Unit Six: Business and Management Writing

 

It goes without saying that "business" covers an extremely broad spectrum of entities and activities, and you are probably also aware, at least intuitively, that "business" writing covers an equally broad spectrum of documents and purposes.  Therefore, when we talk about "business" writing we're talking about a great many different things.  You probably also recognize that business writing is strictly "transactional."   In other words, nobody reads business documents for pleasure.  Any business document is intended to meet one or more of the following four purposes: to inform somebody of something (a procedure, a contractual obligation, etc.), to persuade somebody to do something (buy a product, accept a proposed solution, etc.), to instruct somebody on how to do something (operate a machine, file a claim, etc.), or to regulate somebody (rules and policies, etc.). 

 

At the same time, it is worth pointing out that a single business document may be written for various audiences, ranging from technical specialists, to managers with semi-technical knowledge of the subject, to customers (for example) who have a non-technical knowledge of the subject.  Different audiences may also read different parts of the document.  I am very likely to read only those parts of the document that pertain specifically to me, just as you are likely to read only those parts that pertain specifically to you.  We don't have the time to read the entire document unless we know that we must read the entire document to get all the information we need to do our own job.  Everybody who has been on the receiving end of a memorandum, for instance, probably knows the experience of deciding very quickly whether the whole memo needs to be read, only a certain part or parts of it, or whether it can be quickly discarded after only a cursory glance.  That is simply the nature of the game.

 

 The Importance of Writing in Business

 

It is useful to point out that, in business, everybody is a writer.  You may consider it unfortunate, but the chances are fairly great that writing will be a significant responsibility in your business career—especially as you get higher up the corporate ladder.  One authority on the subject has estimated that most executives spend at least 50% of their time writing. This assertion may make more sense to you if you consider that executives are the ones who make the big decisions, and to make those big decisions they have to spend a lot of time communicating with other people: exchanging information, delegating authority, explaining decisions, etc.   

 

Another good point to make is one that connects with our brief discussion in the two paragraphs above that open this lecture: Although "business" writing encompasses an incredible range of documents, it primarily consists of several specific categories of documents that almost everybody, in almost any organization, will be familiar with.  Such documents include memos, email messages, business letters, and operating procedures, among others.  So even though the writing of one business organization may be different in many ways from the writing of another business organization, it will also be similar in many ways.  To understand this point better, you might try simply looking at the letterheads of a few different organizations.  You'll notice that, while the letterheads may differ quite widely in terms of organization and appearance, certain items of information will appear in any letterhead (a phone number, for example).  You can count on a similar type of consistency in certain business documents, some of which are discussed later in this unit.

 

Finally, we should make the very valid point that much business writing—perhaps even the majority—is "collaborative" in nature.  This should remind you that writing does indeed tend to be a process, an activity that involves thinking, rethinking, and rethinking again before it is complete.  Very often, out there in the "real world," you are not the sole producer of a written document but one of several or even many contributors.  Think about all the "peer reviews" you've been subjected to in school.  Chances are pretty good that your work will continue to be peer reviewed in the workplace. 

 

Memorandums, E-Mail, and Letters

 

There are several specific types of documents typically produced by people in business.   You will recognize these types of documents—or at least a few of them.  You may also have heard the term "paper trail" applied to complex processes—such as the bidding on a contract—which involve written interaction among a number of different people and organizations.

 

Perhaps most useful to consider are the guidelines for writing various types of business documents.  But it is also useful to analyze various types of documents that are used in business.  For example, you can get a fairly clear idea of the chain of command in an organization from subtle hints in a memo or email message.  Notice also the similarities and differences between email and memos.  Probably the most important thing to take away from a comparison of this sort is an understanding of the differences in organization typically found in these two very common types of document.  In addition, make note of the standard format conventions of memo writing ("to" line, "from" line, "subject" line, etc.).   If you are not already familiar with these conventions, you should become familiar with them, since they are common to virtually all organizations that use written correspondence.

 

A discussion of business letters is important because these letters may be used as evidence of a business transaction.  As you can no doubt imagine, it's difficult—if not impossible—to "take back" what you've said in a letter. The idea, then, is to be careful about what you say, and how you say it, in the first place.  We might also add that peer review is always a good idea in letter writing.  Something that may sound perfectly fine to you may be unclear, misleading, or unintentionally offensive to your reader.  Unless you're unconcerned with your audience's reaction, always get a second (or more) opinion before you send your letter out.

 

Informal and Formal Reports

 

Reports, especially formal reports, can be used for many purposes—although the progress report and the recommendation report are probably among the two most common (the proposal, a sort of variation on the recommendation report, is probably the most common of all).

 

The key distinctions between the formal and informal reports have less to do with language and organization than with format.  Any report's format is dictated by its purpose, and in each case it's very worthwhile to note the organizational pattern of each type of report.  The progress report uses a simple "introduction-body-conclusion" pattern, but the recommendation report follows a more formalized version of the same pattern (just like all those essays you've written for various high-school and college classes).  You could also relate the organizational pattern in a recommendation report to those in the reports we've looked at in Units Four and Five and see some striking similarities in structure.  Do you recall, for instance, the organizational pattern for journal articles in the natural sciences?    Many business reports follow similarly consistent patterns, and for precisely the same reason—so that their readers know how to quickly and easily find particular items of information that they might be looking for.

 

Something that is always worth noting with respect to business reports is their use of what are commonly called "navigational aids."  Navigational aids are the formatting conventions that, as the term suggests, help the reader to breeze through the report quickly and easily.  Such conventions include such features as boldface type for headings and subheadings, a numbering system for the different subtopics in the text so that specific subtopics are easy to locate, the labeling of graphic devices such as charts and tables, and the extensive use of white space—yes, white space.  We often take for granted these common conventions, especially this last one.  As you read our previous student’s recommendation report, you will notice how much space there is between paragraphs, and how wide the top and bottom margins are on each page.  The aim in using these conventions is always to make it easier for the reader to locate specific items of information.   

 

The Recommendation Report

 

The chief purpose of a recommendation report is, as the name suggests, to recommend a solution for a specific problem.  The problem should have several alternative solutions that you can study.  This is an important aspect of the recommendation report to keep in mind as your evaluation of alternative solutions will be the focus of your report.

 

Another thing we would like you to note as you prepare for this assignment is the nature of the research requirement.  In the previous two papers, we have specified when you needed to use field research and when you needed to use library research.  This assignment can be based on either type or, preferably, a combination of the two.  Let your purpose dictate the types of research you do.

 

Finally, you will note that the subject of the example paper we provide for this assignment is not, strictly speaking, a “business-related” subject.  That’s because the goal of this assignment is to explore a problem and evaluate the alternative solutions to that problem.  The advantage of this approach is that you can choose a topic for this paper that is of personal interest to you, such as which car you should buy, which personal computer you should buy, which school you should attend, which baseball glove is best for you, etc.  In fact, the more practical the topic, we feel, the more success you will have with this assignment. 

 

Organization

 

Following is a description of the specific sections of which a recommendation report is comprised, generally speaking.  We will be using a previous student’s report about selecting the appropriate breed of dog for a family with small children as an example of this type of report.  Please refer to that report as you read our description.  Remember to treat our previous student’s report as a model.  The report that you will eventually write should cover the same points as her report.

 

Title Page: Notice the format of the report’s title page.  The words “Technical Report,” in bold type, appear two and a half inches from the top of the page.  The report’s title appears in the middle of the page.  It is also written in bold type, and it is written in a slightly larger font size (14).  The student’s name appears at 7.4 inches (which is where your name should appear), the date appears at 7.8 inches, and it is followed by “Submitted to:” and the name of the instructor.  Note that these last elements appear in “normal” font size (12), and they are double-spaced.  All of the text on the title page is double spaced.

 

Abstract: After the title page, the writer provides the reader with an abstract.  This abstract contains a brief summary of the report.  Note that the writer succinctly states the problem (finding “the most suitable [breed of dog] for families with children”), the alternative solutions she will be evaluating (the specific breeds of dogs), the criteria by which she will be evaluating the alternative solutions, and the conclusions of her findings.  You may want to write the abstract after you have already written the report.

 

Table of Contents: Next, the writer presents her table of contents.  Remember what we said earlier about making the information in a report readily accessible to the reader.  This is part of the function of the table of contents.  Notice how the section headings that the writer gives in the table of contents exactly match the section headings given in the report.  Again, as a matter of practicality, you should probably put aside writing the table of contents until after you have written the report.

 

Table of Graphics: Here, the writer lists the figures that appear at the end of her report.  You should include at least two or three relevant figures (tables, charts, or graphs) in your report.

 

Introduction: Notice how the information in the introduction is divided under subheadings.  The writer devotes one (short) subsection each to a description of the problem; the purpose of the report, including a statement of the limitations of her report (she is confining her research to “larger,” purebred dogs); the plan and organization of the report; and the methods she used for gathering information.

 

Findings: In this section, the writer presents the “raw data” she has discovered about each breed of dog.  She presents the special characteristics, temperament, common illnesses and life span, and the cost of a puppy of each breed of dog.  (For your report, you may want to consider more “generic” criteria for evaluation, such as costs, benefits, and drawbacks.)  Note that the writer is merely “stating the facts” about each breed of dog in this section.  She is careful not to discuss her recommendations here.  She will do that in the conclusion section.  In the findings section, the writer is careful to use a tone that is primarily objective.  She wants the reader to know that she has given each alternative solution fair consideration.

 

Conclusion: As we said above, this is the section in which the writer interprets the data she has collected.  She summarizes the strengths and weaknesses of each breed of dog within the context of the needs of a family with children.  She wants to make sure that the reasons for her conclusion are stated clearly.  She ends this section by stating that the Bernese mountain dog is the most “low maintenance” of the three breeds, although she does concede that the breed does have a relatively short life span.

 

Figures: Notice that the writer presents her figures after the conclusion section and before the recommendation section.

 

Recommendation: The writer summarizes her reasons for making the recommendation that she does by reviewing the criteria she has used to evaluate each breed of dog: special characteristics, temperament, common illnesses and life span, and the cost of a puppy.

 

Works Cited and In-text Citations: Lastly, the writer attaches a works cited to her report.  Note that the writer has been careful to cite sources within the text of her report by using in-text, parenthetical citations.

 

As with the previous assignments, make sure that your recommendation report follows the model.