A Meditation on Proposals and Their Backgrounds

Richard C. Freed Iowa State University

Abstract

Based upon several years of research on proposal writing in large management consulting firms, this article attempts to define the proposal genre and argue the importance of the background section, especially in the management consulting environment. Because the background is the first major section in these proposals, it offers writers the opportunity to demonstrate implicitly their qualifications as problem solvers long before a qualifications section does so explicitly. That demonstration, the projection of image and ethos, can occur logically—through an argument that responds to the generic requirements of proposals, and psychologically—through the incorporation of themes that respond to the rhetorical situation.

Journal
Journal of Technical Writing and Communication
Published
1987-04-01
DOI
10.2190/lrw7-a0pr-5f6x-d73a
Open Access
Closed
Topics

Citation Context

Cited by in this index (3)

  1. Journal of Business and Technical Communication
  2. Journal of Technical Writing and Communication
  3. Journal of Technical Writing and Communication

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