Assigned to write business letters (created headers for fun) for fictional scenarios.

1. DATE: August 3, 2011
TO: Sebastian Watts, CEO
FROM: Kathleen Nina M. Johnson
SUBJECT: Confidential Materials & Office Access
Congratulations on your recent promotion! I’ve witnessed your dedication first-hand and am pleased to
see our board of directors recognize your important role in the company’s success. I am dedicated to
making your transition from President to CEO as seamless as possible.
You may have heard the bad press about Welby, Inc.’s recent leak of confidential information. This
incident encouraged me to review our policies regarding access to such materials. Since the personnel
activity and confidential materials in both of our offices has increased, it occurred to me that our open-
door policy may need revision. Please provide your preferences regarding my management of
confidential materials and access to your office:
• Out of Office: Who is authorized to access your office? Your travel itinerary?
Your computer? Departmental project documents?
• In Office: How should I screen personnel before they enter?
Am I authorized to fulfill document requests made by authorized personnel?
• Mail: How would you like me to process your personal mail?
Confidential business mail?
• Media: How should I handle media requests?
I appreciate your taking the time to address these critical issues. Please provide your instructions on the
back of this memo by Friday morning and I will provide a typed copy for your signature. With your
signature, I can implement your instructions promptly and enforce them while you attend the CEO
Matters Conference next week. Thank you for your feedback and assistance.
Sincerely,
Kathleen Nina M. Johnson
Executive Assistant to CEO

2. August 3, 2011
Ms. Monica Keil
President
Keil Consulting Services
423 E. Williamette Ave.
Colorado Springs, CO 80903
Dear Ms. Keil:
RE: Request to Return Executive Desk Invoice #3499
Yes, I will certainly accept your return of the executive desk (Invoice #3499). I will promptly
return both your purchase price plus the shipping charges. I’m disappointed that your executive
desk arrived with a marred finish and sticking drawers. Though we take great care in our
packaging and our choice of carrier, desks are occasionally damaged in shipping.
Please consider giving Idaho Wood Products a second chance. All of our office furniture and
wood products are made from the finest hand-selected woods and crafted by master artisans. I
have enclosed our current catalog and placed a bookmark on page 10-E. You may appreciate the
style of this traditional conference desk. This desk has an available matching credenza, file
cabinets, and accessories.
Your customer satisfaction is guaranteed. I promise to personally examine any furniture you
may order in the future. Call me at 219-555-6098 if you’d like more information about our new
furniture-leasing plan that offers a substantial savings and flexibility.
Sincerely,
Rodney Harding
Marketing Manager

3. McDonald’s Corporation
100 McDonald Lane, Elk Grove Village, IL 60118
708-555-0000 www.mcdonalds.com
August 3, 2011
Ms. Sandi Escalante
3233 Garden Drive
Springfield, MO 65807
Dear Ms. Escalante:
Thank you for asking about McDonald’s efforts to reduce waste. We agree with environmentalists like
you that restaurant waste depletes the world’s resources and clogs over-burdened landfills. When we
realized there was immense waste taking place both behind and over our counter, we contacted the
Environmental Defense Fund for direction. With the help of the EDF, McDonald’s 12,000 restaurants
have cut their waste stream by more than 80%.
McDonald’s waste reduction efforts include 42 resolutions addressing packaging, recycling, and
composting issues:
Packaging
• McDonald’s is one of the food industry leaders in abandoning polystyrene “clamshell” boxes
for hamburgers and sandwiches. McDonald’s restaurants reduced daily polystyrene use by 90%.
• The company is testing a starch-based material in consumer cutlery to replace plastic utensils.
• The company is also testing reusable salad lids and shipping pallets, pump-style dispensers for
condiments, and refillable coffee mugs.
Recycling
• McDonald’s has initiated a nationwide program for recycling corrugated boxes. The program
insists suppliers use corrugated boxes that contain at least 35% recycled content.
Composting
• Many restaurants have begun trial composting of eggshells, coffee grounds, and food scraps.
McDonald’s restaurant crews are trained to consider waste reduction goals while maintaining cleanliness,
speed, and quality service. Please consider visiting a McDonald’s location near you to witness our waste-
reduction efforts. Enjoy the enclosed coupons for two free value meals during your visit. Thank you for
taking an active interest in our environment and your willingness to hold corporations like McDonald’s
accountable.
Sincerely,
Kathleen Nina M. Johnson
Director of Customer Service

4. August 3, 2011
Mr. Derek Jones
Manager, Information Systems
Big Dog Catalog Company
1308 East Tenth Street
Bloomington, IN 47405
Dear Mr. Jones:
I agree with you that our million-dollar network upgrade has not been seamless. As a matter of
fact, our upgrading process has been riddled with bumps and turns we didn’t anticipate. I
apologize for the slower connection speeds and service disconnections that have occurred during
our upgrade. As I explained on our telephone call, USRobotics assured us that the problems
causing your service interruptions have been resolved.
At WeConnect, we’re committed to providing our customers the fastest connection speeds to the
internet. When we discovered that USRobotics could supply us the finest modems on the
market, we jumped at the opportunity to provide such high quality service to our customers. We
didn’t, however, begin the upgrade without first running rigorous lab tests. The equipment
passed with flying colors, but has not proven bug-free after installation.
WeConnect is committed to a complete resolution. USRobotics is providing excellent support
for their hardware as the last of these technical issues are resolved. Please report any further
technical problems on our website dedicated to this issue:
http://home.weconnect.net/disconnect.html.
We are looking forward to providing you our best internet services yet. If you have any
questions or comments, please contact me at 219-555-0243. The million-dollar network upgrade
we promised will be a reality as soon as possible. Thank you for your patience.
Sincerely,
Kathleen Nina M. Johnson
Customer Relations