Writing in parallel universe: A comparative study on the approach and process of writing business proposals between business professional and business students in a Singapore university

Many universities that offer writing courses on how to write business proposals often fall short in adequately preparing students for real-world applications (Bhatia & Bremner, 2012). This deficiency primarily arises from an overreliance on textbooks as the main instructional materials in the curriculum (Lawrence et al., 2019). These textbooks typically lack a practical connection to the complexities involved in crafting a business proposal. They overlook critical aspects of the process, such as the need for in-depth research, the development of critical thinking skills, and the ability to collaborate effectively in writing these proposals. The aim of this dissertation is to examine ways in which the students can be better supported when writing a business proposal. It seeks to address the following research questions:

1) How do novice writers write a business proposal?

a) What do business proposal task prompts require of novice writers?

b) What are novice writers’ understanding of these requirements?

c) How do novice writers approach the writing of business proposals?

2) How do professionals write a business proposal?

a) What do requests for proposals (RFP) require of professionals?

b) What are professionals’ understanding of these requirements?

c) How do professionals approach the writing of business proposals?

3) How are the approaches in 1) and 2) similar or different?

4) How can universities support the development of writing business proposal skills that will prepare students for the working world?

This study used a narrative inquiry methodology. Participants shared their lived experiences through stories (Creswell & Poth, 2018). The roles were switched as the researcher retold the stories by interpreting the events, problems, setting, characters, and solutions to form a coherent structure. The researcher then checked the authenticity of the stories with the participants who now become the listener. The narratives were further analysed to produce restories.

Five undergraduates and five business professionals participated in the study which took place in a business management university in Singapore. They provided artefacts such as business proposal assignments, and reflective journals and participated in interviews to share their experiences. The main findings show that students struggled as they had little access to their clients’ problems. They did not have business proposals for reference because these are confidential documents. Students could not discuss their ideas with their classmates because of plagiarism issues. Therefore, they could not participate in a community of writers to develop their writing skills. In contrast, the five business professionals spent time understanding their clients' issues. They conducted research to propose solutions and write collaboratively with their team. Their approach reflects the sociocultural theory of writing where writing is deeply influenced by the social and cultural contexts.

The results of the study led to two sets of recommendations: internal and external. Internal recommendations involve getting instructors to update their knowledge of business proposal writing. Teaching and learning practices should be developed to help students collaborate more with their peers. External recommendations include working with clients on semi-confidential projects and increasing client participation to develop the students’ business proposal writing skills.