MEMORANDUM

TO: BOARD OF DIRECTORS, SENIOR MANAGEMENT, INTERNATIONAL DEPARTMENTS

FROM: DENNIS DALY

SUBJECT: ABC CORPORATION DEVELOPMENTS

Board Members, Domestic and International Senior Management,

Many of you have seen the recent information regarding ABC Corporation and their operations procedures. The procedures, most specifically, with respect to the working conditions for their employees. The conditions have been revealed to be sub-standard by any measurable means. ABC has allegedly been requiring long hours with low wages and providing no employee benefits. There have also been numerous alleged violations of child labor laws. This certainly comes as a shock to all of us for one of our major suppliers to have such serious allegations against them. I feel it is my duty to recommend a course of action for us to take regarding these recent developments.

First, I believe we must launch a full-scale internal investigation into these allegations. As a major partner of ours we must have a full understanding of the operations and conditions with which the company is operating. I believe we can leave no stone unturned and do our due diligence in this matter. ABC must be willing to give us full access to tour their facilities, meet with our management, provide their payroll documents and allow employee interviews with our overseas Human Resources department. This is imperative if we are to continue doing business together.

Second, it is my recommendation that we place a temporary suspension on all business with ABC until our investigation is complete. I understand that this could have a financial impact on our organization, however, it is my belief that the long-term ramifications could be much more significant for us if we do not fully investigate and it is found later that these allegations are true and we have continued to do business with them. This would have a lasting financial impact, as well as a severe hit to the confidence in our organization from our other vendors, partners and general public.

Lastly, I recommend a statement to the media outlining our plan. These allegations have become front page news for many media outlets. I believe it is important for us to let them know our stance on the allegations, outline our organizational Human Resources policies and procedures so that it is known the extent to which we value our employees and make it public knowledge the steps we are taking as an organization. ABC has a major connection to our company both publicly and financially. It is my belief that we can not stay silent on this matter.

My recommendation is that if the result of our investigation is that the allegations are true to any major extent, or if ABC fails to cooperate with our investigation, that we should discontinue doing business with ABC. Internally we should begin to proactively look for a replacement vendor or vendors if we need to go with this course of action.

Thank you

Dennis Daly

Required

Review the above internal communications in your group. Identify areas of success and suggest areas that could be improved. What changes could be made to your peers' messages to make the communications more effective based on your interpretation of the message? Remember to keep the tone of your comments positive and constructive. You are reviewing the communication, not the person. Consider the following questions in your response:

How effectively do you think this message is framed?

How effective is the business logic?

How effective is the tone?

Support your critique with appropriate resource citations.