Memorandum
To: Dr. Erika Paterson, ENGL 301 99A Professor
From: Jessica Lee, ENGL301 99A Student
Date: November 8th, 2020
Subject: Memorandum re. Formal Report Progress Report
As specified in the ENGL 301 website, below is the progress report of my formal report which is on the topic of how Urban Outfitters can better adapt to the Chinese market with the existence of other similar fashion brands. Please find in this memorandum relevant issues that were raised on the website:
Audience:
Director of Urban Outfitters China Office
Buyers Team of Urban Outfitters China
Director of Marketing of Urban Outfitters China
These three parties are deemed to be the most relevant ones related to the topic of this formal report. The director should always be informed of major decisions made by the company; the buyers’ team are in charge of buying in local brand products for the brand; the marketing team should be aware of what and how they communicate brand stories at all times.
Purpose:
The purpose of this formal report is to investigate on whether Urban Outfitters will better adapt to the Chinese market should they decide to buy in from more local brand products instead of selling UO products that are sourced from abroad.
Significance of Report:
Currently Urban Outfitters is facing slow growth due to its late entry into the Chinese market and the strong competition against already existing brands. This research should allow UO to establish its own unique selling point (USP) by identifying the advantages and disadvantages of buying and working with local brands and becoming a “brand of brands”.
Research Plan:
- Problem:
- Identify UO’s current competitors and what is their USP
- Primary Research:
- Survey UO’s target audience (TA) and find out what their perspective on UO is and their opinions as well as preferences of fast fashion brands
- Interview(s) with UO’s senior management team for further insight on UO’s current situation and future plans
- Secondary Data:
- Online articles on UO’s current status and on its entry into China
- Collect consumer soundbites on social media to understand better what people think of UO
Writing Schedule
- Nov 16 2020: Start conducting surveys and interviews
- Nov 19 2020: Begin secondary data collection
- Nov 27 2020: Use the collected primary and secondary data to start writing the report
- Nov 29 2020: Final revisions of formal report draft
- Dec 1 2020: Post formal report draft on the team forum
- Dec 4 2020: Write peer review of formal report draft
- Dec 9 2020: Post peer review of teammate’s formal report draft
- Dec 12 2020: Revise the formal report draft based on peer review
- Dec 15 2020: Make final revisions to the formal report
- Dec 17 2020: Formal report deadline. Post as .pdf or .doc on the team forum
Please feel free to let me know should you have any questions or concerns regarding this progress report. I look forward to hearing your thoughts on the proposed survey and interview questions as attached.
Hello Jessica,
Thank you for posting your Progress Report, this is good, but needs a few corrections. Please see my comments below. The Outline also needs adjusting – please follow the alphanumerical example in the textbook and include all the required sections in the Introduction. For example, a ‘Methods Section’ – please take a look at the textbook and correct. A formal report requires specific formatting and sections
Be careful – do not tell your readers what they already know, for example the history or background of Urban Outfitters is not necessary for your readers, this is information they already know.
Survey: Note – please increase space between the lines of your text – this is very difficult to read.
Please review the example of the survey introduction and include the word “voluntary” in your introduction and be sure to get your survey up online as soon as possible. Thank you.