Speech Proposal

I am writing my speech about Chipotle, a Mexican Grill in Iowa city that sells tacos, burritos, quesadillas, and salads. I chose this company because it is one of my favorite places to eat whether I am sitting down or taking my food to go. Chipotle is constantly making new advertisements, so I have a variety of posters, billboards, and online promotions to analyze for this speech assignment.

I am planning on analyzing an ad that I found in a magazine that appears to be casually written on a loose leaf piece of paper, a style that is distinct throughout a majority of their marketing techniques. I chose this advertisement because it sets a casual attitude towards the company, and it welcomes potential new customers. They use logos in this poster by including information about their company. They state that their products are not only grown on local farms, but they also avoid the use of hormones and preservatives. With the increasing concern of health facts about food, this encourages people to choose the healthier option when given countless restaurants  to choose from. It also makes customers confident in the meals that they are consuming.

In my essay, I will show my audience how successful Chipotle's marketing techniques are successful through the use of logos, and they have a large variety of advertisements across the nation.

Chipotle- Analysis of Print Advertisement

I am writing my speech about Chipotle. Chipotle is a mexican grill that is constantly making new advertisements to increase the sales of their burritos, tacos, and salads. Their advertisements can be found on billboards, magazines, newspapers, and their merchandise. Chipotle advertises on their bags and drink cups by writing long excerpts of customer reviews, or interesting stories. Because these advertisements are so unique, I find myself reading their advertisements every time I go to their restaurants. Advertisements found outside of one of their locations are typically short, but intriguing because of their infamous style. I chose one of the more informative advertisements about Chipotle. The message that it conveys really makes a point that Chipotle supports local farms, something very important when being compared to other restaurants that do not say where their food comes from. The poster also states that the meat in their food is raised without the use of hormones. This provides background information about the company to people that are unfamiliar with it. It also attracts almost everyone, because the concern to eat healthy has become an increasingly prevalent factor in today's society. Their advertisements not only encourage people to eat their food, but also make individuals confident in what they choose to eat, because they know exactly where their food comes from. Their advertisements are very casual and hand- drawn, making it appeal to readers because the restaurant seems more welcoming to everyone.

What Makes a Good Speech

1. Confidence

2. Accuracy

3. Language

4. Flow

5. Body Language/ Eye Contact

Major Writing Assignment Preparation Review

Overall, I think that our class was well prepared for this paper. I enjoyed both written comments and individual conferences for my paper. The written comments are helpful because I was able to look back on them when working on my paper alone. The scheduled individual conferences were also helpful because we were required to attend one so it motivated me to get the help that I needed. I was able to ask all of my questions at the conference which greatly helped me. I wish that the peer editing and reviews were after the individual conferences because then I feel as if I would've gotten better feedback from my peers and we would be able to give each other more advice and tips.

Writing in Business Rough Draft

Writing in the Business Field

Writing is not only a powerful form of communication, but also a necessary skill in today’s world. Whether an individual writes for high school, college, or in their profession, having quality writing skills is imperative. Finance majors communicate with companies, clients, and coworkers on a daily basis. As a freshman business student, I rarely thought about the types of writing that I would be required to do in my future jobs. In order to find out just how much finance graduates have to write in my intended career field, I interviewed my aunt, the Vice President at City National Bank in San Diego. She graduated with a Finance degree at the University of Illinois, and I plan to graduate with a Finance degree from Tippie College of Business in four years. After interviewing Sarah Smith, I analyzed six texts in order to conclude how important communicating through writing is in the business field.

My aunt never fails to mention how much she loves her job as well as all of the people she has met and opportunities that she has been given in the business world. Because of the way she talks about her profession, my perception of being a finance major solely included personal meetings and phone calls. However, after dissecting her responsibilities through an interview, I realized that she deals with countless writings every day. Throughout our interview she stressed how significant emails are in the business world, because “concise emails are mandatory if you are expecting a certain outcome.” In fact, National City Bank is connected mostly through emails, something that applies to banks worldwide.

Emails can be clarified as “nonacademic,” a type of writing that ultimately controls communications in the business world. Nonacademic writing is the most popular type of writing in the business field because it allows an individual to convey instructions quickly and clearly in order to receive specific outcomes in business projects and deals. Many times, emails are the preferred form of communication, because it is more effective than phone calls and letters.  For my aunt, a normal day of work consists of writing “sixty plus emails” to her external clients and internal colleagues. Internally, she needs to be as specific as possible in her writings so that her coworkers know exactly what they need to do. Externally, she needs to confirm that any information that she is conveying is factual. Whether she is writing internally or externally, she comments that business emails should always convey the message as succinctly as possible, and should avoid using elaborate language because everyone has to read numerous emails a day.

After analyzing two emails that my aunt has written, it became apparent that the nature of the email changes depending on who she is communicating with. She tailors her emails based on how well she knows the individual she is writing to, the person’s style, and their position in the organization. If she is emailing someone with a higher position than her, such as the president, she puts more effort into the email and she displays a more professional tone. If she is emailing someone that she is the authority of, she keeps her professional tone consistent; however, she uses a more demanding tone because she is required to tell them what to do. When talking to external clients, the nature of the email depends on the tone of the individual she is working with. Her writings are always professional, but she responds either more formally or casually after initially speaking with a prospective clients.

Although emails are used most commonly, other writing also greatly impacts the process of making deals. Before meeting with a company, a banker researches the company that they plan to work with in order to be more more convincing by having knowledge on that company’s products. After making a deal with a company, a credit recommendation is then composed. Internally, if this writing does not convey convincing reasons to do a deal, the loan may be declined. Externally, if the written information that a banker is presenting is inaccurate, the company would lose credibility with a prospective client and lose a deal. Writing can make or break deals in a company.

My studies show that school does not prepare one for the types of writing that business graduates have to do in their profession. My aunt’s ability to write improved as her job position changed and as the amount of writing she was required to do increased. She experienced many different deals and had to learn from her authority in order to respond to her coworkers, something that school never taught her. She often refers to professional documents in business, or “academic writings.” Academic writings differ from nonacademic writings because they are solely written by professionals in the business field.

Although non academic writing is a lot more common in the business world, I found that it is equally as important as academic writings. I analyzed “Spring- Clean Your Finances,” a professional journal published through Money Adviser. Professional journals such as this one are formatted with numerous headings and written in columns. They typically give advice to interested persons about how to manage money. It is common to include photos, such as money, to appeal to the reader. Sections such as “Save it or Shred it?” give professional advice on paperwork and how to deal with overwhelming financial responsibilities. This article also includes steps and checklists. There are many professional business journals published both on paper and online to aid and convince consumers to rely on certain tactics and companies.

After researching and analyzing six texts and conducting an interview with Sarah Smith, a Finance graduate and the Vice President of National City Bank in San Diego, I was able to gain knowledge and distinguish the similarities and differences of the nature of writings in the modern business world. Nonacademic writings such as emails are used daily as a Finance graduate. Although academic writings are equally as important, they are used less often. For example, professional journals are read a lot more than they are written. Writing not only has great control over business in a communication aspect, but also reflects how credible a company is in deals. Whether academic or nonacademic, writing in the business field is the most common form of communication and a vital part of working in a bank.

Analysis of Sources

I analyzed three journals written by finance graduates. They stands out as professional solely from the appearance because it has a large title, and a logo in the top right corner. The first writing is structured into two columns. The graduate cites information often, providing the years that the information was published, and where they got certain percentages when talking about things such as job rates. There are multiple different titles throughout the paper as the information and topic changes. Some sections are dedicated to opinions and personal experience, while others include numbers, facts, and research questions. The second journal I analyzed was published in a magazine. It had a large title and a hook in order to interest readers. This particular journal is structures in to three columns, divided by title headings to list certain steps. It includes pictures of money hung on a clothes pin to further display the message of "spring-clean out your finances." This writing contains a table to inform the reader on whether they should save or shred their paperwork. They also have a checklist that advises the reader on what to do in certain situations. The tone of all three journals is professional, and convincing through the use of information and advice.

Summary of interview

Summary of interview
My aunt, the vice president of National City Bank in Beverly Hills, graduated with a Finance degree from the University of Illinois in Urbana Champagne. As a business major in college, she did very limited writing, other than courses where she reviewed annual reports. After graduating and moving to Chicago, IL she began to deal with more professional writings. All of her emails maintain a professional tone, although the structure of her emails varies depending on how well she knows who she is writing to, the other person's style, and their position within the organization. She enjoys sending emails because she is able to ensure accuracy in projects by stating specific instructions and expectations in her writings. As the vice president, she spends most of her day writing analyses of deals and sending emails to her external clients and internal colleagues. Internally, she needs to be specific if she is expecting an outcome. Externally she needs to confirm that any information she is conveying is factual. Although writing is a large part of her job, she does not always enjoy it. She enjoys writing proposals because she is motivated and enjoys bringing in new business and customers; however, she typically writes over sixty emails a day which is repetitive, depending on how much energy goes into each one. Most people in business keep their writings as short and as to the point as possible because every one has numerous writings to deal with each day. Every time she meets with a company intending to make a deal, she had to do a fair amount of research about that company. Writing has one of the largest impacts in the business world. It can make or break deals internally such as loans not being approved if their report does not convert convincing reasons to make a deal. For external work, inaccurate information in writing could potentially lose credibility with a prospective client. Overall, good writing in the business world is necessary on a daily basis.

Interview

Exercise 2 Page 50 (9/8/2015)

Cat's Cradle Essay- Senior Year-

Text #1:
The bokononist religion contradicts typical religious beliefs. The first page of the Books of Bokonon is this: “All of the true things I am about to tell you are shameless lies” (Vonnegut 5). This proves the irony because all of the characters are blindly following the random ideas created by a “nobody,” despite the fact that religion is typically considered the highest, most important power in one’s life.

Analysis:
In my essay, I quoted the first page of Cat's Cradle. I explained why I thought this quote is significant in order to accurately describe a theme throughout the novel.


Text #2:
At this time, he said, "God is running my life and He has work for me to do." This is significant because John accepted a responsibility that no one in San Lorenzo wants because his "religious beliefs" made him. However, John was not a bokonist until shortly after becoming president, therefore being an atheist during the time he was sworn in. Vonnegut wryly talks about how John, the man saving San Lorenzo from collapsing is motivated by an erroneous religion that he does not even believe in. Bokonism also impels John to think differently.

Analysis:
Also from my in class essay, I used a second quote directly from Cat's Cradle. In my essay I described why this quote is significant in order to explain the theme that the irony of the bokononist religion itself preaches that salvation is built on lies.

APA Citation Practice 9/3/15

Book
Cat's Cradle- Kurt Vonnegut
Vonnegut, K. (1998). Cat's cradle. New York, NY: Delta Trade Paperbacks

Journal

• Linda Kleindienst

Kleindienst, L. (2015) Women Business Owners in Florida. Tallahassee, FL: Acces World News Research Collection

Three Sources 9/3/15

http://eds.a.ebscohost.com.proxy.lib.uiowa.edu/ehost/detail/detail?sid=26611475-1963-4e9f-9d26-7d670066cc83%40sessionmgr4001&vid=5&hid=4111&bdata=#AN=103235388&db=afh

http://eds.a.ebscohost.com.proxy.lib.uiowa.edu/ehost/pdfviewer/pdfviewer?vid=7&sid=26611475-1963-4e9f-9d26-7d670066cc83%40sessionmgr4001&hid=4111

http://eds.b.ebscohost.com.proxy.lib.uiowa.edu/ehost/pdfviewer/pdfviewer?sid=b51c9d60-c8cd-4334-b8f4-35122351d53e%40sessionmgr111&vid=6&hid=117




These sources belong to a report genre. They describe the importance of writing in business from a different perspective than from the person that I interviewed. I will utilize these articles by comparing and contrasting them to my personal interview. Using these articles will decrease the bias in my article because I will be obtaining information from numerous sources rather than just one.

Possible Interview Questions 9/1/15

**Interview by Friday**
1. What types of writing did you do for finance as a student in college? (genres)

2. What types of writing do you currently do at Citi National Bank?

3. Do you do any types of writing that are non-academic?

4. Are specific cultures (etc..) tied into your work or office?

5. What is your office like?

6. Do you have any signs, writings or certificates on your wall?

7. What is the most effective way to communicate with your coworkers? (through writing in emails, texts or in person/ on the phone?

8. How long does it take you to do professional writings for your bank/ how many hours a day do you spend writing?

9. Why do you write in the genre that you do?

10. Does your audience ever change? Does the way you write vary depending on who you are writing to or is your tone always consistent and professional?

11. What is expected of you when you do these writings?

12. What jobs are available to you immediately out of college in your field of study? Starting salary? What jobs did you have? How did you get those jobs? What types of things did you have to do during your interview?

13. What do you do from day to day in your job? How important is it to have good writing skills as a Finance major?

14.  How often do you have to do writings?

15. Do you enjoy the types of writing that you do why or why not?

16. What are some important tips that you have for writing  a business paper?

17. What is the most difficult part of your job?

18. What kinds of values/opinions do you hold in your job?

19. What kind of knowledge/ research do you practice or follow in your job?

20. Does writing have a big impact on your job?

21. How connected is the business world through writing?

22. What type of informal writing do you do?

23. How often do you read other people's writing/ what kind of text are you required to read daily?

24. How does your writing change when you have to write for an academic purpose vs. a non academic purpose?

25. What kind of skills make you a good writer?

26. How does your position at the bank affect your writing?

27. How does/ did your writing evolve throughout your career?

28. when you chose your specific career did you know how much or little writing would be involved?

29. When you write is it important to collaborate with your coworkers?

30. Do you do research/ what types of research do you do?

31. What counts as "evidence"? Can personal experience count as evidence?