ABSTRACT
Business writing, at its best and at its worst, is an expression of the values and beliefs of an organization. Writing is a way of thinking about business, a way of organizing. Survey results indicate that writing is a ticket to professional opportunity, while poorly written job applications are a figurative kiss of death. Half of all companies take writing into account when making promotion decisions. Good writing – that is, writing with power, grace, dignity and impact – takes time, careful thought and revision. Such writing is often the product of many years of training and practice. Three things seem to depend on writing that meets those criteria: organizational efficiency, personal productivity and career. Large and complex organizations have shown time and again that the less time their employees spend at the keyboard composing correspondence, the more time they have to think about and accomplish other things.
