Download Business writing

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A typical 1- or 2-page essay/paper may have
5 (4-6) paragraphs, and it may have the
following structure:
Paragraph 1: introduction
Paragraph 2: body 1
Paragraph 3: body 2
Paragraph 4: body 3
Paragraph 5: conclusion
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Paragraph is the working unit of the writer.
For the body of the essay/paper, writers
should develop only one main idea per
paragraph.
Each main idea can be stated in a topic
sentence.
In a business setting, the topic sentence
should often be the first sentence of the
paragraph.
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After establishing the topic sentence,
supporting materials that amplify and clarify
the main idea are added to complete the
paragraph.
These supporting materials can be examples,
comparisons, logic, analogies, evidence, etc.
Inversed triangle.
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A short introduction may be appropriate
when the essay is short (say, 1 page).
When you want to have a short introduction,
the introduction should have 2 components:
(1) some general statement(s) and perhaps
background about the paper, and (2) a thesis
sentence.
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On King p. 33, we have a short template:
(Truth be told,) _____ has generated a lot of
{interest, controversy, discussion} {lately,
recently, in recent years, in recent time}. The
major {topic(s), issue(s), point(s)} that I will
address in this {essay, paper, article} {is, are}:
__X__.
X is a list of topics that will be discussed in the
body (e.g., body 1, body 2, and perhaps body 3).
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Example: (Truth be told,) the popularity of
studying business in the U.S. among Chinese
students has generated a lot of discussion in
recent years. The major points that I will
address in this article are: the rise of Chinese
economic power, strong demand of highquality business managers in China, and the
quality of business education in the U.S.
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For this example, the 2nd sentence tells the
reader what the arguments of the essay are;
i.e., the thesis sentence.
The main idea in body 1 (2nd paragraph) is
about the rise of Chinese economic power.
The main idea in body 2 (3rd paragraph) is
about the demand of human capital in China.
The main idea in body 3 (4th paragraph) is
about the quality of education in the U.S.
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Now you see the difference between the
typical Asian writing and the typical American
writing.
In Asia you tend to write whatever comes to
your mind. In the U.S. everything (all the
main ideas) tend to be stated at the
beginning.
Show me the money!
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Another possible short template is as follows.
With __X__, it is imperative that ______. The
major {topic(s), issue(s), point(s)} that I will
address in this {essay, paper, article} {is, are}:
____.
Here X is a phenomenon.
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Example: With the globalization of the world
economy, it is imperative that business
students be sensitive to differences in
intercultural communication. The major
points that I will address in this paper are:
aspects of cultural shock, translation
problems, and global etiquette.
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Now you know that this introduction is
followed by 3 paragraphs, each dealing with
cultural shock, translation, and etiquette.
I obtained the 1st sentence of this template
from the foreword of the IBC textbook.
Can you create your own template in a similar
way?
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Article: “How Boards Deal With Lazy
Directors.”
Task: Write a summary/digest (about 1-2
pages, 4-5 paragraphs) for your company’s
newsletter.
Here, let’s write the introduction.
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King p. 96.
The main point {here, in X’s article/paper} is that
___(main idea #1)___.
In addition, I {wish, want} to {point out, note} that
___(main idea #2)___.
Furthermore, of particular interest is the fact that
___(main idea #3)___.
Also {of importance, noteworthy} is the fact that
___(main idea #4)___.
The final {fact, point, feature} that I would note is
that ___(main idea #5)___.
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Riol (read it out loud) (p. 97, the 2nd
paragraph): “The main point here is that…”
Personally, I do not like the first paragraph. I
will write it as follows (source: Wikipedia).
The main point here is that there are some
types of sex determination on the earth. It
depends on the species. Most sexual
organisms have two sexes. In many cases,
sex determination is genetic. In other cases,
sex is determined by environmental variables
or social variables.
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When you write a longer essay that calls for a
longer introduction, the introduction may
have 3 components:
(1) some general statement(s) and perhaps
background about the paper,
(2) a thesis sentence, and
(3) a roadmap of where the paper is going.
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With __X__, it is imperative that ______. This
{paper, essay, article} {addresses, examines,
analyzes, details, focuses on} __Y__ aspects of
_____. It {questions, examines, argues,
addresses, challenges, suggests, points out,
introduces} first _____. Then it {focuses on,
points out, notes, questions, examines, argues,
addresses, challenges, suggests, introduces,
discusses} _____. It {contents, argues, examines,
questions, challenges, suggests}, further, ____. It
concludes {that, with some comments on, with
some thoughts on,} _____.
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Example: With the globalization of the world
economy, it is imperative that business students
be sensitive to differences in intercultural
communication. This paper focuses on three
aspects of intercultural business communication.
It points out first why cultural shock occurs in a
business setting. Then it introduces a variety of
translation problems. It discusses, further, the
complexity of global etiquette. It concludes with
some thoughts on other aspects of intercultural
business communication.
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Templates are suited to introductions and
conclusions because the function of each of
these is clear and distinct.
In contrast, the body of the paper is quite
dependent on the content of the paper.
Thus, universal templates for the body
paragraphs cannot be easily established.
A good way to write the body paragraphs is
to simply establish the main idea in the 1st
sentence. Then supporting materials follow.
See the example on King p. 97.
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Example: Culture shock is a common problem in
intercultural business communication because
understanding foreign culture is difficult. In a
survey of 200 managers who has traveled or lived
abroad, the greatest degree of cultural shock was
reported in the lack of modern conveniences.
Failing to adapt to another culture’s way of life is
not only frustrating, but also costly. It is well
known that cultural shock can be very costly to a
firm because it often results in the premature
return of U.S. businesspeople working overseas.
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Article: “How Boards Deal With Lazy
Directors.”
Task: Write a summary/digest (about 1-2
pages, 4-5 paragraphs) for your company’s
newsletter.
Here, let’s write the body.
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The conclusion paragraph can briefly restate
the thesis, extend the thesis to other
contexts, ask an interesting/provocative
question, or discuss the limitations of your
analyses and point the way for future writing
on the subject.
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To recapitulate, this {exposition, analysis,
paper, summary, report} {discussed,
examined, investigated} __Y__ aspects of
__X___: _____, and _____ . of _____.
Obviously, not every issue related to __X___
has been {discussed, examined, investigated,
undertaken}. Of further interest in this regard
is _____.
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Example: To recapitulate, this report
discussed three aspects of intercultural
business communication: aspects of cultural
shock, translation problems, and global
etiquette. Obviously, not every issue related
to intercultural business communication has
been examined. Of further interest in this
regard is how attitudes toward time vary from
culture to culture.
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Article: “How Boards Deal With Lazy
Directors.”
Task: Write a summary/digest (about 1-2
pages, 4-5 paragraphs) for your company’s
newsletter.
Here, let’s write the conclusion.