Module 2 – Case
PERSUASION
Case Assignment
Persuasive Communication
Case Assignment 2 pertains to the Purdue’s OWL site on memos
(2013), Bowman (2002), Beason (2001), and Reddy (2010).
As a manager at your company (the same one we used in Case
1), you think your company should be offering internships. With all the
colleges in the Los Angeles area, you would have a large group of people who
should be interested in an internship program. In addition, your company could
use the extra help and creativity of about-to-graduate college students.
You recently read about Nickerson PME1, a 10-person Boston
area marketing and public relations firm. Owner Lisa Nickerson offers a
year-round internship program. She calls participants “associates” to
make them feel less like “lowly interns” and more like members of the
staff. Her interns receive course credit and work experience, but do not earn a
paycheck. Instead, Nickerson teaches them to perform tasks like preparing press
releases and promoting the company to clients. The arrangement results in
valuable help around the office without draining the budget. Nickerson says,
“If you take the time to put together a good program, you don’t have to
pay the student. An abundance of students want that type of hands-on client
experience.”
You believe that Los Angeles college students would be eager
to gain experience at a real company, and fill in their résumés with solid work
experience. The problem is that your boss resists internship programs because
he has heard that interns are really employees who must be paid. He told you in
a recent conversation that he is unsure of the fine line that separates
employees from interns, and he doesn’t want to violate any labor laws.
Write a persuasive memo message to Dick Elders, Senior
General Manager of your company. Explain to him how interns are different from
employees. Use the Internet to research the topic, and learn what six
requirements help the government determine whether an intern is a paid
employee. Use persuasive strategies you have studied, but stay focused on the
conviction that interns do not have to be paid as employees. You are on a
first-name basis with Dick.
1This is a fictitious case.
Assignment Expectations
In your memo, you are expected to apply the persuasion
concepts to demonstrate your ability to craft an effective persuasive memo.
Please use proper English. Sentences must be properly constructed and free of
grammatical and typographical errors. No citations are needed in the memo.
Write a summary explaining why you used the principles you
used in writing your memo. Your explanation should make use of at least two
sources from the required readings. It should be analytical and sufficiently
rigorous to demonstrate synthesis of the concepts. The summary is to be
prepared as an academic essay. Content should be clearly presented with a
logical flow. Formal citations are required, along with a formal bibliography.
Case General Expectations
In the Case Assignments, students will assume the role of a
Manager in Employee Communications at a large service firm, such as a bank, or
an advertising or consulting firm. Students will assume this role throughout
the Case Assignments and be challenged with different scenarios, requiring
written and verbal communication.
Formal citations and a bibliography are required unless
otherwise stated.
Submit your assignments by the module’s due date.
Module 2 SLP
PERSUASION
Making a Persuasive Case for Employment
Persuasion can also be applied in the job search process.
Essentially, we are presenting ourselves and our qualifications to prospective
employers, and persuading them to give us a job. Some companies require
applicants to submit supporting documents along with their applications. One
such document is a personal statement. This is different from a cover letter,
which is normally restricted to a single page. The personal statement may be
longer; in it, you present your abilities and persuade your prospective
employee that you are qualified for the job. (Note: We will write a cover
letter in Module 4).
Refer to the job opening you identified in SLP 1. Using the
job description, write a personal statement (about 2 pages long). Your
statement should be professionally prepared and lay out your strengths for the
job. Please ensure that the contents match the job description for the job you
identified in SLP 1.
SLP Assignment Expectations
Your personal statement is a statement that promotes
yourself. It should not contain any salutation, unlike a letter, as it will be
an attachment. No citations are needed for the statement.
Following the statement, submit an essay discussing the
approach you took. Please be sure to use references, which may include the
assigned readings, to support your discussion. Formal citations are required,
along with a formal bibliography. The summary is to be prepared as an academic
essay. Content should be clearly presented with a logical flow.
SLP General Expectations
For the SLP, you are expected to assume the role of a job
seeker. You are to identify a job that interests you in Module 1. The SLPs will
take you through the job search and application process, presenting you in
different scenarios requiring you to demonstrate your ability to communicate
effectively and professionally.
Formal citations and a bibliography are required unless
otherwise stated.
Submit your assignments by the module’s due date.
