Writing for Management Majors
As a Management student, I am involved with many types of writing, mostly research essays, blogs, and short answer questions, for example. However, what types of writing will I do in the next several years at Case? To answer this question, I talked to some of the brothers at the Fiji fraternity house. Though a majority of the brothers are non-Management Majors, there were a few that helped me answer my question.
Communication is key in the workplace.
The first person I talked to was Nick, a Management Major with a focus in Finance. When I asked him what types of writing his major involves, he responded that he does case studies for his classes. For these case studies, he has to analyze a company or the actions of a company and point out its flaws or suggest improvements. For one case study, Nick had to analyze Southwest Airlines’ business strategy after the attacks of 9/11. For other schoolwork, Nick told me that sometimes he has essays relating to financial concepts on tests for classes, but not too many.
After talking with Nick, I talked with two other Management Majors, Kevin and Matt, who are both Accounting Majors. I asked them the same question that I asked Nick, and they responded very similarly; the two are also involved with case studies. They have to analyze a company, suggest improvements, and point out flaws. For these case studies, the three brothers told me that they have to create memos, which are very straightforward and state the analysis of the company and its actions.
As I continued to talk with the guys, I asked them if writing plays a significant part with internships or jobs. Kevin and Matt said that, in these cases, verbal skills are more important than writing skills. To get a job or internship, the person has to have developed communication skills. They told me that writing plays an important part with the resume, but communication skills are key to earning the job. If someone cannot communicate clearly with their coworkers, they will not be effective in the work place.
In the next couple years, I can expect to do some case studies and some essays on tests. More importantly however, I feel that my communication skills will become very important in the near future. I will be applying for jobs and internships, and I will need to communicate clearly to explain why I deserve the job. If I cannot clearly explain my resume and experience, then I will most likely not get the job. Moreover, without verbal communication and an explanation, my resume means nothing. It just appears as words on a piece of paper. Writing skills are important, but in the business world, verbal skills dominate.
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