Telerental Car Company has a spike in staff resignations every year as the summer break comes to an end. As staff return to work responsibilities, some decide they have had enough and look for opportunities elsewhere. Peter Rand, the company’s National Human Resource Manager, believes things will become worse this year because of the skills shortage

Peter is concerned because he realizes staff turnover is expensive. Human Resource experts estimate it costs 1.5 times a person’s salary to replace one person. Telerental Car Company has 600 employees who earn on average $95 000 per year. Peter wants to know the turnover rate of staff so he can present facts and figures to the CEO

Peter requests Joanna, a newly appointed graduate, to write a short report titled ‘Staff Turnover Numbers within Telerental Car Company over the Last Five Years’.

Joanna is unimpressed. She is busy with other HR issues and, besides, has no experience in writing reports and didn’t take this position to become a writer. However, she realises she will have to do a good job on this report because her reputation depends on her doing all aspects of her position well. She has never believed ‘near enough is good enough’ and has already built a reputation for writing courteous, objective and professional reports, letters and emails in the company’s approved style and format

Joanna realises a focused, logically ordered report with accurate facts, conclusions and recommendations (when required) builds the writer’s credibility and enables the receiver to make decisions or solve problems on the basis of the report’s findings

Before she starts the report-writing task, Joanna asks Peter to clarify the report’s purpose. Does he want the figures for the last four years or does he want the figures for the previous five years?

Questions Assume you are in Joanna’s position.

1. Planning a report is an important part of the writing process. To assist with planning:

a. Write a statement of purpose for her report.

b. List other factors that Joanna may need to consider as she plans the report?

2. How does the answer to Joanna’s question to Peter (does he want the figures for the last four years and the current year or does he want the figures for the previous five years?) help her in the report-writing task?

3. Decide on the type of report Joanna should write.

4. Write an appropriate report assuming that Peter wants figures for the previous five years

TASK 2 – Case Study Raising Water Safety Awareness

The ‘Children’s Water Safety Network’ realises parents often experience challenges teaching their young children how to be safe around water. These challenges include what to do to keep kids safe from:

a. drowning around the house in baths, water features and pools

b. drowning outside the house in dams, ponds and tanks

c. drowning at the beach, lake or river.

The Network decides to commission a consultant to prepare a report titled ‘Keeping Kids Safe Around Water’. The brief to the consultant requests the presentation of evidence and arguments that address the three bullet points. The report is to include statistics on the number of children who drown each year in Australia. The consultant is also to include an Appendix titled ‘What to do in an emergency.

Assume you are the consultant employed by the Children’s Water Safety Network.

Questions

1. What essential sections of a long report would you include in the:

a. front matter

b. body or main text of the report

c. end matter?

2. Prepare an expanded purpose statement – purpose, scope, significance and limitations – for the report

3. Research from the Internet and other credible and reliable sources of information about the safety of children around water.

4. Prepare an outline to order and sequence information in a manner appropriate to your writing purpose and audience.

5. Submit your: a. List of essential sections

b. Expanded purpose statement

c. Research material

d. Outline of the order of information you would use in the ‘Raising Water Safety Awareness’ report.

Answer rating: 100% (QA)

a Statement of Purpose The purpose of this report is to provide an analysis of staff turnover numbers within Telerental Car Company over the last five years in order to inform the CEO of the current s... View the full answer