Augusta National Golf Club: Membership for Women or Staying Course?
A Communication Strategy Memo (also referred to as an Executive Summary Analysis) is meant to do one simple thing: provide executive management with a recommendation for a clear and supported course of communicative action. To do so, the author of such a document must identify the primary issue at stake, provide background for the problem to date, analyze the significance of the problem currently and in the future, make a clear recommendation of action to solve the problem, and indicate the advantages of their recommendation over other options. Bulleting below serves to highlight questions to ask yourself, not to indicate that section should be bulleted (unless otherwise noted).
DATE: September 13, 2013
TO: Executive Audience (per assignment directions, NOT your instructor)
FROM:Your Name, Title per case study (use your name even if the instructions have you “playing” someone else)
SUBJECT:Case Study Organization, Issue
Issue at Stake [PROBLEM-SOLUTION THESIS]
• What exactlyis the problem? [crystallized to one sentence]
• What is the immediate action (solution) you recommend to avert a crisis or further crisis based on your framing of the problem? [one sentence]
Background [THE FACTS]
• How did the problem come to exist? [Bullets may be useful to highlight key facts.]
• What background information does the audience need to know? Include only that which is relevant to the problem, and beware of unethically excluding information. [Reminder: your instructor is NOT your audience.]
Significance [YOUR ANALYSIS, ALSO KNOWN AS “DISCUSSION”]
• What are the implications of the issue at stake and why do they matter? What about this issue is problematic? What is the current and/or future scope of the problem? Is it approaching or has it reached crisis level?
• What issues, individuals, and/or organizations are contributing to and/or have a stake in the significance of this problem?
Recommendation[ACTION]
• What specific action do you recommend to solve the problem?[Number or bullet these recommendations. Use bolding and/or white space for emphasis.]
• How will this action be implemented?
• Are there current policies and systems affecting the implementation of your proposed action?
• What specificimpact will the proposed change have on the problem?
Advantages [AFTER-DINNER MINT]
• In what specificways will the proposed change be superior to the status quo and/or other possible solutions?
• Are there any disadvantages to the proposed change?
• Who will benefit from the change, and how will that benefit be realized?