This case scenario will help you review the chapter material by applying it to a specific situation. Henry Lai is having a bad week. On Monday, Henry got into a minor car accident on his wav to his business communication class. It was his third accident of the year, and he was late for class. Today, he is almost late again. As Henry left his apartment, his neighbor stopped him in the hallway to ask if he read the landlord's email announcing an increase in rent. Henry does not know how he'll handle these extra expenses. On top of a rent increase, he may need to pay for a repair to his broken computer printer, which may not be covered by a manufacturer warranty. And he also needs to help pay for the anniversary party he and his brothers are throw. ing for their parents in May. Henry slips into class just in email time to get Professor Anderson's Message Insert assignment sheet. As Henry reads it, he begins to smile. This is an assign- ment he can definitely handle. Protes- Send Anderson is requiring students Subiect nick one or two types of writ. 11g routine, persuasive, good news, or bad news---and over the next five Dear Tenants: weeks collect samples to analyze. The goal is to evaluate these pieces according to the guidelines in the textbook and suggest revisions. A lot is going on in Henry's life, and many people are communicating with him. In fact, he could begin the assignment right after class by reading his landlord's email about the rent increase. puts it aside. At first glance, the letter appears to be announcing a raise in premiums. He doesn't have time to read it carefully. Later that evening, though, he decides to pick it up again to read more carefully. See the letter on page 217. Henry has to read the letter twice to understand what it means, and when he finally understands, he is shocked. This isn't what he expected at all! His family has had City Mutual Insurance since before he was born. How could the company drop him? Question 2: A reader should be able to understand a bad-news message quickly-and not feel insulted or abandoned. How would voU advise City Mutual to revise its letter? Softening the Impact of Bad News After class, Henry opens up his laptop to check his email. Would his landlord raise the rent to more than he could afford? He is not looking forward to reading the bad news. See the landlord's email message to the right. As Henry finishes reading, he thinks. "Ta like to stay. This must be a pretty good email." Would vou agree? Question 1: Evaluate the landlord's email. Would vou recommend any revisions? Bad News in the Mail When Henry returns home from class, he finds a letter in his mailbox from his auto insurance company. He opens it, looks at it quickly, and then Options Format T..t@Wycoff-Rentals.com Rental Increase When you get your lease in the next few months, you will see a 15 percent raise in rent. I want to explain to you why rent is increasing. I value each of you as tenants and neighbors. and hope vou will understand and choose to stav at 727 Seward Street. As you probably know, both property taxes and the cost of heating fuel have increased this past year. This winter, it cost me 20 percent more to heat you apartments- -and mine- -than the vear before. My total costs as landlord have gone up 30 percent. The rent increase barely covers these increased costs. In addition, during this uncoming vear. will be painting the halls and buving new equinment for the laundry room. I want this building to remain a good place for us to live, and like every vear in the past. this vear will make more improvements. know more rent is a hardship since many of you are in school as well as working But the rent here is still the most reasonable in the neighborhood Please let me know if you don't plan to stay, but I hope you do. Sincerely, Foward Nikaza Wycoff Rentals 62253 Main Street Chesterfield, MO 63005Dear Mr. Lai: At City Mutual Insurance, our ability to provide cost-effective insurance to all our customers depends on our periodically assessing and reevaluating risk. Our internal guidelines and policies are carefully constructed to ensure that we remain a financially secure company. It is in this way that we can provide financial legal option to cancel or refuse to renew automobile insurance at the next renewal date. Based on your recent record of chargeable automobile accidents, our guidelines require that your automobile insurance be cancelled 30 days from the date of this letter.

after arriving late to his business 1 class a third time Henry is not surprised to see an email from Professor Anderson in his inbox Professor Anderson has a strict atten. dance policy for his course, which Henry is finding difficult to follow. If this is a bad-news email, Henry hopes it is well written. He does not want to be in the position of critiquing his teacher in his final project. Henry reads the email reproduced below and wonders: "If I can't pass the course, maybe I should drop it. Is that really the goal of this email?" Question 3: Is this an effective bad- news email? Would vou recommend Chesterfield Chesterfield, Milton V. Anderson, Ph.D. Professor of Business Communication

Dear Henry This week you arrived late to class for the third time. As you know, you can have no more than two unexcused absences or four late arrivals and still pass the class. I cannot stress enough how serious this is. Business Communication 371 is a requirement for graduation in vour malor. You must receive at least a C in this course. With one more absence or late arrival, you will need to repeat the course Dear Mr. La

Professor Andersoni: As a follow-up to our telephone conversation today, I have reviewed your warranty as well as the notes from the authorized technician who examined your nonfunctioning Gremlin 2740 wireless laser printer. The warranty protects your printer against manufacturer defects and mechanical failure for one year from the date of purchase. However, it specifically excludes damage from accidents and misuse. According to our technician, a bent fuser usually results from dropping the printer or dropping something on the printer. Therefore, that damage is not covered by our warranty, even though you purchased the printer less than three months ago. We can offer two suggestions for cost-effectively repairing or replacing your printer. First, if you used a credit card to purchase the printer, consider contacting the company to see if it offers buyer protection plans that insure your purchases against accidental loss or damage. If you must pay for your own repairs, you may find it more cost effective to purchase a factory-authorized refurbished printer directly from Gremlin. We will be pleased to offer you a $50 discount on this purchase. Thank you for being a Gremlin customer. We look forward to being your printer of choice long into the future. Sincerely, Tanya Corros Tanya Corros Customer Service Representative Customer, How Do You Feel? As Henry prepares to write his final business communication report analyzing messages he has received during the term, he thinks about how important it is for a business to communicate effectively with its customers. Henry asks himself, "As a customer, how do I feel about the people who have been communicating with me? How do I feel about my land-lord, City Mutual Insurance, and Professor Anderson? Would I choose to have a continuing relationship with them or do business with them again? Will I speak positively about them when talking to others?" Henry's mind as he analyzes his last set of business messages: an email from the manufacturer of his broken computer printer and a voice mail from the River Inn where he planned his parents' anniversary party. Would he choose to do business with these organizations again? Question 4: Based on these bad-news communications, would you like to do business with these organizations? voice mail message Mr. Lai. This is Darryl at the River Inn. We need to make some changes in the arrangements for your party in May. The room you reserved is undergoing extensive repairs for water damage caused by the storm and will not be ready by the 15th of next month. All of our other rooms are taken for that evening. Is it possible for you to change the date of your event to Sunday the 29th? If not, we will be glad to completely refund your deposit. Please return my call at your earliest convenience. I'm at

: Problems of Henri

Slide 3: Analyze the issues.

Slide 4: Develop Alternatives.

Slides 5: Conclusion and Recommendations

Slide 6: Clear Action Plan

Slide 7: References.