GUIDELINES: For this theme, you must select several examples of one type of product or service that a person (you, a friend, a client) or a company needs to purchase and write a comparison/contrast that recommends that your company purchase the item that best meets its needs.   You may choose the best item for your audience to purchase, or you can let your audience make the final decision.

AUDIENCE: a specific customer or a group of customers or a supervisor at your job.  You may use yourself as the audience if there is a product/service that you had been planning to purchase. If you are both the writer and reader, you will not have to do an audience analysis.

LENGTH: dependent upon the complexity of your main points of comparison, minimum: one page

FORMAT: Present the information as a memo, using the mandatory elements and headings for each section.
 

• The first section of the memo will be the introduction, explaining the need to purchase the particular product (whether this need is yours or your audience's). You might begin with the problem that led to the planned purchase. Also include the criteria that you used to evaluate the various products (sometimes known as the customer's "wishlist"). If your audience has no criteria in mind, then you must create the wishlist.
• The body section of the memo will contain your comparison of at least four brands/models/versions of the product. For instance, if you were trying to choose the best cereal to buy for the children of the family, you might evaluate Mueslix, Nut'n'Honey, Cheerios, and Frosted Flakes. If using paragraphs in the body, instead of setting up each evaluation in the same way, discuss the best (or least expensive) criterion first and then order the others so that the worst (or most expensive) is last. Use that pattern with both the block and alternating methods of organization. If you don't want to use paragraphs, you can set up a table of the items and their features.  Be sure that every item in the wishlist appears in the table.
• The last section of the memo will be the conclusion, the place where you either make the choice for your audience and explain your reason for that choice or summarize the advantages of each brand and leave the choice up to your audience. If you used a table in the body of the memo, then your conclusion will be longer because you will need to review the main advantages and disadvantages for each brand in detail.  With paragraphs, the conclusion can be short because the body will contain detailed information about each option.

TOPICS:

1. products: office equipment, medical or dental equipment, hardware, appliances, cameras, video equipment, vehicles, toys, dishes, linens, houses, travel packages, software, etc.
2. services: maintenance, decorators, caterers, temporary clerical staff companies, employment agencies, cleaning companies, etc.

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