| Course | BU 245 Business Communication |
|---|---|
| Unit | Unit 3 |
| Paper type | Bad-news message |
| Length | About 1,040 words, 5 pages |
| Format | Business letter with analysis, APA 7 references |
| School | Herzing University |
| Program | BS in Business Management |
| Updated | September 2026 |
Free sample paper for BU 245 Unit 3
Lakeshore Bread Company
Milwaukee, Wisconsin
January 28, 2026
Ms. Teresa Ortiz, Owner
Harbor Street Market
Milwaukee, Wisconsin
Dear Ms. Ortiz:
Thank you for your letter of January 23 about our deliveries to Harbor Street Market on January 13 and January 21. You have bought bread from us for six years, and I read your account of those two mornings closely, including your note that customers found empty shelves when you opened.
I checked our records for both days. On January 13 a truck broke down in freezing weather, and your order arrived at 7:48 a.m., 48 minutes after your 7:00 opening. On January 21 icy roads slowed the whole south route, and your order arrived at 7:25 a.m. Your deliveries on the other three days of each week arrived before 6:45 a.m., and the bread on both late days was baked that morning and met our usual standard. Our credit policy, which is part of the supply agreement we renewed with you last March, covers product that arrives damaged or cannot be sold because of a delivery failure, and it is applied to the affected delivery.
For that reason, we are not able to credit the full week's invoices of $1,146 that your letter requested.
What we can do, and have done, is credit every loaf from the two late deliveries that you were unable to sell. Your manager's count, which your letter included, shows 61 loaves and 24 packages of rolls left at the end of those two days, and a credit of $212 will appear on your February 2 invoice. We have also added Harbor Street Market to a new early alert: if your truck is running more than 20 minutes behind, our dispatch lead will text your receiving manager by 6:30 a.m. with an expected arrival time, so your staff can plan the shelves before you open.
Since January 13 we have begun a daily pre-trip check on every truck, and I expect it to reduce breakdowns like the one on that first morning. I look forward to continuing to supply your store, and I will call you next week to confirm that the alert is reaching the right person.
Sincerely,
Marcus Hale
Director of Operations
Analysis of the Letter
The letter declines a customer's request for a full week's credit after two late deliveries from Lakeshore Bread Company, a composite Milwaukee bakery. The customer is a small independent grocery that has bought from the bakery for six years, so the letter must refuse without ending the relationship. The analysis below explains each part of the letter and why it is placed where it is.
The Neutral Opening
The first paragraph thanks the reader, names both dates and repeats her most serious complaint, empty shelves at opening, in her own terms. It does not apologize for something the bakery has not decided to accept, and it does not hint at the outcome. A buffer that sounds like good news, such as "We value your business and want to make this right," would lead the reader to expect the full credit and make the refusal feel like a reversal. The opening's job is to show that the letter was read carefully, which the specific details accomplish better than general praise.
Reasons Before the Refusal
The second paragraph gives the facts and the policy that produce the decision. The arrival times are exact, the cause of each delay is stated plainly and the paragraph notes that the other deliveries those weeks were on time. The policy is described as part of an agreement the customer signed, which makes it a shared standard rather than a rule invented to deny her. Limaye (1997) argued that the explanation is the most important part of a negative message, because it is what allows a reader to accept a decision as reasonable even when disappointed. The explanation here does not blame the customer or suggest her request was unreasonable; it shows what the policy covers.
Business communication textbooks have long recommended placing reasons before a refusal in this way, although DeKay (2012) pointed out that relatively little empirical research tests how readers actually respond to negative messages, and that much of the standard advice rests on convention and experience. The indirect order is used here for a practical reason: this reader will decide whether to keep buying from the bakery, and she is more likely to stay if she understands the decision before she meets it.
The Refusal, Stated Once
The refusal has its own one-sentence paragraph, so the reader cannot miss it or read around it. It names the amount she requested, $1,146, so there is no doubt about what is being declined. It uses "we are not able to" rather than a longer phrase that softens the decision until it becomes unclear. The refusal appears once. The letter does not restate it in the closing, which would feel like a second rejection, and it does not apologize for it, which would suggest the decision is open to argument.
An Alternative That Is Real
The alternative paragraph offers two things the bakery can actually deliver: a credit of $212 for the product the store could not sell, based on the store's own count, and an early text alert on late mornings. Both are specific and both are already done, as the phrase "and have done" makes clear. An alternative must be genuine; offering to "look into" a partial credit would only delay the disappointment. The federal plain language guidance recommends telling readers exactly what they need to know and do, in words they can use (Digital.gov, n.d.), and the alternative paragraph gives the credit amount, the invoice date and the alert threshold for that reason.
A Close That Does Not Reopen the Question
The closing looks forward. It mentions the new pre-trip checks as evidence that the cause of the first delay is being addressed, expresses a wish to keep supplying the store and promises a specific follow-up call. It does not say "please contact me if you have any questions," which in a refusal reads as an invitation to argue. A direct order, with the refusal in the first line, would suit a routine internal decision (Minto, 2009), but for a customer whose loyalty matters, the indirect order used here gives the reasons their best chance of being heard.
References
DeKay, S. H. (2012). Where is the research on negative messages? Business Communication Quarterly, 75(2), 173-175. https://doi.org/10.1177/1080569912441361
Digital.gov. (n.d.). Plain language guide series. U.S. General Services Administration. https://digital.gov/guides/plain-language
Limaye, M. R. (1997). Further conceptualization of explanation in negative messages. Business Communication Quarterly, 60(2), 38-50. https://doi.org/10.1177/108056999706000204
Minto, B. (2009). The pyramid principle: Logic in writing and thinking (3rd ed.). Pearson Education.
The Herzing BU 245 Unit 3 instructions
This refusal assignment centers on unwelcome news, such as a refusal, a denied request or a change a reader will not like, and often to explain your approach. Expect to decide between a direct and an indirect order and justify the choice. Most rubrics want a neutral opening, clear reasons, a refusal that cannot be misread, an alternative where one genuinely exists and a courteous close. The message should be formatted as a letter, memo or email appropriate to the reader. An analysis section, where required, should explain each part and may cite course readings or research on negative messages in APA 7. Choose a refusal with real stakes, such as a customer or employee you want to keep, so the choice of order actually matters.
How the BU 245 Unit 3 example is put together
The letter appears first, complete with the sender, date, inside address and salutation. Its opening thanks the customer, names both late dates and repeats her concern about empty shelves. The second paragraph gives exact arrival times, the cause of each delay and the credit policy from the supply agreement. The refusal stands alone and names the amount declined. The alternative credits every unsold loaf from the store's own count and adds an early alert, both already arranged. The close mentions the new truck checks and promises a follow-up call. The analysis then explains each part in turn, with sources on explanation and on the limits of standard advice.
Where the points sit in the BU 245 Unit 3 rubric
Herzing's grading for the bad-news unit commonly covers organization, clarity of the refusal, tone, the alternative offered and the analysis. Organization earns full points when reasons come before the decision in an indirect message, or when a direct order is chosen and justified. Clarity is judged by a refusal sentence the reader cannot miss or misread. Tone rewards courtesy without false promises or excessive apology. The alternative criterion favors offers that are specific and real, like the sample's credit amount and invoice date. The analysis earns the most when it ties each choice to a reason or source, including a recognition that standard advice has limited research behind it.
BU 245 Unit 3 help: mistakes that cost points
The most frequent mistake in Unit 3 is a refusal so softened that the reader cannot tell whether the answer is no. Another is a buffer that sounds like good news, which makes the refusal feel like a reversal. Students often apologize repeatedly, suggesting the decision might change. Some letters give vague reasons such as company policy without saying what the policy covers. Alternatives are sometimes offered that the writer could not deliver. Finally, avoid closings that invite further discussion, such as please call with any questions, which in a refusal reads as an opening for appeal, and do not repeat the refusal in the last paragraph.
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BU 245 Unit 3 questions, answered
Does the refusal have to be indirect?
In the situations these assignments use, usually yes, and the rubric often says so. The indirect order exists because a reader seeing the answer in the first line rarely absorbs the reason. There are cases where directness is kinder, such as an urgent safety matter, and if your scenario is one of those, say why you chose the direct order rather than leaving the choice unexplained.
How much explanation is enough?
Enough that the decision follows from it, and no more. Two or three sentences of specific reasoning generally beat a paragraph of general principle, because the reader is looking for what applied to their case. Avoid explaining a rule the reader cannot check, and avoid so much detail that a determined reader can argue with each item separately.
Can I write about a refusal I received or sent at work?
Not the actual correspondence. A letter or email from an employer belongs to the organization and often to a third party, and the same is true of what a customer wrote. Take the shape of the situation, change the parties, the product and the specifics, and say the scenario is constructed. The message is graded on how it is built, not on whether it happened.
Where can I find a free BU 245 Unit 3 sample paper?
You can read the complete BU 245 Unit 3 bad-news letter and its analysis above at no charge. When your refusal involves a different situation or reader, pass along the prompt and a free custom letter will be drafted to fit it, normally within about two days.
Should the BU 245 Unit 3 message use a buffer?
Usually, for an outside reader whose goodwill matters. The sample opens on neutral ground that shows the complaint was read, without hinting at the outcome. For routine internal decisions a direct order can work better, and the analysis section explains when each approach fits.