ADMN 1017: Points to considerPrepared by Prof. Nadine Robinson• Did you answer: Who? What? When? Where? Why? How?Who?• Did you clearly identify who you are, and who you are writing to? Did you remember to keep this perspective throughout the memo and executive summary and report?• Based on who you are, what can you recommend? What is under your control versus what is someone else’s role (this does not mean that you cannot offer suggestions of improvement to your company or other companies, but consider how you would deliver it.What and why?• Is your problem statement clear and do the recommendations and everything else follow out of that problem statement?• For each recommendation did you explain why in a quick sentence?• What were the alternatives and why did you choose the one you did? Remember alternatives do not appear in the memo or executive summary.• Will the reader understand clearly what you are recommending and why, and what the control and contingency but just reading the memo?• What will you do if the plan isn’t working as originally set-out?When?• When should specific actions be taken? Have you considered a short, medium and long term view of solution and the recommended plan of action? What is the timeframe to consider for your feedback mechanism? When would you have to utilize your contingency?Where?• Is the location of the solution relevant? Is the location/manner where you provide the information relevant? Should you have a meeting with them at their office as opposed to sending them a memo?How?• How will you implement the recommendations? This should relate to when.• How will you know if it isn’t working?Memo & Executive summary:• Did you consider the following sections (as appropriate) in both your memo and executive summary to answer the above questions: problem statement, alternatives, recommendations, implementation plan (short, medium and long term), control & feedback, contingency? (Note: due to space constraints, sometimes alternatives are best covered in an exhibit).• Include relevant financial analysis, finding red flags by performing comparison of company year to year financials, and review company to industry bench marks, including key ratios (profitability, liquidity, etc)• Can the reader understand the relevant parts of the case by simply reading the memo? The memo is not an introduction; it is a summary of the key parts of the executive summary. The executive summary should provide more detail and backup to the memo. The executive summary is also a stand alone document from the report, it should contain all of the important analysis and recommendations of the report and refer to the exhibits as appropriate to the analysis and recommendations.Format• Memos should not exceed one page. Proper memo format, single space ok. 1 inch (2.5cm) margins Times new roman – font size 12.• Executive summary should not exceed two pages, 1.5 spacing, 1 inch (2.5cm) margins. Times new roman – font size 12.• Report body should not exceed 1500 words, or six typewritten pages, 1.5 spacing, 1 inch margins, exclusive of exhibits. Times new roman – font size 12.• Number your pages• Acknowledge quoted material and cite referencesExhibits:• Only include those that are referred to in the report, exec summary, or memo that back up your analysis.• Add a sentence to the bottom to explain the relevance and/or highlight key information clearly so that the reader knows why they are looking at the exhibit• Detailed financial analysis and ratios belong in the exhibit, but must tie into the recommendations presented.Overall:• Write in third person (avoiding I, me, we, our, us, etc)• Avoid repeating facts of the case if they are not directly related to the analysis.• Just because someone in the case tells you something, it does not make it fact – use your analysis to ensure it is fact before you make recommendations based on it.• Do a spell-check and grammar check. Read it out loud slowly to proof it.• Get there, they’re, their, to, too and it’s, its right!• Have someone else read your paper– if they have questions, you probably haven’t explained it well enough.• Follow format including font size as shown in course outline, don’t sneak in extra words with a smaller font or wider margins. Move more information to exhibits if necessary.• Remember that each case is different and not all of the format/suggestions will work with every case!Use the resources available to you:• Ask your colleagues if you have the right ‘who?’ and general problem statement• Read the textbook chapters relevant to your case!• Review the reference material on hold in the library.• Go to the tutorial!!!• See the teaching assistant and/or professor with a draft of your work before it is due.• See online examples posted (if applicable), see examples of a good memo in the reference material, and with the teaching assistant
