Think about a problem you are interested in exploring. Then, take a few minutes to think about the rhetorical situation (mainly the audience and purpose) that will guide you in exploring this problem in more detail. To do this, you will use the following chart (with sample answers entered in) as a guide.
Problem
Supply chain issues are causing problems for companies and for consumers
Purpose/Context
Inform the audience about how supply chain has worked historically and explain why we are currently having supply chain disruptions in order to help the audience understand why this is a problem that needs to be fixed – because it directly affects how they receive goods and services.
Audience
People who have experienced the current issues in supply chain as consumers, but who might not understand why the issues are happening or how the issues have caused disruption.
Knowledge
The audience is aware of the issues because they are consumers who are receiving products and services in an untimely manner, but they don’t understand how supply chain works, and therefore don’t understand why we are having issues and where they come from.
Needs
The audience needs to understand the underlying structure of supply chain and how it has changed over the last couple years so that they can fully understand the problem.
Format (what written format would meet the needs of this audience?) & Rationale
Informative paper or with diagrams of the supply chain process – this particular audience (and a wider audience in general) may be able to understand the overall supply chain process best through pictures, as the general consumer population can process complex information easier through visuals. This would allow for quicker and easier understanding of the overall supply chain process so that the paper could focus mainly on the problem and not spend extra time providing background knowledge on supply chain in general.
Expectations
The audience expects to learn about and understand why they are having trouble buying/obtaining certain things
Any likely objections?
I don’t think anyone in my audience (consumers) would argue against the fact that obtaining goods and services in a timely manner is more difficult than it used to be. Possible objections could be that there are more places (with online vendors) to acquire certain goods and services; however, by focusing on lack of materials that are used to create goods and a smaller overall workforce to produce goods and provide services, I think the audience as a whole will relate to the problem and not object to it.
Goals
For audience to understand current supply chain issues, say, “Yes, this is a problem,” and ask, “Well, how do we fix it??”
Other Important Information
I want to focus specifically more on the WHY it is a problem, such as lack of materials and a decreased workforce.
