Business Report

1. The following situations require writing concise problem question and (b) a simple statement of purpose. Write these using complete sentences.

a. The Bank of New Brunswick is losing money on its Cap Sud branch. A number of branches are being targeted for closure. Management authorizes a report that must recommend a course of action for the Cap Sud branch.

b. Regulations from the Canadian Food Inspection Agency have changed the definitions of common terms such as fresh, fat-free, low in cholesterol, and light. The Big Bun Bakery worries rewriting all its package labels. Big Bun doesn't know whether to hire a laboratory or a consultant for this project.

c. Customers placing telephone orders for clothing with James River Enterprises typically order only one or two items. JRE wonders whether it can train telephone service reps to motivate customers to increase the number of items ordered per call.

d. Cable Saskatoon, a member-owned cooperative, needs to organize an urgent meeting of its members. Cable Saskatoon's name does not reflect the new Internet and phone services it provides to the community. Coop members need to examine a list of potential names and select the best one. Members must vote on this issue before next month.

e. Snow clearance has become a hot issue at City Council this winter! Last weekend alone, 50 cm of snow fell on Medicine Hat. City crews are still busy clearing main road arteries to help car traffic flow. The City is quickly running out of money though, and councillors must find new funds to ensure that roads remain cleared of snow and ice this winter.

2. Identify the type of graphic that best illustrates the following data and explain why.

a. Instructions for workers telling them how to distinguish between worker accidents that must be reported to provincial and federal agencies and those that need not be reported.

b. Figures showing the proportion of every provincial tax dollar spent on education, social services, transportation, debt, and other expenses.

c. Data showing the academic, administrative, and operation divisions of a college, from the president to department chairs and division managers.

d. Figures comparing the sales of PDAs (personal data assistants), cellphones, and laptop computers over the past five years.

e. Figures showing the operating profit of a company for the past five years.

f. Data showing areas in the United States most likely to have earthquakes.

g. Data showing the causes of forest fires (lightning, 73 percent; arson, 5 percent; campfires, 9 percent; and so on) in the Rocky Mountains.

h. Figures comparing the cost of basic TV cable service in ten areas of Canada for the past ten years (the boss wants to see exact figures).

3. Revise the following paragraph to eliminate gender, racial, age, and disability stereotypes

A cook of South African origin, Mrs. Clair Broth applied for the head chef's position at our restaurant last week. Although she is fifty-five years of age, she seems to be a very highly qualified employee and quite a lively lady! If we decide to give her this position, we'll have to consider clearing the area around the service entrance. She walks with a cane and her disability might make it hard for her to open the heavy door. After all, every one of our employees should have his needs looked after. We would not want her to suffer at work.

Sincerely yours,

The Manager