BSAD 098 Essay Question
Some College advisors (professional business representatives who look to hire graduates) make convincing claims that our seniors do not know how to write.
Read the three short newspaper articles (links are below) about workplace writing, and write an essay that addresses the following:
- Explain what you think is meant when businesses say “students write poorly”. In what ways can’t students write? Use the newspaper articles for support (click on the links below—or paste them into your browser).
- In your own words, explain what good writing is. Why is it important that business students have these skills?
- Assess honestly and in some detail, your own communication abilities. Give detailed and relevant examples of your experiences that reveal how you reached your overall assessment. These can be skills you learned on your own or with friends, classes you took, problems that you have encountered, or skills you have not been able to learn.
The essay should be at least 2 full pages long plus a bibliography/references page (total of at least 3 pages). Use the following formatting.
- Microsoft Word (.doc or .docx)
- Times New Roman
- 12 pt. font
- Double spaced (including between paragraphs)
- 1-inch margins
Papers that do not meet these requirements will not be accepted.
These essays will be read but not assessed a grade. They are assessed for our accreditation report based on the rubric included below. Because “average” or “below-average” grades affect our College’s accreditation efforts, we expect you to do your best to write a good paper. These essays are also used to improve teaching and learning in our College for the benefit of future students.
We believe having you self-assess your communication skills is beneficial to you. It may help you find a job, or obtain more opportunities in both the work-place and in graduate school. Similarly, we believe our seniors should be able to respond effectively to complaints about work-place writing raised by corporate America.
Article # 1 “Business schools take aim at bad writing.”
Article # 2 “University students: They can’t write, spell or present an argument.”
Article # 3 “Why Is Business Writing So Bad?”
http://blogs.hbr.org/silverman/2009/02/why-is-business-wr
