Professional Writing within NCAA Athletics Administration (Steven Binninger)

There are requirements that must be met for an institution to qualify for athletics competition. The NCAA, the governing body of intercollegiate athletics, requires institutions to audit their operations from compliance, gender equality, financial reports, all the way to facilities depreciation/ appreciation. There are multiple components and reports that are required for membership in the NCAA.

These components are:

The Equity in Athletics Disclosure Act (EADA):

The EADA is a required report that must be completed by intercollegiate athletics administration and/or any institution obtaining federal funds through Title IX. This report comprises information regarding the institutions diversity within its staffing, Expenses/ Salary Benefits, Revenues: Institutional Support, Concessions, Signage, Sponsorships, Expenses: Contract Services, expansion of facilities and/or staffing, Athletics Participation, Athletically related Student Aid, Head Men’s and Woman’s Coaches salaries, and overall expenses not allocated by gender. This report takes weeks to compose and its data takes months to formulate by the various departments within the athletics staff. This report is signed off by the President of the institution as well as the athletic director.

Academic Progress Rate (APR)/ Graduation Success Rate (GSR):

APR is an evaluation of academic progress for each sporting team. Each team is rewarded points for various GPA’s, transfers, years on the team, all tasks related to academic performance. GSR is a figure that displays the success of student athletes upon completion of their bachelor’s degree. These figures affect scholarship availability for all teams. Poor results in the APR and GSR result in a loss of scholarship money.

These are two major reports of NCAA athletics administration that are mandatory for all institutions.

National Collegiate Athletic Association. “Academic Reform.” 2 Apr. 2009.
[http://www.ncaa.org/wps/ncaa?ContentID=276].

“NCAA, EADA figures often Differ.” USA Today. (11 July 2007). 2 April 2009.
.

Random Tips for Specific Results in a Job Interview

Getting a job is beyond just having great credentials and work experience. The interview itself can make or break the opinion your possible future employer may have of you. I have included a few quick tips that will have you on your way to attaining that job you're going for.

1. Relax. The pre-interview stress can sometimes be too bear and have your thoughts and words all out of wack. Try to show up to the location of the interview at least a few minutes early to give yourself a moment to breathe. If you are not rushing in at the last minute, you will be less likely to be in a panic.

2. Prepare. Be ready with a resume in hand. They are not going to want to waste their time with someone who has not invested the time before the interview themselves.

3. Research. Don't just know the title of the position you are going for, but know the company and what they stands for. Be familiar with goals, objectives, and history of the company. This will let them know you are interested in what they do and how they do it.

4. Dress. No matter what the position you are applying for, dress professional. This will show the interviewer you are to be taken seriously. First impressions have lasting affects.

There are so many more things that need to be considered before going into job interview. If time permits to research and do more preparation, go for it! But, if you are in last minute crunch, follow these few tips and you will be on your way to a new job!

Random Humor: You might be a redneck if the interviewer asks "Did you know we're a fortune 500 company?" And you answer "what track do ya'll sponsor that race at? I ain't never been to that one!"

Find more humor and fun at humorasylum.com

Writing in Accounting (Stephen Wickens)

When dealing with accounting people think it is all about the numbers, numbers, numbers. When you are an accountant you must write a number of different business related reports. You must be very inclined inside of the business as you must understand what is going on internally and externally in order to properly report on what is happening with the company. Accountants are responsible for writing internal memos to supervisors, colleagues, to request or provide information, various letters to clients, agencies and other readers, and the also provide technical reports, memos and financial statements regarding the businesses information.

When writing an email or memo, accountants usually use this type of communication inside of the business. They use these to contact other employees to retrieve information about various accounts or problems within the business. Emails and memos can be any length, from one paragraph, too many. It is very important to be clear and concise when writing an email or memo.

Accountants also must write letters to people outside of the company in order to retrieve information or notify others of an important situation that has happened within the business. These letters should contain correct, complete information with a specific reader in mind. There should never be any doubt with the information presented within these letters. These letter are always professional in appearance.

The biggest thing that accountants must write about are the reports in dealing with the financial information inside of the company. This is the most important thing that an accountant is responsible for. These reports are usually presented within the financial statements, which are, the balance sheet, the income statement and the statement of cash flow. These reports are used to analyze the company in order to see if any changes must be made within. Reports are sent along with these financial statements to provide the analysis about the balance sheet, income statement and statement of cash flows. The accountant must be very precise as the entire business is run off of the information found on these financial statements.

If you want to learn more about accounting and the writing inside of accounting, you can take a tutorial through this website:
http://www.biz.uiowa.edu/acct/writing/

May & May. 2003 "Effective Writing: Handbook for Accountants" March 30, 2009

7 Tips for writing user manuals by Robert Hunley

User Manuals, everyone hates them but sadly some of us need them. Here are 7 useful tips for writing a user manual.

1) Anyone might be reading your user manual. Keep it simple enough for any average joe to follow.

2) Proper organization. For some user manuals step by step organization is best and for others an index and small chapters is best. You decide what is best for your manual.

3) Use footnotes to explain any vocabulary that might not be common knowledge.

4) Use pictures and or diagrams when needed, keep the images simple, easy to follow and easy to read to prevent confusion.

5) Use easy to read fonts and colors.

6) Make sure not to leave out any information such as codes, keys, and warning.

7) Have others read the user manual and give constructive criticism.


These simple tips will help you write a better user manual for anyone to use.

Tips for Writing Effective Meeting Minutes (Sally Vale)

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So you have to take down the meeting minutes…

Instead of going in to the meeting with a pen and a piece of paper intending to just write furiously everything everyone says, be proactive. There are steps you can take to avoid having to say,

“Excuse me, could you repeat that?”

…or…

“Um, what’s your name again?”

First off, you’re going to need to present a list of the attendees at the meeting. Instead of giving a roll call, familiarize yourself with the people who will be at the meeting, and check off their names as they enter. If you are in a position where you can’t necessarily get to know everyone who will be at the meeting (you’re meeting new colleagues, meeting with a business you don’t know all too much about), pass around a sheet of paper with the attendees names on it, and ask them to sign next to their names so you’ll know who was present. Either way, at the beginning of the meeting you should familiarize faces with names so you will have no confusion over who said what.

So now we should discuss taking down the notes at the meeting. To make things easier on yourself, take the initiative to study the agenda before attending the meeting. Outline the meeting on a sheet of paper and jot down the minutes in their appropriate categories. This will make the organization process after you take the minutes much easier.

For more tips on taking meeting minutes, check out:
http://www.meetingwizard.org/meetings/taking-minutes.cfm?re=11

"Meeting Wizard". Codence Innovations Corporation. March 30 2009 .

10 Tips for Writing a Professional Resume (Katie Donnellan)

According to my topic, I was to summarize an article on some aspect of professional writing. I decided to post on writing a professional resume.



1. Start with an attractive layout. Use bold and italics to highlight key points.

2. Justify the text instead of using left align

3. Choose a common font. Times New Roman, Arial, and Verdana are some of the best fonts for a résumé.

4. Do not use the word "I" in your résumé. Start each sentence with a powerful verb. For example:

• Organized annual student symposium by securing speakers and working closely with marketing department executives.

5. Write a proper cover letter for each position to which you apply. Address whomever you are sending your resume directly. If there is not a specific name provided, use “Hiring Manager.”

6. Print your résumé and read it word-for-word. Don’t rely on spell check because it does make mistakes sometimes.

7. When you have a degree, list only the year that you obtained your degree. When you list your dates of attendance, many résumé scanning systems will not recognize that you obtained a degree, only that you attended college for a period.

8. Deactivate all e-mail links and Web addresses in your résumé and cover letter. Highlight the link with your mouse, right click on it, and scroll down to "remove link" to deactivate the link.

9. Be consistent! For example, don't list one date as 1/2005 and then list another date as 9/22/2005.

10. Adhere to punctuation and capitalization rules. Use a reference manual if you do not understand standard punctuation and capitalization rules.

For a more in depth explaination of each point, go to: http://msn.careerbuilder.com/Article/MSN-761-Cover-Letters-Resumes-10-Tips-for-Writing-a-Professional-R%c3%a9sum%c3%a9/?ArticleID=761&cbRecursionCnt=1&cbsid=4498970f14594fbcb70b4d91f90acc82-291676386-RB-4

Picture found at: http://100w.files.wordpress.com/2009/02/resume.jpg

Steven Binninger Resume

Resume Writing, Steven Binninger

A resume is a statement of qualifications that services your current and future endeavor of employment. A resume should contain all attributes that make you and your qualifications for a specific job stand out as above and beyond the other applicants. A resume often serves as the first impression of an applicant. It is essential to portray your attributes accurately, honestly, as it pertains to your employer’s wants and desires. Additionally, your resume should be displayed as a professional work. It is important to remain consistent with your format, use a layout and design that is attractive and clear-cut, proofread, and verify the accuracy of your information.

When determining what information should be included in your resume, determine the job you are applying for and think of all the information that could be useful in achieving employment. Brainstorm about your background and qualifications.

A resume should include on one page:

· Heading

Should include your name, address, telephone number (home or cell), email address, and permanent or school address. Your name should be visible and clearly distinguishable.

· Objective (optional)

Helps the reader understand what you are trying to achieve. The objective should be 3 or less lines and should be job specific.

· Qualifications

These are established in an effort to persuade a prospective employer that your qualities, skills, and/or experiences are above and beyond and are well suited for the position.

· Education

College attendance should be included in this section. It should include the various universities attended, the degrees attained, honors, and GPA if appreciable. High school can be mentioned, but should only be mentioned if you desire to call upon these experiences, awards, programs, honors, and projects attained during these years.

· Experience

These should appear with your most recent relevant experience to the experience listed latter. These experiences should be related to the position with which you are applying: jobs, internships, volunteering experiences, and military experiences. Each experience should have a description of the position with your job title and the skills attained through this position that you hope to bring to your new organization. A highlight in this area would be to include your accomplishments in your history per position, if applicable.

· Related skills and abilities

These skills and abilities need to pertain to the job you are seeking. If they do not pertain to the position they do not help your future employment and serve as space filler that could have been used for more useful information. These skills could include: knowledge in a foreign language, technical knowledge, mechanical training, computer knowledge, etc.

· Honors and activities

These should be included only if space permits. These are not a number one priority.

· References

Avoid using references unless it is profession specific

· Portfolio (optional)

A portfolio provides samples of your work. Most resumes that desire to call upon their portfolio’s will state their “portfolio is available on request.”

These are some helpful tools in establishing your resume.

I was able to use Brown Universities Template. There are many different templates available. I would recommend using an Ivy League template considering their consistency in producing industry superstars.

Oliu, Walter. Writing that Works . New York: Bedford/ St. Martin’s, 2006.

Writing a Complaint Letter (Ervin Garibovic)

It happens to all of us at some point in our life time. When we are out eating, shopping or on the telephone and the service provided is just horrendous. These things can really frustrate us and we get to a point where become very agitated. Many of us a say the magi words “I would like to speak to your manager”. How bout if instead of asking for the manager every time we write a complaint letter.

Complaint letters are used to express concern to business companies that you are writing to. Usually, to describe how poorly the service you experienced was. This happens all the time and it gives business an incentive to improve their customer service skills. If they don’t they are in jeopardy of losing their customers. Customer service is very important to every business company because, without customers their business will not survive. After reviewing an article online, I came across a couple of pointers that I think are very helpful when writing a complaint letter. They are listed below.

1.) Before you write a letter make sure you know who you are writing to. You do not want to write to a company as a whole, try to remember the person name.
2.) Don’t write in anger. No matter how bad the situation was try to stay composed and professional.
3.) Do not wait more than a week. If you wait longer than one week, the person or situation you are complaining about may not be there.
4.)Provide facts. Such as dates and time of the incident. Try to provide as much information as you can because it well help the people in charge get acquainted with the situation.
5.)Get to the point. Don’t get off topic. Write about how you feel and don’t write in an angry tone.
6.) Type the letter don’t write it. Typing a letter is much more professional because it shows that you took time to sit down and express your concerns. Writing a letter is just informal and unprofessional.
7.) Provide contact information. Most manager will respond to your letter by email, telephone, or letter. So the more information you provide the better off you will be.
8.) Thank the person who is reading your letter. Ending on a positive note is very important. This should bring back positive results. Also, make sure you sign the letter.

For more information on how to properly write a complaint letter and to see examples of a written compliant letter visit the websites below.

http://www.essortment.com/all/writingcomplain_repi.htm
http://www.businessballs.com/complaintsletters.htm
http://technicalbusinesswriting.suite101.com/article.cfm/how_to_write_a_complaint_letter
Picture: (http://center4debtmanagement.com/Gifs/SampleComplaint.gif)

Writing a Contract (Stephen Wickens)

In the professional world there are many steps that take place in order for a deal to take place. Both sides of the transaction must come to terms and agree on what will happen, who will receive what, and when will this all take place. Writing contracts is a very important in order to make sure that people hold up their end of the bargain, and to ensure people do not lose what they have paid for, or what they have been promised. Negotiating the terms of the contract is the most important thing when coming up with a contract but the words that are chosen to be used in the contract are almost just as important. These words will set the tone for the relationship that will be developed through the two parties.

The first thing that must be decided is the particular price and payment schedule that will be taking place between the two parties. With any contract, it will be very difficult to comprehend what one party is trying say, as it will be very open ended. Regardless of these difficult interpretations, any contract is going to include a clear work plan with specific points outlining what the one party will be receiving. Contracts will usually contain what is listed below:

· Title
· Description of project
· Description of services needed
· Detailed list of the services to be provided with projected dates of delivery
· Who is responsible for what
· Communication about progress throughout the project
· Payment schedule
· Ownership of the work products
· How will conflicts be resolved
· How the parties can get out of the contract
· Proper Signature

The contract is not usually used as a legal document, only in certain circumstances are people perpetrated for not following the contract that was outlined. The contract is ways for the two parties communicate between each other, for both sides to understand what each expects of one another. The contract enables the parties to answer difficult questions before the work or job has begun.

For more information on Writing a Contract: http://www.techsoup.org/learningcenter/techplan/archives/page9838.cfm