Writing for Business

By Jane Hicks

This book is for anyone who has ever been baffled by English usage or who needs a grammar reality-check. A good review for anyone, the book is especially recommended for college business majors. The author knows how writing can boost or wreck careers. She should know; she is a former business executive, entrepreneur, and most recently, business professor. Now she wants to give you the tips she wishes someone had given her.
In an online world, you are what you write. Your goal should be to present yourself as a polished professional and a person of goodwill. Whether you build your own business, work for the Fortune 500, or work for the public good, writing will be crucial to your success. This book will help.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Trafford Publishing
• Release date: Sep 14, 2016
• ISBN: 9781490776934

Jane Hicks

Raised to speak Okie, Jane Hicks struggled for decades to master English. She has a CPA, MBA, and PhD; but she learned grammar and writing the hard way—by studying the rules. Because grammar rules suck, she offers here a better way, with easy tips to help boost your language skill.

Book preview

Copyright 2016 Jane Hicks.

All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted, in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording, or otherwise, without the written prior permission of the author.

ISBN: 978-1-4907-7693-4 (e)

Because of the dynamic nature of the Internet, any web addresses or links contained in this book may have changed since publication and may no longer be valid. The views expressed in this work are solely those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the views of the publisher, and the publisher hereby disclaims any responsibility for them.

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and such images are being used for illustrative purposes only.

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Trafford rev. 09/02/2016

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Contents

Six Writing Essentials

Essential 1: Be Correct

Accept vs. Except

Affect vs. Effect

At

Could of vs. Could have

Good vs. Well

Fewer vs. Less

His or Her

I vs. Me

i.e. vs. e.g.

Imply vs. Infer

It vs. Their

Its vs. It’s

Lay vs. Lie

Loose vs. Lose

Quiet vs. Quite

Site vs. Sight

That vs. Which

Their vs. There vs. They’re

Use vs. Utilize

Unique

Who vs. Whom

Who’s vs. Whose

Proof your work

Essential 2: Be Clear

Think clearly

Use plain language

Explain jargon

Impose an easy-to-follow structure

Use parallel form

Essential 3: Be Concise

Omit needless words— William Strunk Jr. in Elements of Style

Concise writing is like news reporting

Infuse vigor

Prefer active voice

Essential 4: Be Conversational

Pompous, pretentious… phooey

Essential 5: Be Considerate

Know your purpose

Express goodwill

Essential 6: Provide Rich Content

Pack in the information

Use high-information words

Use graphics and pictures

Include an executive summary

Use reliable sources

Find relevant sources

Cite your sources

Appendix 1: Citation Guide

Appendix 2: Resume Tips

Appendix 3: Presentation Tips

Appendix 4: Business Case Guidelines

Appendix 5: Memo Writing Tips

About the author

Jane Hicks recently retired as Professor of Management at Southeastern Oklahoma State University in Durant, Oklahoma. A Durant native, she has a BA in psychology from Southeastern, a BBA from Florida International University, CPA certification, and an MBA from the University of Utah.

Missing from all this education was practical advice about how to write—a critical skill as it turned out for earning promotions first at Ernst and Young, then AT&T and U S West. She struggled for years to teach herself the basics. Eventually, by writing proposals good enough to nab venture capital, she left her position as a corporate director to start up Pacesetter Labs, a tech company in Palo Alto, California.

When Pacesetter’s success prompted its buyout, Jane happily went back to school to earn a PhD in Information Sciences from the University of North Texas. She came home to teach for Southeastern in 1998, only to find that her students lack the very skill she struggled with so painfully on her own—you guessed it—writing for business.

From the author

In an online world, you are what you write. Your goal should be to present yourself as a polished professional and a person of goodwill. Whether you build your own business, work for the Fortune 500, or work for the public good, writing will be crucial to your success. This book will help.

Six Writing Essentials

Good writing is correct, clear,