Deck 11: Proposals, Business Plans, and Special Reports

Question 1

The organization that submits the proposal selected in response to an RFP will be awarded a contract for the project.

Answer 1

False

Question 2

Audience analysis plays an important part in performance appraisal writing no matter how often a supervisor has evaluated a particular employee.

Answer 2

True

Question 3

Oral and written proposals should contain the same essential elements if they are to be successful.

Answer 3

True

Question 4

To seem more forceful, policy statements should be written in the first person.

Question 5

The title of a proposal should be brief and answer the questions Who? What? Where? When? Why? and How?

Question 6

A good proposal should not only describe the solution but also show that those involved have the qualifications to implement it

Question 7

An RFP that includes information about time, budget, or other constraints related to the project helps readers determine whether to respond.

Question 8

Formal proposals are highly structured documents that may resemble formal reports.E

Question 9

The benefits of a proposal should be stated realistically and written using the you-viewpoint.

Question 10

The details in a news release should be presented in chronological sequence.

Question 11

The cover letter or memo that accompanies a proposal is also known as the Summary or the Overview.

Question 12

The background and problem/need sections of a proposal may be combined or, if lengthy, presented separately.

Question 13

The format used in preparing a proposal can affect both readability and general interest in the topic.

Question 14

Underestimating the cost of a project will make a business plan more attractive to potential investors.

Question 15

When proposal writing is done collaboratively, one member of the team should accept responsibility for ensuring the finished document is consistent and coherent.

Question 16

The primary purpose of a performance appraisal is to determine a worker's eligibility for a salary increase.

Question 17

Staff at not-for-profit organizations write grant proposals to request money or tangible goods.

Question 18

Proposals are persuasive messages that have a high success-to-failure ratio.

Question 19

An appendix section is appropriate in a proposal but not in a business plan.

Question 20

The evaluation plan in a proposal provides a way to judge the degree of success achieved if the proposal is implemented.

Question 21

The legal structure of a business should be described in which section of a business plan?

A) Administration/production factors
B) Appendix
C) Financial information
D) Ownership/management/staffing

Question 22

Amber Case is a sales representative for an office equipment company.Last week, Amber called on Billings Concrete and learned from the office manager, Bob Rydell, that the company was having problems with its aging photocopier.When Amber checked her e-mail Tuesday morning, she found an e-mail from Bob asking about the cost of a new copier with the same features as the company's current unit. In response, Amber prepared a letter in which she described the features, benefits, and costs of two models.This situation is an example of

A) informal request, formal response.
B) formal request; formal response.
C) formal request; formal response.
D) formal request; informal response.

Question 23

How does the purpose of a business plan differ from the purpose of another type of proposal?

Question 24

Which of the following statements is NOT true of performance appraisals?

A) They may be written directly or indirectly, depending on the situation.
B) They may include humor if audience analysis dictates it will be well received.
C) They should be brief.
D) They should include factual evidence of strong or weak performance.

Question 25

Which proposal section sets the context for the reader, reviews the highlights of the proposal, and encourages action?

A) Background
B) Cover letter or memo
C) Summary
D) Title page

Question 26

Explain the statement, "No employee should be surprised by information contained in a written performance appraisal."

Question 27

Discuss the nature of the purpose of a proposal.Give an example of a good purpose statement.

Question 28

The inverted pyramid format is used with

A) executive summaries.
B) news releases.
C) performance appraisals.
D) policy statements.

Question 29

The essential elements in a solicited external proposal are:

A) contained in the response to a letter of inquiry.
B) held confidential.
C) identified by the proposal writer.
D) specified in the RFP.

Question 30

Discuss the notations used with news releases.

Question 31

A policy statement should be written

A) general for all employees.
B) general for managers and specific for nonmanagerial employees.
C) specific for all employees.
D) specific for managers and general for nonmanagerial employees.

Question 32

Which of the following titles is best for an unsolicited proposal to an agency that funds community-based projects?

A) A Proposal Requesting Funding to Expand Arts Programming at Stone Ridge Senior Center in South Dakota.
B) A Study of Three Methods of Training Teenage Babysitters
C) Rock and Roll Meets Rap
D) The Green Thumb Project: Teaching Inner-City Youth about Gardening

Question 33

When the format for an RFP to which you are responding doesn't call for information that you think is important, you should

A) attach an explanatory letter.
B) integrate the information into sections that fit the format.
C) omit the information.
D) place the information in an appendix.

Question 34

What factors should a writer consider when writing the Benefits of the Proposal section?

Question 35

What role does the confidentiality section of an RFP serve?

Question 36

What advice would you give to someone whose proposal to a funding agency was rejected?

Question 37

What role does format play in proposal preparation?

Question 38

Which section of an RFP outlines the parameters to be used in selecting the successful proposal?

A) Evaluation Criteria
B) Proposal Guidelines
C) Restrictions
D) Vendor Requirements