podcasting about the daily challenges and rewards of being a mobile information worker. Another saved hundreds of thousands of dollars a year in telephone charges simply by replacing a massive weekly teleconference with podcasts. No matter what the technology, innovators such as IBM are constantly looking for new ways to reach their audiences with effective messages. 1 Understanding the Three-Step Writing Process Choosing the medium is one of the most important steps in planning your business messages, and as IBM demonstrates, the options seem to multiply all the time. Whether you’re creating simple e-mails and instant messages or complex reports and presentations that may require weeks of planning and writing, your goal is to create messages that have a clear purpose, meet the needs of your audience, and communicate efficiently. For every 52 FIGURE 3. 1 The Three-Step Writing Process This three-step process will help you create more effective messages in any medium. As you get more practice with the process, it will become easier and more automatic. Planning Analyze the Situation Define your purpose and develop an audience profile. Writing Adapt to Your Audience Be sensitive to audience needs with a â€Å"you† attitude, politeness, positive emphasis, and bias-free language. Build a strong relationship with your audience by establishing your credibility and projecting your company’s image. Control your style with a conversational tone, plain English, and appropriate voice. Completing Revise the Message Evaluate content and review readability, then edit and rewrite for conciseness and clarity. Gather Information Determine audience needs and obtain the information necessary to satisfy those needs. Produce the Message Use effective design elements and suitable layout for a clean, professional appearance. Select the Right Medium Choose the best medium for delivering your message. Proofread the Message Review for errors in layout, spelling, and mechanics. Compose the Message Choose strong words that will help you create effective sentences and coherent paragraphs. Organize the Information Define your main idea, limit your scope, select a direct or an indirect approach, and outline your content. Distribute the Message Deliver your message using the chosen medium; make sure all documents and all relevant files are distributed successfully. 1 2 3 message you send, you can reduce the time and energy it takes to achieve this goal by following a clear and proven three-step process (see Figure 3. 1):  ¦  ¦  ¦ Planning business messages. To plan any message, first analyze the situation by defining your purpose and developing a profile of your audience. With that in mind, you can gather information that will meet your audience’s needs. Next, select the right medium (oral, written, or electronic) to deliver your message. With those three factors in place, you’re ready to organize the information by defining your main idea, limiting your scope, selecting an approach, and outlining your content. Planning messages is the focus of this chapter. Writing business messages. Once you’ve planned your message, adapt to your audience with sensitivity, relationship skills, and style. Then you’re ready to compose your message by choosing strong words, creating effective sentences, and developing coherent paragraphs. Writing business messages is discussed in Chapter 4. Completing business messages. After writing your first draft, revise your message to make sure it is clear, concise, and correct. Next produce your message, giving it an attractive, professional appearance. Proofread the final product for typos, spelling errors, and other mechanical problems. Finally, distribute your message using the best combination of personal and technological tools. Completing business messages is discussed in Chapter 5. The three-step writing process consists of planning, writing, and completing your messages. Throughout this book, you’ll see the three steps in this process applied to a wide variety of business messages: basic tasks for short messages (Chapters 6 through 9), additional tasks for longer messages (Chapter 10 and 11), special tasks for oral presentations (Chapter 12), and distinct tasks for employment messages (Chapter 14). The more you use the three-step writing process, the easier and faster it will become. You’ll also get better at allotting your time for each step. As a general rule, try using roughly half your time for planning, a quarter of your time for writing, and the remaining quarter for completing the project. Even for small writing projects, resist the temptation to skip the planning step. For instance, spending even just a minute or two to think As a starting point, try to use half your time for planning, one quarter for writing, and one quarter for completing your messages. 53 54 2: The Three-Step Writing Process through the purpose of an e-mail message can help you write much faster because you’ll know in advance what you want to say. And leave plenty of time to complete your documents, too; you don’t want to compromise the quality of a good message by shortchanging the important steps of revising, producing, proofreading, and distributing. Analyzing Your Situation A successful message starts with a clear purpose that connects the sender’s needs with the audience’s needs. Identifying your purpose and your audience is usually a straightforward task for simple, routine messages; however, this task can be more demanding in more complex situations. For instance, if you need to communicate about a shipping problem between your Beijing and Los Angeles factories, your purpose might be simply to alert upper management to the situation, or it might involve asking the two factory managers to explore and solve the problem. These two scenarios have different purposes and different audiences; therefore, they yield dramatically different messages. If you launch directly into writing without clarifying both your purpose and your audience, you’ll waste time and energy, and you’ll probably generate a less effective message. Defining Your Purpose Business messages have both a general and a specific purpose. After defining your purpose, verify that the message will be worth the time and effort required to create, send, and receive it. All business messages have a general purpose: to inform, to persuade, or to collaborate with your audience. This purpose helps define the overall approach you’ll need to take, from gathering information to organizing your message. Within the scope of that general purpose, each message also has a specific purpose, which identifies what you hope to accomplish with your message. State your specific purpose as precisely as possible, even identifying which audience members should respond, how they should respond, and when. Once you have defined your specific purpose, make sure it merits the time and effort required for you to prepare and send the message. Ask these four questions:  ¦  ¦  ¦  ¦ Will anything change as a result of your message? Make sure you don’t contribute to information overload by sending messages that won’t change anything. Complaining about things that you have no influence over is a good example of a message that probably shouldn’t be sent. Is your purpose realistic? If your purpose involves a radical shift in action or attitude, proceed carefully. Consider proposing a first step so that your message acts as the beginning of a learning process. Is the time right? People who are busy or distracted when they receive your message are less likely to pay attention to it. Is your purpose acceptable to your organization? Your company’s business objectives and policies, and even laws that apply to your particular industry, may dictate whether a given purpose is acceptable. Once you are satisfied that you have a clear and meaningful purpose and that now is a smart time to proceed, your next step is to understand the members of your audience and their needs. Developing an Audience Profile Before an audience takes the time to read or hear your message, they need to be interested in what you’re saying. They need to see what’s in it for them- which of their needs will be met or problems will be solved by listening to your advice or doing what you ask. The more 3: Planning Business Messages 55 FIGURE 3. 2 Using Audience Analysis to Plan a Message For simple, routine messages, you usually don’t need to analyze your audience in depth. However, for complex messages or messages for indifferent or hostile audiences, take the time to study their information needs and potential reactions to your message. Audience Analysis Notes Project: A report recommending that we close down the on-site exercise facility and subsidize private memberships at local health clubs. Primary audience: Nicole Perazzo, vice president of operations, and her supervisory team. Size and geographic distribution: Nine managers total; Nicole and five of her staff are here on site; three other supervisors are based in Hong Kong. Composition: All have experience in operations management, but several are new to the company. Level of understanding: All will no doubt understand the financial considerations, but the newer managers might not understand the importanc e of the on-site exercise facility to many of our employees. Expectations and preferences. They’re expecting a firm recommendation, backed up with well-thought-out financial rationale and suggestions for communicating the bad news to employees. For a decision of this magnitude, a formal report is appropriate; e-mail distribution is expected. Probable reaction. From one-on-one discussions, I know that several of the managers receiving this report are active users of the on-site facility and won’t welcome the suggestion that we should shut it down. However, some nonexercisers generally think it’s a luxury the company can’t afford. Audience reactions will range from highly positive to highly negative; the report should focus on overcoming the highly negative reactions since they’re the ones I need to convince. ou know about your audience, their needs, and their expectations, the more effectively you’ll be able to communicate with them. For an example of the kind of information you need to compile in an audience analysis, see the planning sheet shown in Figure 3. 2. To conduct an audience analysis:  ¦ Ask yourself some key questions about your audience:  ¦ Who are they?  ¦ How many peop le do you need to reach?  ¦  ¦  ¦  ¦ Identify your primary audience. For some messages, certain audience members might be more important than others. Don’t ignore the needs of less influential members, but make sure you address the concerns of the key decision makers. Determine audience size and geographic distribution. A message aimed at 10,000 people spread around the globe might require a different approach than one aimed at a dozen people down the hall. Determine audience composition. Look for both similarities and differences in culture, language, age, education, organizational rank and status, attitudes, experience, motivations, and any other factors that might affect the success of your message. Gauge audience members’ level of understanding. If audience members share your general background, they’ll probably understand your material without difficulty. If not, your message will need an element of education, and deciding how much information to include can be a challenge. Try to include only enough information to accomplish the specific purpose of your message. If the members of your audience have various levels of understanding, gear your coverage to your primary audience (the key decision makers). Understand audience expectations and preferences. Will members of your audience expect complete details or just a summary of the main points? Do they want an e-mail  ¦ How much do they already know about the subject?  ¦ What is their probable reaction o your message? If audience members have different levels of understanding of the topic, aim your message at the most influential decision makers. 56 2: The Three-Step Writing Process A gradual approach and plenty of evidence are required to win over a skeptical audience.  ¦ or will they expect a formal memo? In general, the higher up the organization your message goes, the fewer deta ils people want to see, simply because they have less time to read them. Forecast probable audience reaction. As you’ll read later in the chapter, audience reaction affects message organization. If you expect a favorable response, you can state conclusions and recommendations up front and offer minimal supporting evidence. If you expect skepticism, you’ll probably want to introduce conclusions gradually, with more proof along the way. Gathering Information With a clear picture of your audience, your next step is to assemble the information that you will include in your message. For simple messages, you may already have all the information at hand, but more complex messages can require considerable research and analysis before you’re ready to begin writing. Chapter 10 explores formal techniques for finding, evaluating, and processing information, but you can often use a variety of informal techniques to gather insights and focus your research efforts:  ¦  ¦  ¦  ¦ Consider other viewpoints. Putting yourself in someone else’s position helps you consider what that person might be thinking, feeling, or planning. Read reports and other company documents. Your company’s files may be a rich source of the information you need for a particular memo or e-mail message. Seek out annual reports, financial statements, news releases, memos, marketing reports, and customer surveys for helpful information. Find out whether your company has a knowledge management system, a centralized database that collects the experiences and insights of employees throughout the organization. Talk with supervisors, colleagues, or customers. Fellow workers and customers may have information you need, or they may know what your audience will be interested in. Ask your audience for input. If you’re unsure of what audience members need from your message, ask them. Admitting you don’t know but want to meet their needs will impress an audience more than guessing and getting it wrong. Uncovering Audience Needs If you’re given a vague request, ask questions to clarify it before you plan a response. Include any additional information that might be helpful, even though the requester didn’t specifically ask for it. In many situations, your audience’s information needs are readily apparent, such as when a consumer sends an e-mail asking a specific question. In other cases, your audience might be unable to articulate exactly what is needed. If someone makes a vague or broad request, ask questions to narrow the focus. If your boss says, â€Å"Find out everything you can about Interscope Records,† ask which aspect of the company and its business is most important. Asking a question or two often forces the person to think through the request and define more precisely what is required. Also, try to think of information needs that your audience may not even be aware of. Suppose your company has just hired a new employee from out of town, and you’ve been assigned to coordinate this person’s relocation. At a minimum, you would write a welcoming letter describing your company’s procedures for relocating employees. With a little extra thought, however, you might include some information about the city: perhaps a guide to residential areas, a map or two, brochures about cultural activities, or information on schools and transportation. In some cases, you may be able to tell your audience something they consider important but wouldn’t have thought to ask. Although adding information of this sort lengthens your message, it can also create goodwill. Providing Required Information Test the completeness of your document by making sure it answers all the important questions: who, what, when, where, why, and how. Once you’ve defined your audience’s information needs, your next step is to satisfy those needs completely. Use the journalistic approach to make sure your information answers who, what, when, where, why, and how. In addition to delivering the right quantity of 3: Planning Business Messages 57 required information, you are responsible for verifying the quality of that information. Ask yourself these three questions:  ¦  ¦  ¦ Is the information accurate? Inaccuracies can cause a host of problems, from embarrassment and lost productivity to serious safety and legal issues. Be sure to review any mathematical or financial calculations. Check all dates and schedules, and examine your own assumptions and conclusions to be certain they are valid. Is the information ethical? By working hard to ensure the accuracy of the information you gather, you’ll also avoid many ethical problems in your messages. However, messages can also be unethical if important information is omitted or obscured. Is the information pertinent? Remember that some points will be more important to your audience than others. Moreover, by focusing on the information that concerns your audience the most, you increase your chances of sending an effective message. Selecting the Right Medium Selecting the best medium for your message can make the difference between effective and ineffective communication. 3 A medium is the form through which you choose to communicate your message. You may choose to talk with someone face-to-face, write a letter, send an e-mail message, or record a podcast- with today’s ever-expanding technology, you often have a variety of media options from which to choose. In fact, media categories have become increasingly blurred in recent years with so many options that include multimedia formats. For the sake of discussion, you can think of media as traditionally being either oral or written, and electronic media extend the reach of both. Each type of medium has advantages and disadvantages. Oral Media Primary oral media include face-to-face conversations, interviews, speeches, in-person presentations, and meetings. Being able to see, hear, and react to each other can benefit communicators, giving oral media several advantages:  ¦  ¦  ¦  ¦ They provide immediate feedback. They allow a certain ease of interaction. They involve rich nonverbal cues (both physical gestures and vocal inflections). They help you express the emotion behind your message. Oral communication is best when you need to encourage interaction, express emotions, or monitor emotional responses. Traditional oral media are useful for getting people to ask questions, make comments, and work together to reach a consensus or decision. However, if you don’t want or need all that interaction, then oral media can have several disadvantages:  ¦  ¦  ¦  ¦ They restrict participation to those physically present. Unless recorded, they provide no permanent, verifiable record of the communication. They can reduce the communicator’s control over the message, if people interrupt or ask unanticipated questions. They often rule out the chance to revise or edit your spoken words. Oral media limit participation to those who are present, reduce your control over the message, and make it difficult to revise or edit your message. Written Media Written messages take many forms, from traditional memos to glossy reports that rival magazines in production quality. Memos are used for the routine, day-to-day exchange of information within an organization. E-mail continues to replace traditional paper memos in many circumstances, although writers who want more formality or permanence can still opt for paper memos. Letters are written messages sent to recipients outside the organization, so in addition to conveying a particular message, they perform an important 58 2: The Three-Step Writing Process public relations function in fostering good working relationships. Reports may be distributed to insiders or outsiders, depending on their purpose and subject. They come in many formats, including preprinted forms, letters, memos, and manuscripts, in lengths from a few pages to several hundred. Written media have a number of advantages over oral media: Written media increase your control, help you reach dispersed audiences, and minimize distortion.  ¦  ¦  ¦  ¦  ¦ They allow you to plan and control your message. They offer a permanent, verifiable record. They help you reach an audience that is geographically dispersed. They minimize the distortion that can accompany oral messages. They can be used to avoid immediate interactions, including emotional confrontations when communicating controversial messages. Disadvantages of written media include the following: The disadvantages of written media include difficulty of feedback, lack of nonverbal cues, and the time and skill sometimes required to prepare written messages.  ¦  ¦  ¦  ¦ Many are not conducive to speedy feedback. They lack the rich nonverbal cues provided by oral media. They often take more time and more resources to create and distribute. Elaborate printed documents can require special skills in preparation and production. Electronic Media Electronic media span a diverse and expanding range of technologies, from e-mail and IM to blogs and podcasts. The growth of electronic communication options is both a blessing and a curse. You have more tools than ever to choose from, but you need to choose the right tools for each message. Although no hard rules dictate which tool to use in each case, here are a few pointers that will help you determine when to select electronic over more traditional forms:4  ¦  ¦  ¦  ¦  ¦  ¦ Telephone calls are still the lifeblood of many organizations, for both internal and external communication. But even the humble telephone has joined the Internet age, thanks to the emerging capability to place phone calls over the Internet. Known by the technical term VoIP (which stands for Voice over IP, the Internet Protocol), Internetbased phone service promises to offer cheaper long-distance service for businesses worldwide, and companies such as Skype even offer free basic phone service between computers. 5 Through the use of webcams, video phone service is now an inexpensive option for one-to-one phone calls, teleconferences, and online meetings. Voice mail can replace short memos and phone calls when an immediate response isn’t crucial. However, voice mail is a poor choice for lengthy, complex messages, since the information is more difficult for receivers to process. Teleconferencing, videoconferencing, and online meetings are best for informational meetings and are less effective for highly interactive meetings such as negotiation. DVDs (and to a declining extent, videotapes) are effective for sending audiovisual messages to a large number of people. With the growing availability of high-speed Internet service, many video messages once delivered on tape or disk are now delivered online. Electronic documents include both word processor files and Adobe’s widely popular Portable Document Format (PDF). Computer users can view PDFs on screen with free reader software, and PDFs are more secure and less vulnerable to viruses than word processor files. Faxes have been replaced by e-mail and PDF files in many cases, but they still play an important role in many companies. Internet-based fax services, such as eFax (www. efax. com), lower the cost by eliminating the need for a dedicated fax line and fax machine. 3: Planning Business Messages 59  ¦  ¦  ¦  ¦ E-mail offers speed, low cost, portability, and convenience. It’s best for brief, noncomplex information that is time sensitive. With such a quick turnaround time, e-mail tends to be more conversational than traditional media, but not as conversational as instant messaging. Instant messaging (IM) allows real-time, one-on-one and small-group text conversations via personal computer. At technology giant IBM, for instance, employees send more than 5 million instant messages a month. 6 IM is more versatile than a phone call and quicker than e-mail, and newer IM systems offer file attachments, streaming audio and video, and other enhancements. Text messaging, a phone-based medium that has long been popular with consumers in Asia and Europe, is finally catching on in the United States. 7 Although it lacks many of the capabilities of IM, text messaging does give businesses an easy way to transmit simple messages between mobile workers. Websites and blogs have become vital communication platforms for many businesses. A well-designed website can tailor the same information for numerous readers by steering each audience group to specific sections on a website. Blogs have become common in business in recent years as communicators search for fast, informal ways to reach customers and other audiences. Video blogs (vlogs) and mobile blogs (moblogs) extend the blogging concept in intriguing new ways. 8 Blog content is often distributed through RSS (Really Simple Syndication), which automatically sends new content to subscribers. Podcasts are one of the newest and most exciting media choices for business communicators. Both audio and video podcasts give you a means to reach customers and colleagues with a human touch that isn’t always easy to replicate in text-only media. You’ll read more about e-mail, IM, blogs, and podcasting in Chapter 6. As you can see, electronic messages offer considerable advantages:  ¦  ¦  ¦  ¦  ¦ They deliver messages with great speed. They reach audiences physically separated from you. They reach a dispersed audience personally. They offer he persuasive power of multimedia formats. They can increase accessibility and openness in an organization. In general, use electronic media to deliver messages quickly, to reach widely dispersed audiences, and to take advantage of rich multimedia formats. For all their good points, electronic media are not problem-free. Consider some of these disadvantages:  ¦  ¦  ¦  ¦ They can inadvertently create tension and conf lict. Electronic messages can give the illusion of anonymity, so people sometimes say things online that they would never say in person or in a traditional document. Blogs have been a particularly controversial medium in this respect, with several companies firing employees for their blog postings. Many companies are still wrestling with the phenomenon of employee blogs, as they try to find the appropriate balance between protecting confidential information and corporate reputations and respecting the free-speech rights of their employees. 9 They are easy to overuse. The ability to send or forward messages to multiple recipients has become a major cause of information overload. They expose companies to data security threats and malicious software. Connecting computers to the Internet exposes companies to a host of potential security problems, including computer viruses, information theft, and spyware (malicious software that sneaks onto personal computers to capture credit card numbers and other confidential information). They often lack privacy. More than a few businesspeople have discovered to their embarrassment that IMs, e-mails, and voice mails can wind up in places they never envisioned. In addition, employers can legally monitor electronic messages, and these messages can be subpoenaed for court cases. Electronic media can suffer from a lack of privacy and can reduce productivity when people send too many low-value messages. 60 2: The Three-Step Writing Process  ¦ They can seriously drain employee productivity. Employees can be easily distracted by the constant streams of e-mail, IM, voice mail, conference calls, and faxes or the temptation to surf nonbusiness-related websites during working hours. Factors to Consider When Choosing Media When choosing a medium for your message, select the medium that balances your needs and your audience’s needs (see Figure 3. 3). Just as critical, however, is considering how your message is affected by important factors such as the following: The more complicated the message, the richer the medium required.  ¦  ¦  ¦ Media richness. Richness is a medium’s ability to (1) convey a message through more than one informational cue (visual, verbal, vocal), (2) facilitate feedback, and (3) establish personal focus. The richest medium is face-to-face communication; it’s personal, it provides immediate feedback (verbal and nonverbal), and it conveys the emotion behind a message. 10 Multimedia presentations and multimedia webpages are also quite rich. At the other extreme are the leanest media- those that communicate in the simplest ways, provide no opportunity for audience feedback, and aren’t personalized, such as memos, posters, and podcasts. Generally speaking, use the richest media to send more complex messages and to help communicate emotion. Use leaner media to send simple, routine messages. Message formality. Your media choice governs the style and tone of your message. For instance, IM and e-mail can be considered inappropriate for formal messages. Media limitations. Every medium has limitations. For example, although face-to-face communication is a rich medium, it’s one of the most restrictive because you and your FIGURE 3. 3 Choosing the Most Appropriate Medium With so many media choices at your disposal today, make sure you choose the most efficient and most effective medium for every message. Use Written Media When You dont need or want immediate feedback You dont want or need immediate interaction with the audience Your message is complex You need a permanent, verifiable record Your audience is large and geographically dispersed You need to ensure that the message cannot be altered after you send it Your message has limited emotional content The situation calls for more formality Use Oral Media When You want immediate feedback from the audience Your message is straightforward and easy to accept You dont need a permanent record You can gather your audience conveniently and economically You want to encourage interaction to solve a problem or reach a group decision You want to read the audience’s body language or hear the tone of their response Your message has an emotional content Use Electronic Media When You need to deliver a message quickly You’re physically separated from your audience You want to give the audience an opportunity to edit the message (such as editing a word processing document) Your message can benefit from multiple media, such as audio and video You want to take advantage of electronic media 3: Planning Business Messages 61  ¦  ¦  ¦ audience must be in the same place at the same time. 11 Similarly, instant messaging is perfect for communicating short, simple messages, but it is ineffective for sending complex ones. Sender intentions. Your choice of medium also influences audience perceptions of your intentions. For instance, to emphasize formality, use a more formal medium, such as a memo or a letter. Or, to let people know that you welcome feedback, meet face-toface, make a phone call, or use IM. 12 Audience preferences. Make sure to consider which media your audience expects or prefers. 3 For example, the United States, Canada, and Germany emphasize written messages, whereas Japan emphasizes oral messages- perhaps because its high-context culture carries so much of the message in nonverbal cues and â€Å"between the lines† interpretation. 14 Urgency and cost. Various media have different costs and time requirements, so you often need to balance urgency and expense. Newer media options such as blogs and podcasting make it easier to deliver messages quickly at low cost. Your intentions heavily influence your choice of medium. When choosing the appropriate medium, don’t forget to consider your audience’s expectations. Time and cost also affect medium selection. Once you select the best medium for your purpose, situation, and audience, you are ready to start thinking about the organization of your message. Organizing Your Message Misinterpreted messages waste time, lead to poor decision making, and shatter business relationships. So you can see how valuable clear writing and good organization can be. 15 Successful communicators rely on good organization to make their messages meaningful. 16 What exactly makes a particular organization â€Å"good†? Although the definition of good organization varies from country to country, in the United States and Canada it generally means creating a linear message that proceeds point by point (see Figure 3. 4). What does good organization do for you? First and foremost, it saves you time. Your draft goes more quickly because you’re not putting ideas in the wrong places or composing material you don’t need. In addition, you can use your organizational plan to get some advance input from your audience, making sure you’re on the right track before spending hours working on your draft. And, if your project is large and complex, you can even use your organization plan to divide the writing job among coworkers. In addition to helping you, good organization helps your audience:  ¦ Good message organization helps you by reducing the time and energy needed to create messages and by making your messages more effective.  ¦  ¦ Good organization helps your audience understand your message. By making your main point clear at the outset, and by stating your needs precisely, your well-organized message will satisfy your audience’s need for information. Good organization helps your audience accept your message. Even when your message is logical, you need to select and organize your points in a diplomatic way. Softening refusals and leaving a good impression enhances credibility and adds authority to your messages. Good organization saves your audience time. Audience members receive only the information they need, and because that information is relevant, brief, and logically placed, your audience can follow your thought pattern without a struggle. Good organization helps your audiences by helping them understand and accept your message in less time. You can achieve good organization by clearly defining your main idea, limiting the scope of your message, grouping supporting points, and establishing their sequence by selecting either a direct or an indirect approach. To organize a message,  ¦ Define your main idea  ¦ Limit the scope  ¦ Choose the direct or indirect approach Defining Your Main Idea The broad subject, or topic, of every business message is condensed to one idea, whether it’s soliciting the executive committee for a larger budget or apologizing to a client for an incident of poor customer service. Your entire message supports, explains, or demonstrates your main idea- a specific statement about the topic of your message.  ¦ Group your points The topic is the broad subject; the main idea makes a statement about the topic. 62 2: The Three-Step Writing Process FIGURE 3. 4 Improving the Organization of a Message The poorly written draft displays weak organization, while the organization is much improved in the revised version. Before you begin to write, think about what you’re going to say and how you’re going to say it. Poor Fails to explain the purpose of the letter and immediately gets bogged down in irrelevant details Waits until the second paragraph to even introduce the main idea Fails to provide specific information about the problem Fails to specify what she wants the reader to do oved Impr Opens with her request and immediately follows that with relevant details Provides details in the body so that the reader can understand why Saunders thinks a problem exists Provides a detailed history of the problem so that the reader clearly understands her frustration Emphasizes (in a calm, respectful way) that GNC won’t be buying anything else until this problem is resolved Requests a specific action from the reader Pointers for Good Organization Get to the point right away, and make the subject and purpose clear. Include only information that is related to the subject and purpose. Group related ideas and present them in a logical order. Include all the information your audience needs. : Planning Business Messages 63 Defining your main idea is more difficult when you’re trying to persuade someone or convey disappointing information. Your main idea may be obvious when you’re preparing a brief message with simple facts that have little emotional impact on y our audience. If you’re responding to a request for information, your main idea may be simply, â€Å"Here is what you wanted. † However, defining your main idea is more complicated when you’re trying to persuade someone or when you have disappointing information to convey. In these situations, try to define a main idea that will establish a good relationship between you and your audience. In longer documents and presentations, you often need to unify a mass of material, so you’ll need to define a main idea that encompasses all the individual points you want to make. Sometimes you won’t even be sure what your main idea is until you sort through the information. For tough assignments like these, consider a variety of techniques to generate creative ideas:  ¦  ¦  ¦  ¦ Brainstorming. Working alone or with others, generate as many ideas and questions as you can, without stopping to criticize or organize. After you capture all these pieces, look for patterns and connections to help identify the main idea and the groups of supporting ideas. Journalistic approach. The journalistic approach asks who, what, when, where, why, and how questions to distill major ideas from piles of unorganized information. Question-and-answer chain. Start with a key question, from the audience’s perspective, and work back toward your message. In most cases, you’ll find that each answer generates new questions, until you identify the information that needs to be in your message. Storyteller’s tour. Some writers find it easier to talk through a communication challenge before they try to write. Describe what you intend to write and capture it on tape or disk. Then listen to your talk, identify ways to tighten and clarify the message, and repeat the process until you distill the main idea down to a single, concise message. Limiting Your Scope The scope of your message is the range of information you present, the overall length, and the level of detail- all of which need to correspond to your main idea. Many business documents have a preset length limit, either from a boss’s instructions, a technological limit, or a time frame such as individual speaker slots during a seminar. Even if you don’t have a preset limit, it’s vital to limit yourself to the scope needed to convey your message- and no more. Whatever the length of your message, limit the number of major support points to half a dozen or so- and if you can get your idea across with fewer points, all the better. Listing 20 or 30 support points might feel as if you’re being thorough, but your audience will view such detail as rambling and mind-numbing. Instead, look for ways to group supporting points under major headings, such as finance, customers, competitors, employees, or whatever is appropriate for your subject. You may need to refine your major support points so that you have a smaller number with greater impact. If your message is brief (say, a 4-minute speech or a 1-page letter), plan on only 1 minute or one paragraph each for the introduction, conclusion, and major points. Because the amount of evidence you can present is limited, your main idea will have to be both easy to understand and easy to accept. However, if your message is long (say, 60 minutes or 20 pages), you can develop the major points in considerable detail. You can spend about 10 minutes or 10 paragraphs (more than 3 pages of double-spaced, typewritten text) on each of your key points, and you’ll still have room for your introduction and conclusion. Choosing Between Direct and Indirect Approaches After you’ve defined your ideas, you’re ready to decide on the sequence you will use to present your points. You have two basic options:  ¦ Direct approach (deductive). When you know your audience will be receptive to your message, start with the main idea (such as a recommendation, a conclusion, or a request), and follow that with your supporting evidence. 64 2: The Three-Step Writing Process FIGURE 3. 5 Choosing Between the Direct and Indirect Approaches Think about the way your audience is likely to respond before choosing your approach. ed d er es te d ed re s tra as p le er as nt Ea g Pl e In Di N U Direct approach Audience Reaction Message Opening Message Body Eager/interested/ pleased/neutral Start with the main id ea, the request, or the good news. Provide necessary details. Displeased Indirect approach Uninterested/unwilling Start with a statement or question that captures attention. Arouse the audience’s interest in the subject. Build the audience’s desire to comply. Request action. Start with a neutral statement that acts as a transition to the reasons for the bad news. Give reasons to justify a negative answer. State or imply the bad news, and make a positive suggestion. Close cordially. Message Close Close with a cordial comment, a reference to the good news, or a statement about the specific action desired.  ¦ Indirect approach (inductive). When your audience will be skeptical about or even resistant to your message, start with the evidence first and build your case before presenting the main idea. Use a direct approach if the audience’s reaction is likely to be positive and the indirect approach if it is likely to be negative. To choose between these two alternatives, analyze your audience’s likely reaction to your purpose and message. Bear in mind, however, that each message is unique. No simple formula will solve all your communication problems. For example, although an indirect approach may be best when you’re sending bad news to outsiders, if you’re writing a memo to an associate, you may want to get directly to the point, even if your message is unpleasant. The direct approach might also be a good choice for long messages, regardless of your audience’s attitude- because delaying the main idea could cause confusion and frustration. Figure 3. 5 summarizes how your approach may differ depending on the likely audience reaction. The type of message also influences the choice of a direct or indirect approach. In the coming chapters, you’ll get specific advice on choosing the best approach for a variety of different communication challenges. Outlining Your Content Once you have chosen the right approach, it’s time to figure out the most logical and effective way to provide your supporting details. Even if you’ve resisted creating outlines in your school assignments over the years, try to get into the habit when you’re preparing business documents and presentations. You’ll save time, get better results, and do a better job of navigating through complicated business situations. Whether you use a specialized outlining and idea-mapping software, use the outlining features provided with word-processing software, or simply jot down three or four points on paper, making a plan and sticking to it will help you cover the important details. You’re no doubt familiar with the basic outline formats that identify each point with a number or letter and that indent certain points to show which ones are of equal status. U nw eu te ni illi ng te l 3: Planning Business Messages 65 FIGURE 3. 6 Two Common Outline Forms Your company may have a tradition of using a particular outline form for formal reports and other documents. If not, either of these two approaches will work for most any writing project. ALPHANUMERIC OUTLINE I. First Major Point A. First subpoint B. Second subpoint 1. Evidence 2. Evidence a. Detail b. Detail 3. Evidence C. Third subpoint II. Second Major Point A. First subpoint 1. Evidence 2. Evidence B. Second subpoint DECIMAL OUTLINE I. First Major Point 1. 1 First subpoint 1. 2 Second subpoint 1. 2. 1 Evidence 1. 2. 2 Evidence 1. 2. 2. 1 Detail 1. 2. 2. 2 Detail 1. 2. 3 Evidence 1. 3 Third subpoint 2. 0 Second Major Point 2. 1 First subpoint 2. 1. 1 Evidence 2. 1. 2 Evidence 2. 2 Second subpoint A good ou tline divides a topic into at least two parts, restricts each subdivision to one category, and ensures that each subdivision is separate and distinct (see Figure 3. 6). Whichever outlining or organizing scheme you use, start your message with the main idea, follow that with major supporting points, and then illustrate these points with evidence:  ¦  ¦  ¦ Start with the main idea. The main idea helps you establish the goals and general strategy of the message, and it summarizes two things: (1) what you want your audience to do or think and (2) why they should do so. Everything in your message either supports the main idea or explains its implications. State the major points. Now it’s time to support your main idea with the major points that clarify and explain your ideas in more concrete terms. If your purpose is to inform, your major points might be based on something physical or financial, for instance. When you’re describing a process, the major points are almost inevitably steps in the process. When you’re describing an object, the major points correspond to the components of the object. When you’re giving a historical account, major points represent events in the chronological chain. If your purpose is to persuade or to collaborate, select major points that develop a line of reasoning or a logical argument that proves your central message and motivates your audience to act. Illustrate with evidence. After you’ve defined the main idea and identified supporting points, you’re ready to illustrate each point with specific evidence that helps audience members understand and remember the more abstract concepts you’re presenting. Provide enough evidence to make your message convincing, but don’t overload the audience with too many minor support points. Up to a point, the more evidence you provide, the more conclusive your case will be. If your subject is complex and unfamiliar, or if your audience is skeptical, you’ll need a lot of facts and figures to demonstrate your points. On the other hand, if your subject is routine and your audience is positively inclined, you can be more sparing with the evidence. You want to provide enough support to be convincing but not so much that your message becomes boring or difficult to read. Reviewing Key Points This chapter introduces the three-step writing process: planning, writing, and completing business messages. It discusses how the process works and how to schedule your time for each step. The majority of this chapter covers the first step of the three-step writing 66 2: The Three-Step Writing Process Improve This Letter To practice correcting drafts of actual documents, visit your online course or the access-code-protected portion of the Companion Website. Click â€Å"Document Makeovers,† then click Chapter 3. You will find a letter that contains problems and errors relating to what you’ve learned in this chapter about planning and organizing business messages. Use the Final Draft decision tool to create an improved version of this letter. Check the document for audience focus, the right choice of medium, and the proper choice of direct or indirect approach. process, which includes four planning tasks. The first of these is analyzing your situation, which includes defining both a general and a specific purpose and developing a profile of your audience by identifying the primary audience, determining audience size, determining audience composition, gauging your audience’s level of understanding, projecting your audience’s expectations and preferences, and estimating your audience’s probable reaction. The second task is gathering necessary information by exploring audience needs then collecting information that will meet those needs. The third task is selecting the right medium; the chapter offered an overview of oral, written, and electronic media. The fourth and final task is how to organize your message by defining the main idea, limiting the scope, grouping your points, choosing the direct or indirect approach, then crafting an outline. The next chapter focuses on the second step of the writing process: writing business messages. There you’ll explore two major tasks, adapting to your audience by being sensitive to their needs and building a strong relationship with them and then composing your messages. You will learn about controlling your style and tone, selecting the best words, creating effective sentences, and developing coherent paragraphs. Test Your Knowledge 1. What are the three steps in the writing process? 2. What two types of purposes do all business messages have? 3: Planning Business Messages 67 3. What do you need to know in order to develop an audience profile? 4. When including information in your message, what three conditions must you satisfy? 5. What are the main advantages of oral media? Of written media? Apply Your Knowledge 1. Some writers argue that planning messages wastes time because they inevitably change their plans as they go along. How would you respond to this argument? Briefly explain. 2. As a member of the public relations department, which medium (or media) would you recommend using to inform the local community that your toxic-waste cleanup program has been successful? Justify your choice. 3. Would you use a direct or an indirect approach to ask employees to work overtime to meet an important deadline? Please explain. 4. Considering how fast, easy, inexpensive, they are, should e-mail, instant messages, blogs, and podcasts completely replace meetings and other face-to-face communication in your company? Why or why not? 68 : The Three-Step Writing Process 5. Ethical Choices The company president has asked you to draft a memo for her signature to the board of directors, informing them that sales in the new line of gourmet fruit jams have far exceeded anyone’s expectations. As a member of the purchasing department, you happen to know that sales of moderately priced jams have declined quite a bit (many customers have switched to the more expensive jams). You were not directed to add that tidbit of information. Should you write the memo and limit your information to the expensive gourmet jams? Or should you include the information about the decline in moderately priced jams? Please explain.