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 Email 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. 316-319.

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. 176-178.

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. 54-56.

Writing in the Academic Discipline

Email Messages Quick method to convey information.1. Sender has idea2. Sender converts idea into message3. Receiver decodes message4. Receiver provides non-verbal and verbal

response. Pg. 310-315.

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. 324-329.

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

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JQya56mW2uQ&playnext=1&list=PLFAFB4E2911D8B29E&feature=results_video

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. ReportB. AdvertisementC. ProposalD. 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. ReportB. AdvertisementC. ProposalD. Business Letter

Created by

Paulina QuesadaMarisa Hicklen

Brian Henderson

Special Thanks to

Mrs. Nicole SpoorThe Business Subject Librarian

Ms. Camargo

English 1101