Bill Finch Memo

July 11, 2009
To: Professor Richards
From: Gordon Palmer
Subject: The Bill Finch Case study

Dear Professor Richards:

Working as a group we each wrote a letter and our group leader; Jennifer revised the three letters into one. We took the middle of the road approach by using the middle manager’s letter as a template.

I received their letters and read them and made suggestions to the letters. I wrote a reply and apparently my e-mails were not received. I suggested changes to both letters and highlighted the areas of the changes and sent them on their merry way. I don’t know what happened but they never received either of them. So my end of the project was null and void.

My team members fulfilled their task for the project and contributed much more to the outcome.

The practice relates to theory presented in Aldrich, Selzer, and Thrall incorporates what they call the basics in collaborative writing. These basics are to determine the purpose, the audience that the material is to be written for or presented, and the point that you want to put forward. Each of the authors made this as the pivotal factor in their discussions.

Another factor in this discussion is the need for revision, revision, and more revision. Our group appeared to have no problem with revising the drafts. I can’t say too much because I did make sure that my material was received by my team mates.

Thrall takes it a step farther saying that we all are collaborators. She uses Bakhtin’s theory about this subject. He feels that all communication is an active process involving collaborative partnerships, and that collaborative partners are linked through a chain of responsive reactions.
The chain of responses start from the first spoken word then the next link would be someone writing it down forms beginning of the chain and it continues into more and more complex interaction among the collaborative partners.

The problem that I had not given my team mates my cell phone number as a backup. I have learned an important lesson on from this project and it will not happen again in the future projects.

Sincerely,
Gordon Palmer