John Clayton:

Business Writing

On this site:

As a self-employed business and technical writer, John Clayton produces white papers, case studies, reports, software manuals, training materials, and on-line Help functions. He has worked with several of the nation's leading information and technology companies, including Fiserv, the Metia Group,  IBM, EDS, and A.T. Kearney

 

[A.T. Kearney]

John edits and ghostwrites papers and articles on corporate strategy. He has covered industries including manufacturing, automotive, oil & gas, grocery retail, and financial services. You can read some of his recent work on the Web here:

* In press, a white paper advising global companies on the needs of low-income consumers

* In press, a white paper discussing internal corporate bottlenecks in low-cost country sourcing efforts

 

* A white paper studying the implications of the food safety crisis in China

* A white paper examining the four archetypes of failure in sales organizations, and ways that successful companies have broken out of them

* Resources for Growth, a white paper encouraging executives to think about the strategic assembly of resources as they decide what to outsource

* Not So Fast, a white paper exploring which pieces of a corporate merger need to integrate first

* Managing Risk in the Supply Chain in the specialty publication "Supply and Demand Chain Executive"

 

* Statement on China’s High Technology Development and Challenges to U.S. High-Tech Leadership before the U.S.-China Economic and Security Review Commission

* Smart Boxes: RFID can Improve Efficiency, Visibility and Security in the Global Supply Chain

* The Coming Consolidation in European Financial Services

* Excellence in Retail Procurement

* How Corporate Boards (Should) Work

* Independent Refiners and Marketers Spin the Value Wheel

John researches and writes case studies about how organizations use technology to overcome business problems. His recent work includes:

* An international marketing company wanted an easy disaster recovery solution

* A beer distributor gave drivers wireless devices that automatically updated warehouse data.

* A provider of voice-driven solutions helps you put all voice-mail, e-mail, and fax messages in the same inbox

* A major cancer center wanted to provide staff and patients with electronic medical records

* A plastic packaging manufacturer wanted to integrate computer systems after mergers

 

* A gaming machine operator wanted to equip its field staff with incredibly smart smartphones

* A European hi-tech company wanted to integrate voice, fax, and e-mail messages for traveling employees

* A Czech software company wanted to maximize its own software-purchase budget

* A worldwide shipping company wanted to save money on its global technology infrastructure

* A major food company sought to improve mobile connectivity for senior executives

 

* A research university needed to put faculty and staff on a unified calendaring system

* An IT outsourcing company wanted to streamline its project management (link is a .doc file)

* A major media company knew it had to address software compliance -- and discovered it could actually save money

* A farm implement dealer wanted to help its salespeople quickly find needed information

 

* A consulting firm wanted to provide a wide variety of internal financial metrics to its field staff

* A financial powerhouse wanted to cut the time and space required to back up data

* A major university sought a way to control how much disk space was allotted to users

* A trade association needed to reduce the processing time associated with member renewals

* A European bank wanted to speed communication with its far-flung branches

 

John completed a series of documents for the marketing department of an international technology provider for the manufacturing industry. The documents included "message maps" (outlining key messages across various products and industry segments), PowerPoint presentations (complete with thorough Speaker Notes so that they could be given by salespeople unfamiliar with the products), and a sales handbook. He has also worked on a similar package for the communications industry.

 

Previously, John wrote a series of white papers for an international strategic consulting firm, including:

* How independent grocers can compete against Wal-Mart by changing their management strategy

* Succeeding at life in the coming post-merger era of the oil and gas industry

* How back-office restructuring will save the airline industry

* What retailers should do to combat overcapacity of retail space

* How Internet retailers can use performance metrics to make strategic decisions

* The coming revolution in genetics and nutrition

* How to use e-business technologies to improve procurement strategies

* How "bricks and mortar" firms should approach business-to-business Internet marketplaces

 

For an international software firm developing a management information system for the insurance industry, John conceived, designed, and wrote a suite of user assistance products including:

* Context-sensitive online help developed using RoboHelp

* A printed user guide

* Training materials (John also conducted some training sessions)

* Newsletter articles explaining software updates

 

For a regional quality improvement organization in the health care industry, John developed a suite of user assistance products for a software package, including:

* Interim disaster recovery plan

* User manuals

* Internal procedures to manage a helpdesk

 

In other projects:

* For an international technology firm, John wrote a report to grocery executives on coming technological changes in the industry.

* For a U.S. software firm developing a library information system, John developed software user manuals, as well as marketing materials and a corporate newsletter.

 

* For an international technology firm, John provided personalized on-site training on copy-editing techniques. 

* For a Montana youth organization, John developed a community vision statement, as well as a fundraising brochure and strategic plan.

 


   

John is a charter member of the Montana chapter of the Society for Technical Communication, a charter member of the Writer's Bridge freelance cooperative, a member of the WriterL listserv, and a member of the Mug Club at Sam's Tap Room.

 

John's reputation for speed and accuracy make him an ideal solution for your communication tasks. For more information, email John at info@johnclaytonbooks.com

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http://www.johnclaytonbooks.com-- Revised: 3/24/2008

 

Copyright © 2000-2008 John Clayton

 

info@johnclaytonbooks.com