Writing Genres in the Business Field By Paulina Quesada, Marisa Hicklen and Brian Henderson

Types of Genres  Business Letters  Reports  Proposals  Advertisements  Business Plan  Memos  Journals  Summaries  Resumes  Contracts  Financial Statements  Messages  Prospectus  Trade Publications

Writing Used in Professional Community

Business Letters  Used to send information in a professional situation.  Used when treating other companies, employers, customers, among others.  Written in a respectful way, very detailed, brief and clear.  Includes a block format-address, date, closing and signature.  It presents a request, announcement or complaint.  Pg

Proposals  Used to solve problems.  Initiates action or change, proposing solutions or new ideas.  Has to be persuasive and present a reasonable solution to the problem.  Tailor proposals to audience’s expectations.  Pg

Reports  Convey information in a direct way.  Are made to “discover the unknown and to confirm the known”.  It has to be accurate and present new information.  It needs to be done in hand with a research based on facts.  Designed to suit it’s audience level of knowledge and understanding.  Pg

Writing in the Academic Discipline

Messages  Quick method to convey information. 1. Sender has idea 2. Sender converts idea into message 3. Receiver decodes message 4. Receiver provides non-verbal and verbal response.  Pg

Resumes  Document that shows all the accomplishments a person has done.  It is considered when hiring employees.  Tailored towards the job a person is applying for.  Pg

Summaries  Is an overview of a document.  It contains only keypoints.  Helps the reader save time and prepare for the upcoming information.

Conventions And Jargons in Business  Written in a direct way.  Avoid filler and flowery language.  Concise, detailed and clear information.  Some common business terms are  Profit  Growth  Stats  Numbers “data”

Citation Styles Used in Business  APA (American Psychological Association):  Double-spaced, uses all lines in the reference list.  Provides easier flow for information.  Explanations and deep discussions.  Chicago Style:  MLA (Modern Language Association) and Harvard School of Business.  Author/Date style.  Sources are cited in a reference list.  Note/Bibliography Style.  Sources are cited through foot notes and end notes.

Goals of Discourse Communities  To make money in an efficient way.  Share new ideas.  Cater to the needs of the market.  Today companies are leaning towards sustainability.  Business that has no negative impact on the global or local environment, society and community.

Interactive Questions

Which advertisement would appeal to an elementary school kid?

3. If you are an employee that wants to communicate a new idea for product’s packaging to your employer, what type of writing genre would you use to do so? A. Report B. Advertisement C. Proposal D. Business Letter

3. If you are an employee that wants to communicate a new idea for product’s packaging to your employer, what type of writing genre would you use to do so? A. Report B. Advertisement C. Proposal D. Business Letter

Created by Paulina Quesada Marisa Hicklen Brian Henderson Special Thanks to Mrs. Nicole Spoor The Business Subject Librarian Ms. Camargo English 1101