Professional Advocacy Proposal for Workplace Change Assignment Directions

Purpose

This various steps in this project are designed to pull together the activities and work you will do in other course assignments. Your ultimate task is to write a persuasive proposal about a change you would like to see in your workplace. You will begin by identifying a problem, issue, or conflict and providing some background on why this problem exists. You will then construct a convincing and tactful argument about why this change is both necessary and beneficial. Additionally, you will use workplace observations, informal interviews with co-workers, and academic research articles to provide support and justification for your proposal. You should view your intended audience as the people, committee(s), or governing body with the authority to enact your proposal.

The topic for this proposal is the same as your Research Report and you should use the reseach you conducted as evidence to help build and support the case you will be arguing in your Proposal.

 

Directions

This assignment has four parts:

1. Pre-Proposal Brainstorm- Begin by selecting an issue of professional interest that is relevant in your workplace. Write an informal, 250 word brainstorm about the issue and how you might like to see it changed within your workplace. Make sure that the issue has at least some component that you can realistically argue for change about. The purpose of this step of the assignment is to generate ideas and possibilities, not to produce a polished piece of writing. The more you are personally invested in this issue, the easier it will be to write your proposal. When you are finished, email your Brainstorm to me as a Microsoft Word (.doc) attachment. Use the following format to name your file: "proposal_yourlastname".
   
   
2. Proposal Draft- Once you have received feedback from me about your Proposal subject, begin work on the actual document. Minimally, your draft should provide some background and context for readers, a clear explanation of what you would like to see changed, and some research support that helps to justify your plan. Your completed draft Proposal should be posted on the WebCT Discussion thread entitled "Draft Proposals".
   
   
3. Feedback and Suggestions to Assigned Classmate's Proposals- Looking at the WebCT Discussion thread for "Draft Proposals", read and provide thoughtful and in-depth feedback for your assigned classmate's proposal using the reply feature. Your comments should be equivalent to at least two paragraphs in length, though you may choose to format it in a different way (such as a bulleted list). In providing comments, I would like you to address the following criteria:
   
   • Does the overall proposal make sense? Does it provide a clear understanding of the problem and how the proposed solution would address it? If not, where and how does it need to be made clearer?
     
     
   • Is the structure of the proposal appropriate and does it follow the assigned outline? Did the writer use the format outlined in the assignment directions?
     
     
   • Do the sources used provide persuasive evidence that help to provide insight for the issue? If not, what else do you need to know? What suggestions to you have for where to find this information?
     
     
   • What other specific feedback do you have for this author for how to improve this proposal?
   
   
   
4. Final Proposal- After receiving feedback and suggestions on your Draft Proposal from me and a classmate, revise your document so that it is polished, professional, and persuasive. Your Proposal will be assessed based on how well you:
   
   
   • introduce your subject and provide contextualization of the workplace setting and issue
     
     
   • identify the sources of conflict or inefficiency that your proposal addresses
     
     
   • argue for and support your proposed idea in a way that addresses the concerns that other stakeholders in the issue may have
     
     
   • structure and organize your document so that it facilitates clarity and ease of use

The four steps of this project combine for 25% of your final course grade.