BUS 610 University of Miami Persuasion Argument Problem Diagnosis Discussion

• Revise the article according to the teacher’s comments

• First, we will discuss problem diagnosis analysis and arguments and why they are important.
• Then we will discuss “DRW Technologies” (Harvard case) as preparation for the third individual writing assignment.
• After we discuss the “DRW Technologies” case, you can start work in class on the assignment below.
• See the link below to submit the assignment. The link includes the due date.

DRW Writing Assignment

You are Debby Lopez.

Edward Claiborne

, the main character of “DRW Technologies” and Lopez’s boss, has sent you an email (see below). Please write a response to it. Remember that Claiborne is probably upset and, privately, worried. Write the assignment as a memo to Claiborne. Word limit: 1,000.

Claiborne’s Email to Debby:

To: DebbyFrom: EdwardSubject: Approval of plant contracts

It has been two weeks since I informed the procurement managers in the plants about the new contract approval process. I have not received any contracts for approval. Not one!

We know that most of our 21 plants sign contracts over $250,000 at least several times a month and no doubt with greater frequency now because of the large backlog. Furthermore, our plants do not keep large inventories of raw materials on hand and must be continually resupplied when they are working at full capacity. It is in practical terms impossible that not one of our many plants has had a contract over the threshold in the last two weeks.

Some of the messages I received from the procurement managers in response to my email announcing the policy were noncommittal. I did not like that type of response, but I was prepared for some hesitation. I was not prepared to have all of the managers ignore the policy. It is possible that some plants might not want to start complying with the policy immediately. However, I have not received a single email message or phone call from the plants requesting an extension before implementing it.

I am at a loss to understand the failure to comply with the policy. I would like your opinion on the reasons why the procurement managers are not complying. I do not want speculation; please provide evidence for your opinions. Also, suggest what you think I should do about the situation. It would be helpful to have both short-term and long-term steps.

Edward Claiborne

Vice President, Procurement DRW Technologies

Name the document file as follows: [Your FIRST name]-DRW Technologies.doc

Also include your name at the top of the document!

EVALUATION CRITERIA FOR “DRW TECHNOLOGIES” ASSIGNMENT

• Have you stated the problem?
• Have you identified plausible causes?
• Have you argued the causes convincingly using logic and evidence?
• Do you use emotion to help persuade the reader?
• Is the organization of the memo easy for a reader to follow, and is your writingclear, correct, and concise?

Required Reading (books, articles, cases):

• “DRW Technologies” case (use the link to HBS Publishing on Blackboard–remember, it’s at the top of this page!)

Required Reading on Blackboard:

• Example of a Problem Diagnosis Argument
• Handout: Problem Diagnosis Argument Template

610: COMMUNICATING FOR CAREER SUCCESS
WRITING OR PRESENTING A PROBLEM DIAGNOSIS ARGUMENT
The simple template on the next page helps you organize a problem diagnosis argument. The
focus of this type of argument is defining a problem and identifying and proving its causes. You
should first define the problem you are diagnosing. If you don’t do that, your argument of
causes will not be persuasive because the audience won’t know what you are diagnosing (and
you may not be certain of that either!) Sometimes you and members of your audience may
disagree on what the problem is. In that situation, you may have to argue your problem
definition.
Your diagnosis identifies the major causes of the problem and then proves each one with
evidence. The proof shows how each cause contributes to the problem. Arrange the causes in
order of importance, from most important to least.
How do you identify causes in a situation and compile evidence about them? You should use
whatever specialized analytical tools are available that are relevant to the situation. For
example, there are a large number of business disciplines that have concepts, frameworks, and
quantitative tools that can be used to investigate the causes of a problem. Leadership has a
variety of models and concepts that can be helpful for a diagnosis of why a transition from one
leader to another was disastrous for the organization. When applied to relevant situations,
specialized analytical tools help you see and understand things you would miss if you were only
using intuition or past experience.
Problem Diagnosis Argument Template
Definition of
problem
Summary of
major causes
Argument
Cause 1
a.
b.
c.
Cause 2
a.
b.
c.
Cause 3
a.
b.
c.
Action Steps (actions to mitigate the problem)
Step 1
Step 2
Step 3
Note: the choice of three pieces of evidence per cause is arbitrary–up to a point. You will likely have more
than three pieces of evidence to prove a cause. However, one or two pieces of evidence could be too few to
be persuasive.
Note: the three action steps are arbitrary. The number of action steps depends on the nature of the problem
and time needed to solve it.
THE FINANCIAL AND ECONOMIC CRISIS IN TURKEY
By Sebnem Kalemli-Ozcan
[Statement of the problem–>] The Turkish lira has lost more than 40 percent of its value
against the dollar since the start of 2018, the country’s debt has been downgraded, and experts
are predicting a recession in 2019. President Recep Tayyip Erdogan has blamed the crisis on
western countries and the United States in particular. [Statement of causes–>] But the
combustible conditions are the result of an unsustainable credit boom and overborrowing. The
Turkish crisis is a textbook example of an emerging market crisis. It did not come about because
of the United States, but it has been made worse by the political fight between Presidents
Erdogan and Trump.
Credit Boom
[Statement of cause–>]Turkey had a large credit boom over the last decade financed with
capital from abroad. The Turkish government has kept monetary policy loose, allowing the
economy to grow steadily but also failing to keep inflation in check. With annual inflation at 16
percent, the Turkish lira has been losing value with respect to foreign currencies and raising
investor concerns. The lira began 2018 at about 3.8 per dollar and by April it had depreciated to
4 lira to the dollar. In August it began to plummet in value (see chart).
Borrowing
[Statement of cause–>]A key macroeconomic vulnerability in Turkey is private-sector shortterm borrowing in U.S. dollars. About 60 percent of the corporate sector debt in Turkey was in
foreign currency in 2013, which is particularly risky for sectors such as construction whose
earnings are in Turkish liras. About 70 percent of the construction sector’s debt is in foreign
currency and for manufacturing it is 50 percent.
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The vulnerability of Turkish companies makes lenders less willing to roll over their debt. Also,
the rise in interest rates in the United States and Europe and the prospect for even higher
interest rates have made emerging market debt less attractive than it had been when interest
rates in rich countries were rock bottom.
[Statement of action to fix problem–>]A standard first response to this type of crisis is that the
central bank raises interest rates. Central banks can attempt to stem the outflow of money and
keep the currency from plummeting by raising interest rates, which makes domestic debt more
attractive. This also has the advantage of demonstrating the independence of the central bank,
giving investors confidence that the currency will not continue to fall. But the central bank of
Turkey has not acted. Political pressure might mean that the bank finds it difficult to take
measures to stem the collapse of the lira, a precondition to the resolution of the crisis.
The crisis could spread to other potentially vulnerable emerging markets that are borrowing
heavily from abroad, especially if the borrowing is in foreign currency and inflation is high.
There is the possibility that the Turkish economic crisis has an impact on Europe as well since
many European banks have lent to Turkish banks and companies.
Stemming the Crisis
At this point, raising interest rates might not be enough if confidence in the Turkish economy
cannot be regained. The pivotal role that Turkey has played in the refugee crisis introduces
another set of concerns, since Europe cannot afford to have an unstable Turkey in its backyard.
The United States, while more insulated from the economic fallout of a Turkish crisis, will face
political pressures if the country’s troubles cause it to draw closer to Russia and introduce a
new source of economic and political tension in a volatile region.
Adapted from EconoFact (https://econofact.org/the-financial-and-economic-crisis-in-turkey)
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1
Problems in the Contract Approval process
THIS IS A RESEARCH PAPER, WHICH I EXPLICITLY SAID I DID NOT WANT. I
HAVE NO DOUBT YOU SPENT TIME ON DOING RESEARCH ON THE TOPIC, AND
YOU WRITE CLEARLY. BUT YOU COMPLETELY FAIL TO DEAL WITH THE
ISSUES IN THE CASE. YOU MAKE NO ATTEMPT TO RELATE THE FACTS IN THE
CASE TO THE FAILURE OF THE CONTRACT APPROVAL PROCESS. I DON’T
UNDERSTAND WHY.
7/15
By Debby Lopez
Subject to human factors, the company’s procurement process might be affected by
the contract policy approval process problems. When people are tasked to create or modify
policies into a document, they face a risk of potentially making errors or failing to meet legal
requirements. Most contract approval-related problems WE AREN’T LOOKING FOR
GENERALITIES. WE ARE TRYING TO FIND OUT WHAT WENT WRONG IN THIS
PARTICULAR CASE. may be caused by inconsistencies, time wastage, ignorance,
complicated channels of communication, and lack of technology. The following arguments
and clauses may have caused clear evidence problems in the approval process.
Inconsistent formats
Considering the number of contracts companies receive each month, there is a
possibility that the contract policy does not meet formats requirements for approval.
(McNamara & Sepasgozar, 2020). There is a possibility that individuals would make errors in
their formats with every new contract being drafted. Any changes in formats may cause
2
inconsistencies through other supporting documents during submissions. Inconsistent formats
would cause the cancellation of the agreement, but it will also cause a backlog in other
operations within the company. THERE IS NO EVIDENCE IN THE CASE TO SUPPORT
THIS. IT IS NOT FACT-BASED REASONING.
The best way to overcome this problem is by automizing the tendering process where
suppliers can access requests in the comfort of their offices. Contract management systems
enable the organization to simplify its operations by sharing information with its managers
and suppliers and accessing resources. The managers can access formats and modifications to
contract policies with automated systems without wasting time.
Lags due to email communication
While big organizations are prey to the public because of employment opportunities
NO IDEA WHAT YOU MEAN, tender application requests, complaints, and
communication, the chances of replies get limited (Maemura et al., 2018). According to
previous research, receiving replies decreases after 48 hours as messages are delivered to
recipients. For the same reason, managers may fail to get notifications or forget to reply,
causing backlogs in communication. Lags due to unchecked emails have caused many delays
in most departments’ operations, causing stall operations.
The company should see the importance of contract management systems to ease
contract approval processes and save time to control this problem. Contract management
systems are programmed to automatically remind the procurement managers of updates,
reviews, and deadlines. For example, when emails were communicated to the procurement
managers, no manager gave the right feedback consistent with Edward’s expectations. There
3
would be no need for a manager or head of department to check their emails with automated
processes each time communication is made.
Problems with version changes
As the contract policy is moved around between the C.E.O and the procurement
managers, there is a risk of maintaining the integrity of the guidelines. As different parties
handle this document, the original intention would be lost in confusion between the procuring
office and the manager (Maemura et al., 2018). Everyone would want to recommend their
ideas to the paper, causing a misunderstanding between the two parties. The most appropriate
way to deal with this conflict is to involve all departments in drafting the contact policy
before forwarding them.
A secure, centralized system should be implemented to control problems related to
manipulating policies (Maemura et al., 2018). A centralized scheme may be in the form of a
committee or an online platform where participants would share their ideas. Parties would
also review and comment on errors and amendments and make necessary changes before the
document is drafted for signing. D.R.W. Technologies company lacks this kind of system,
which would act as a space for both the managers and the C.E.O to interact. When
committees are formulated to deal with modifications, creations, and revisions, it is easier to
develop agreements than through email communication.
Slowdowns in Signatures
Signing a document is evidence that one agrees with a policy or statements in a
document made by individuals or institutions. Any contract policy cannot be approved
without signatures from all the parties subject to agreements in the paper. Despite being eager
to accomplish a deal to resume stalled operations, all the parties should agree and follow the
4
legal process. The guidelines assigned for the signing process make it difficult for parties to
make timely decisions.
To eliminate slowdowns in the signing process, the organization should develop longterm plans like e-signatures to minimize time wastage (Srivastava, 2012). The e-signature
software is secure and legally binding to the parties under the electronic signature in the
Global and National Commerce A.C.T. Electronic signing might be essential when parties are
far from each other. Technological solutions have become the most preferred option while
minimizing time wastage in operations.
Poor communication channels
Communication is an essential factor in a company’s operations where vital
information can be shared amongst stakeholders. The organization must develop a proper
channel that could stimulate immediate responses for good communication. Communication
done through email and subordinates so that you can reach another stakeholder or colleague
is an ineffective means of communication. Emails can be unread for days or come with
technical problems that challenge managers, which may be difficult for them to solve. This
challenge may make it difficult for stakeholders to understand each other since they are only
limited to what is written in the texts, sometimes with errors.
Face to face is the most efficient communication channel between two stakeholders
while formulating contract policy changes. Face-to-face communication creates a wide range
of communication options because of immediate feedback and exposure to non-verbal
communication. The contract process policy changes on face-to-face communication limit the
chances of confusion as it increases the perception of both parties when they encounter
problems.
5
The contract policy approval process faces many challenges in its implementation due
to delays in replies, technological challenges, and wrong communication channels. The
contract approval process is mostly challenged by time wastage and poor communication
skills between stakeholders. For critical operations to run smoothly, there needs to be a
constant channel that stakeholders would use to communicate changes. Implementation of
contract management systems is important to solve the technological problems managers may
face while making necessary changes in contacts. Long-term steps in managing problems are
adopting computerized systems, better communication channels, and centralized management
systems.
Outline for Problems in the Contract Approval process
Introduction
Subject to human factors, the company’s procurement process might be affected by the
contract policy approval process problems.
Most contract approval-related problems may be caused by inconsistencies, time wastage,
ignorance, complicated channels of communication, and lack of technology.
Body
Paragraph 1
Considering the number of contracts companies receive each month, there is a possibility that
the contract policy does not meet formats requirements for approval. (McNamara &
Sepasgozar, 2020).
There is a possibility that individuals would make errors in their formats with every new
contract being drafted.
Inconsistent formats would cause the cancellation of the agreement, but it will also cause a
backlog in other operations within the company.
Paragraph 2
The best way to overcome this problem is by automizing the tendering process where
suppliers can access requests in the comfort of their offices.
The managers can access formats and modifications to contract policies with automated
systems without wasting time.
Paragraph 3
While big organizations are prey to the public because of employment opportunities, tender
application requests, complaints, and communication, the chances of replies get limited
(Maemura et al., 2018).
According to previous research, as messages are delivered to recipients, receiving replies
decreases after 48 hours.
Lags due to unchecked emails have caused many delays in most departments’ operations
causing stalled operations.
Paragraph 4
The company should see the importance of contract management systems to ease contract
approval processes and save time to control this problem.
Contract management systems are programmed to automatically remind the procurement
managers of updates, reviews and deadlines.
There would be no need for a manager or head of department to check their emails with
automated processes each time communication is made.
Paragraph 5
As the contract policy is moved around between the C.E.O and the procurement managers,
there is a risk of maintaining the integrity of the guidelines.
As different parties handle this document, the original intention would be lost in confusion
between the procuring office and the manager (Maemura et al., 2018).
The most appropriate way to deal with this conflict is to involve all departments in drafting
the contact policy before forwarding them.
Paragraph 6
As the contract policy is moved around between the C.E.O and the procurement managers,
there is a risk of maintaining the integrity of the guidelines.
As different parties handle this document, the original intention would be lost in confusion
between the procuring office and the manager (Maemura et al., 2018).
The most appropriate way to deal with this conflict is to involve all departments in drafting
the contact policy before forwarding them.
Paragraph 7
A secure, centralized system should be implemented to control problems related to
manipulating policies (Maemura et al., 2018).
A centralized scheme may be in the form of a committee or an online platform where
participants would share their ideas.
When committees are formulated to deal with modifications, creations, and revisions, it is
easier to develop agreements than through email communication.
Paragraph 8
Signing a document is evidence that one is in agreement with a policy or statements in a
document made by individuals or institutions.
Any contract policy cannot be approved without signatures from all the parties subject to
agreements in the paper.
The guidelines assigned for the signing process make it difficult for parties to make timely
decisions.
Paragraph 10
To eliminate slowdowns in the signing process, the organization should develop long-term
plans like e-signatures to minimize time wastage (Srivastava, 2012).
The e-signature software is secure and legally binding to the parties under the electronic
signature in the Global, and National Commerce A.C.T.
Technological solutions have become the most preferred option while minimizing time
wastage in operations.
Paragraph 11
Communication is an essential factor in a company’s operations where vital information can
be shared amongst stakeholders.
For good communication, the organization must develop a proper channel that could
stimulate immediate responses.
This challenge may make it difficult for stakeholders to understand each other since they are
only limited to what is written in the texts, sometimes with errors.
Paragraph 12
Face to face is the most efficient communication channel between two stakeholders while
formulating contract policy changes.
Face to face communication creates a wide range of communication options because of
immediate feedback and exposure to non-verbal communication.
Face facing limits chances of confusion as it increases the perception of both parties when
they encounter problems.
Conclusion
The contract policy approval process faces many challenges in its implementation due to
delays in replies, technological challenges and wrong communication channels.
The contract approval process is mostly challenged by time wastage and poor communication
skills between stakeholders.
Long-term steps in managing problems are adopting computerized systems, better
communication channels, and centralized management systems.