Announcing the Close of a Division

magine that you are the head of Yippee’s video division and have the unfortunate

task of communicating to employees—by email—that the service will be discontinued.

The company’s plan is to archive current videos but no longer host new videos.

With competing sites such as YouTube, Hulu, and Vimeo, Yippee does not see a

competitive advantage and wants to invest in other services, such as email and

photo sharing.

Process

1. What is the purpose of your message?

2. Describe your audience.

3. Should you use a direct or an indirect organizational plan? Why?

4. Write the fi rst sentence of your email. Be professional, yet sensitive to employees’

concerns.

5. How much space should you devote to discussing the reasons for the decision?

Why?

6. Write the last sentence of your email. Strive for a forward-looking approach, but be

careful not to minimize employees’ feelings.

Product

Draft, revise, format, and proofread your email. Then submit both your answers to the

process questions and your revised email to your instructor