Defining jargon within a professional industry is essential to effective communication. While your colleagues may understand the language that is being used, clarification to different audience can help relay an accurate message. The goal for this assignment was to learn the components of different types of definitions, choose a technical term within your professional field and convey a message to a non-technical audience. Subsequent to my classmate’s peer review, I found success in conveying this technical definition to a non-technical audience by breaking down as many terms as possible.<\/p>\n
Debenture Definitions<\/strong><\/p>\n Introduction<\/b><\/span><\/p>\n The purpose of this assignment is to demonstrate my knowledge when it comes to when definitions are necessary and how to cater these definitions to varying audiences. To complete this assignment, I will identify an audience and purpose and create three definitions: a parenthetical definition, a sentence definition, and an expanded definition. The expanded definition will utilize a variety of expansion strategies to maximize comprehension of the subject.<\/span><\/p>\n Audience and Purpose<\/b><\/span><\/p>\n I am looking to define\u00a0debenture<\/i>\u00a0for a beginner investor who has had little to no education and experience with corporate finance and investing. In order to begin to build an investment plan for future retirement, a financial advisor could present several money allocation options in different asset classes. A potential option for investors seeking low-risk investments are debentures. The purpose of this definition is to provide insight as to how a beginner investor could use debentures to balance their retirement portfolio.<\/span><\/p>\n Parenthetical Definition<\/b><\/span><\/p>\n The debenture (loan issued by a corporation or government) is a relatively low-risk investment option.<\/span><\/p>\n Sentence Definition<\/b><\/span><\/p>\n Debentures are long-term loans issued by companies or governments, that are backed by general creditworthiness instead of specified assets. These kinds of loans are used to raise money and are also known as unsecured debt, because they depend on the reputation of the issuer instead of physical assets or collateral (BDC).<\/span><\/p>\n Expanded Definition<\/b><\/span><\/p>\n A debenture is a written acknowledgement of indebtedness by the company setting out the terms and conditions of the loan. This definition will explain their purpose, typical features, compare debentures to bonds, some pros and cons, and an example.<\/span><\/p>\n Purpose<\/b><\/span><\/p>\n There are two main purposes for debentures. For companies and governments, they are a means to raise capital or funds for many different purposes (IG.com). For investors, debentures offer periodic interest payments called coupon payments. They are usually seen as a long-term, low risk assessment, especially if the issuer is a government.<\/span><\/p>\n <\/p>\n Figure 1.<\/i>\u00a0The process of a debenture starts with the corporation or government entity of the far left \u2013 and moves clockwise. The document is meant to show the written acknowledgement of indebtedness, the person is meant to show an individual investor. Finally, the money image is meant to show that the money is paid out to the individual investor when the debenture matures.<\/span><\/p>\n Characteristics<\/b><\/span><\/p>\n Interest Rate: The rate of interest that the company or government will pay the investor.<\/span><\/p>\n Credit Rating: Depending on the creditworthiness of the corporation or the government, investors will assess their risk. Credit ratings are provided by agencies that will essentially look through the company\u2019s or governments\u2019 track record of repaying their debt. If they have a history of not paying back their debts, they are deemed as riskier and more speculative investments.<\/span><\/p>\n Maturity Date: The maturity date dictates when the company must pay back the investors. This can be done in several ways; paid out in full at the end of the term, or in specific amounts each year. This is advantageous for investors as they know exactly when their money is paid to them.<\/span><\/p>\n Debentures vs Bonds<\/b><\/span><\/p>\n Both bonds and debentures are loans issued by companies and governments, and some investors may confuse them for one another. Outlined below are some key differences:<\/span><\/p>\n Bonds are backed by the assets of the issuer, while debentures are not secured by any physical assets or collateral (BDC).<\/span><\/p>\n The interest rate of bonds is generally lower than debentures. Because bonds are secured loans, they are inherently lower risk; the lower interest rate depicts the lower risk factor. While debentures give you a higher interest rate, they are unsecured in nature, hence the risk factors is increased (BDC).<\/span><\/p>\n Pros and Cons<\/b><\/span><\/p>\n Pros<\/b><\/span><\/p>\n A debenture pays a regular interest rate to investors. This is predictable and can help investors manage cash flow for their retirement portfolios. Riskier investments like equity in a company depends on company performance, and the value of your money will fluctuate depending on volatility of share prices.<\/span><\/p>\n Cons<\/b><\/span><\/p>\n Debentures do carry some risk. If the company is not secure or struggle financially, investors are at risk of losing their money.<\/span><\/p>\n Example<\/b><\/span><\/p>\n An example of a debenture would be a U.S. Treasury bond. They are used to finance projects and fund governmental operations (Chen, 2020). While they face the risk of inflation, most investors have faith in the U.S. government and don\u2019t think they will go bankrupt (this unlikely event would devalue the debentures).<\/span><\/p>\n Sources<\/b><\/span><\/p>\n \u201cWhat is a debenture.\u201d BDC.ca. https:\/\/www.bdc.ca\/en\/articles-tools\/entrepreneur-toolkit\/templates-business-guides\/glossary\/pages\/debenture.aspx.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n Chen, James. \u201cDebenture.\u201d Investopedia, Feb 25th, 2020.\u00a0https:\/\/www.investopedia.com\/terms\/d\/debenture.asp<\/span><\/a>.<\/span><\/p>\n \u201cWhat is a debenture?\u201d IG.com. https:\/\/www.ig.com\/en-ch\/glossary-trading-terms\/debentures-definition<\/span><\/p>\n <\/p>\n Peer Review of Technical Definition Assignment<\/span><\/strong><\/p>\n Students were asking to review the work of a fellow student. Reviewing assignment instructions and providing constructive feedback to our peers allowed us to uncover mistakes not only to our fellow students, but to ourselves as well.<\/p>\n To: XXX, English 301 Student Writer<\/span><\/strong><\/p>\n From: Matthew Shen, English 301 Student Reviewer<\/span><\/strong><\/p>\n Date: June 9, 2020<\/span><\/strong><\/p>\n Subject: Peer Review for A|B Testing Definitions<\/span><\/strong><\/p>\n I\u2019ve just looked through and reviewed your expanded definition of A|B Testing on our team forum. Thank you for teaching me about this technical term, I think it will be useful to know in the future as it can be applied to a variety of communicative situations.<\/span><\/p>\n I don\u2019t need to ask any further questions about the definition itself and your writing made the explanation easy to understand. As you refer back to your situation of the business owners, I can understand how A|B Testing is used with consumers.<\/span><\/p>\n There are some revisions that I would recommend, the following are some potential improvements that could be made to your definition:<\/span><\/p>\n Organization:<\/strong>\u00a0The expanded version was broken down into interesting sections and was well cited. You used a variety of sources to put together a complete picture of A|B Testing. Additionally, I liked your use of images to support your example. Some aesthetic edits that could help would be increasing the size of your font for headings or making them differ from your subheadings. This could help direct readers easily throughout your definitions. Finally, I think you could expand more on the compare and contrast. Are there any downsides to A|B Testing in comparison to Multivariable testing? While you mention the cons of multivariable testing (more difficult to set up and more time consuming), you don\u2019t mention the cons of A|B Testing or the potential upside of multivariable testing (although it can probably be inferred).<\/span><\/p>\n Voice & Flow:<\/strong>\u00a0There were some instances during your definition that I found choppy while reading. For example, I think \u201c The business owners who are a middle-aged couple who run the shop\u201d can be worded differently to help readers read with more ease. Another example would be \u201c \u00a0Despite their differences multivariable and a\/b testing are often limited to one page,\u201d which I feel like could be a potential run on sentence. If you reread your definition slowly you\u2019ll pick up on these small changes that have to be made.<\/span><\/p>\n Purpose and Audience: The paragraphs introducing your definition were clear and concise. You laid out a situation to which A|B Testing could be applied and identified your audience.<\/span><\/p>\n I hope my recommendations are of some use to you for editing your assignment. Your assignment is well written and there are just some minor changes that I believe could make it a perfect definition. If you need anymore feedback from me, feel free to reach out to me!<\/span><\/p>\n Formal Report Proposal<\/p>\n The formal report proposal was the initial step to create a formal report. Students of the technical writing course were asked to investigate, analyze, and recommend solutions for a problem that was occurring in a familiar organization. The proposal would introduce the problem and ensure the topic was feasible and appropriate.<\/p>\n To: Dr. Erika Paterson<\/span><\/p>\n From: Matthew Shen<\/span><\/p>\n Date: June 19, 2020<\/span><\/p>\n Subject: Proposal for introducing a beach volleyball program at Air Attack Volleyball Club<\/span><\/p>\n Introduction<\/span><\/strong><\/p>\n As the largest youth volleyball club in British Columbia, Air Attack offers competitive programs from ages twelve through to age eighteen for both boys and girls, as well as offering development programs for younger athletes, operating out of facilities located in Richmond, BC. The club volleyball program is run from December to May.<\/span><\/p>\n Statement of Problem<\/span><\/strong><\/p>\n Air Attack Volleyball Club has approximately 500 athletes that participate in their competitive program from December to May. Additionally, high school volleyball programs are typically run from September to December. Although provincial and national level athletes are training during the summer time (May to August), this currently excludes a majority of the club, who may want to continue some form of volleyball training. Although there are beach volleyball tournaments hosted by Volleyball BC, there are no current options for athletes of Air Attack to participate in formal beach training and skill development during the summer.<\/span><\/p>\n Proposed Solution<\/span><\/strong><\/p>\n A potential solution would be to start a beach volleyball training program as a branch of the current volleyball club. There are several location options including Spanish Banks, Shaughnessy Park, or Six Pack indoor beach to run this program. Gathering data about potential individual participation and consequently obtaining approval from the club\u2019s Board of Directors would be the first step to implementing this potential solution.<\/span><\/p>\n Scope<\/span><\/strong><\/p>\n To identify the feasibility of the proposed solutions I plan to pursue seven areas of inquiry:<\/span><\/p>\n Methods<\/span><\/strong><\/p>\n My primary source of data will be interviews and surveys that are conducted with current athletes of Air Attack Volleyball Club. I also plan on distributing online surveys to coaches at the club, to identify their experience with beach volleyball and their potential availability during the summer time.<\/span><\/p>\n My Qualifications<\/span><\/strong><\/p>\n I have spent more than 6 years of coaching at Air Attack Volleyball Club for their indoor program, which has provided me with an understanding of how to cater programs to certain athletes. Additionally, I have been an athlete and coach in several different beach volleyball training programs throughout the province, which has provided me with unique insight as to how a program should be properly run. Being a current member of Air Attack Volleyball Club and having close relationships with the athletes, I have the opportunity to implement and evaluate the proposed solutions on an ongoing basis. Throughout my six years of coaching, my relations with the board of directors and the coaches at the club have been excellent, and there should not be any problems obtaining accurate feedback and data.<\/span><\/p>\n Conclusion<\/span><\/strong><\/p>\n Immediate action should be taken to see if we can begin this beach volleyball training with a small group of athletes in the summer of 2020. If the program is deemed successful (number of interested athletes, cost efficient) with this group, we can evaluate the logistics and implement the program for the entire club in the summer of 2021. By addressing the areas of inquiry listed above, I will be able to determine the feasibility of my proposed solution. With your approval, I will begin my research as soon as possible.<\/span><\/p>\n <\/p>\n Progress Report<\/span><\/strong><\/p>\n The progress report assignment asked students to familiarize themselves with their audience. Understanding the audience’s expertise and experiences can lead to well-informed research questions and accurate sample data. As this assignment asked students to research an organization they were familiar with, defining the specifics of audiences was not difficult.<\/p>\n To: Dr. Erika Paterson, Professor English Technical Writing UBC<\/span><\/p>\n From: Matthew Shen, Student English Technical Writing UBC<\/span><\/p>\n Date: July 10, 2020<\/span><\/p>\n Subject: Progress Report<\/span><\/p>\n As requested in Unit 2:3 instruction, a report detailing the key aspects and progress of the project has been prepared. Any feedback regarding the scope of research and schedule would be highly appreciated.<\/span><\/p>\n Audience<\/b><\/span><\/p>\n This proposal would be addressed to the current Air Attack Board of Directors: Travis McClellan (President), David Tam (Vice-President), Eric Chan (Treasurer) and Josh Campbell (Member-at-Large). With their help, the plan could be approved and implemented in a trial phase and evaluated in terms of athlete satisfaction and cost efficiency.<\/span><\/p>\n Purpose<\/b><\/span><\/p>\n To make recommendations for creating a beach volleyball training program during the summer time (May to August) where athletes currently participate in competitive tournaments without formal training and skill development.<\/span><\/p>\n Significance<\/b><\/span><\/p>\n Air Attack Volleyball Club is the largest youth volleyball club in British Columbia but have not established any formal training during a large portion of the year. Additionally, there are a small number of clubs who run a beach volleyball program during the summer; if the program attracts athletes from other clubs, this could help recruit potential talent to the indoor volleyball program.<\/span><\/p>\n Research Plan<\/b><\/span><\/p>\n Writing Schedule<\/b><\/span><\/p>\n Thank you for reviewing the progress of this project. I look forward to hearing from you soon.<\/span><\/p>\n Enclosures:<\/span><\/p>\n Interview Questions for Board of Directors:\u00a0Interview-Questions<\/a><\/span><\/p>\n Survey for players:\u00a0https:\/\/forms.gle\/9n7QMjKvZZfRkxuv8<\/span><\/a><\/span><\/p>\n![\"\"](\"https:\/\/blogs.ubc.ca\/engl301-98a-2020sa\/files\/2020\/06\/maxresdefault.jpg\")
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