Essay writing for business students

1. Essay Writing for Business Students Orna Farrell orna.farrell@dbs.ie

2. Outline Steps to writing an essay Discovering what’s wanted? What does the question mean? How to start? Structure Style Academic conventions Marking system

3. Level 1 Essay: Lecturer expectations Introduction Shows a clear understanding of the scope of the question and what is required the ability to signpost the shape of the essays argument clearly a basic ability to define terms Main Body Ability to construct an argument that engages the question Use relevant examples, sources Supports arguments with appropriate evidence and examples drawn from sources Show familiarity with social science vocabulary and perspectives

4. Level 1 Essay: Lecturer expectations Main Body demonstrate an understanding of the difference theories outline strengths and weaknesses of theories basic evaluation of theories strengths and weaknesses Conclusions The ability to summarize the content of the essay clearly and concisely

6. Failure to answer the question

7. Poor structure

8. Poor use of theory & evidence

9. Poor grammar, punctuation & spelling

14. Take notes as you read

15. Remember you need a minimum of three sources

17. You dont need to read the whole text

18. Ask your self these questions about a text:

19. Is it relevant?

20. If so what sections?

22. This is your argument of thesis

25. In a level one essay the introduction will be from 50-100 words

26. It has three major components Define the essays topic State the essays argument/thesis Give a roadmap of the essays key points

28. Example 1 This essay will attempt to clarify the mode of entry choice of Irish firms’ ventures in China and whether such choices have a knock-on effect on the operational performance of such ventures. Thesis Statement

29. Introduction: What elements does it contain? Communications and culture have a dramatic effect on how businesses operate . This means that communication and culture go hand in hand in the day to day running of the organisation. This essay argues that a business can’t be effective, productive or profitable without an effective communication system. In summary communication and culture are fundamental to an effective organisation

31. Transition words are often used in topic sentences

32. Contrast: "In contrast" " However"

34. How does this particular paragraph contribute to the argument? What logical step does it make? Where does it fit in the overall chain?

35. There is no point in having a rule for how long a paragraph should be, however most are between 5-10 lines.

36. If you start a new thought, idea, point , start a new paragraph.

37. Paragraph: example There are three reasons why Canada is one of the best countries in the world. First, Canada has an excellent health care system. All Canadians have access to medical services at a reasonable price. Second, Canada has a high standard of education. Students are taught by well-trained teachers and are encouraged to continue studying at university. Finally, Canada's cities are clean and efficiently managed. Canadian cities have many parks and lots of space for people to live.

38. Conclusions The aim of a conclusion: · A summary of your main points or a restatement of your argument in different words · Your final comment on the subject You should: · Use a concluding transition signal like in conclusion · Emphasise your view point and opinion · Mirror You shouldn’t: · Introduce new ideas in a conclusion

39. Conclusions In brief, without well-qualified teachers, schools are little more than buildings and equipment. If higher-paying careers continue to attract the best and the brightest students, there will not only be a shortage of teachers, but the teachers available may not have the best qualifications. Our youth will suffer. And when youth suffers, the future suffers.

41. Short sentences

42. Write in your own words

43. Good presentations

44. Check your grammar & spelling

45. Include relevant quotes

47. Use long sentences

48. Unnecessary material

49. Waffle

50. Use words that you dont

51. understand

52. Use your own experience

53. as examples

54. Use headings & bullet points

56. Grammar

57. Readability

58. Relevance

59. Style & Formatting

60. Referencing