Systematic Thinking as a Prerequisite to Clarity of Expression in Business Writing

Abstract

It has long been recognized that one man's problems are another man's opportunities. But, whether one thinks of solving problems or exploiting opportunities, one must still apply skills and competencies in a systematic and clear manner. How to develop student skills and competencies as these relate to thinking systematically as a prerequisite to clarity of self-expression is the topic of this paper. To succeed in this task, departments of business and English must work together to enhance business students' thinking and writing skills. The student studying courses in his major area needs the English professor to guide him through a systematic problem-solving approach to report writing. Here the College of Business and the College of Arts and Science can benefit by requiring business majors to complete a technical professional writing course through the English Department which uses experiential learning as the focal point in report writing. The result is that the student writes in and studies an area of interest, but learns to apply the problem-solving approach to writing as he concentrates on a typical problem in the field of business. Students place a high value on this type of learning, and the two disciplines work well together in accomplishing their goals.