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BUSINESS SKILLS & EMPLOYABILITY

CB311
WEEK 5
1. CRITICAL WRITING vs
DESCRIPTIVE WRITING
2. CASE STUDY ANALYSIS

Topic 1: Critical vs. Descriptive Writing


We shall examine:
1.Lack of Critical Analysis
2.Identifying Critical and Descriptive Writing
3.Descriptive vs. Critical Writing comparisons

1. Lack Of Critical Analysis


In general, students lose more marks for lack of critical analysis
than for any other single weakness in their work.
Good critical writing generally makes the difference between
getting the highest grades for a degree and getting a lower grade.
Typical tutor comments on student writing include:
More analysis needed.
Less description, more critique / analysis
Too descriptive.
You have told me what the theory is rather than how
you evaluate it.

Finding the balance


Both descriptive and analytical writing have their place.
Descriptive writing is needed to give essential background
information so that the writing makes sense to the reader.
However, this should usually be kept to the bare minimum if you
use up most of your work limit on description, you will have fewer
words to use for the Analytical writing that could bring you high
marks.
Skilled writers use descriptive writing in the appropriate
sections of their writing, or weave small amounts of descriptive
writing into their critical writing.

2. Identifying Critical and Descriptive


writing
My name is John. I live at 33 Acacia Drive. I have five sisters and
brothers. I am good at team games, and enjoy football, cricket,
and baseball. Team games were encouraged by both my parents.
All of my family took part in sport. Our teachers at Beckfield
School were very interested in sports sciences. We were
encouraged to drink lots of water to improve our performance.
Our team always did well, so it seems to have worked. I also like
to go running. I live in the beautiful Welsh borders, so it is a
pleasure to take a healthy run each day.

Almost all of this previous passage consists of


statements and descriptions.
There is an evaluative comment (our team always
did well) and this is linked to possible reasons
(drinking lots of water). However, this link is not
analysed in depth.
The passage overall is descriptive.
Compare this to the passage below:

At Beckfield School, teachers took a scientific approach to school sports over a 7


ten-year period. In particular, pupils were encouraged to monitor their intake of
liquids. All pupils were required to drink a minimum of eight glasses of tap water
a day.
The school did consistently well in sports competitions over this period, and the
teachers claimed that this was proof of the importance to good performance of
liquid intake. However, it is not clear that the schools sports performance can be
attributed to water intake.
Beckfield Schools claims were investigated by an independent researcher,
Martinez (2002). Martinez argued that although Beckfields performance was
good, its performance in competitions was consistent with what would be
expected of a school of its size.
In addition, interviews with pupils showed that most had not followed the school
regulations on drinking water. Most pupils stated that they drank less than one
glass of tap water a day. Although other research does suggest that water intake
benefits performance (Fredo, 1997; Mitsuki, 1997), Beckfield Schools claims
about the benefits of tap water in its sports success have not been proved.

This last passge is critical analytical writing


There is a clear line of reasoning which takes the reader through
what the school claimed and the basis of the schools arguments.
The writing then weighs the schools claims against other
evidence and draws upon published evidence rather than
personal opinion. The writer considers both sides of the argument,
taking account of published evidence that does support the
importance of drinking water. This research has been weighed
against the facts of the case.
The writer draws conclusions: the schools claims about the
benefits of tap waterhave not been proved. The conclusion
is based upon the evidence.

Descriptive writing

Critical Analytical writing

states what happened


states what something is like
gives the story so far

identifies the significance


evaluates strengths and weaknesses
weighs one piece of information against the
other
makes reasoned judgements

states the order things


happened
says how to do something
Descriptive writing
explains what
a theory
says
states
what happened
what something is like
explains howstates
something
works
gives the story so far
states the order things happened
notes the method
used
says how to do something
explains what a theory says
explains how something works
notes the method used
says when something occurred
states the different components
states options
lists details
lists in any order (bullet points)
states links between items
gives information

says when something occurred


states the different components
states options
lists details
lists in any order (bullet points)
states links between items
gives information

argues a case according to the evidence


Critical analytical writing
shows
why
something is relevant or suitable
identifies the
significance
evaluates strengths and weaknesses
indicates
why something will work (best)
weighs one piece of information against the other
makes reasoned judgements
identifies
whether something is appropriate
argues a case according to the evidence
orshows
notwhy something is relevant or suitable
indicates why something will work (best)
identifies whether
something
appropriateis
or of
not importance
identifies
why
the istiming
identifies why the timing is of importance
weighs up the
of component partsof component
weighs
upimportance
the importance
gives reasons for selecting each option
parts
evaluates the relative significance of details
structures information in order of importance
shows the
relevance of links
information
gives
reasons
for between
selecting
each option
draws conclusions
evaluates the relative significance of details
structures information in order of importance
shows the relevance of links between
information
draws conclusions

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Topic 2: Use of Case Studies in Business


We shall examine:
1.What is a case study?
2.Why are case studies used?
3.Framework for Case Study Analysis
4.Case Studies: Dos and donts

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1. What is a Case Study?


A case study is a detailed account of a company, industry, person,
or project over a given amount of time.
The content may include information about company objectives,
strategies, challenges, results & recommendations.
Used extensively by Harvard, Stanford and many other top business
schools.
Case studies can be:
seen / unseen
long / short
real / hypothetical

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2. Why are Case Studies used?


Case studies are becoming a popular form of academic assessment, both for
project coursework and, increasingly, for exams. This is because they can
be used:
to test the application of theoretical knowledge to practical solutions
as problem-solving & decision making exercises
to provide the opportunity to demonstrate analytical ability, logical
thinking, judgement & communication skills
Although there is no standard format for case study questions, a fairly typical
set of case questions would ask students to consider the problems outlined in
a case, alternative courses of action that could be used to solve the problems
and also to recommend a particular course of action.

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3. Framework for Case Study analysis:


i. Case familiarisation
ii. Examine the information
iii. Define the problem(s)
iv. Determine the causes
v. Generate solutions
vi. Evaluate solutions
vii.Make recommendations

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i. Case familiarisation
First read the case study quickly to gain an overview of the situation
presented. Do not be tempted to start solving problems yet, just
familiarise yourself with the case in general.
Now read the instructions carefully and ensure you understand what you
are required to do.
For example:
Do you have to look at the whole case, just part of it?
Are you expected to assume a particular role such as an advisor,
consultant or trainee manager?
Do you understand all of the questions?
How are your answers to be presented?

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ii. Examine the information


Read the case again, slowly, and consider the information and how it may
be used.
As you read the case make notes in the margin as they occur to you,
or underline / highlight key points and phrases in the text.
Always consider:
The organisation (type / structure / market)
The characters / players / employees
The situation
The context
Facts / deductions / inferences / opinions

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iii. Define the problem(s)


The next stage is to identify the problem(s) and determine how they arose.
This can be done using:
a) Appropriate Analytical Frameworks e.g. SWOT / PESTEL / Porter
(See Week 9 lecture)
b) Key Performance Indicators (KPIs) that highlight good/poor performance
within a firm/department, such as changes in:
a)productivity rates
b)market share
c)customer complaints
d)employee (labour) turnover
e)financial indicators / ratios etc.
(Link to Assessment B)

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Financial Ratios are the most commonly used KPIs

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iv. Determine the causes


List the problems you have identified and distinguish between
symptoms and underlying causes as well as considering whether any
of the problems are connected.
Problems cannot be considered solved unless their causes have
been isolated and dealt with effectively.
The fishbone diagram (cause and effect diagram) is a common
method of analysing problems and is a means of separating causes
from effects:..

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v. Generate Solutions
This is the creative aspect of the process:
Once the root cause(s) of the problem(s) have been identified alternative
solutions will need to be created and developed.
The key is to determine what sort of action needs to be taken:
Corrective action: this should lead to the eventual elimination of the problem.
Holding action: this does not provide a permanent answer but is a temporary
fix pending further action later.
Minimising, adaptive: if the problem really cannot be resolved then action
should be taken to minimise its effects.

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vi. Evaluate solutions


From the list of possible solutions identified you need to decide which
course(s) of action you are going to recommend.
List pros and cons of the alternatives
Carefully evaluate the the pros and cons, and select best alternative.
i.e.
A possible course of action in a particular case may be for an
individual to set-up business as a sole trader. However, there are
legal, financial, personnel, marketing and social implications of
this course of action that should be considered here.

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vii. Make recommendations


There is unlikely to be a single solution to the problems within a case so
the justification of recommendations is extremely important.
Recommendations should be:
feasible within the resource constraints
imaginative, but realistic
pragmatic
specific
prioritised with respect to the problem outlined and
timeframes
defensible and justifiable courses of action
lucid, convincing and persuasive
based on sound evidence

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Case Studies: Dos & Donts


Do spend time reading the case & identifying the
problems
Do be creative in formulating solutions
Do follow solutions through; endeavour to predict
outcomes
Do construct realistic and supported recommendations
Dont address the questions until you fully understand the
case
Dont go for the most obvious/ appealing solution
Dont jump to conclusions

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Recommended Reading:
Cottrell Ch. 9
http://www.palgrave.com/skills4study/studyskills/reading/index.asp
Cameron Ch.12
University of Kent Resources:
Unit for the Enhancement of Learning and Teaching (UELT)
http://www.kent.ac.uk/uelt/learning/online/index.html
Useful links also available at:
http://www.kent.ac.uk/uelt/learning/resources/links.html

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Next Weeks Lecture:


Employability 2: Skills for Employment
Check your timetable for Week 6 for your session.
Before you come to the lecture:
Ensure you have a copy of the appropriate Lecture notes. All documents are available on
Moodle.
Academic Activity V: Critical Analytical Writing vs. Descriptive Writing
Read the Activity in the Module Guide (p.24) and complete the tasks on pages 24 & 25.

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