CHALLENGES IN BUSINESS WRITING FACED BY UNDERGRADUATE STUDENTS IN A PRIVATE UNIVERSITY IN PAKISTAN
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.62533/94anhc12Keywords:
Business Writing, Undergraduate Students, Writing ChallengesAbstract
In this paper, the article explores the problems encountered by business writing among undergraduate students in one of the privately owned universities in Pakistan. With qualitative research design, data were gathered by use of semi-structured interviews with business communication course students and instructors. Thematic analysis also indicated that there were challenges in organizing and formatting of documents as well as balancing on tone and professionalism as well as grammatical accuracy and clarity. The lack of writing practice, the lack of feedback and the lack of prior preparation have been determined as some
of the key contributing factors. Even though AI applications, like ChatGPT, help to generate ideas and fix language, overuse impedes the development of independent skills. The research results emphasize the significance of the effective pedagogy, positive feedback, and learning oriented practice in enhancing the proficiency of business writing. The research provides useful recommendations to teachers and curriculum developers to enhance teaching writing, critical thinking, and students’ preparedness to academic and professional communication needs.
Downloads
References
Al-Khasawneh, F. (2010). Writing for academic purposes: Problems faced by Arab postgraduate students of the College of Business, UUM. ESP World, 9(2), 1–23.
Al Murshidi, G. (2014). UAE university male students’ interests’ impact on reading and writing performance and improvement. English Language Teaching, 7(9), 57–63.
Baharudin, H., Ismail, N., & Omar, N. (2003). English language teaching and learning issues in Malaysia. Journal of Language Teaching, 12(1), 45–59.
Blicq, R., & Moretto, S. (2015). Technically-Write! Communicating in a Technological Era. Pearson.
Braun, V., & Clarke, V. (2006). Using thematic analysis in psychology. Qualitative Research in Psychology, 3(2), 77–101.
Creswell, J. W., & Poth, C. N. (2018). Qualitative inquiry and research design: Choosing among five approaches. SAGE.
Davis, C., & Johnson, M. (2020). Business letters and communication strategies. Business Communication Quarterly, 83(1), 45–59.
Fareed, M., Ashraf, A., & Bilal, M. (2016). ESL learners’ writing skills: Problems, factors and suggestions. Journal of Education and Social Sciences, 4(2), 81–92.
Gale, D. (2014). Principles for enhancing business writing skills. International Journal of Business Communication, 51(3), 345–367.
Garner, B. (2012). HBR guide to better business writing. Harvard Business Review Press.
Guffey, M. E., & Du-Babcock, B. (2010). Essentials of business communication. Cengage Learning.
Guffey, M. E., & Loewy, D. (2016). Business communication: Process and product. Cengage Learning.
Harmer, J. (1998). How to teach English. Longman.
Heckadon, S., & Tuzlukova, V. (2021). Students’ perceptions of business writing challenges in Oman. International Journal of English Linguistics, 11(3), 1–10.
Johnson, D., & Smith, K. (2017). Writing professional résumés and curriculum vitae. Career Development International, 22(5), 512–530.
Kallestinova, E. (2011). How to write your first research paper. The Yale Journal of Biology and Medicine, 84(3), 181–190.
Killeen, P. (2013). The essentials of business communication. Routledge.
Lentz, P. (2013). Workplace writing and pedagogy. Business and Professional Communication Quarterly, 76(3), 340–357.
Lesikar, R. V., & Flatley, M. E. (2007). Basic business communication: Skills for empowering the Internet generation. McGraw-Hill.
Lundin, R. (2008). Writing in professional contexts. Journal of Technical Writing and Communication, 38(2), 123–139.
Markel, M. (2015). Technical communication. Bedford/St. Martin’s.
Martinez, S., & White, D. (2018). Memos and internal business communication. Journal of Workplace Studies, 6(2), 44–59.
Merriam, S. B., & Tisdell, E. J. (2016). Qualitative research: A guide to design and implementation. Jossey-Bass.
Miller, R., & Brown, T. (2019). Email communication and business professionalism. Journal of Communication Management, 23(1), 75–88.
Nikitina, A. (2012). The role of clarity in business communication. Business Studies Journal, 5(3), 77–90.
Nunan, D. (2003). Practical English language teaching. McGraw-Hill.
Niazi, M. M., Ahmed, S., & Khan, D. S. (2023). Uncovering the Determinants of English Language Anxiety in Undergraduate Learners: A Study at a Private University in Pakistan. International Journal of Experiential Learning & Case Studies, 8(2), 219-238.
Ober, S. (2012). Contemporary business communication. Cengage Learning.
Patton, M. Q. (2015). Qualitative research and evaluation methods (4th ed.). SAGE.
Pineteh, E. (2013). The academic writing challenges of undergraduate students. International Journal of Higher Education, 3(1), 12–25.
Raza, S. A., Ahmed, S., Asif, A., & Rani, A. (2023). The Impact of Burnout on the Psychological Well-being of ESL Students in Higher Education Environment. Siazga Research Journal, 2(3), 147–156. https://doi.org/10.58341/srj.v2i3.21
Riaz, M., & Gul, S. (2016). Grammar competence among ESL students in Pakistan. Journal of Language Teaching and Research, 7(5), 910–917.
Richards, J. C., & Renandya, W. A. (2002). Methodology in language teaching: An anthology of current practice. Cambridge University Press.
Shokrpour, N., & Fallahzadeh, M. (2007). A study of academic writing problems of Iranian EFL students. Iranian Journal of Language Studies, 1(2), 143–152.
Tanviboolaya, N. (2014). Business English writing problems among Thai employees. Journal of English for Business Communication, 5(2), 67–79.
Uba, M., & Souidi, M. (2020). Challenges in business English writing among Omani learners. Journal of English for Specific Purposes, 8(2), 45–56.
Downloads
Published
Data Availability Statement
The data is available with the authors.
