Introduction
The major difference between Academic Writing and Business Writing is the purpose for writing; the purpose of any writing defines its nature and structure. Academic and Business texts are produced to achieve fundamentally different ends, and therein lays the main difference between the two types of writing. I will give examples to illuminate further on these differences, to show how the two types of literature use different voices (active vs. passive), narrative styles and formatting.
Purpose in Academic and Business Writing
One might ask, what is the goal? Whenever the idea of writing any text forms, the intention of the author is usually inherently present, and this is more profound in Academic and Business writing. The purpose is the ultimate intent of the writing.
The use of Academic writing is usually to add knowledge to the specific academic field discussed; an example is an academic paper on the role of treated mosquito nets in preventing the spread of Malaria in rural Africa or the role of policymakers in the inherent war against drug trafficking and drug abuse in Mexico.
Such academic writings add to the scholarly knowledge of public health and the measures put in place to arrest the issue of drug trafficking in Mexico respectively. On the other hand, the aim of a Business writing on ‘The importance of communicating with customers,’ for instance, has a functional purpose – to improve the communication skills of employees.
Contextual Analysis
According to Egan Michael, Business writing should use the active voice to achieve its desired functional end (1998, p.48). The active voice aids the writer in making short and purposeful sentences aimed at influencing his or her audience. Conversely, in Academic writing – whose purpose is adding scholarly knowledge – the use of long sentences with the passive voice is appropriate.
Academic writing that, for instance, explains the dangers of global warming will likely benefit from the use of long sentences to explain the intricate mechanisms that accompany the subject of global warming. Other Academic writing may be for countering a thesis, explaining the features of a device, or showing how a certain gadget works (Aitchison & Lee, 2006, p.270).
The use of the passive voice is appropriate in such Academic writing. Business writing, especially one whose purpose is selling an idea, benefits immensely from the use of short active sentences that clarify ideas and make a ‘call to action.’ The use of first-person narration in Business writing also helps the writer to ‘own’ his or her work, and communicate the ideas more effectively.
Business writings whose goal is to influence the decision of the audience towards an action especially benefit from first-person narration because the audience can get the personal and human touch of the message by the author. Academic Writing demands objectivity (Williams, 2006, p.710), and the use of first-person narration would be counter-productive.
Conclusion
The importance of purpose in Business writing is supreme. Often business writings that properly achieve their purpose can be the source of substantial profits for a firm or organization. Therefore, Business writers should capture a subject and immerse themselves into it, and the rest of the applicative matters will follow. This will ensure that the writing process is both enjoyable and its outcomes productive.
References
Aitchison, C., & Lee, A. (2006). Research writing: problems and pedagogies. Teaching in Higher Education, 11(3), 265-278.
Egan, M. (1998). A new approach to business writing. Journal of Workplace Learning, 10 (1), 46-52.
Williams, B. T. (2006). Pay attention to the man behind the curtain: The importance of identity in academic writing. Journal of Adolescent & Adult Literacy, 49(8), 710-715.