GENRES OF BUSINESS WRITING

 

What is a genre of writing?

 A "genre" is a socially agreed upon and recognized form ofcommunication that a group of people has developed over time tocommunicate more effectively and efficiently with one another. Thereare many communication genres, including speech genres and genres ofwriting. A telephone conversation would be an example of a speechgenre. Telephone conversations usually include generic beginnnings,modes of development, and endings. An email message would be anexample of a genre of writing. Classroom genres of writing includeexams, essays, and notes, for example. In businesses, writtencommunication takes several different forms, including emailmessages, memos, resumes, letters, proposals, reports,advertisements, contracts, etc.

What does it mean to say a genre of writing is both sociallyagreed upon and recognized as such?

Individuals, typically, do not invent genres of writing. Instead,as they become members of certain groups they learn the habits andconventions that the group has developed over time to communicatewith one another. These habits precede and survive any individual’smembership in the group. If you want to become a physician, you needto learn how to write a medical chart. If you want to become alawyer, you need to learn how to write a legal brief. If you want tobecome Congressional representative, you need to learn how to write alaw. Knowing the recognizable genres of writing used by members ofyour profession becomes of sign of your membership in thatorganization and enables you to write and read more effectively andefficiently. This course in business writing aims to teach you thegenres of writing that will enable you to become a member of abusiness or a workplace. Typically, managers claim they spend betweenone-fourth and one-half of their time at work writing, reading, orediting the documents others write within the organization.

 "A genre consists of a format and a structure."

The term, "format," refers to the spatial or visual designof a document. When you picture the visual design of a businessletter – with the address of the receiver, the address of the sender,the date, salutation, message, and closing – arranged conventionallyupon the page, you are picturing the format of a business letter. Aformat can easily be reproduced as a template, yet provides little orno assistance to writers for generating the content of theirdocuments.

 The term, "structure," refers to the set of topicsthat readers of a particular genre of writing expect to findincluded. When you imagine an outline or a table of contents for adocument, you are imagining a structure. Structures can help writersgenerate and organize the content of their documents but are lessuseful as templates for arranging information visually on a page.This guide uses the term, "superstructure," to describe notonly the set of topics typically including in a specific genre ofwriting, (a proposal for example) but also to suggest a logical orderfor arranging those topics.

 "Remember the distinction between a format and astructure."

It is important for business writers to remember this distinctionbetween the format and the structure of a particular genre ofwriting, because the set of topics typically included in one kind ofdocument may be formatted according to the conventions ofanother kind of document. In other words, the recognizablesuperstructure of a proposal can be formatted in several differentways – as an internal memorandum, a letter, or a short report, forexample. Business writers make decisions about the format andstructure of their documents according to their purposes for writingand the needs/expectations of their readers.

 "A word about locating models and templates:" 

When you want to become a member of an organization, pay closeattention to the genres of writing members of that organizationtypically produce, including their formats and structures. The bestadvice to follow when you need to write an unfamiliar document, is tocollect similar documents produced by others in the organization.Observe these documents to determine what they have in common, howthey differ, and most importantly, why they differ when they do.

 "Check out the business writing templates provided byyour word processing program."

You will find many templates readily available to you on the wordprocessing software you use. Microsoft Word ’97, for example,provides templates for the following kinds of business documents:

Contemporary Fax Elegant Fax Professional Fax Fax Wizard

Contemporary Letter Elegant Letter Professional Letter LetterWizard

Contemporary Memo Elegant Memo Professional Memo Memo Wizard

Contemporary Resume Elegant Resume Professional Resume ResumeWizard

Envelope Wizard Mailing Label Wizard

"Accessing Templates in Microsoft Word:"

To access these templates in Microsoft Word, simply click on"File," choose "new," read the tabs on the file folders that appear,and click on the one that includes the template you want to use.

It is also possible to download additional templates and wizardsfrom the Microsoft Office Web Site, including:

 Sales and marketing templates for brochures and pressreleases

Time management wizards for agendas and calendars

Human resources and operations templates for customer invoices,purchase orders, timecards, etc. 

"A caution about using models and templates:"

Every occasion for writing, every rhetorical situation or reasonfor writing, differs. Even though members of organizations shareexpectations about the genres of writing they write and read, no twodocuments are ever identical. The templates available through aparticular software program reflect the preferences of the companythat designed the software and may or may not meet the needs ofreaders within other organizations. When you consult models ortemplates to help you write documents within an organization, youwill invariably need to alter those models or templates to meet yourpurpose for writing and the expectations of your readers. Also,models and templates tend to be more useful to help you formatdocuments. The structure – the set of topics you include in anyparticular communication – will vary greatly depending upon yourcircumstances. This explains why software companies can more easilysupply templates for memos and letters than they can for longer, morecomplex proposals and reports.

 

---

WRITING EMAIL MESSAGES 

Generally speaking:

 Organizations use email for informal and some formal,internal and external communications. As a medium, email is changingthe way people write. Email messages range from being short anddirect to chatty and conversational. Often, email systems will notinclude spellcheckers or grammar checkers, so informal email writersand readers often overlook errors more than they would in printeddocuments. It is very important to remember, however, that issues ofclarity and correctness are just as important in formal emailmessages as they are in printed materials.

The Illusion of Privacy:

The illusion of privacy on email is just that – an illusion.Whenever you write email messages, and certainly whenever you writeemail messages in the workplace, remember that any number of peoplemay have access to your texts.

Email Formats:

Email systems provide their own format, which resembles the formatfor a memorandum:

 Return-path: <[e-mail]>

Date: Tue, 30 Sep 1997 09:57:28 -0700

From: ron severson <[e-mail]>

Subject: formatting email messages

X-Sender: [e-mail]

To:[e-mail]

CC:[e-mail]

Attachment Converted: "c:\program files\eudora\attach\199F97.toc"

 

[Type Message Here]

 

Suggestions for Formatting Email Messages in This Course:

• Use the format your email system provides.
• Make sure your name, in addition to your email address, appears in the heading.
• Write the name of the assignment after "Subject."
• Develop an address list for your group and type the list name after "TO:" or after the "CC:" to send copies, when required, to other group members.
• Simply begin to type your message immediately under the heading. There is no need to include a salutation ("Dear so and so:") in formal email messages or memoranda, as you would in a letter – although you may choose to do so in less formal email messages.
• Use subheadings to make the structure of your email message visible to your readers.
• Do not add a closing ("Sincerely,") as you would in a letter.
• Do not write your name at the end of your message unless the signature option on your email system automatically does this for you.

 Structure:

The structures, or sets of topics, that characterize emailmessages are infinite and depend upon the purpose for which your arewriting and the needs of your readers. Use the ASSIGNMENT #1:WRITING EMAIL MESSAGES page to decide on a structure which bestfits your rhetorical situation.

Design: 

The design capabilities of email systems are very limited comparedto word processing programs. Except for the first email message tothe class, when you write documents for this class, always composethem within a word processing program to take advantage of the uniquedesign features, then send them as attachments to an email file. Donot copy them into email or you will lose your document designfeatures.

 

---

WRITING MEMOS

Generally speaking:

The memorandum is the genre of choice for daily, internal, officecommunications. Email correspondence, as described earlier, uses amemorandum format and, to a certain degree, is replacing the hardcopy memorandum in organizations today. Still, the more important thedocument, the more likely it will be printed and sent to its readersas a hard copy memorandum. For all of its advantages, emailtechnology still fails, at times, to deliver. Moreover, lengthierdocuments that require closer scrutiny may be sent as memos becauseit is difficult to read lengthy email messages. Finally, people cantake memos to meetings as an aid to discussion, while email messages,until printed, stay on the screen.

Memo Formats:

Memoranda formats differ slightly from organization toorganization. Some organizations always use letterhead for theirmemos. Others do not. Some put the name of the recipient on the firstline of the heading while most put the date first.

• Microsoft Word offers this template, among others, for writing memos: Memorandum

  To:[Click here and type name]CC:[Click here and type name]From:[Click here and type name]Date: 09/29/97Re: [Click here and type subject]

• The Lundquist College of Business typically uses the slightly altered version provided below:

MEMORANDUM

September 30, 1997

TO:FROM:RE:Cc:

[Type your message here.]

 

Suggestions for Formatting Memos in This Course:

1) Write "MEMORANDUM" at the top of the page, preferably centeredand in a larger font than the rest of the memo.

2) Put the "DATE:" first, then:

DATE:TO:FROM:RE:

("RE:" refers to "regarding." Type the topic or subject of yourmemo on that line.)

3) Add a "Cc:" line if you are sending copies to others. After"Cc" write the names of other recipients of your memo.

4) If possible, allign the information you include after eachsubheading in the address by pressing the "tab" key.

5) Otherwise, since the formatting requirements for memos are sosimilar to the formatting requirements for email, read the formattinginformation provided for the first email assignment. For example,please do not include a salutation (Dear so and so:) or a closing(Sincerely yours,) in formal memos.

Structure:

Memoranda, like email messages, vary widely in their structures,which depend upon the purpose for which they are written and theneeds of readers. Decide on a structure for your memo that fits theassignment and the needs/expectations of your audience.

 

---

 

WRITING PROPOSALS

Generally speaking:

Business writers write proposals of various kinds to solveproblems and provide direction for their companies. Businessproposals often go by other names, such as "business plans,""marketing plans," "white papers," "financial plans," "strategicplans," and "project proposals" but they share a common logic orsuperstructure outlined below:

• Problem: Define a particular business problem, need, or opportunity.
• Objectives: State the objectives that a solution to this problem must achieve.
• Solution: Describe the services or products you or the company will deliver to fulfill these objectives.
• Methods: Outline the methods you or the company will use to deliver this service or product to your client, including: 
  • Steps needed to complete this project.
  • The timeline your propose.
  • Your qualifications as individual and as a team to complete this project.
  • The division of labor among team members.
  • The management structure of your team.
  • The resources you have at your disposal.
• Costs: State, in real terms, what this project will cost your client.

 "Proposals are documents that anticipate the future."

Writing proposals can be difficult because proposals, by nature,are anticipatory. Writers begin by defining a clear problem, need, oropportunity that currently exists within an organization, but thenanticipate the best solution to this problem and the methods ofsolving this problem. The process of anticipating, of planningsomething that does not yet exist, requires both analytical andimaginative skills. Plans rarely turn out exactly as anticipated,although to maintain your credibility as a company, the product orservices you deliver must closely resemble what you originallyproposed to deliver.

When you write your proposal for this class, some of you willexperience the difficulty described above. Some of you will want toknow exactly what you are supposed to write, even though no one,except you and your group, has yet solved this problem. No one cantell you what to write.

 "Additional advice about writing proposals:"

Any proposal writer will tell you that writing an effectivebusiness proposal begins by defining the problem, need, oropportunity you are addressing in a way that points to its ownsolution. Everything follows from there. If you are clear about theproblem you are trying to solve, your objectives, your product, yourmethod, and the costs will emerge more clearly as well. My bestadvice to you, once you have crafted a generative problem statement,is to trust your own judgment and the judgment of others in yourproject group. No one can tell you exactly how to solve the problemgiven to you. That’s the whole point of writing a proposal. Yourpurpose is to make the proposal you do write credible to youraudience, Dave Dusseau. After that, if things work out a littledifferently than you anticipated, for reasons beyond your control,your audience or client will be more inclined to accept the necessaryadjustments.

Proposal Formats:

 Business proposals are formatted in many differentways. Often they are formatted as memos, and follow the formatguidelines for memos provided above. Just as often, they areformatted as formal reports and include the sections listed below inaddition to the body of the proposal itself:

CoverLetter of TransmittalTitle PageExecutive SummaryTable of ContentsThe Proposal ItselfAppendixes

Addtional Suggestions for Writing Proposals in this Course:

Format:

• Format your proposal as a memo.
• Address your memo to Dave Dusseau.
• Use the PROBLEM, OBJECTIVES, METHODS (with subheadings), and COST headings and subheadings provided above to show the structure of your proposal.
• Omit other sections often included in formal reports.

Structure:

Even though business proposals generally follow the logicor superstructure outlined above, you will rarely find a proposalwritten within a real business that is structured exactly accordingto this logic. For the purposes of this assignment, however, pleaseuse the logic or superstructure for writing proposals provided aboveas a general map for your proposal. You will need to add sections ormake minor changes, in some cases, depending upon the specific natureof your group project.

Content:

• Carefully read the problem description provided on the BA 101 and BA 199 assigment pages to determine Dave's needs for this project. Word your problem statement in a way that shows you understand those needs/expectations. You may also invent new needs, and redefine your problem statement accordingly, if you want to move Dave's project in a promising direction that even he may not have anticipated.
• Next, in a single sentence, write what you propose to do to solve the problem you have defined and meet Dave's anticipated or unanticipated needs/expectations.
• As a group, discuss the nature of the project and the kinds of objectives a solution to this problem must accomplish for your client. Include these as the "Objectives" of your proposal. A proposal to screen business information resources, for example, must achieve the objective of screening all of the most relevant printed resources available in the Knight library as well as all of the most most relevant Web Sites. Additionally, it must inform Dave about the criteria your group developed to determine the difference betwen "good" and "bad" resources for his research problem.
• Within the product section, briefly describe the report you will submit to Dave upon completion of your project, so he knows what product or service you will deliver to him. Describe the report and other services, if applicable, you will deliver to him as specifically as possible. This will be the most anticipatory section of your document since you will need to describe something you promise to do later, not something that already exists. Refer to the report assignment page of this BA 199 electronic textbook to help you anticipate the report you will deliver.
• As a group, discuss how you can best complete this project and meet Dave’s needs. Make decisions about the steps in your process, your timeline for accomplishing these steps, how you will divide the responsibilities among members of your group, what leadership model you will adopt, and what resources are available to you to complete your tasks. Include these decisions in the METHODS section of your proposal using a separate subheading for each methodological area.
• Write and exchange brief descriptions of each other’s individual qualifications to complete the tasks, so each of you can include these in your proposal. Choose words to convince Dave you are all qualified, individually and as a group, to complete this project.
• Calculate the anticipated costs of completing this project, at least in terms of time and money. Itemize costs as much as you can and provide a total cost to your client. (Bill these costs to your client, Dave Dusseau!)

Design:

This proposal represents the first, longer document (3 or 4 pages)you have written for this class. It is a very important document bothfor you as a group and for your client Dave Dusseau. For your group,the proposal carefully defines the scope of the project and the taskseach of you must accomplish to complete the project. For your client,the proposal works as a kind of contract that obligates you todeliver a product by a certain time.

Any transactional document – that is any document that willproduce actions within an organization– must be clear to all readers.To improve the readability of your document and to insure that yourreaders can scan your document quickly to acquire they informationthey need, you will need to design your document creatively. Incorporate the following design options into your document to makeit more readable:

• Appropriate headings and subheadings
• Bulleted lists of information
• Ample white space
• Various highlighting features such as font size, underlining, and bold type.
• Charts, such as time charts, that Dave can read at a glance.

(For more design options, click on the page, "DESIGN IN BUSINESSWRITING," from the BA 199 home page.) 

Style:

When writing longer, business documents, students ofteninappropriately revert to an academic writing style. They suddenlybegin to write longer, more complex sentences and develop denseparagraphs packed with information. Or, they forget to use activeverbs, parallel structure, and verbal rather than nominal style. Avoid these tendencies at all costs. Write concisely.

(For more style options, and for explanations of the aboveoptions, refer to the page, STYLE IN BUSINESS WRITING, from the BA199 home page.)

Tone:

Your word choices (diction) will determine the tone of yourdocument. In a proposal, you want to choose words that increase yourcredibility with your client to complete this project competently andprofessionally. Winning proposals develop a confident, professional,reliable tone.

(For a discussion of tone, refer to the page, TONE and WORD CHOICEin BUSINESS WRITING, from the BA 199 home page.)

---

 

Writing Reports

 

(Soon to be completed. Reports, are mostlyformats. Example of a structure provided below)

 

I. Executive Summary

II. Identification of an Emerging Business Opportunity

III. Industry Analysis (Cuurent state of industry, barriers to entry, buyer power, threat of substitutes, overall industry rivalry and competition, summary)

IV. Competitor Analysis (the company, their skills objectives, their competitive advantages—cost, differentiation, marketing)

V. Customer and Market Analysis (Market Segmentation—customer needs related to product specifications—developers/owners, architects/engineers, general contractors… for each Segment needs and traits, product requirmentss, firmographics, culture, usage characteristics)—Product Requirements, Service Requirements, Market Window)

VThe Central Question

Strategic Alliances (Co. #1, Co. #2, Co. #3)

Conclusion

Appendix (legal issues to consider)