FACULTY OF BUSINESS SCIENCES

DEPARTMENT OF SUPPLY CHAIN, INSUARANCE AND RISK SCIENCES

NAME : ZAVARE EDISON J

REG NUMBER : R2212517C
MODULE : CS131
LEVEL : 1.1
MODE OF ENRTY : CONVETIONAL
PROGRAM : LOGISTICS AND SUPPLY CHAIN MANAGEMENT
LECTURER : MRS F MUTEMA
SUBMISSION : 03 OCTOBER 2022

QUESTION
2. Discuss the difference between an academic essay and a business report. [30]
It is difficult deciding whether to tell the difference between an academic essay and a business
report. This is because the two writing styles have different purposes. An academic essay will
want you to express your opinion about a topic, while a business report will require you to
provide facts and data to support your ideas. We will not take a closer look at the two styles so
that you can determine which is more suitable for your project.
Firstly according to (Nathan 2013), Academic essay is to inform readers on selected topics,
introducing a new topic for discussion and offer an opinion of it. The argument should support
ones view on the topic and provide convincing evidence to be the opinion. It includes evidence
from reputable sources to support the claim. A good academic essay will also introduce a thesis
statement that expresses the main idea of an essay and telling the reader what the essay will be
about. A well-written essay will also contain a coherent structure that is easy to follow and
provides a logical progression from on point to the next. The essay should be free of spelling and
grammatical errors and have a polished professional appearance.
Moreover, academic essay requires careful planning to ensure that it meets all the requirements
and achieves the desired results using formal language and third person perspective. A suitable
topic is chosen for an academic essay and also an appropriate writing style that will help in
communicating the ideas effectively. The essay should include an introduction that identifies the
topic under discussion and provide background information. The introduction should answer the
question acting as a guide to the whole essay. This acts as a mini essay introducing the main
points that are to be discussed in the body. It should be short, precise and captivating one
paragraph that is able to draw the reader’s attention.
Also, the body of the essay should include a strong thesis statement that outlines the main point
of the essay and discusses relevant evidence from the literature to support the claim. In addition,
academic essay originates in academic settings, including is an academic writing assignment that
requires you to develop an argument and present evidence to support the argument. An essay is
structured around a thesis statement which clearly defines the topic in discussion and sets out the
main argument. This statement introduces the topic that is in discussion and presents the main
point of the essay. A good thesis statement makes a clear statement of what position the essay
writer is taking and what the argument is going to be about. For example if the thesis is “X is
true” this means that the argument will be that X is true throughout the essay by provision of
evidence that supports this position. In contrast, if the thesis is “X is false”, it means that the
argument is against X by presenting evidence that contradicts this assertion. A thesis statement
should only state what the writer believes, not what the writer thinks others believe or what
might be true. When developing a thesis statement there is need to be specific as possible.
(Bailey 2014)
Also, it must be noted that essays consists of paragraphs which contain a topic sentence and
supporting ideas. A topic sentence is a typical opening statement of a paragraph that addresses
the question in hand, it announces what the paragraph is about this is a brief highlight of what is
to come. Carrying the main idea of a paragraph guiding the writer and giving direction to the
essay. Supporting ideas these can be outlined as sentences that backup the topic sentence giving
clarity to it. These develop the idea the can be evidence of research and examples. Developers
supply evidence giving authenticity to the writer’s argument at hand.
Furthermore according to,(Ramoroka 2014) an essay contains a conclusion that provides a
summary of the key points covered in the essay giving the reader a sense of closure by restating
the main points of the argument. The writer makes a convincing effort that the essay has come to
an end in order not to come to an abrupt end leaving the reader in suspense. The essay is drawn
together and giving proof that the question has been answered. The essay ends gracefully leading
the writer not to be in debt to the reader with a sense of finality. The conclusion should consist of
points that have been presented in the argument and no new points should be introduced. In short
a conclusion is sort of a deduction based upon the argument which one would have presented.

However, according to (Mather 2018) reports are transmittal documents which can be a letter or
a memo. The memo is used within the same organization thus called intra-organizational, it is
written directed to the members in the company that are supposed to receive it within that same
branch for the manager for information dispersion at Liquid Telecoms wants to communicate a
message to his subordinates he uses the memo which is short and precise for example (A
reminder on the filing of the scheduled minutes of the upcoming board meeting). The letter is
inter-organizational communication between two or more organizations. A letter is more formal
than a memo as it contains a cover page that contains the title of the report, receiver, compiler
and the date of compilation. There are generally many types of reports which are the general
report, progress report, imperical research report.
On a special note one must account that a business report serves to inform management, other
employees and stockholders public about the business operations, projects and outlooks
providing factual information about the topic under discussion and make recommendations about
how to solve the problem or over the challenges that have been identified in the report. When
one is writing a report for the employer, there is need to adhere to company styles guidelines in
order to make sure that the document is properly formatted. A good business report will contain
a clear introduction that gives an overview of the topic of the report and introduces the reader to
the problem being investigated. The body of the report provides an overview of the current state
of affairs in relation to the issue being researched and then discuss the possible causes of the
problem and identify possible solutions. The report should include a section that discusses the
benefits and risks of the different solutions identified and how they could be implemented to
achieve the desired results. (Riordan 2013)
Moreover, business report writing reports are written in in shorter sentences and simpler
language is used. It is professional and courteous, but not overly formal. There should not be
extra words. The report is not a place for figurative language, it is best to be direct and to the
point in business writing, avoiding unnecessary adjectives, adverbs and clichés. A business
report usually includes graphs, tables and numerical data. They are written based on factual
information that can be proven through recorded data including specific information about a
business taking up the role of including a business profits, loses, problems and recommendations
in addressing them, and future projects based on the data. These reports are limited to topics that
pertain business being discussed, so there is little room for creativity in choosing the type of
business report to write. (Dombrowski 2020)
Finally, a business depends heavily on the subject and type of report. Reports contain a table of
contents which is a brief outline of how the whole report write-up is done. They are divided into
headed and numbered sections and sometimes sub-sections, using the IMRad format. Business
reports originate from outside academic subjects and are typically used in the world of work.
Containing complete information on the topic being focused on.
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S Bailey - 2014 - taylorfrancis.com

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SC Dombrowski - 2020 - Springer

Now significantly updated and in its second edition, this book advances the practice of
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study of citation practices in essay writing in two departments at
the University of Botswana
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Technical report writing today
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