Writing in Business and Management
General Resources
Business & Management Writing: Resources on writing in business and management coursework from the University of Minnesota, including sample assignments, rubrics, and report writing tips.
The Mayfield Handbook of Technical & Scientific Writing: An online book that covers technical documents (e.g, reports and letters), paragraphs, punctuation, and grammar, among other topics.
Business Writing: A blog by Lynn Gaertner-Johnston that promotes her writing and editing services but also includes free articles on various aspects of business writing. You can also subscribe to a free e-zine, Better Writing at Work.
Blake, G., & Bly, R. W. (1992). The elements of business writing: A guide to writing clear, concise letters, memos, reports, proposals, and other business documents. MacMillan Publishing Company.
Brown, R. (2006). Doing your dissertation in business and management: The reality of researching and writing. London: Sage.
Davis, K. (2005). The McGraw-Hill 36-hour course on business writing and communication. New York, NY: McGraw-Hill.
Style and Plain Language
Lanham, R. (2000) Revising business prose (4th ed.). Longman. (Note: You can also purchase “interactive revision exercises” and a video accompanying Revising business prose through the author’s company, Rhetorica, Inc.)
Business Communication Quarterly Exercises on Style and Tone: In September 2007, Leon Kenman published an article in Business Communication Quarterly on teaching style and tone in business-writing classes. Additional teaching resources can be found at the Association for Business Communication website but are only accessible to members.
Plain Language.Gov: Presents arguments for using plain language, before-and-after comparisons, strategies for writing in plain language, and many plain language-writing resources.
A Few Genres of Business Writing
Business Plan Building, Section by Section : Articles by Inc. (“The Daily Resource for Entrepreneurs”) on the basics of a business plan, the executive summary, marketing section, and other components.
Write a Business Plan: Resources from the U.S. Small Business Administration on writing the plan, including an online tutorial.
Memos: Information from Colorado State University on the purpose and format of a memo, how to analyze your audience, and common types of memos.
Executive Summaries: Information from Colorado State University on types of summaries and a process for writing them.
Job Search Correspondence: Resources from UCLA’s Career Guide on writing resumes, cover letters, and other correspondence.
Business Letters: Information from the UNC Chapel Hill Writing Center on writing application and cover letters.
Resources for International Students
Business English Exercises: Contains quizzes on business-related grammar, vocabulary, collocations, and phrasal verbs, among other activities.
Schulman, M. (2006). In focus: Strategies for business writers. Ann Arbor, MI: University of Michigan Press.
Gillett, A. (2006). Speak Business English like an American: Learn the idioms and expressions you need to succeed on the job. Ann Arbor, MI: Language Success Press.
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