The marginalization of business writing as a discipline has been traced to a lack of research and to the that many in the field teach in business departments that do not value the work of scholars in English studies. One way out of this position may be an act of disciplinary border crossing—aligning the field of business writing with progressive voices in business and management. This article describes a framework structured around key theoretical concepts from Senge’s The Fifth Discipline: The Art and Practice of the Learning Organization (1995). Senge’s text is surprisingly rhetorical, and I examine the associated framework in terms of its potential for invigorating both teaching and research in business writing, thereby building ethos for the profession.
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