Vasquez: the differences between academic and business writing

This discussion topic is designed to help us understand what professional writing is and what academic writing is.

To complete this discussion topic, you will access the article by Felix S. Vasquez, “Differences between Academic and Business Writing.”  The article is available in the e-reserves for this class.

To access the article, please take the following steps:

• select Content in the top menu bar of LEO.
• select Class Resources
• select eReserves
• click on the eReserves icon on the interface
• locate the article among the list of eReserves articles available.

Professor Vasquez is writing about teaching writing skills in Spanish to students for whom Spanish is not a native language.  However, that issue is not the focus of our discussion here.  His analysis of business writing and academic writing is the focus of this discussion.  That analysis will be very helpful to review as we begin our course.

Please answer all of the following questions based on what Vasquez writes in his article, not based on your own understanding.  In addition, please do not simply copy text from the article.  Please summarize what Vasquez writes in the article, and use quotation marks for occasional quotes from the article if you would like to.

1. What are some of the problems that poor writing causes for businesses?  Please do not copy your answer from the article.  Please summarize what the article says on this issue and use quotation marks for occasional quotes from the article.
2. What are the similiarities between academic writing and business writing?  Try to come up with at least three of them.  Please write a paragraph or two in posting your answer.
3. What are the differences between academic writing and business writing?  Try to come up with at least three of them.  Please write a paragraph or two in posting your answer.