Disciplinary Literacies. Communication - Essay Example

?Disciplinary literacy Communication is one of the most significant tools to successful organizations and teams. Its role in offering directions, deliberations, and awareness is evident in my chosen field, finance, which involves need for information towards analysis, documentation of results of analyses, and dissemination and application of developed knowledge from such analyses. Types of writing, communication, and information in the field are further subject to stakeholders’ needs as well as legal and ethical factors. Professionalism that majorly dictates communication behavior distinguishes writing and literacy in the finance field from literacy and writing in other fields. This paper discusses the main features in the finance field. Many sources of information exist that define writing and literacy in the field. A review of finance journal articles, documentations from finance oriented professional organizations, and experiences among professionals in the field are some of the sources of information for evaluating literacy in the finance field. Advertisement is one of the forms of communication that promote literacy in the field. Financial institutions depend on operations from their clients, such as deposits, withdrawal, and funds’ transfer in which service fees are charged on consumers and advertisements market the institutions. Advertisement based communication must however be sensitive to consumers and other stakeholder’s values because improper usage is likely to generate adverse reactions from stakeholders while some cases may also lead to legal liability. An advertisement by Capital One is an example that demonstrate the scope of literacy in the finance field. The advertisement was not successful because while it sought to promote use of the organization’s credit cards, it elicited negative reactions and some of the advertiser’s clients threatened to close their accounts or stop using the cards. This identifies a reverse reaction to what Capital One had intended and the nature of expected communication in the field explain the experience. The main problem to the advertisement, as Aspan explains in the American Banker, was selection of words as Capital One sought to draw consumers’ attention. Other professionals in the field did not welcome the use of damn day and their response identifies significance of ethical standards in communication in the finance field (Aspan 1). Another important aspect of communication in the field, and one that also relates to corporate ethics, is application of polite language in communication. Whether in appreciatory correspondence or in a critical communication, a formal and courteous tone is recommended and pecuniary liability exist in cases where a person or an organization is believed to have influenced other people, or parties’ communication. Positive criticism, with the aim of correcting perceived ills is however acceptable and the case of Capital One advertisement explains this. Aspan reports calls by organizations that people criticize the advertisement but notes that the level of responsibility in such calls when One Million Moms explains that even though it called for e-mail communications to Capital One to criticize its advertisements, it did not advocate for offensive comments in the elicited communications. The article also identifies the use of mass communication and online communication in the finance industry. The experience in the conflict identifies the use of advertisement as a sales strategy, the act that stimulates the conflict. One Million Moms, in its response to the advertisement and in its attempt to restore sanity in the profession, uses its website, a mass media, to urge its members to criticize the advertisement. The organization also specifies its preferred mode of communication for reaching Capital One, email, and these acts identify a high level of literacy among stakeholders in the finance sector to promote written and online communication. The level of literacy, in the sector, is also explained through expertise opinion on clients’ possible response to calls for mass boycott against Capital One. Even though the advertisement used a presumably wrong word, the expertise opinion suggest that customer are rational and may not close their accounts with Capital one just because the institution used a single wrong word. This further means that despite calls by watchdogs, consumers in the finance sector are literate and make informed decisions (Aspan 1). Sources of information are another basis for exploring literacy in the finance sector. Stakeholders have adjusted to the empowered environment, made the industry so competitive, and prompted higher need for service providers’ knowledge of the market. Existence of different modes of communication has indicated influence on consumers’ decisions to suggest literacy among consumers and needs for an understanding of this literacy by service providers. Ijevleva and Sloka explain that financial institutions have resorted to research in order to understand the relationship between communication channels and trend in consumers’ demand for loans. Independent research over the sector also contributes to literacy among involved stakeholders and the study by Ijevleva and Sloka ia sn example. The research initiatives define scientific approaches in which researchers develop methodologies into empirical studies and implement the methodologies towards valid and reliable, or credible information that stakeholders can use. The research perspective also means that literacy in the field is contemporary because it is developed from present real life experiences. The role of professionals in developing information in the field, based on professional research, also defines literacy in the field (Ijevleva and Sloka 129- 132). The role of developed information from the empirical approach is another important factor to literacy in the field. Service providers and customers are the main beneficiary because empirical studies target objectives of significance to major stakeholders. In the study by Ijevleva and Sloka, for example, that explored the role of information channel in influencing decisions on loan providers, the researchers identified mass media, close associates, and channels that service providers develop, as the most influential of consumers’ decisions. This identifies research as a source of information because it helps consumers to focus on the most significant channels to informing their decisions. The scope of research, based on Ijevleva and Sloka’s work, also offers information to service providers and informs them of strategies for communicating to customers. Consequently, reviewed journal articles, from results of empirical studies, identify a form of writing in the finance sector, a mode of communication to the sector’s stakeholders, and a source of knowledge for informed decisions in the sector (Ijevleva and Sloka 129- 132). Experts’ experience is another basis for understanding the nature of writing and literacy in the field. An interview with a professor in the field supports the nature of writing and literacy in the field, as offered by existing literature. The interviewee confirms that writing and reading plays an important role in informing different stakeholders. He identifies the role of empirical research towards writing as a primary source of information on factors affecting marketing trends in the finance sector. The interviewee also clarifies that however good and informative a reading is, it offers no value to literacy unless it is effective on the audience, a factor that establishes significance of reading. The interviewee reports spending an average of 23 hours per week on either reading or writing and attributes the committed time to interest in research in the field. Identified knowledge gaps in the sector and the need to test existing theories drive the decision to spend time on reading and writing. Existence of diverse literature on the field and need to bridge knowledge gaps demands more reading and writing and only development of schedules for reading an writing and implementation of the schedules helps in balancing between reading, writing, and other chores. The interviewee identified an effective role of reading and writing on a person’s life because it creates awareness that transforms attitude. With reading and writing, a person develops a wider perspective to understanding phenomena in the field and therefore improves possible attitudes. The interviewee chose to study the field because of personal interest in investment and believed that studying finance would be an empowerment. The interviewee identifies his knowledge as a reliable and readily available source of information that can simplify concepts to help students in understanding the field (Personal Interview). Different sources of information, such as the explored professional publication, journal article, and interview, offers a comprehensive description the nature of writing and literacy in the finance sector. Empirical research and professional opinion are some of the sources of information for written literature in the field. Strict code of ethics also regulates communication in the sector. In addition, different stakeholders use available information to inform their decisions. Works cited Aspan, Maria. “Capital One cleans up Samuel Jackson ad after ‘damning’ criticism”. American Banker. October 30, 2013. Web. October 31, 2013. . Ijevleva, Ksenija, and Sloka, Biruta. “Information channels influencing the households’ decision of home loan providers.” European Integrated Studies 2012.6 (2012): 128-133. Print. Personal Interview. October 30, 2013. Read More