Journal Entry Feb. 4

How can there be a report for/about decision making? Would a writer be reporting on the decision process or the decision itself? Following the IMRD (introduction, methods, results, and discussion) structure seems to be the closest idea to a decision making report I can think of. What sounds logical to me, is in order to make the report for decision making specific to the organization’s need, categories can be added to the scientific report structure (IMRD) as the writer sees necessary. For example, when Rude discusses “criteria” (in terms of “cost, time, or materials”) being a context in which decision making takes place, then it can be added to the IMRD structure.

It seems to me Rude is making a big deal out of a small thing. Even though report writing is essential in all organizations, the reasons, form, and context of the report depend on the work environment, and the internal mechanics of the organization. She is stating that there is no set rule for report writing, yet she tries through reasoning to create a general understanding of something that I believe is relative. She reasons as if writing the report is the decision making/ problem solving process itself. Wouldn’t the decisions be made, discussed, and then the report would reflect these actions, or is it the other way around?
She defines a practical problem as “[requiring] choice about action (even if the action is to continue with the present way of doing things), and solutions to these problems are explored in proposals and reports for decision making.” I am under the impression that any decision that is being made, is first discussed, mulled over, and then written in a report, whether a conclusion is arrived at or not. But through Rudy’s definition and the discussion on this topic in the chapter, it sounds as if the writing process is the decision making process. I can understand with a proposal, where the writing process is the action that gets the task done, but I guess I had another idea of what a report is supposed to be.

I need a clear definition of each: What is a report and what is a proposal? What is the difference between the two? Does this quote from Rudy answer my question: “The genre of the report for decision making as represented in technical and professional writing textbooks embodies the strategies of empirical and theoretical inquiries rather than the problem and action that the report should serve.” (88)
The idea of collaboration in the workplace and in the classroom is a progressive one, especially in the writing process. I find this chapter particularly interesting because I plan to do my instructions assignment on “How to be successful in group assignments.” One point that was made that I found interesting was that their interviewees “found conflict to be quite beneficial to the quality of [the] group’s final product.” Most students hate group work because of the fear of inequality in the quality of the work, disagreements, and an inadequate communication process. The authors of this chapter state that “when handled positively, they can be catalysts for creativity.” This thought gives me a healthy dosage of positive energy, to move forward in my assignment. It is possible for students and/or employees to work collaboratively throughout a project and be successful in the end, irrespective of the fears stated above.
Collaboration: a situation in which decisions are made by consensus. I believe this consensus happens when there is confidence in each group member’s abilities. If there is doubt, some individuals may consider taking on all the responsibility of getting the job done, to not be reprimanded in one way or another. The responders in the interviews done, all experienced conflicts and worked through them in various ways. These problem-solving strategies are things I can discuss in my instructions assignment.

“The Composing Processes of an Engineer” seems similar to the process that any writer will go though in order to achieve a desired end. For the engineer, the differences are the time he has to compose his written pieces; the expectations of his audience; the nonexistent threat of plagiarism; and the laziness of his audience. Selzer mentions that technical writing teachers need to “examine students’ plans, outlines, rough drafts, and revisions.” These are all a part of the writing process. Does it then mean that technical writing teachers do not see technical writing as writing, or that technical writing requires the writing process?

This question has been on my mind for a while:
Who writes the blurbs for movies and television shows that appear when you choose a channel, or when you press information on a Comcast remote? I’m not sure if this feature is also on Direct TV or Satellite.
Also, who writes the blurbs in books? Do they have blurb writers?