2.5k-word paper
Vincent666
BSLec9Bessaywriting.pdf
Hull University Business School
Connected Thinking!
Business Strategies 2019
Dr. Giles A. Hindle
600552
Assignment 2
» There are many factors which affect how we go about conducting strategy projects. Some factors are ancient, like competition and culture, and some factors are contemporary, like the internet and social media.
» Choose TWO such factors which you find interesting and relevant. Discuss how they impact upon the practice of making strategy.
» When thinking about the practice of making strategy, you may consider some of the following aspects:
– Conducting strategy projects.
– The implementation of strategy.
– Business strategies – the actual strategies themselves.
» This is an academic essay, so you must present your own argument and you must support your argument with evidence from the literature.
Think About This
Why do universities use essays?
Think About This
What are the characteristics of a good essay?
Think About This
Why do we reference other people in our essays?
Why do we reference other people in our essays?
research
published in
the literature
creates evidence
which supports
your essay
The Question or Task
» Factual questions: – How big is the moon?
– What is the stock price of Apple today?
– How many people do Amazon employ in the UK?
– Where are Nissan factories in the UK?
» Discursive questions: – How should managers talk to staff?
– How will digital disruption affect John Lewis?
– What is the best strategy for Honda in Europe?
– Should Marks & Spencer hire Deloite to improve performance?
– How important is leadership in business
university questions
The Question or Task
» Academic essays are usually written in response to a question or a task.
» First you must interpret the question/task
» A question includes:
– The topic of the essay
– Your instruction [expressed as a verb] • e.g. analyse, assess, compare, discuss, evaluate,
examine, illustrate, interpret, review, etc.
• TIP: check your interpretation of the question with the tutor. Generate a provisional approach early on and check this too.
Structure of an Essay
» Introduction Paragraph [<10%]
– Topic of the essay
– Your thesis statement (your argument)
– The structure of the essay
» Body Paragraphs [80%]
– One idea per paragraph
– Logical order with links
– Perhaps 2 or 3 paragraphs per page
» Conclusion Paragraph [<10%]
– Summary of thesis + argument
– Final comment on the topic
Y O
U R
A R
G U
M E
N T
Your essay will look like this
• 3 or 4 paragraphs • No headings • Help the reader with “signposting”
Introduction Paragraph
» Topic
– Introduce the topic of the essay
– Give background information. Set the scene.
» Thesis Statement
– Your answer to the question. A clear and concise statement of your view.
– For example, “This essay argues the rise of social media affects the practice of strategy making by making the relationship with customers more dynamic and turbulent.
The bucket approach?
• Students get nervous because they don’t know the right answer. • But at university, there are no right answers. Why is that? • SO, students just put everything they know in the essay. • That’s not an answer to the question, so the mark is 65% max. • We don’t mark you essay based upon whether we agree with you! • Be brave. Say what you think.
Thesis Statement
» All academic essays must have a thesis statement because the thesis is your answer to the question – your opinion.
» A thesis should be contestable + specific.
» The thesis represents your views and must be clear, focussed and interesting.
» Interest is generated in the reader by making a substantive claim.
» Be concise. If you can’t state your thesis in 1 or 2 sentences, the thesis is probably unclear or too broad.
» You must, must, MUST state your thesis. Be brave.
– Remember, the tutor doesn’t mark your essay on whether he/she agrees with your thesis. They mark the quality of the argument.
Body Paragraphs
» Each paragraph is part of your argument.
» Think of your essay as a set of building blocks or sections which add up to your argument.
» Each paragraph should contain one main idea.
» Try to help the reader follow your structure by adding signposting at the start and ends of paragraphs.
Conclusion Paragraph
» Restate your thesis and summarize the supporting evidence in your body paragraphs [don’t add new information here!]
» Highlight the main points.
» Give final comments – a strong final message the reader will remember.
» Use a clear transitional signal to flag your conclusion section.
Referencing
» Academic research makes progress through researchers in a community
» We need to know and acknowledge what our colleagues are doing
» We need to find out if someone has already done some work on our problem
» Research produces evidence, which we can use to support our argument.
A Good Essay?
» Answers the question
– A clear thesis statement
» Presents argument logically
– Body paragraphs follow in a logical order and are linked together.
» Supported by acceptable evidence
– Body paragraphs include support and references to the sources of information.
» Use simple language
The essay writing process is logical
but can often be messy in
practice!
TUTOR
TUTOR
THESIS
Outline Plan
» Based on your analysis of the question, think about general aspects of your essay.
– Create an initial thesis statement.
– What sources of evidence might be appropriate?
– What might be the structure of your argument?
Sources of Evidence
» For an academic essay, we mostly look to the work already done by the research community.
– Journal papers – most up to date
– Books by leading researchers – overviews from a particulate point of view
– Text books – overviews of the subject as a whole
» The library is our key resource
Researching
» Use text books and tutor to get an overview of a subject
» Use reading techniques: over-viewing, skimming, scanning – to cover the ground quicker
» Read with your thesis statement in mind
» Take records of useful material
» Follow interesting leads if necessary, but keep focussed on your instruction
Final Plan
» Return to the initial plan to see if you need to change it
»Commit to your thesis statement! » Clarify the structure of your paragraphs and the basic
content of them if possible
» Think about content of your introduction and write a draft
Final Remarks
The reader must be able to understand your ideas purely from your text – we don’t employ mind readers! The reader wants to know your answer to the question
and if you have supported your view with evidence. The reader does not want to be bombarded with lots of ideas and quotes from researchers without a clear link
to your thesis statement – don’t use a bucket approach!
