To succeed as tomorrow's workers in the knowledge society of the new century--a world characterized by ceaseless change, boundless knowledge and endless doubt, today's business writing students must develop the skills and traits needed to become creative problem-solvers, flexible team-players and risk-taking life-time learners (Bereiter, 2002a).…

Describes five consulting activities developed over several years association with a business firm in order to show that intensive work for one company can be an interesting option for consultants who want to address a firm's many communication problems and who want to see long-term results. (FL)

Describes a class project designed to help students prepare themselves for the job search--the preparation of a portfolio containing all the written assignments the students have completed in the course. (FL)

Outlines an assignment in which students write grant proposals to learn how writing is used in the "real world." (FL)

Describes a technical writing exercise used in the writing assistance program of a school of engineering. The exercise involves comparison of an original and rewritten memo to illustrate poor technical writing and how it differs from its better-organized and better-developed counterpart. (HTH)

Emphasizes the need for "pointing" or structuring the body of the report so that the "recommendations" or "conclusions" logically follow. (EL)

Offers a technique designed to help business communication students write sales letters and letters of application. (FL)

Suggests that proposal writing can benefit technical writing students by enhancing skills in using persuasion devices with technology. Presents three rhetorical structural steps (beginning, middle, and end) that reinforce a proposal writing exercise suitable for both university and business applications. (HTH)

Suggests that to learn the effective facets of style in technical writing, students should read Walter Miller's "What Can the Technical Writer of the Past Teach the Technical Writer of Today?" in which the styles of 12 outstanding technical writers are analyzed, and examples of the various stylistic techniques of each writer are cited.…

Illustrates using student shared nonacademic experience in preparing group proposals by using an adaptation of the eight-stage process in "The Winning Proposal: How to Write It" by Holtz and Schmidt. (EL)

Presents eight writing assignments designed to help students write reports and letters for their future jobs. (HTH)

Proposes the concept of criteria formulation as an integral part of the report writing process. Suggests using the skills of analysis, synthesis, and valuing to produce readable, comprehensive, and accurate recommendation reports. (EL)

While the classroom situation and textbook exercises are not irrelevant or useless, business writing assignments need a healthy dose of "real-world experience" to make their importance obvious to students. The instructor has only to ask a local employer if the business students can do some of the writing that is backing up in the employer's…

Explains why instructors need to make report writing an integral part of courses in business and technical writing. Discusses the advantage of group projects on campus-related issues. (EL)

Reports on a survey of business managers indicating (1) that managers consider skills in written and oral communication important to career success and employee job performance and (2) dissatisfaction with employees' ability to communicate effectively. Suggests aligning at least some writing assignments more closely with job-related writing tasks.…