Writing in the Discipline
1. Why or in what ways is writing important to your discipline/field/profession?
Management and marketing professionals need to have the ability to communicate with many constituencies and in many forms as well as communicate to a variety of stakeholders in order to facilitate decision making and provide information. The main functions of managers in both fields are to scan the environment, gather information from it, and use that information to help their organizations adapt. Doing so includes interpreting and explaining data, developing standards based on it, analyzing various types of reports, and writing strategic business and marketing plans. In short, excellent written communication is an essential skill in both the management and marketing worlds.
2. Which courses are designated as satisfying the WID requirement by your department? Why these courses?
MGT 201, 341, 461, and MKT 201 are designated as Writing in the Discipline courses for the Management Program. These courses are common to all management majors. They provide students the opportunities to explain and interpret management situations; apply management theories to current organizational issues; learn how to research, collect, and interpret qualitative information; and construct persuasive arguments based on that information. Students in the Human Resource Management concentration will also learn writing particular to their field in MGT 430.
MKT 201, 462, MGT 201, and 341 are designated as Writing in the Discipline courses for the Marketing Program. These courses provide students the opportunity to analyze and describe general markets and specific customer behaviors, think creatively, develop new product ideas, and write strategic marketing plans.
In both disciplines, students will receive feedback to improve their writing skills.
3. What forms or genres of writing will students learn and practice in your department’s WID courses? Why these genres?
In Management WID courses, genres of writing include short topic analyses, extensive research papers, journal entries, case studies, reflective and comparative essays, and complete business plans. In Marketing WID courses, genres of writing include short analytic essays, customer profiles, lecture-type presentations, speeches, market analysis papers, creative projects, and strategic marketing plans. These are the written communication tools management and marketing professionals use on a daily basis. They are essential skills to develop for a career in either field.
4. What kinds of teaching practices will students encounter in your department’s WID courses?
Students will find a range of teaching practices in Management and Marketing courses. For example, students in WID courses in the Management and Marketing majors are given a variety of assignments so they learn all types of writing required by their fields. They are instructed on proper formats for writing in business academics and taught the importance of proper referencing and citation to avoid plagiarism. Case studies and business plans allow students to analyze real-life organizational issues and to make recommendations by applying theory. They also learn the importance of writing persuasively by making a point and backing it up with data and evidence. Presentations and speeches give students opportunities to practice talking to an audience. Detailed feedback from the instructors on all assignments allows students to review, and sometimes revise, the content of their projects so they learn how to improve future work.
5. When they’ve satisfied your department’s WID requirement, what should students know and be able to do with writing?
Once they’ve completed their WID courses, Management and Marketing majors should be proficient in various forms of written communication in their respective fields. This includes: analyzing organizational environments and markets, writing persuasively, thinking critically and creatively, and developing strategic plans.
