Website Analysis and Recommendation Report

(Worth 10% of your grade)

Scenario

You work for a corporation as part of the web development team. Recently, your company has decided to expand its business into a new foreign market, and the CEO has asked the web development team to submit a report to the board of directors outlining a plan for a new website that directly targets customers in the foreign country. As you prepare your report, you will conduct a thorough analysis of company’s existing website, identifying its strengths and weaknesses and making decisions about how the current site should be “translated” for a new, non-American audience. You will also need to research your competitors’ websites, especially those that have country-specific international websites. Your report will present the findings of your research and make specific recommendations to the board of directors. Your goal is to have the board approve the recommendations in your report so you can implement your plan for the new website.

Assignment Details

At minimum, your report to the board should address the following questions:

• Does your company’s current website contain any America-specific information that would be inappropriate for a foreign audience?
• What issues should the board be made aware of with regard to communication practices in the foreign country?
• Do other American companies have “localized” websites in the foreign country? If so, how do their localized sites compare to their American sites?
• What types of textual changes will need to be made to the American site before it can be released in a foreign country?
• What types of visual changes will need to be made? For example, is your company’s color scheme appropriate for the foreign culture?
• How much time will it take to develop and implement a localized website for this audience?
  

These questions are not exhaustive; your team may also wish to cover additional topics in your report. Your team will also need to decide how to present the information, using the strategies and formats we have discussed in class and read about in our texts. Your final report should include relevant visual information (screenshots, charts, graphs, headings, lists, etc.) and should be at least three pages long (although the addition of graphics may make your document much longer). When you have completed your report, each member of the team should upload the same file to the class website, named as follows: Full_Name_Website_Analysis.doc (for instance, my file would be named “Quinn_Warnick_Website_Analysis.doc”). The deadline for this assignment is Friday, October 6, before midnight. UPDATE: The deadline for this assignment is Monday, October 9, before midnight.

Evaluation Criteria

All members of your team will receive the same grade for this assignment. Your report will be evaluated based on how well it:

• displays an understanding of the rhetorical situation.
• makes succinct and persuasive arguments for following the course of action you recommend.
• demonstrates your research of the company’s website and of the foreign country.
• employs visual elements to persuade the audience.
• uses the report format described in our texts (fonts, headings, lists, etc.).
• adheres to the conventions of standard written English (spelling, grammar, punctuation, etc.).