Introduction
Professional writing journals can contain different types of documents, such as proposals, feasibility studies, forms, business plans, progress reports, incident reports. Each type of writing has strict rules that one should follow. In this work, we are going to discuss rules of formatting articles published in the professional and scholarly journals in the field of business and economics. We will discuss their peculiarities and create a template that will help indicate different types of writing in professional journals. Also, we will develop a style sheet for writing papers in the field of business and economics.
The Template
(Consider the peculiarities of different types of writing)
- Proposal. A proposal is a type of paper written by the seller to a potential buyer. It is one of the first steps in the sales process. It consists of two major parts. The first part contains a plan of business opportunities and the second part is a summary of the plan and “balance sheet”.
- Feasibility studies. It is a paper that precedes a business plan writing. “A Business Feasibility Study is a controlled process for identifying problems and opportunities, determining objectives, describing situations, defining successful outcomes and assessing the range of costs and benefits associated with several alternatives for solving a problem.” (Thompson 185). It consists of the executive summary, introduction, presentation of service and technology, marketing, description of competition and industry, business model, and strategies. It should also contain critical risk factors and financial projection.
- Business form. There different types of it. It can be an employee self-evaluation form, daily time-sheet form, credit application form, order form, records of disciplinary actions, etc. Each form has a special format and purpose. They help in organizing a business process.
- Business plans. “ A business plan is a written statement that describes and analyzes your business and gives detailed projection about its future.“ (McKeever 6) One should determine business objectives and financial goals in the plan. It consists of the summary, business description, strategies, analysis, design, operation, and financial components.
- Progress reports are written to present a complete analysis related to business goals and projects. They are presented annually to inform shareholders about progress and the ways their investments were used.
- Incident reports usually have different insurance purposes. They provide complete information about particular incidents to evaluate them, remove, and prevent. It should contain a description of what had occurred in chronological order.
Peculiarities of Articles from Scholar and Practitioner-Related Publications
To provide the peculiarities of such articles, we should analyze them according to certain components: content, style, use of quotes, examples, data, and graphics.
Article in the Scholar Publication
Varner, Iris I. “The Theoretical Foundation for Intercultural Business Communication: A Conceptual Model.” Journal of Business Communication 37.1 (2000): 39-57.
It is a scholarly article. It sticks to a particular topic and provides theoretical research of the “intercultural business communication” (Varner 39). It consists of the abstract, background of the research, theoretical framework of the research. The author’s research is based on works of other scientists that are properly cited in the text and referenced after the article. The peculiarity of the scholarly journal article is the style and structure. The main points of the article are supported with data, evidence, and tables included in the text. The article is followed by a summary of the research. The author used 58 sources. The style of the article is formal. Each statement is supported by the evidence. The scholarly articles are usually written by scholars and researchers.
Article in the Professional Journal
Delore, Traci. “NYSEG Offers Energy-Efficiency Program to Small Businesses.” The Business Journal – Central New York. Friday. 2010. Web.
The articles in professional journals are different from those in scholarly journals. They are usually shorter. They do not present new researches. They aim to inform the reader about the recent event in the world of business and economics. The information in the article should be up-to-date and relevant. The structure of the article can be free, however, it usually consists of an introduction, main body, and conclusion. The style can be less formal. Different data and figures should be used to convince the reader. The author does not use the list of references but provides brief information about the source cited in the body of the paper.
A Style Sheet for Business Writing
The business writing style has certain peculiarities related to language use, punctuation, spelling, and grammar. Consider these peculiarities below:
- One should use short sentences with a simple structure.
- Consider spelling and rules of formal grammar: no short forms and no passive voice.
- Do not write from your point of view, instead, write from the company which you present.
- Try to use nouns instead of nominalizing verbs.
- Focus attention on particular actions and not reflections.
- Punctuation: use a colon before writing a list of certain items; punctuate sentences and not words with a comma, do not use it if you cannot explain it with a rule; use a comma if you enumerate a long series of items.
- Use headings to separate different thoughts.
Works Cited
Delore, Traci. “NYSEG Offers Energy-Efficiency Program to Small Businesses.” The Business Journal – Central New York. Friday. 2010. Web.
McKeever, Mike P. How to Write a Business Plan 9th ed. Nolo, 2008.
Thompson, Alan. “What is a Feasibility Study.” Entrepreneurship and Business, 2005. Web.
Varner, Iris I. “The Theoretical Foundation for Intercultural Business Communication: A Conceptual Model.” Journal of Business Communication 37.1 (2000): 39-57.