what is a business essay

what is a business essay

The Importance of Business Essays in Academic and Professional Settings

1. Introduction to Business Essays

Business school curriculums mirror the business community requirements; hence, business subjects fall into categories such as accounting, economics, finance, marketing, management, and international business. This classification dictates the types of writing exercises at the high school, and graduate and postgraduate levels of a student. In high schools, students would commonly be asked to write product reviews, design business models, and carry out market surveys irrespective of genre. In colleges, a student would be exposed to writing term papers, reports, case studies, and strategic management exercises. If one were to be placed in a professional setting or a business school, then the common exercise would revolve around product demonstrations, critical evaluations (peer review and self-review scenarios), feasibility studies, thesis, financial analysis, pitch presentation, and business plans. This can be in a dissertation fashion or in the form of company project reports.

Business essays are not only required for academic coursework but also count as key components in a person’s portfolio that will be presented to business investors and potential future employers. With an increase in focus on business studies from the early quarters of a person’s academic life, it’s important that students understand the importance and appropriateness of the exercise. A good business essay should exclusively include facts and figures, both statistical and analytical in nature. Thus, this business academic writing exercise serves as practice and a knowledge sharing mode from school/college to workforce. Other tenets that are possibly derived from a business essay are: time management, leadership, and emotional intelligence in the context of business case scenarios, and commercial skills.

2. Key Elements and Structure of a Business Essay

In most assignments, the material is organized as in this chapter. The introductory material presents the problem, states the mission or objective of the essay, alerts the reader to the author’s reasoned judgement and briefly sketches how the essay is organized; the definition and fact presentation section is brief and to the point; the analysis examines specific causes of a number of consequences of the topic’s problem; the examination section uses the analysis to present the examination of different courses of action; a reasoned problem assessment considers directions and degrees of need for action; the summary contains restated judgements, conclusions, and a reminder of the essay’s organization. In a few cases, elements will be omitted or their sequencing will be different than that mentioned.

The business essay is a stylized genre of academic prose that presents the author’s reasoned response to a selected business question or problem. It is a critical, reasoned presentation of the material that clearly labels the parts of the essay expressing the writer’s judgement. Their essential elements overlap in form and in order so often that they appear similar. But differences among the elements of the assignment’s analytical framework are important. The distinctions are important not only for differentiating between the types of information required, but also for identifying the types of reasoning that must be crafted to achieve the function of each part.

3. Importance of Business Essays in Academic Success

As it turns out, actions required by written business assignments mirror steps required by the business policy process (the set of activities needed to select outcomes to focus on, develop alternatives to achieve those outcomes, and (in the writing case and orally) choose a preferred alternative). Just as with professional documents, professors draw the connection between class assignments and the subsequent business policy work.

These types of assignments require students to identify problems, define objectives, assess alternatives, and describe their choices. Unlike exam questions about the purpose of life insurance, effective business written assignments ask students to indicate whether they would spend $5.9 million on a 30-second ad during the 2018 Super Bowl football championship game.

Business essay assignments, however, require that students move beyond repeating facts, and instead provide analysis. Based on professors’ grading comments, there are nine indications that the purpose of an assignment is providing students the opportunity to conduct the kind of analysis expected of business professionals.

In most academic business programs, exams primarily cover facts. Professors grade students’ responses to questions like, “Which insurance product protects you against early death and the financial problems of those who depend upon you?” The correct response is “Life insurance.” These questions simply test students’ abilities to remember. They don’t require much in the way of analysis.

4. Practical Applications of Business Essays in Professional Settings

One quite particular form that these teaching materials could and do take for management courses exists in the composition of business essays. And, as often as not, that descriptive literature could be submitted, on one occasion, as a homework requirement for a business administration course. Permit me to illustrate the use of a business essay question specifically crafted for an MBA management theory and policy course as a pedagogical tool for transmitting valuable practical knowledge required for those employed in the HR department of a larger organization. Specifically, EQ—do we need it in a leadership classroom? For one course, I open the activity with the announcement of that essay theme only a few days before its formal due date. Within a week, each student must prepare a seven-page typewritten document.

The more complex and uncertain the real-world problems are, the greater the need to have the practical expertise of practitioners be at the center of the teaching materials they will use, regardless of the form it might take. Some of these teaching materials could well be case studies built around the kinds of problem-solving processes that others employ as part of their daily jobs. In other instances, those learning about management might also be quite interested in white papers, policy briefing presentations, in-depth explanatory memoranda, classroom lectures and textbook chapters in which the authors take a stand, categorically explain how the organizations they represent do what they do, and put forward insights gained from their collective experience to aid others in learning from them.

5. Conclusion and Future Trends in Business Essay Writing

The participation of students in seminars, discussions, and debates contributes to the reduction of fears and insecurities as they address seminar and boardroom situations. These practices are crucial as it is only through communication that individuals can effect change and advance their interests. However, the development of writing skills is more demanding and is underrepresented in current undergraduate and postgraduate management education. Therefore, it is important that emphasis is put on the academic relevance of some topics chosen for the business essay. The establishment of partnerships between university professors and business managers can bring about practical, moral, and reflective advantages to all parties involved. For example, the academic community may establish relationships with business companies in order to better understand company management, and thus propose didactic strategies for the development of skills that meet the needs of managers.

There are many voices advocating the need for future business leaders and managers to possess exceptional writing and communication skills. It is now widely acknowledged that the ability to communicate effectively is extremely important to managerial success, and that the development of such skills is underrepresented in current undergraduate and postgraduate management education. Business essays provide an excellent opportunity for students to develop their communication skills. In addition to providing one with extensive and reflective essays concerning their stance on a business issue, they also have business models to confront and stress the relevance of their arguments and analyses in professional situations.