22 Apr Prior to beginning work on this assignment, read Week 2 Weekly Lecture (see attached) ??the article The Challenge of Exceptional CommunicationLinks to an external site.; and t
Prior to beginning work on this assignment, read Week 2 Weekly Lecture (see attached) the article The Challenge of Exceptional CommunicationLinks to an external site.; and the webpage Self-Assessment, Career Exploration, and PlanningLinks to an external site..
In preparation for the Final Paper and having real-world applicability, this week’s assignment is a PowerPoint presentation that will allow you to create a career skills inventory and associated gap analysis. Using the article, The Challenge of Exceptional Communication as a guide, the goal for this assignment is to professionally present your current skills and identifiable gaps in existing skills to promote yourself as an ideal candidate for the career of your choice. The information derived from this assignment should accurately reflect your existing skills.
In your presentation,
- Describe the skills you possess that make you an ideal candidate for your chosen career.
- Identify any gaps in your existing skill set that an employer may require.
- Explain how you plan on honing these gaps in your existing skill set.
- Explain how you would effectively and persuasively communicate this gap in a manner that would still qualify you for your career choice.
The Making PowerPoint Slides: Avoiding the Pitfalls of Bad SlidesLinks to an external site. PowerPoint is a good resource to use for tips and guidelines for creating an effective PowerPoint presentation.
The Skills Inventory and Gap Analysis presentation
- must be five to six double-spaced slides in length (not including title and references slides and formatted according to APA StyleLinks to an external site. as outlined in the Writing Center’s How to Make a PowerPoint PresentationLinks to an external site. resource.
- must include a separate title slide with the following in title case:
- title of presentation project in bold font
- Space should appear between the title and the rest of the information on the title page.
- student’s name
- name of institution (The University of Arizona Global Campus)
- course name and number
- instructor’s name
- due date
- title of presentation project in bold font
- must utilize academic voice. See the Academic VoiceLinks to an external site. resource for additional guidance.
- must include an introduction and conclusion paragraph. Your introduction paragraph needs to end with a clear thesis statement that indicates the purpose of your paper.
- For assistance on writing Introductions & ConclusionsLinks to an external site. and Writing a Thesis StatementLinks to an external site., refer to the Writing Center resources.
- must use at least two scholarly sources in addition to the course text (three in total).
- The Scholarly, Peer-Reviewed, and Other Credible SourcesLinks to an external site. table offers additional guidance on appropriate source types. If you have questions about whether a specific source is appropriate for this assignment, please contact your instructor. Your instructor has the final say about the appropriateness of a specific source.
BUS340: Week 2
Weekly Lecture
Introduction to Week 2
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During Week 2, we will focus on planning, writing, and successfully completing a business message.
While this process is one that many people take for granted, this week’s material will unveil the true importance of every step.
As such, we will be evaluating the entire process so we can rest assured that how we execute a written message is received how we intended.
Take advantage of interacting with your peers and adding value to the discussions by adding a new twist.
Consider offering compare or contrasting ideas.
Show your peers that you are one step ahead by sharing the latest research you’ve discovered via our library.
Week 2
Objectives for Week 2
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This week we will
Evaluate the process of writing a compelling message.
Prepare a skills inventory and skills gap analysis.
Discussion Question Tips
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The first discussion focuses on the intricate details of successful business communication. There are several questions embedded in this DQ. To receive full credit, it is paramount that you practice outstanding written communication skills – as the topic of this discussion question requires us to describe in writing what we may otherwise take for granted if we were in a face-to-face classroom.
The second discussion question piggybacks the first in many ways because it requires us to be familiar with the details of different communication practices. I highly recommend thoroughly familiarizing yourself with the links and sites involved in this discussion question.
Three-Step Process for Writing Effective Messages
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Step 1: Plan
Analyze the situation to accurately define the situation and purpose and garner a clear profile of our target audience. We are also gathering pertinent information we need to deliver to our audience. The last part of this step includes defining our core idea or main information and outlining the
content.
Step 2: Write
The tone, style, and mechanics are critical to preserving an appropriate written message. The words we choose, the sentences we develop, and the language we use all impact how our content is received and understood.
Step 3: Complete
Take some time to proofread and evaluate what we’ve written. It’s important that we edit when necessary or even rewrite for clarity. We also safeguard the professional appearance of our written correspondence.
Reference: Bovée, C. L., & Thill, J. V. (2021). Business communication today. (15th ed.). Pearson.
A Good Reminder:
Regarding the material we covered in Week 1, please note the importance of protecting your written communication or correspondence by safeguarding ethical and respectful content, style, and delivery.
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Week 2
Identifying Skills
This week will allow you to create a career skills inventory and associated gap analysis.
The goal is to present your current skills and identifiable gap in existing skills professionally to promote yourself as an ideal candidate for the career of your choice.
The information derived for this week’s assignment should accurately reflect your existing skills.
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Week 2
Identifying Skills
The primary goal of any company searching for a new hire is to secure an individual with the level of skill, knowledge, experience, and ability to communicate thoroughly and successfully.
This is true throughout the entire application-to-hire.
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Miscellaneous Tips
If you aren’t already doing so, I highly recommend using the Writing Center.
Discussion question responses should be substantial, show evidence of higher-order thinking, and use supporting documentation.
Discussion question responses and written assignments that rely on the overuse of direct quotes are ineligible for full credit. We value what the other authors have published, but the work must be primarily your own to earn credit.
Avoid fluff. Your instructor knows this material like the back of her hand, so it’s evident when information is inaccurate or ‘filler.’
When in doubt, ask. If something is unclear to you – chances are, it’s confusing to your classmates too. They will appreciate the fact that an answer is available!
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Greatest Tips
Will serve you well throughout your educational journey
If you have received a lower score (s) than you expected, review your instructor’s feedback. We all provide very detailed feedback. However, if something is unclear to you, please ask. This is a learning process, and it’s okay if something is confusing. We are committed to helping you succeed.
Make it a habit to check the Ask Your Instructor’s thread each time you log on. A question might be asked that hasn’t crossed your mind yet, but chances are – you might appreciate the answer.
If your professor has not responded within 48 hours, please resend your message. We all respond within 24-36 hours (up to 48 on rare occasions). Technology is terrific, but it doesn’t mean it’s error-free. If we haven’t responded, we might not have received your message. Please try again. We are committed to your success.
You’ve earned your right to be in this program. This means that we are expecting to see your best work. Your employer will also expect a lot from you with your new degree.
Lack of attention to detail will reflect in your grades.
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Amazing Support System
Take Advantage of Available Resources
Listed under the “Writing Center & Library” link in the left navigation are the following free supports:
Need More Help?
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You can also click on the “Help” icon within our course to access tech supports phone number, email, and chat options.
The Writing Center
https://writingcenter.uagc.edu/
Any questions about the content you’ve developed?
Formatting concerns?
APA questions?
I recommend getting into the habit of submitting all work to the Writing Center before submitting it for a grade. They will help you catch errors that will help you avoid introducing erroneous mistakes in your written assignments.
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Any Questions?
Click on the “Help” icon in the left navigation of your course and select the Ask Your Instructor a Question option. For private questions, be sure to reserve those for email correspondence.
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References
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Bovée, C. L., & Thill, J. V. (2021). Business communication today. (15th ed.). Pearson.
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Sunco Utilities Partnership Internal Business Proposal
Gloria Hernandez
The University of Arizona Global Campus
BUS 222
Professor Tyznik
April 2, 2030
Gloria Hernandez, Partnership Specialist with Sunco Utilities
If you are creating a PowerPoint to submit as an assignment, create a title slide that mirrors the title page you would create for a paper assignment (as shown on the left).
If you are creating a PowerPoint for a presentation you will deliver (live or recorded), include a title and some information about the presenter (as shown on the right).
Created by UAGC Writing Center
If using a stock image from Microsoft PowerPoint, no citation is needed. If using an image from a source that requires attribution, include a Note under the image with the full reference citation. Example of note to include under image:
Note. From Title of work. [Type of image]. (Year). Title of image site. http://
Use the “Notes” area at the bottom of the slide to place either the detailed written text portion of your assignment submission or your speaking notes for delivering the presentation.
Renewable energy is very difficult for customers to use on the current U.S. power grid.
Through active partnerships, renewable power by choice is achievable.
The first slide is your introduction. It should indicate your topic and your thesis or purpose of the presentation.
Renewable Power by Choice
[In this Notes area is where you will either write out your script for delivering this presentation OR writing out your paragraphs if you are submitting this as an assignment. Be sure to check your assignment requirements and ask your instructor if you are not sure.]
The current U.S. power grid is decentralized, and its electricity, whether it is petroleum-sourced, nuclear-sourced, or generated from wind and solar power, is distributed on an undifferentiated basis. Therefore, it has become very difficult or impossible for customers to choose renewable energy sources as the sole means for powering their properties. This proposal seeks to provide a way that Sunco can accomplish the goal of “renewable power by choice” through active partnerships with utility companies and regulators across the country.
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Opportunity
Limit the amount of text on a slide. Your slide should not contain all of the written or spoken material. Use the Notes area below to write out your paragraphs or your narration. Do not include full paragraphs on a slide and try to limit to only 5-7 items per slide.
Customers want renewable energy as an option.
Problems with getting renewable energy include:
No “smart grid” (Conteras, 2012)
Permits, regulations, and service changes (Ryor, 2014)
Convincing local utilities of the economic viability
In the absence of a national “smart” grid, which would increase “pricing transparency, as well as enable a host of consumer-producer interactive transactions” (Contreras, 2012, p. 645), Sunco, producers of renewable energy, has run into the problem of getting services to the customers who demand them. Similarly, our consumers who generate renewable energy on-site from solar panels and wind turbines have also run into the problem of permits, regulations, and service charges that vary from state to state and utility to utility (Ryor, 2014). Currently, the main challenge is convincing local utilities of the economic viability of renewable energy, and since the energy supplied is undifferentiated, the general customer base is unaware that other options exist.
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Solution
A partnership to grant exclusive, contractual “renewable energy options”
Energy efficiency renovations for their customers’ homes
Why? The utilities will benefit by the lessening of demand on their plants not only through employing renewable energy resources as an option for their customers but also by decreased consumption at the meter from smart technology (Friedman, 2008).
Be sure to cite the source of any ideas or information you use within a slide. The example above in an APA in-text citation.
Since the company lacks the necessary knowledge and authority to enable services to be accessed and expedited in a way that would make them economically feasible in the existing system, the company should seek to engage in a partnership with utilities and regulators around the country to grant their clients exclusive, contractual “renewable energy options.” These options will standardize and simplify contracting processes and fees for the “behind-the-grid” customers and require utilities to offer renewable energy alternatives to the “on-the-grid” customers. The on-the-grid renewable energy the utilities offer their customers will be supplied by Sunco.
In return for these waivers, the company should offer to finance energy efficiency renovations for their customers’ homes, which would include weatherizing and sealing, the installation of smart appliances and meters, and use the energy savings generated from these improvements to repay the loan and give the remaining 50% of the savings to the utility and customer to split. Therefore, the customers will not only get the renewable energy they want and the savings at the meter but will also get the updated information systems they will need to optimize their energy use in the future. The utilities will benefit by the lessening of demand on their plants not only through employing renewable energy resources as an option for their customers but also by decreased consumption at the meter from smart technology (Friedman, 2008). This initiative will increase the company’s market share and change the dynamic of the energy industry as a whole since regulators will no longer be giving incentives to utilities for the unlimited power they deliver, but instead for the power they save.
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Timeline
The general timetable is as follows:
Immediately: Find utilities nationwide that are agreeable to a partnership plan.
Within 1 Month: Advertise services nationwide on a multimedia platform.
Within 1 Year: Provide nationwide clean energy service via the grid and home-based solar and wind power installations.
Within 5 Years: Operate clean energy generation systems from a fully integrated smart grid that allows for customers to buy and sell energy on an energy internet so as to access the cheapest energy sources at any one time and maintain full interface with energy.
Strategically use bold font to draw the viewers’ attention to where you want it. This also helps to break up a text-heavy slide like this one.
The plan is to gradually phase into the national electricity grid by securing extended contracts with utilities that allow us to supply renewable energy in their areas of operation. The general timetable is as follows: 1. Immediately: Find utilities nationwide that are agreeable to our partnership plan. 2. Within 1 Month: Advertise our services nationwide on a multimedia platform. 3. Within 1 Year: Provide nationwide clean energy service via the grid and home-based solar and wind power installations. 4. Within 5 Years: Operate clean energy generation systems from a fully integrated smart grid that allows for customers to buy and sell energy on an energy internet so as to access the cheapest energy sources at any one time and maintain full interface with energy companies and utilities.
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Costs
Be sure that any images, diagrams, or tables you use are large enough so the viewer can clearly see all information.
This table was created by the student, but if you use a table from a source, cite it with a note under it that includes the full reference citation and include “From.” Example of a note under a table from a website with an organization as the author:
Note. From Name of Organization. (Publication Date). Title of webpage. http://
| Month | January | February | March | April | May | June | July |
| Prior Year | $135 | $130 | $120 | $110 | $115 | $125 | $140 |
| Present | $80 | $75 | $170 | $60 | $70 | $80 | $90 |
| Total Savings | $55 | $55 | $50 | $50 | $45 | $45 | $50 |
Estimated average energy savings for residential customers each month:
The table illustrates the estimated total savings per month for a customer who receives energy efficiency renovations in the form of: • One smart refrigerator • One smart electricity meter • Weather sealing of windows and doors Estimated average energy savings for residential customers each month: read chart.
This data means a $1000 energy improvement loan for the above products and services could be repaid in two years at 20% interest figuring the average power savings per month at $50. An investment of $1000 to $2,000 would be adequate to “energy renovate” most dwellings to the degree that power savings would be substantial.
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Conclusion
A new system must be implemented.
Renewable energy does not have to be expensive or unrealistic.
Sunco can be a leader in the clean energy marketplace.
Your closing slide should conclude your presentation by summing up the main points made, stating any call-to-action, or providing the overall significance of the presentation.
A Note with a citation is not needed for this image because it is a stock image from Microsoft PowerPoint.
To solve the problems of waste and environmental pollution that our current electrical grid creates and to better service customers and the power consuming public at large, a new system must be implemented. The first step in this process will be the creation of a national, centralized electrical grid that offers viable alternatives to traditional oil, coal and nuclear power generation. For this new grid to function, it will require two-way communication between customer and supplier so energy efficiency can be optimized and environmental impact minimized.
The first phase of this goal is for the company to overcome the biases and opinions in the industry that renewable energy is “expensive” and “unrealistic.” The demand for clean energy exists today and will increase as customers come into possession of the smart technology that will make it possible. With this business plan for renewable energy options, it can expedite the formation of the smart grid and position the company as leaders in the clean energy marketplace.
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References
Contreras, J. L. (2012). Standards, patents, and the National Smart Grid. Pace Law Review, 32(3), 641- 675.
Friedman, T. (2008). Hot, flat and crowded. Straus and Giroux.
Ryor, J. (2014, July). Tackling U.S. corporations’ 3 challenges to buying renewable energy. World Resources Institute. http://www.wri.org/blog/2014/07/tackling-us- corporations%E2%80%99- 3-challenges-buying-renewable-energy
Include a list of references used as your final slide. Be sure to include a any visuals that require citation as well.
These examples are APA reference citations.
Created by UAGC Writing Center
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LIBRARY LEADERSHIP
The challenge of exceptional communication
Gary Fitsimmons Library, Bryan College, Dayton, Tennessee, USA
Abstract Purpose – The purpose of this article is to promote good communication practices. Design/methodology/approach – The article defines the elements of the communication process, shows the most likely trouble spots in that process and discusses what good communication practice looks like practically. Findings – The article’s findings are that the key to good communication practices is strong trusting relationships between the communicators. Practical implications – Good communication practices affect productivity and therefore the bottom line. Social implications – Workplace relationships affect the quality of workplace communication and vice versa. Originality/value – The value of the article is a reminder of how to deal effectively with one of the most common workplace challenges.
Keywords Workplace relationships, Communication practices, Communication process
Paper type Conceptual paper
The top ongoing challenge in most organizations is maintaining good communication. We usually express this in terms like “strong lines” or “open channels” of communication. But positive, productive communication involves more than just the channel that people use to communicate. Other components of the process of communication include the communicator, who frames the communication in a certain way, and the receiver, who not only receives it but also interprets it using specific filters. Understanding the entire process is important to doing it well. Good communication practices have everything to do with productivity and therefore the bottom line of an organization.
If there is miscommunication occurring or if communication efforts seem to be unproductive in an organization, we often look for a faulty channel because it is the easiest part to see and therefore the easiest to fix when it is broken. To be sure, the appropriate channel should be selected for any communication and that channel must be in proper working order to optimize the desired effect of the communication, but it is rarely the problem. The channel has the least to do with the “human factor” in the communication process, and as any manager can attest, the human factor can be extremely messy, variable and severely unpredictable. That is what makes it both hard to troubleshoot and hard to fix when it disrupts the communication process. Because the
The current issue and full text archive of this journal is available at www.emeraldinsight.com/0888-045X.htm
The challenge of exceptional
communication
57
Received 7 April 2014 Accepted 7 April 2014
The Bottom Line: Managing Library Finances
Vol. 27 No. 2, 2014 pp. 57-59
© Emerald Group Publishing Limited 0888-045X
DOI 10.1108/BL-04-2014-0009
sender and the receiver are both hum
