Topic Proposal

1. The issue that I will be analyzing is about using class rank as an admissions tool for the three state school located in Iowa.  The University of Iowa, Iowa State University, and the University of Northern Iowa all use the RAI score as a way to accept applicants into the university.  Also, many scholarships offered require a certain score on the RAI, in order to eligible to apply.  The RAI is a mathematical formula that takes into account high school GPA, ACT score, core classes taken, and class rank.  There is a lot of controversy surrounding this because class rank is becoming a less effective tool to measure a student by.  Many high schools are completely eliminating class rank, yet it is still a factor for admission, if your high school reports class rank.
2. My focus will be specifically on the class rank portion of this mathematical formula.  My focus on class rank will be that it is not an accurate tool to judge a student by.  There are a variety of reasons that I will analyze on why this is not an effective tool.  For example, many smaller and private schools have more competition in their grades than larger schools do, which negatively affects these schools.
3. I am choosing to analyze this topic because a few years ago my high school decided that they were no longer going to report students' class rank.  This allowed for more people to be accepted into college, and giving them a better chance to improve their future.  I also find this to be an interesting topic because fewer colleges are choosing to use class rank in their admissions, yet the Iowa state schools still choose to use this as a factor.
4. I will mainly be using news articles as sources for this topic.  I will also be using specific information from these various state schools how they choose to use the RAI score for admissions, and also for scholarships.

IMRaD Mandatory Draft

Abstract

            This report analyzes the factors that college students attribute to their weight gain.  A survey was conducted to achieve a better understanding of the different factors that may affect why college students put on weight.  This survey asked basic questions about how participants’ diet and exercise has changed since leaving for college.  Overall, the data showed that many college students attribute their weight gain to exercising less frequently.  These results can be useful to future freshmen classes on ways to deter weight gain, and also allows the University of Iowa to focus on the importance of exercising as a way to hinder weight gain.

Introduction

            One of the many challenges that college students face is weight gain.  College weight gain is so prevalent that it has become known as the freshmen fifteen.  This refers to the likeliness that a first-year student in college will put on fifteen pounds by the end of the year.  Weight gain is a big concern for college students, however many of them do not take the appropriate steps to prevent it.  This is an issue because there has been an increased trend in the prevalence of obesity in America.  Obesity has significant health effects on the body and may even be fatal.  Large weight gain in college can set students on a path towards obesity.  Consequently, it is important for college students to be able to understand why they are gaining weight, and what they can do to prevent it.  Although the freshmen fifteen is a commonly used term, there have been conflicting studies on the validity of this claim.

            N. Mihalopoulos, P. Auinger, and J. Klein (2010) conducted a study at the University of Utah and discovered that few students actually gain the whole fifteen pounds, but rather they gain about 2.7 pounds on average (p. 532).  A similar study done at Auburn University by S. Gropper, K. Simmons, and A. Gaines (2009) concluded that freshmen students gain about 2.1 pounds on average (p. 228).  Clearly, there is an issue of college students gaining too much weight during their first year.  Yet, both of these studies failed to investigate why so many college students put on this much weight.  This study aims to expand on the conclusions of these past studies by examining the factors that freshmen students at the University of Iowa believe has contributed to their weight gain.

Methods

Participants: Those who participated in this study were freshmen students in their first semester at the University of Iowa in the fall of 2015.  In total, there were twenty students who participated in this study.

Data Sources: Participants were asked to complete an anonymous online survey.

Procedure: Participants were asked a variety of questions about factors of weight gain and whether these factors applied to them.  The first question was, “How much weight have you gained since leaving for college?”  The second question was, “What do you think has attributed to your weight gain?”  A list of factors were provided, and participants were asked to select all that they thought applied.  Finally, participants were then asked if the strongly agreed, agreed, disagreed, or strongly disagreed to a series of three statements regarding the health of their diet, food consumption, and exercise.

Data Analysis: The results obtained from the survey were converted into percentages.  These percentages were then displayed in bar graphs to allow the reader to quickly obtain the relevant information.  One survey question that was analyzed was the participants’ response to what they considered the main cause of their weight gain.  Based on the results from this question, the report also analyzes the way in which this specific factor has increased or decreased since the participant has entered college. 

Results

Figure 1: Participants’ response to what they believe causes their weight gain

           

Figure 1 shows a distribution to the responses pertaining to causes of weight gain among survey participants.  47.8% of University of Iowa freshmen participating in the survey believe their weight gain is caused by a lack of exercise.  21.7% of participants declared that consuming more food is a reason for their weight gain.  These results suggest that students who are putting on weight during their freshmen year attribute it overwhelmingly to lack of exercise, while less than a quarter of participants attribute their weight gain to consuming more food than they have in the past.   

Figure 2: Participants’ response to the statement, “I exercise less in college than I did in high school.”

           

Figure 2 shows that freshmen students at the University of Iowa exercise much less in college than they did in high school.  50% of participants agreed that they exercise less in college, and 35% of participants strongly agreed that they exercise less in college.  Figure 1 illustrated that many participants stated that a reason for their weight gain was exercising less frequently.  Figure 2 elaborates on that fact by showing around 85% of the participants do not exercise as much as they used to in high school.

Discussion

            This study shows what factors University of Iowa freshmen attribute to their weight gain.  The results demonstrate that the most common perceived reason for putting on weight is exercising less frequently.  In fact, when participants were asked to expand upon their rate of exercise, nearly 85% of them stated that they do not exercise as much as they used to in high school. 

            There were some issues with the study that took place.  First of all, there were too few participants to accurately gauge the factors that influence weight gain among freshmen students at the University of Iowa.  In total, this study surveyed twenty students.  Twenty students is not enough to provide an accurate representation of the entire freshmen class.  Another fault in this study was that it analyzed two major reason for weight gain: exercise and diet.  However, there are many other reasons why people may put on weight.

            The results of this survey indicate that lack of exercise is a major reason why many University of Iowa freshmen put on weight.  This previously unknown data can help the University of Iowa focus more on exercise as a way to deter weight gain.  For example, they could promote the recreation center or involvement in intramural sports.  These results can also help the next class of incoming freshmen by explaining to them what other freshmen have struggled with regarding weight gain in college. 

            There is certainly future research that can be done regarding this issue.  First, this report focused on the two main types of ways people put on weight.  Further research could analyze how less common factors affect weight gain among college freshmen.  Another area that could be researched is how a change in lifestyle affects weight gain among college students.  Lifestyle changes such as, stress level and homesickness affect most college students, which could be additional reasons for weight gain among college students.

           

           

References

Gropper, S., Simmons, K., & Gaines, A. (2009). The freshman 15: a closer look. Journal of American College Health, 58(3), 223-231.

Mihalopoulos, N., Auinger, P., & Klein, J. (2010). The freshmen 15: is it real? Journal of American College Health, 56(5), 531-553.

Appendix

1.     How much weight have you gained since leaving college?

2.     What do you think has attributed to your weight gain?

3.     I eat a less healthy diet in college than I did in high school.

a.     Strongly agree

b.     Agree

c.     Disagree

d.     Strongly disagree

4.     I consume more food in college than I did in high school.

a.     Strongly agree

b.     Agree

c.     Disagree

d.     Strongly disagree

5.     I exercise less in college than I did in high school.

a.     Strongly agree

b.     Agree

c.     Disagree

d.     Strongly disagree

Revised Introduction

College students face many challenges, one of which is weight gain, commonly called the freshmen fifteen.  It’s the tendency to gain fifteen your first year.  This is an issue because obesity is on the rise.  Obesity can cause various illnesses, and even death.  Students must understand causes of weight gain and potential preventative measures.  Although freshmen fifteen is a common term, conflicting studies have questioned its validity.

A 2010 study discovered that students actually gain 2.7 on average (Mihalopoulous, et. al).  A similar study concluded that freshmen students gained 2.1 pounds on average (Gropper et. al).  These studies failed to investigate weight gain causes.  This study examines factors that freshmen believe contribute to weight gain.  

Introduction/Methods

Introduction

            One of the many challenges that college students face is weight gain.  College weight gain is so prevalent that it has become known as the freshmen fifteen.  This refers to the likeliness that a first-year student in college will put on fifteen pounds by the end of the year.  Weight gain is a big concern for college students, however many of them do not take the appropriate steps to prevent weight gain.  This is an issue because there has been an increased trend in the prevalence of obesity of America.  Obesity has significant health effects on the body, and may even be fatal.  Large weight gain in college can set students on a path towards obesity.  Consequently, it is important for college students to be able to understand why they are gaining weight, and what they can do to prevent it.  Although the freshmen fifteen is a commonly used term, there have been conflicting studies on the validity of this claim.

            N. Mihalopoulos, P. Auinger, and J. Klein (2010) discovered that few students actually gain the whole fifteen pounds, but rather they gain about 2.7 pounds on average (p. 532).  However, this weight gain on average is still more than six times the normal weight put on during a one year period (p. 532).  Clearly, there is an issue of college students putting on too much weight during their first year.  Yet, they failed to research why so many college students put on this much weight.  This study aims to expand on the research done by Mihalopoulos, Auinger, and Klein by examining the factors that freshmen students at the University of Iowa believe has contributed to their weight gain.

Methods

Participants: Those who participated in this study were all freshmen students in their first semester at the University of Iowa in the fall of 2015.  In total, there were twenty students who participated in this study.

Data Sources: Participants were asked to complete a survey online on surveymonkey.com

Procedure: Participants were asked a variety of questions about factors of weight gain, and whether these factors applied to them.  The first question was, “How much weight have you gained since leaving for college?”  The second question was, “What do you think has attributed to your weight gain?”  A list of factors were provided, and participants were asked to select all that they thought applied.  Finally, participants were then asked if the strongly agreed, agreed, disagreed, or strongly disagreed to a series of three statements regarding the health of their diet, food consumption, and exercise.

Survey Questions

https://www.surveymonkey.com/r/22SXHR9

Research Questions/Economists sell bagels

My first research question is: Does birth order play a role in academic success?  The way in which I plan to research this is a survey.  In this survey I will ask my fellow classmates a few things.  One would be where they fall in their family in terms of age.  Are they first born, a middle child, or the last born?  Then I would ask questions that would indicate academic success.  Examples of these questions would be: What was your high school GPA? What is your expected college GPA?  What was your ACT score?  I could then also ask question about if their siblings did better or worse than they personally did.  Based on this data I should be able to draw a conclusion on if birth order plays a role in how academically successful the person is.
My second research question is: Is the freshmen fifteen real?  I would also use a survey to investigate this question.  I would ask a variety of questions regarding weight, diet, exercise, etc.  Some of the questions would be: Have you gained any weight since leaving for college? Do you consider yourself to eat a healthy diet? How often do you exercise?  I would investigate my fellow classmates again, considering they are all first semester freshmen.  Based on this data I could analyze if the freshmen fifteen was real, how many people this affects, and what factors play a part of gaining weight in college.

There are some similarities and differences between the two readings we had to do.  Some similarities are that both of the writings are analyzing something and presenting their data.  The main difference that comes between these two writings is how they present their data.  In Freakonomics, the results are merely explained, and very little evidence is given on how they managed to obtain these results.  Also, in Freakonomics the research was not done by the authors.  They are using evidence that was gathered from a different experiment.  In Economists sell bagels, the data was presented much more effectively.  This writing supported the claims they made with concrete evidence and provided charts and graphs to help the reader understand the data that is given.

IMRaD Report

There are some significant differences between the IMRaD Report and the argument based research papers that I have written in the past.  One of the major differences is that for the IMRaD report I have to gather the research myself.  I am required to conduct an experiment or a survey to acquire the data I will use.  In the papers that I have written in the past, I usually gathered that sort of data from outside sources, and did not acquire my own data.  By acquiring my own data, I give this report more credibility by referencing results that I obtained myself.  Along with the data I gather, there is a different way of presenting it that is different than a normal research paper.
Another major difference is that in this report I will have to present the data in the paper.  The IMRaD report requires me to use graphs and chars in the paper and reference them throughout my writing.  In my past writings, I have never included charts and  graphs in the actual paper.  I may have referenced a fact that I found from a chart, but I would not include the entire chart in my paper.  These charts and graphs allow the audience to better follow along with the point you are attempting to make.
I think that last major difference is the format that this report will be in.  In my past classes, I would write in a typical format: introduction, body, and conclusion.  I did not use headings, nor did I have separate sections included in my paper.  In the IMRaD report, I am supposed to use different sections such as introduction, methods, results, and discussion.  These main ideas may have been presented in my last papers, but they were not displayed in this sort of format.  This also allows the reader to follow along more easily.  There are many ways to break down this information, and this allows the reader to be able to find the information they are looking for much faster.

Speech Outline

1. Introduction
   1. Hook
      1. According to Forbes Magazine Sports Clips is the number two best franchise in America
   2. Background Information
      1. Sports Clips is a haircut place that has a sports theme
      2. They cater to men and boys
      3. 13,000 stores
      4. It is headquartered in Georgetown, Texas
   3. Thesis
      1. Sports Clips uses advertisements to attract a specific audience and uses pathos to persuade their target audience to use their product.  The advertisements I have analyzed are specifically tailored to men, and they all use pathos by showing people having a good time while getting their haircut.
2. Body
   1. Audience
      1. Show print advertisement
         1. The print advertisement shows two guys getting a haircut.  Everyone is smiling and they are having a good time.  There is a TV in the background.  The tagline says, “Guys watch sports.  Guys get haircuts.”
      2. Mention the tagline “Guys watch sports. Guys get haircuts”
         1. Sports Clips specifically tailors to men
         2. Limits the potential market that could exist
            1. Although women will not use this product, there is no mention of younger males being able to use this product.
         3. Makes assumption that men are the only people that will really care about this product
      3. Show the commercial
      4. Things to note about the commercial
         1. Only males getting haircuts
            1. All older, no teenagers or kids
               1. By doing this Sports Clips seems to limit the potential market that could be using their product.
               2. Many male teenagers and kids would also seem to want this type of experience.
         2. Tagline: “It’s good to be a guy”
            1. Again specifically addresses only the male population
   2. Pathos
      1. Print Advertisement
         1. Everyone is smiling in this ad
            1. Makes the viewer feel like this is something fun
            2. Possibly makes them feel like they are missing out on something
         2. Uses good looking people
            1. Maybe by going to this haircut place, you will look better than if you went somewhere else
      2. Commercial
         1. Music
            1. Very upbeat
            2. Positive
            3. Tricks people into being happier or having more fun while watching this commercial
         2. Beginning
            1. In the beginning there is a narration that says “Every day is a sport.  Getting that raise.  Asking her out.”
            2. Implies that by going here you would get a raise, or get a girlfriend
               1. This creates a feeling in the viewer that by going to Sports Clips this is something that they can do.
               2. It creates a feeling of jealousy or longing that maybe they would want a raise, or a girlfriend
            3. Also implies that the easiest way to do this is by using their product
         3. The Actors
            1. Again, everyone is having a good time and smiling
               1. Emotions of fun and happy are presented to the viewer
            2. Again, they use good looking people
               1. You can look like these people by getting your haircuts at Sports Clips
               2. You could get your hair cut by someone attractive which men might want
   3. Effectiveness of these Ads
      1. Forbes ranked them as the number 2 franchise in America
      2. Nearly 70,000 likes on Facebook
         1. From these you can gather that the concept is working and advertising plays a big role in this
      3. Yelp Reviews
         1. “I look forward to my hair cuts at Sports Clips. It is usually a short or no wait. I get their best service and it is so relaxing and a great haircut.” – Ted
         2. “Good haircuts at a good price.  TV's and atmosphere cater to men.” – Jeff
            1. These quotes show that overall many people enjoy going to Sports Clips.  Jeff mentions how the atmosphere caters to men, which is exactly what Sports Clips is trying to accomplish. 
3. Conclusion
   1. Overall, Sports Clips uses pathos to connect with a specific audience in their advertisements
   2. Although, the ads limit their potential market by only advertising to men, they still maintain a lot of success
   3. Clearly, the ads are working because of how successful they have been

Speech Proposal

The company that I am giving my speech on is Sports Clips.  Sports Clips is a place to haircuts that has a sports theme.  I am choosing to do a speech about them because the way in which they use advertising is interesting to me.  They focus on a very specific audience, and I was interested what affect that may have on their business.  I think their advertisements play a big role in why they are successful.
I am choosing to analyze a few advertisements.  One is a print advertisement.  It shows two guys watching TV and smiling.  The caption says, "Guys watch sports. Guys get haircuts"  The other advertisement I am choosing to analyze is a commercial.  The basis of the commercial is that everything we do has some sort of competition so Sports Clips is the place to go for a haircut.  I also have two outside sources that tell me the successfulness of the company.  One article is from Forbes, and states that Sports Clips is the second best franchising opportunity.  The other one is from NASDAQ.  These are both very reliable sources that evaluate Sports Clips.
The two main things that I am going to analyze about these advertisements are audience and pathos.  Sports Clips has a very specific audience.  In terms of the print advertisement they address it to men specifically.  Also, in the commercial there are only guys getting a haircut.  I found this to be interesting because they are narrowing the potential market for their product.  The other thing that plays a big role in their advertisement is pathos.  The main emotions they try to instill in their audience is a sense of fun.  They attempt to show people having a good time getter their haircut, which they believe will get more people into their store.
The visual aid I will use for the speech is a PowerPoint.  On the PowerPoint I will display the advertisements I am using to point out to the audience what I am talking about. 

Print Analysis

The company that I am choosing to analyze is Sports Clips.  They are a haircutting business that focuses on having sports entertainments while getting your haircut.  The author of this advertisement is Sports Clips.  Sports Clips focuses on advertising to a very narrow audience.  Their audience is basically men who enjoy watching sports.  Because of this, their potential market is decreased.  They do not really seem to advertise to females, which makes sense, but also limits their audience.  The purpose behind this advertisement is to attract more customers to their business.  Their purpose is also to make more people aware that a place like this exists.  Most people do not enjoy getting haircuts, and this place can provide a better alternative for some people.  I think the main way they try and do this is pathos.  I think they use pathos a lot in their advertisements.  In their advertisement they have two guys sitting getting haircuts in front of televisions.  They appear to be having a good time.  The caption states that "guys watch sports, guys get haircuts"  The main goal from this was to establish the fact that this would not be a typical haircut, and that you might actually have a good time when doing this.  From their target audience this could induce emotions of jealousy, fun, intriguing, etc.  They play off of these emotions to attract their audience into going to their store because if they do, they will have a better time.  The only other aspect that is maybe touched on is ethos.  In the ad they have people cutting the hair.  That may be a concern for some people going to this place is that they would not be able to receive as good of a haircut.  By placing the hairdressers in the ad it might cause people to think differently.

Conferences

I found the conference very useful.  It helped me realize the improvements that I needed to make to my paper.  It also allowed me to know what my professor expected of my paper.  It also helped me narrow my focus on what I needed to improved, rather than being overwhelmed with revising my whole paper.  It gave me a specific starting point.
I think that the conference and the written comments were useful, and I would want that to stay the same way.  I took notes on what you said in the conference, but there were things that I did not write down that appeared on the comments on the paper.  This was useful very useful for me.  I think that the written comments were more useful than the conference because I did not have any specific questions on this paper.  I think a good way of doing it would be to post the written comments and then give us the option of making an appointment to meet with you to discuss the comments further if we needed it.
On thing that I would consider changing would be to have the conferences before the peer reviews.  The comments that I received changed the way I wrote a lot of my paper.  Thus, many of the comments the peer reviewers made didn't apply as much because I changed the paper so much.  I think that  if we had the conferences then revised the paper then had the peer conferences that would be more effective, from my point of view.

Informational Report

Cole Grossman

The Role of Writing in Accounting

University of Iowa

The Role of Writing in Accounting

            Accountants are normally thought of as number crunchers and the people who fill out your taxes.  Although many people rely on accountants to do these types of things, something that plays a much larger role in accounting than people realize is writing.  Writing is the foundation of much of the business world, and it plays a significant role in the field of accounting.  I interviewed Jen Tigges, who currently works as an Assistant Financial Controller at Principal Financial Group and is a Certified Public Accountant.  Jen stated that, “Fifty percent of my time is probably spent writing in some fashion” (J. Tigges, personal communication, September 2, 2015).  Half of the day spent writing seems like a lot of time devoted to one thing, but accountants do various types of writing in their day to day work.  Accountants use writing, in both academic and non-academic settings to explain and evaluate certain accounting principles that may not be known by other people in the field of accounting or in a different area of business.

Non-Academic Writing

            Non-academic writing plays a very significant role in the field of accounting.  These non-academic writing cover a wide range of audiences.  The audiences typically written to by accountants are others in the business arena who are not accountants, as well as writing to accountants.  Along with the various types of audiences accountants tailor to, they must also be comfortable writing in various forms, such as memos or emails.    

When writing to their coworkers who are in other fields of business accountants must take complex principles and simplify them so their coworkers are able to understand what they are doing.  Tigges agreed with this statement and expanded upon it by saying, “A lot of my writing needs to be read and understood by individuals who speak English as a secondary language” (J. Tigges, personal communication, September 2, 2015).  With today’s global market, communication can be one of the most difficult aspects of business.  Writing in such a way that enables international business people to comprehend what was written is a significant advantage in all business fields, especially accounting.  While accountants have to write to people in other business areas, they must also communicate with others who are accountants.

 Accountants also write to other accountants in a non-academic setting.  The Financial Accounting Standards Board (FASB) is a website specifically used by accountants.  The FASB outlines and explains different accounting principles and rules that accountants are required to use in today’s business world.  The FASB states, “Each final Accounting Standards Update has an effective date when companies and nonpublic not for profit organizations are required to implement it” (“FASB Standards,” 2015).  The FASB ensures that everything in the accounting world stays regulated based on the standards that it comes out with.  Accountants also collaborate with each other in writing.  Many of the forms that accountants fill out have to be reviewed by a few people so they can determine the accuracy of these documents.  In addition, these forms may have to be presented to an auditor, who determines the validity of these documents.  Accountants communicate with a variety of audiences, which makes it important to use the correct type of communication with these people. 

Writing to these different types of audiences comes in different forms.  Tigges declared that, “Memos and emails are probably the most common form of writing that I use on a daily basis” (J. Tigges, personal communication, September 2, 2015).  Memos and emails are both example of non-academic writing.  Therefore, when Tigges stated that memos and emails are the most common form of writing that she does, it means that accountants generally are writing in a non-academic context.  One example of a memo is an accountant analyzing a certain change being made to the basic accounting principles.  In this memo Susan Eldridge, a CPA, stated the following regarding the proposed change, “I believe that the change from the use of the cumulative effect method to retrospective application for all changes in accounting principles will result in excess cost” (Eldridge, 2004).  This quote displays why she thought this specific change was unnecessary to be included with the basic accounting principles.  Although this is only one type of memo, the majority of memos that accountants would be writing would pertain to analyzing how a specific practice could help or hurt the company’s ability to make money.  Memos and emails are certainly an important part of the type of communication that accountants use, but they also communicate in other ways as well.

Another way in which accountants use non-academic writing is in the various forms that they are required to fill out through the government.  Tigges mentioned that the 10-Q and the 10-K are the two reports that she has to file to the SEC.  The SEC states this in regards to the 10-K, “The annual report on Form 10-K provides a comprehensive overview of the company's business and financial condition and includes audited financial statements” (“Form 10-K,” 2009).  This quote demonstrates the importance of this form.  Many accountants must work on this form together in order to make sure the form is done correctly.  Although this is only one example of a form an accountant might have to fill out there are various other forms that are important for accountants to understand.  Overall, non-academic writing is very important in the field of accounting, but there is also a lot of academic writing in this field.

Academic Writing

Non-academic writing is much more prevalent in the field of accounting.  However, there are many example of academic writing in this field.  In academic writing accountants are writing to others in their field.  What they write about differs, however.  Many academic writings focus on what a specific accounting principle might do, or the affect that an accounting method might have on the economy.

The audience in an academic setting is much more limited than the audience of writing in a non-academic setting.  Clearly, the main audience of these academic writings are other accountants, however the audience can be expanded a little more than that.  Anyone with involvement in business could be considered the audience for these articles.  Accounting relates to so many different fields and can therefore be use to critically examine different aspects in the business world.

Academic writing in the accounting field can be very important because of the implications it can have in the business world. One example is an article titled “Macroeconomics Consequences of Accounting: The Effect of Accounting Conservatism on Macroeconomic Indicators and the Money Supply.”  This article analyzes the way in which this specific accounting practice of having more verification for gains than losses and how this process as a whole affects the entire economic climate.  Michael Crawley, the author of this article, concludes that this simple practice can affect such things as social welfare.  This displays the importance that accounting can have on everyone associated with the business world.  Academic writings in accounting also have much narrower focuses.

Another primary use for academic writing in accounting is analyzing the different types of forms and practices that are used in the accounting world.  In a different article titled “Changes in Value Relevance of Accounting Information upon IFRS Adoption.”  In this article, the authors analyze the affect that implements international reporting standards has on the economic climate in a foreign country.  The importance of this article is that the adoption of these standards can be largely dependent on studies such as this one.  This is only one example of the analysis of certain accounting practices, but there are many other articles related to these ideas. 

Academic writing in accounting also analyzes other accountants and the way in which accountants can improve.  In an article titled “Has the Quality of an Accounting Education Declined?” Paul Madsen examines how accountants stack up compared to other majors and to business majors in general.  He found that across all majors, accountants are generally improving, but across business majors, accountants were declining in specific skills valuable to businesses.  This is important because it could change the way in which accounting is taught or the standards for which becoming an accountant is required.

Conclusion

The way in which writing in accounting is used is vast.  Writing in accounting can cover a wide range of audiences.  Also, accountants must be able to write in many different forms, such as memos, email, and various reports.  Writing in accounting can also influence many things in business and specifically in accounting.  Generally, accounting is not viewed as a writing intensive field, but there are many ways in which an accountant must be able to write effectively.

References

Chalmers, K., Clinch, G., & Godfrey, J. (2011). Changes in Value Relevance of Accounting Information upon IFRS Adoption: Evidence from Australia. Australian Journal of Management, 36(2), 151-173. 

Crawley, M. (2015). Macroeconomic Consequences of Accounting: The Effect of Accounting Conservatism on Macroeconomic Indicators and the Money Supply. The Accounting Review, 90(3), 987-1011.

Eldridge, S. (2004, April 12). Memorandum. Retrieved September 13, 2015. 

FASB, Financial Accounting Standards Board. (2015). Retrieved September 7, 2015.

Form 10-K. (2009, June 26). Retrieved September 13, 2015. 

Madsen, P. (2015). Has the Quality of Accounting Education Declined? The Accounting Review, 90(3), 1115-1147.

Tigges, J. (2015, September 2). Writing in Accounting [E-mail interview].