Writing Assignment 3 Solution

SITUATION




You’re nearing the end of your internship. Mary Moreno, your supervisor, is very impressed with your work and has recommended that you be brought back after you graduate from USC. She thinks you have a bright future.




As your final project as an intern, you have been asked to participate in your company’s “Blue Sky” thinking initiative. This is a chance to suggest directions and applications for your company that are out of the mainstream of thinking. (In research terminology, “Blue Sky Research” suggests that valuable research can have unforeseen results.) The initiative’s goal is for your company to have a positive impact on an issue facing society. While you might not completely “solve” a problem, at the very least you can use the company’s strengths to engage that problem.




Mary and her superiors feel you’re the perfect person to make this proposal because of your previous examination of ethics and your enthusiasm for computer science. Because of your knowledge of IT issues and their possible impact (via the second writing assignment), you are even more qualified to make some good suggestions.




The proposal should focus on an important social issue in your home country or a country you feel is in need of new thinking. This could be anything: homelessness, childhood obesity, an apathetic citizenry, the environment, domestic violence, racism, the digital divide… any social issue you find important.




As an example, you might propose that Google joins in the fight against childhood obesity. The idea includes some thoughts of how the company could promote the cause via its graphics, how they could compile relevant statistics, how they might promote healthier diet options via analytics…that sort of thing. You should also utilize your insights as a programmer.




As your “final project” for them, prepare a brief proposal that concisely and persuasively discusses an idea for your company to address. The expectation is that your suggestions will be “out of the box” and only limited by good intensions and potential impact. This is the dream stage – blue sky thinking where anything is possible.
















TASK




There are two components to this assignment:

A memo
Sample presentation slides



You are to write an informative and persuasive proposal to your supervisor (which, if approved, will be passed on to the company’s leadership). Your goal is to introduce your “blue sky” idea and show its possibilities. Details of implementation are not necessary at this time.




Your memo should include:

A summary paragraph of your proposal.
An examination of the social issue and its impact on your home country or any country of interest.
A brief summary of an article or website on the topic (to provide context and support for your proposal).
The identification and discussion of your bold idea of what innovations you would like to see implemented.
How the social issue and its effects will be impacted by the innovation (and, hence, your company). How will this benefit the company in the end?
A closing paragraph that summarizes the excitement and importance of your proposal.



A few notes:

The memo should be no more than three pages and should be addressed to Mary Moreno.
Focus on writing clear, concise paragraphs.
Don’t go into great detail. Keep it simple.



Also, you will be asked to give a presentation in support of your proposal. Your supervisor would like to see your PowerPoint (or other program) slides to make sure you’re on the right path. Submit 5 slides (not including your title slide) that you would use to present your idea.




The memo and slides are due via the course dropbox by noon on May 1.










ASSIGNMENT SPECIFICATIONS




Please note the following specifications for this assignment.




Assignments Specifics:




Due via course dropbox by 12:00pm on May 1
Include Statement of Originality
Word limit of 750 words
Use the posted memo format.






Main Criteria for Success:




Proposal



Opening Summary/Rationale
Identification of Social Issue
Inclusion and Summary of Supporting Article, Book, or Website
Description of Impact to Society and Company
Examples of Application of Technology
Clarity
Conciseness/Directness
Audience-appropriate Tone



PowerPoint Slides



Visual Interest
Use of White Space
Not Overwhelming Text
Consistency
Progression of Ideas