Engl227 Week 1 Scenario
ENGL227 Week 1 Assignment Scenario You are an upper-level manager in a large metropolitan hotel. One of your assistant managers, Jeff Clarke, has left you a voicemail message requesting emergency leave for the upcoming holiday weekend. Here’s what the message stated: I’m calling to request emergency leave again for this weekend. I know I’ve had three emergency leaves in the last two months, but my grandma isn’t feeling well again, and she really needs me to take care of her. I’ll be in later tonight for my shift. Can you let me know then? Thanks.
You know from previous requests for time off that Jeff’s grandmother is coping with a debilitating illness. Your other assistant manager, Nina Hernandez, has covered for Jeff three times in the last two months. She has been looking forward to having this weekend off, as she is going out of town to celebrate her grandson’s first birthday. You are already on the schedule this weekend, and if you allow Jeff’s emergency leave, you’ll be short-staffed. To make matters worse, there’s a professional conference this weekend for electrical engineers at a nearby convention center, and many of the attendees will be staying at your hotel.
This is the first time the convention center has directed attendees to your hotel, and if all goes well, this could mean a lot more business throughout the year. Jeff’s absences are becoming more and more of a problem. You could call him back on the phone to deny his request, but you’re starting to think you may need a written record of some sort to document the problem in case Jeff’s employment needs to be terminated. Human Resources at Corporate are always emphasizing the need for documentation. 1.
Complete the Required Audience Profile (below) for Jeff, with the understanding that someone in Human Resources may be a secondary audience for this written response at a later date. 2. Select an appropriate choice of medium: electronic or print. (See Chapter 4 for guidance in selecting an appropriate medium. ) 3. Write a message to Jeff using an appropriate media choice denying his request and explaining the reasons why. You don’t want to fire Jeff, but you do want to be clear that you are denying the request. You really need his help this weekend.
Submit the audience profile AND the written message to Jeff to the Week 1 Dropbox. Successful assignments will meet the criteria outlined in the grading rubric included in the Doc Sharing area. Required Audience Profile This audience profile is required as part of the week one assignment. Answer the questions below to create a thorough profile for your primary audience, Jeff Clarke, and your secondary audience, Human Resources. 1. Is my primary audience external or internal? This instance has an internal audience.
Since Jeff Clarke is an employee the communication is within the company. 2. What are some key demographics about my audience, such as age, gender, family situation, etc.? The demographics for this situation are the conference coming up, and the family problems Jeff is having, which is the cause for the issues at hand. 3. How much does my audience know about the topic? Jeff has caused the problem, so he is aware of it. He is the assistant manager, and knows about the scheduled event, as well as how much his presence is necessary. 4.
How much formality does my audience prefer? The information given does not allow me to know the person, but since the communication is within a business setting I would keep it formal. 5. How do I expect my audience to react to this message? If the family issue is true then, I would hope for understanding that the problem is out of my hands. Also, I would hope my co-workers would be willing to give the support I need during the troubling family crisis. 6. What are my audience’s values in relation to this message? What do they care about most?
With the information provided Jeff’s relation to the message is the need for the message, his family crisis, but The Human Resources office cares most about the shift being covered by Jeff, and not his personal problems. 7. What do I want my audience to think, do, feel, or believe after reading my message? I would hope the primary audience, the company, would empathize with the problems I am currently having, and not penalize me for caring for my mother during her illness. 8. Are there any benefits for my audience that is related to this message? The benefit or the audience I can think of would be to try and schedule the leave for after the event, so both parties can be satisfied. 9. What information do I need to include for the secondary audience? The secondary audience, Human Resources, requires paper work for incidences and emergencies. A doctor’s note and a request are needed to clear the time off, and an incident report is needed to terminate the employee. 10. Which medium is most appropriate for this message and this audience? Why? For Human Resources, a full write up of the incident would be an acceptable medium.
If Jeff were to have provide more of a notice than the company could have been more prepared, and the there is a risk that Nina could not accommodate the request because of her plans. If she has already left town or does not respond, then the shift will have to be covered by Jeff as originally intended. Jeff, As you have already been informed there is a conference for electrical engineers coming up this weekend, and they will require a full staff’s attention in order to gain their future business and referrals. The presence of all our managers scheduled is required.
Unfortunately, Nina has given a request to go out of town, and has already made arrangements to do so. In the past she has been happy to cover your shift for an emergency, but she has already been given leave, and will not be able to work for you. We are unable to approve this leave of absence for the weekend of the event, but are more than happy to accommodate you for an emergency leave after this event. We appreciate your understanding in the current situation, and hope you grandmother gets well. Sincerely, Matt Ferry Hotel Management
