Emerging Business Trends Zine Assignment (Partial Exam 3)

Worth: 10 points

Format: Individual or group work

Overview

Throughout this semester, you’ve analyzed business communication, legal frameworks, quality systems, teamwork, and leadership. Now, in this final unit, we’re exploring the buzzwords that dominate contemporary business discourse: “digital transformation,” “innovation,” “disruption,” “sustainability,” and “the future of work.”

But rather than approaching these concepts through traditional business analysis, you’ll contribute to a class zine—a creative, subversive publication format that encourages bold thinking and imaginative expression.

Your contribution should make a statement about business innovation, emerging trends, or the future of work. This assignment is intentionally more creative than previous assignments to encourage you to think beyond conventional business frameworks and imagine alternative possibilities.

Learning Objectives

By completing this assignment, you will:

Critically examine emerging business trends through creative expression
Apply innovative thinking to business concepts like digital transformation, disruption, and innovation
Experiment with non-traditional formats for communicating business ideas
Contribute to a collaborative class publication that explores diverse perspectives on the future of business
Develop skills in making bold statements about business practices and futures

Class Emerging Trends Zine

All contributions will be compiled into our ENG301: Business English Emerging Trends Zine, showcasing the diverse perspectives of our class on where business is headed—and where it should go.

Extra! Extra! Read All About It: Check out ISSUE 1 by the fall 2025 class of TR35 at UIC!

What is a Zine?

A zine (short for “magazine” or “fanzine”) is a small-circulation, self-published work of original or appropriated texts and images. Zines are typically produced through photocopying or digital printing and are often created to express the author’s ideas, politics, or creative vision outside mainstream publishing channels.

Key characteristics of zines:

DIY aesthetic: Handmade or independently produced quality
Limited distribution: Created for specific communities or niche audiences
Creative freedom: No editorial oversight or commercial constraints
Subversive potential: Often challenge dominant narratives or conventional thinking
Diverse formats: Can include writing, art, photography, collage, found text, or mixed media
Accessible creation: Anyone can make a zine with basic materials

Why Zines in Business Contexts?

While zines originated in countercultural movements, they offer valuable approaches for business communication:

Promoting creativity and experimentation: Zines encourage unconventional thinking—the kind of creative, boundary-pushing mindset that drives genuine innovation rather than incremental improvement.
Reaching niche audiences: Like specialized business publications or internal company newsletters, zines can speak directly to specific communities without worrying about mass appeal.
Encouraging bold thinking: The zine format gives permission to make provocative statements, imagine radical alternatives, and challenge business-as-usual thinking that conventional business writing often discourages.
Being subversive when needed: Zines have historically been used to question dominant narratives and propose alternatives. In business contexts, this translates to questioning “the way things have always been done” and imagining transformative change rather than superficial updates.
Fostering authentic expression: The informal, personal nature of zines allows for genuine voice and perspective rather than the sanitized, corporate-approved messaging that characterizes much business communication.

Inspiration: Imagining Possible Futures

This assignment is inspired by the Distributed AI Research Institute’s Imagining Possible Futures workshop and zine project. DAIR brought together participants to envision alternative technological futures beyond the dominant narratives of Big Tech and venture capital.

From the DAIR workshop description:

“Through our blog series, we are exploring what the world can look like when technology is designed and deployed for the benefit of all. These broad, near-future speculative pieces are designed to de-center dominant narratives and challenge us all to realize that things can be different. These are not alternative realities; they are possible futures.”

View the example: DAIR Possible Futures Zine Issue 1

This zine includes blackout poetry, manifestos, speculative scenarios, visual art, short fiction, and critical reflections—all centered on imagining technology futures that serve communities rather than corporations.

Your zine contribution will similarly invite you to imagine business futures that challenge conventional thinking about innovation, transformation, and the nature of work itself.

Possible Contribution Types

The goal of your contribution is to make a statement about business innovation, emerging trends, or the future of work. Choose a format that effectively communicates your perspective.

Featured Formats (Detailed Guidance)

Format	Description	What to Include	Tips for Success
Blackout Poetry	Take an existing business article (from Bloomberg, Harvard Business Review, Forbes, etc.) and black out words to create a poem that makes a point about business innovation	• Original article (cited properly) • Words blacked out strategically to reveal new meaning • Final poem that makes clear statement about business trends	• Choose articles with rich vocabulary • Experiment with different patterns of redaction • Your poem should subvert, critique, or reimagine the article’s original message • Consider what’s hidden as well as what’s revealed
Mind Map or Visual Diagram	Create a visual representation of concepts, frameworks, or relationships between business ideas	• Central concept or question • Branching connections showing relationships • Specific examples and details • Visual hierarchy (size, color, placement)	• Hand-drawn and photographed OR created digitally • Use the visual format to show complexity that’s hard to express linearly • Consider using the performative-to-authentic framework or other course concepts • Make connections explicit with labels and arrows
Speculative Business Scenario	Describe a company, organization, or work arrangement that exists in a transformed business world (300-500 words)	• What the organization does and how it operates • What problems it solves • What makes it possible (technology, values, economic systems) • Specific details about structure and relationships	• Focus on concrete details: What does a typical day look like? • Show rather than tell: Use specific examples • Make it feel real and tangible • Consider: What would make your current business frustrations literally unthinkable in this world?
Manifesto or Position Statement	Write a bold, declarative statement about how business should operate, what innovation really means, or what the future of work should be (300-500 words)	• Clear thesis or position • Supporting principles or arguments • Specific examples of what this means in practice • Call to action or vision for change	• Be provocative and specific • Use strong, declarative language • Don’t hedge or qualify excessively • Make concrete demands or proposals • Consider what business “common sense” you’re challenging

Other Creative Formats to Consider

If the featured formats don’t suit your message, consider these alternatives:

Constraint-based writing (exactly 205 characters about business in 2050, or a haiku series about digital transformation)
Found text poetry from corporate annual reports, mission statements, or job postings
Visual-text combinations (annotated screenshots, business model canvas with poetic text, meme-style commentary)
Timeline showing the evolution from present problems to transformed futures
Interview or dialogue format between different perspectives on business innovation
Letter from 2050 reflecting on today’s business decisions
“Before/After” comparison showing business transformation visually or through description
Rules or guidelines for ethical innovation (presented creatively)
Critical analysis of a buzzword or trend (250-400 words, but with creative presentation)
Experimental approaches you propose (discuss with instructor first)

Word count equivalents: For visual or mixed-media formats, aim for complexity and substance equivalent to 200-400 words of written content.

Assignment Instructions

Step 1: Choose your topic and format

Select a focus area:

Digital transformation (what it really means vs. what companies claim)
Innovation (authentic vs. performative)
Disruption (who benefits, who’s harmed)
ESG and sustainability (genuine commitment vs. greenwashing)
Future of work (remote work, automation, changing employment relationships)
Business technology (ethical implications, data practices)
Or another emerging trend you’ve encountered this semester

Choose your format: Review the featured formats and alternative options. Select the format that will most effectively convey your perspective on your chosen topic.

Make it personal: You may further develop topics from your mini-presentations or earlier assignments, but the updates must be substantial and the creative format must offer new insights.

Step 2: Research and develop your contribution

For speculative or analytical pieces:

Review course materials from Week 15 on digital transformation, innovation, and emerging trends
Research current examples of your topic (news articles, company announcements, industry reports)
Identify what frustrates you about how this topic is typically discussed
Imagine alternatives—what would a transformed approach look like?

For creative or visual pieces:

Gather source materials (articles for blackout poetry, images for collages, etc.)
Experiment with different approaches
Focus on making your statement clear through your creative choices
Consider how format and content work together to convey meaning

For all formats:

Make sure your contribution makes a clear statement (even if that statement is questioning or subversive)
Aim for substance—avoid generic observations or surface-level commentary
Take creative risks—this is your opportunity to experiment with form and voice

Step 3: Create your contribution

Content requirements:

Length/scope: 200-400 words OR visual/mixed-media equivalent
Statement: Makes a clear point about business innovation, trends, or futures
Quality: Publication-ready (this will be compiled into our class zine)
Format: Submission-ready (PDF, high-quality image, or editable document)

Technical requirements:

File format: PDF (preferred), high-quality PNG/JPG for visual work, or Word document for text-heavy pieces
Visual pieces: If hand-drawn or physical, photograph with good lighting against plain background
Attribution: Properly cite any sources used (for blackout poetry, found text, quotations, or referenced ideas)
Inclusive language: Use language that doesn’t assume masculine gender as neutral

Step 4: Polish and submit

Before submitting:

Proofread carefully (even creative work should be free of distracting errors)
Ensure any sources are properly attributed
Check that visual elements are clear and high-quality
Verify your file opens correctly and displays as intended
Confirm your contribution makes the statement you intended

File naming: LastNames_zine-contribution.docx (or appropriate file extension)

Submission: Please upload all assets associated with your contribution (MS Word document, images) to our Emerging Trends Zine discussion forum, along with any comments you’d like to share with the editors about how your work should be presented in our zine.

Assessment Criteria (10 points total)

Component	Points	Criteria
Conceptual Clarity	3	• Makes a clear, thought-provoking statement about business innovation, digital transformation, or future of work • Demonstrates critical thinking about emerging business trends • Offers perspective that goes beyond surface-level observations • Statement is evident even in experimental or artistic formats
Creative Execution	3	• Uses chosen format effectively and imaginatively • Takes creative risks appropriate to zine format • Shows originality in approach or perspective • Demonstrates engagement with the creative possibilities of the format • Work feels personal and authentic rather than generic
Format Appropriateness	3	• Selected format effectively supports and enhances the message • Technical execution is competent (visual clarity, written coherence, etc.) • Format is used strategically rather than arbitrarily • For visual work: Images are clear, composition is intentional • For written work: Structure supports meaning • For mixed media: Elements work together cohesively
Polish	1	• Free from distracting errors in grammar, spelling, or formatting • Submission is in appropriate format for inclusion in class zine • Visual elements (if any) are clear and high-quality • Sources properly attributed where applicable • Uses inclusive language • Overall presentation is publication-ready

Zine Editors: Extra Credit Opportunity

As you may recall, you can earn up to 3 extra credit points for doing some sort of an extra assignment this semester. If you haven’t already earned extra credit points this semester, you may do so by volunteering to be an editor of our TR35 Business English II Emerging Trends Zine. We’re seeking 2-3 volunteers to act as editors of the zine. The role entails putting together all of the contributions into the zine. If you have graphic design skills for doing so, that’s a plus.

You’ll mostly have full creative control over the cover design and the order in which you present contributions. You’ll be named as the editor(s) on the cover of the zine. The publication will be incorporated into our course contents as volume of our class zine.

Professional Context

Why This Matters

Creative skills you’re developing:

Communicating complex business ideas through non-traditional formats
Making bold statements and taking intellectual risks
Synthesizing business concepts with creative expression
Contributing to collaborative publications
Experimenting with voice and form in professional contexts

Real-world applications:

Internal communications that need to cut through corporate jargon
Thought leadership pieces that challenge conventional industry thinking
Creative briefs that inspire different approaches
Vision documents that paint pictures of alternative futures
Communication strategies that reach audiences tired of traditional business language

The Value of Creative Business Thinking

Remember: The most transformative business innovations often come from people willing to question assumptions and imagine alternatives. The zine format gives you permission to:

Challenge business buzzwords and examine what they really mean
Propose radical alternatives to current business practices
Express frustration with performative innovation and superficial transformation
Imagine futures where business serves different values and communities
Use creativity as a tool for critical business analysis

Reflection Questions

Consider these questions as you work:

What business concept or trend frustrates you most, and why? How does your zine contribution address or explore this frustration?
What makes your chosen format effective for communicating your perspective? What would be lost in a traditional business essay format?
How does the creative freedom of the zine format change what you’re willing to say about business innovation and emerging trends?
If your contribution imagines an alternative future or critiques current practices, what specific business assumptions are you challenging?
How might creative formats like zines complement (or challenge) traditional business communication in professional contexts?
What surprised you most about working in this format? What did you learn about expressing business ideas creatively?

📥 Download this Content

Find this file on our repo and download it.

🤖 GAI Study Prompts

Copy the downloaded content and try it with these prompts:

“Help me brainstorm statements I could make about [business trend] through a creative zine contribution”
“I want to critique [business concept]. What format would be most effective: blackout poetry, manifesto, speculative scenario, or something else?”
“Review my draft zine contribution and tell me if my statement about [topic] comes through clearly”
“What are creative ways to visually represent the difference between performative and authentic innovation?”
“Help me develop a speculative business scenario set in 2050 where [current business problem] is unthinkable”
“I’m creating a manifesto about [topic]. Help me make my language bold and declarative without being vague”
“What business buzzwords deserve critical examination, and what angles could I take?”
“Generate prompts for constraint-based writing about digital transformation (haiku, exactly 205 characters, found poetry, etc.)”
“How can I use the blackout poetry format to subvert a typical business article about innovation?”
“What are examples of alternative business futures that challenge dominant narratives about technology and work?”

Unit 5 Complete! Reflect on what you’ve achieved in the Unit 5 - Conclusion.