For the purpose of this extended assignment, you are currently an intern at Kingsville Boutique Consulting, a small firm that advises other businesses.
Flagship Etailers is a small business that has recently been receiving a lot of internal complaints about virtual communication. For example, during the annual performance evaluation at the end of January, supervisors found that several employees did not see the value of virtual communication in the business setting. This attitude has led to delayed communications and lost productivity. The owner of Flagship Etailers, Sarah Warden, wants to find recent research that shows the value of virtual communication as well as strategies for using it effectively. She plans to use this research to organize company-wide training sessions in virtual communication. Therefore, Sarah has hired Kingsville Boutique Consulting to prepare a report that incorporates some of the latest findings on virtual business communication.
At Kingsville Boutique Consulting, your internship supervisor, James Vorhies, has already prepared a draft of the research report titled “Virtual Business Communication” (see the attached file). However, it does not contain any of the front matter that is required in a report. James knows that you recently learned report writing in your BCOM course, so he has asked you to read the report and prepare its letter of transmittal. James is the author of this content and will be the one sending the final report; you are assisting him in finalizing the report, but the content will be written from his perspective.
A cover letter or letter of transmittal (memo of transmittal if the report is internal or transmittal email if the report is sent by email) introduces the report and provides a context for it. Imagine the audience of the report to be a group of people who receive several reports each week. Without a letter of transmittal, the audience may wonder about the context for this particular report.
A transmittal is usually about 1-page long. In the first paragraph, start by introducing the report by name and mention why the audience is receiving the report (example: Attached is the report on “[TITLE]” you requested on [DATE]). If needed, explain the scope of the report and what the audience is supposed to do with the report (example: With the information on [CONTENT], you will be able to make an informed decision about [TOPIC]).
In the body paragraphs, you can provide a brief overview of the report itself, focusing on major conclusions and recommendations and any challenges that may have come up. You might also thank groups or people who have assisted you during the report preparation.
In your conclusion, thank the audience for the opportunity to write the report. Let the audience know that you are available to answer questions or discuss the report further. Provide your contact information.
