Writing for
Business
WRITING SERVICES - UNCW - DEPAOLO HALL, 1ST FLOOR - 962-7857
Basics
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Style manuals: APA; Journal of Finance; The Harvard System of Referencing
Online style manual references: See links below
Style Basics
 Tone: Always consider the audience and why the document is being written to determine
the best tone in business writing. General writing guidelines for tone include writing with
confidence, courtesy, sincerity, non-discriminatory language, appropriate vocabulary
level, emphasize reader benefits, appropriate subject emphasis and subordination, active
voice to emphasize a person performing an action, and passive voice to emphasize an
action being performed.
 Negative messages: To avoid sounding insincere in a negative message, use passive
voice, do not stress reader benefits, and maintain a professional tone that does not attack
the reader but does clearly state your position on the issue.
 Accentuate the positives: Stress what something is rather than what it is not; emphasize
what the firm or product can and will do rather than what it cannot; open with action
rather than apology or explanation; avoid words which convey unpleasant facts, place
good news in positions of high emphasis: at the beginnings and endings of paragraphs,
letters, and even sentences; place bad news in secondary positions: in the center of
paragraphs, letters, and, if possible, sentences; and give more space to good news and less
to bad news.
 Non-discriminatory language:
o Use neutral job titles
o Avoiding demeaning or stereotypical terms
o Avoid words or phrases that unnecessarily imply gender
o Omit information that discloses group membership, including age, sexuality, etc.
o Avoid using strictly masculine pronouns
o Use a nonsexist salutation if you do not know the recipient’s gender
Basic Format/Organization of a Paper
 Executive Summary
 Introduction
 Body
 Conclusion/Discussion
 Bibliography
While in academics, business writing typically uses APA style for essays and reports, professors
may prefer to use one of two professional styles specific for the business field, Journal of
Finance style or the Harvard System of Referencing.
Examples of Journal of Finance Citations
 Paraphrasing one author: (Lastname YYYY)
 Direct quotation: (Lastname YYYY, p. ##)
nd
 Book citation: LASTNAME, I. I. (YYYY) Title. # ed. Place of publication: Publisher.
 Journal citation: LASTNAME, I. I. (YYYY) Title of article. Title of journal, Vol. no.
(Part no./Issue/Month), Pages, use p. or pp.
Examples of Harvard System of Referencing
 References to data sources within the body of the paper or the tables should be italicized.
 Paraphrasing one author: (Lastname (YYYY))
nd
 Book citation: LASTNAME, I. I. (YYYY) Title. # ed. Place of publication: Publisher.
 Journal citation: LASTNAME, I. I. (YYYY) Title of article. Title of journal, Vol. no.
(Part no./Issue/Month), Pages, use p. or pp.
Suggested Databases
 Business Source Complete
 Emerald Full Text
 Small Business Reference Center
 Entrepreneurial Studies Source™
 Hoover's Online
 Standard & Poor's NetAdvantage
 Mergent InvestorEdge
 EconLit
Links for Handout References
 Randall Library Citation Guides
http://library.uncw.edu/citations
 APA Sample Paper
http://uncw.edu/ulc/documents/APA%20Word%20Sample%20Paper%20-%20TAC.pdf
 The Journal of Finance Style Guidelines
This reference includes an example paper with all style guidelines.
http://www.google.com/url?sa=t&rct=j&q=the%20journal%20of%20financestyle%20gui
delines&source=web&cd=2&ved=0CF0QFjAB&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.afajof.org
%2Fafa%2Fall%2FJF%2520Style.doc&ei=T4bHT6cGYm29QS3ydC9Dw&usg=AFQjCNFenn_Fzaqa9GpvLXcXD5LzLT14Qg
 The Harvard System of Referencing; De Montfort University
http://www.library.dmu.ac.uk/Images/Selfstudy/Harvard.pdf
 Harvard Style Referencing Guide; The University of Queensland
http://www.library.uq.edu.au/training/citation/harvard_6.pdf
By: Jazmin Capezza