Help with researching

I need essay help with researching a fairly obscure topic. I am a second year university student, attempting to write an essay for a business writing class. The assignment is:

With particular attention to the implications of writing style choices (vocabulary, verb tense, etc), do research on writing as it relates to business ethics.

Discuss the ethical implications of particular style choices for business. Refer to at least one example from your own experience (either as a business person or as a customer). If you cannot do this, say so in the paper and supply an extra example from your research) and at least one example from your research. Use the exercises and topics in class to develop your ideas and outline your paper. First person point of view is acceptable.

Conclude by discussing the communications choices you would make in these or similar situations and how you would carry them out. Use as supporting material the research you have done into ethical style choices."

Essentially, I am having the most difficulty finding any relevant information to analyze and discuss. The professor gave examples of possible topics (eg: the use of conditional language in contracts) but, I still cannot find any information.

Are there any certain specific resources that may be especially useful? Broad queries using search engines or academic journal databases are not working.

Linda responds:

I’m doing a little happy dance. Your request for essay help was one of the most complete and well-written submissions I’ve ever received.

Your university instructor also deserves a round of applause for preparing a wonderful writing prompt. It requires students to integrate their out-of-class experience with their class work and to do new research. Also, as you have discovered, it is written in such a way that it is almost impossible for a student to find information to plagiarize.

From your statement that broad queries didn’t work, I infer that you began by doing research. I find most writing projects are easier if you begin by guessing a working thesis and then researching using the keywords in it. I know that sounds nutty, but given all the information in your prompt, you can probably pull together at least one tentative idea to use as a starting point.

I don’t know your background or what material you’ve studied in your class, but I’ll give you an example that might help you see a way you could get started with this topic.

My local school district posted a document about some program to improve graduation rates. The document contains passive voice sentences that say something like "students will be taught about the post-secondary options open to them," instead of specifying who is responsible for doing the teaching. In addition, the document is chock full of sentences that are witten in active voice but which, in practical terms, obscure responsibility for action, such as, "our goal is to educate all students to a higher level of academic performance."

As I see it, the school district is behaving unethically by obscuring responsibility. The school is a public institution, paid for by public funds, and responsible to public taxpayers. If the public school fails to perform, taxpayers should be able to identify the culprits.

From that bit of experience, I might pull out this tentative idea:

Reliance on passive voice in education plans suggests school management denies responsibility for the public consequences of actions funded with taxpayer dollars.

You would probably not find any documents on that working thesis, but you would find information about passive voice and sentence constructions that are grammatically in active voice but that fail to identify an actor. (This is the "mistakes were made" defense.) You would also find articles about what schools say when the public accuses them of not doing their jobs.

It is very possible that as you begin research, you will find your initial working thesis needs to be adjusted or even that you need to start over. The amount of time you save researching a narrower topic usually gives you time to use in revamping your original idea.

I hope that is some help in getting started on your essay.

Thank you for visiting the essay help form. It is a pleasure working with a thoughtful student. I hope you'll return and add a comment that you got an A on your essay.