This document discusses developing critical analysis skills. It provides examples to distinguish between critical analysis and description. Critical analysis is important in academic work as it demonstrates understanding, supports arguments, and allows students to make judgments and develop their own perspectives. The document encourages using structure, evidence, and language techniques to strengthen arguments. It also discusses reflecting on group work experiences.

1. Communicating about Business:
expressing your ideas
Recognise the features of an academic
argument
Implement techniques to present an
argument
Evaluate effectiveness of techniques
Reflect on the whole process

2. Critical analysis recap:
• For each of the following statements,
decide whether they would show critical
analysis in your writing.
• If you think it would show critical analysis,
hold up your green card.
• If you think it wouldn’t, and it would be
descriptive, hold up your red card.

3. Critical analysis or description?
• structures information in order
of importance
• states what happened
• says how to do something
• weighs up one piece of
information against another
• structures information in order
of importance
• states what happened
• says how to do something
• weighs up one piece of
information against another

4. Critical analysis or description?
• explains how something works
• identifies the significance
• draws conclusions
• says when something occurred
• explains how something works
• identifies the significance
• draws conclusions
• says when something occurred

5. So, why is critical analysis important in your
academic work?
• Demonstrates your understanding of a topic
• Helps you to explain why you are saying or
writing something
• Shows that you can make decisions about your
subject: what do you think and why?
This means that you are often asked to develop
your own argument and not just identify and
evaluate the arguments of other people.
In pairs, read the paragraph on
your handout and highlight how
the writer is developing their
argument. What can you learn
about using structure, language or
evidence to write your own?

6. In business, there has a broad agreement on environmental initiatives: while
they are good for the Earth and better for consumers, they can hurt businesses
by involving higher costs, resulting in reduced profit (Ali, 2008; Rogers, 2009;
Jackson, 2012). However, a growing body of evidence from companies around
the world suggests that the relationship between ecology and economy is not as
competitive as has been assumed (Beko, 2016; Macintosh, 2017; Singh, 2019).
Indeed, this research indicates that it is possible to advance both pursuits
simultaneously. Currently, companies that focus on eco-innovation are growing
at an annual rate of 15% at a time when many competitors remain flat. Many of
these companies are the small and medium-sized enterprises that make up 99%
of Europe’s businesses (Jones, 2019), which demonstrates the breadth of
positive impact environmental initiatives could have on the European economy.
Firstly, sustainable companies are able to engage the emerging green market
and therefore create opportunities for ambitious enterprises (Jones, 2019).
Secondly, public and private investors are increasingly seeing the value in
supporting business with sustainable credentials (Smith, 2018; Hammerstein,
2019). Furthermore, a green approach can reduce costs by adopting practices
that minimise waste (Adebego, 2019), which lends evidence to support the
argument that environmentally responsible and aware business actually see
their profits grow. When the benefits of eco-innovation from a business
perspective are considered, the argument that adopting a responsible approach
to the environment is not as persuasive as it may once have been. Instead, this
outdated perspective is being challenged by convincing current industry
research that when businesses review and adapt their current practices towards
a more eco-innovative strategy, they can reap financial as well as ethical
benefits.
Counter-argument –
establishing debate
Evidence
Claim – based on
evidence
Evidence
Warrant (explaining how
the evidence supports
the claim)
Evidence
Warrant
Evaluation of counter-
claim to emphasise its
weakness
Re-statement of claim

7. A bit more on language….
To comment on how you are using evidence:
Those who disagree may claim that…but…
This survey is wide-ranging enough to offer substantial
evidence to support…
Their argument is not supported by up to date research…
Adding more to a point to strengthen your
claim:
Moreover; furthermore; in addition;
similarly; not only…but also…; indeed
Using lists to build up your
evidence effectively:
Firstly/secondly/thirdly; finally; to
conclude; to sum up
Putting the same idea in a different way
to emphasise:
In other words; to look at this in another
way
Introducing examples:
For instance; as follows; mainly; in
particular
Introducing an alternative
viewpoint:
In contrast; alternatively; another
possibility may be; in comparison;
however
Returning to
emphasise your
argument:
Despite x; in spite of x;
although x may have a
reasonable point, …

8. Expressing your own argument
In your groups, you are going to present an argument on the question:
Do businesses have an environmental responsibility or should their focus
be making profit?
You will need to agree a position and then find evidence to support it. Each
group will then present their argument to the class. Even though you will be
speaking and not writing, still think about structure and language.
To get you all started, watch this clip from Stacey Dooley’s documentary on
fast fashion:
https://twitter.com/bbcthree/status/1049414592424763393?lang=en

9. And reflect: remember this from week 1?
For the module, we have to give a group presentation that is worth
70% of our grade. Our tutor put us into groups of four to do this and
gave us three weeks to prepare. My group decided to stay behind after
the class to start planning what we should do. Specific tasks were
shared out amongst members of my group by us choosing which we
would do. Initially, however, the tasks were not seen as equally difficult
by all team members and people started to complain. I realised that
this was going to be a problem because cooperation between group
members is important and would help us all get a good mark. I was
worried that cooperation was at risk because of this perception of
unfairness and we would not be able to do our best work because if it. I
decided to suggest that we nominate a chairperson to encourage
cooperation and progress. Ultimately, our group did give a good
presentation and we started to work well together. Therefore to ensure
the success of future group projects on the course and at work, I would
probably suggest that we nominate a chairperson.
Description
Interpretation
Outcome
Notice how, if you have been
reflecting like this in your blog,
you’ve been critical analysing all
along!

10. Using the template you’ve been given, spend
5 minutes writing a reflection on today’s
class.
You may want to write about working in a
group, or about your experience of
developing an argument, or anything else.
Really try to think about the outcome.

11. Online learning this week
• Your blog – you may want to include
your reflection from today
• On Canvas, go to Activities for Week 9
in Quizzes: work through the
information and activities on group
work from Skills4Study Campus
• Enrol on the LJMU Equality, Diversity
and Inclusivity Canvas module and
work your way through it.