This proposal tells your instructor what you are planning to research for your report, and it also indicates your planned timeline and strategies to complete the report on time.

Proposal Contents

The proposal should include the following elements:

• A request for approval of the topic.
• An introduction to the topic, with some background information and a discussion of why the topic interests you.
• A tentative outline, including the subtopics (and possibly sub-subtopics) that you want to discuss.
• A summary of your research so far. What sources have you found, and which areas of the research do they cover?
• Your schedule/work plan for completing the report, with a list of the stages you will go through and completion deadlines for each of the dates.
• An outline of any additional support or resources you will need (from your instructor, fellow students, NAIT, or elsewhere), with an action plan for how you are going to access them.

Proposal Format

• Your report should be written as a formal/business-like request for approval of your topic. (Keep in mind that proposals are often shown to third parties - this should be in a format that I could take to a meeting or show to my boss to let colleagues know what my team is working on).
• Start with "Dear Mr./Ms./Dr. :" hit enter, then continue your paragraphs from there. Do not indent your paragraphs but do leave a space between them. End the letter with a friendly close (something about how you are looking forward to working on the project or thanking your instructor in advance for their feedback and support), and sign off with "Sincerely," or "Regards," with your name on the line below.

Dear Dr. Bertsch (or whatever your instructor's name is):

Body of letter

Thank you in advance for your feedback and support with this project.

Sincerely,

Alicia (or whatever your name is)

• Do not indent paragraphs (use single spacing within the paragraphs and leave a space between them instead).
• You may use "I" and "you," as this is a personal form of communication. However, keep your content formal, e.g., when providing the timeline, don't include the ins and outs of your personal schedule - stick to the details that the people reading the proposal (and funding the project, if this were an e-mail in the real world) will want to see.
• Grammar, spelling, and formatting should be at a professional level (pristine!).

Your instructor will be putting the grades directly into the rubric online, which does not have room for a lot of detail. The full version of the marking rubric, with a thorough description of the criteria for each category, is available in the attachment.

1. Communication change during the pandemic: The pandemic has affected many different aspects of how we communicate, both in terms of our personal relationships and in terms of how businesses and institutions operate. Explore one aspect of this change; you might also want to look at the possible lasting effects of our shift. Crises can be times of rapid technological change. Aspects like increased working from home and more distance delivery of education are expected to last. I'll be interested to see whether our sense of personal space remains quite large after the pandemic is over.

2. How can businesses communicate effectively with employees and/or clients in a specific field or industry, e.g., in the field of accounting, HR, management, marketing, and personal selling?

3. Business challenges in cross-cultural communications: Different cultures have different customs and conventions in relation to communications. What are some factors that businesses need to be aware of when doing business with clients from other cultures around the world? You may choose to focus on just one culture and highlight factors that would be important for a Canadian business to consider when entering these markets.