Writing a Formal Internal Proposal

Proposal for Dress Code

The context:

You are the manager of Sports Solutions in Phoenix. You have noticed that several of your sales associates and assistant managers are not professionally dressed. Instead of monitoring each sales associate’s apparel, you find it advantageous to implement a uniform dress code for all store personnel.

The assignment: Write a proposal (memo format) addressed to headquarters of Sports Solutions asking for funding for uniform professional apparel for your 30 sales associates and 5 assistant managers.

Your proposal has the following components:

1.      An executive summary (Establish common ground with your reader and briefly summarize the content of the entire proposal [see sections 2-6].)

2.      Presentation of at least three reasons outlining the problems with your unprofessional clothing styles you have observed in your store. Be tactful and avoid negative language.

3.      Information about the positive experiences that other stores have made with the implementation of a dress code. Include research and use APA format for source documentation. At least three sources are required.

4.      Details about the professional attire you are envisioning. Include images showing the apparel as well as a link to the website that sells those clothing items.

5.      A cost breakdown including a table that shows the details of the expenditure.

6.      A conclusion persuasively restating your request.

7.      A list of References.

You want to pay special attention to creating a “you attitude” so that your reader will be motivated to provide funding for the dress code. It is also of vital importance to create a visually appealing document that allows the reader to easily skim the document for essential information. Do not hesitate to experiment with different fonts, type sizes, columns, bulleted lists, etc.

Please follow the hints for formatting effective memos that we discussed in class. See the syllabus for the in-class workshop (bring hard copy of your draft, with a number, not your name) and the due date of the final assignment.