...you do not write essays during at least one of your practice exams, you will probably find it surprisingly tiring the day of the exam when you have to head into the math section after an hour of writing. First, you should be aware of the two types of essay you will be required to write. One is known as "Analysis of Issue." The other is known as "Analysis of Argument." They demand different approaches and need to be understood in their particularities. Let's talk first about "Analysis of Issue." In "Analysis of Issue", you will given a statement (the "issue"). For example, "Responsibility for preserving the natural environment ultimately belongs to each individual person, not to government." (This is an actual GMAT topic and is property of GMAC which is no way affiliated with Manhattan GMAT.) Your task now is to decide whether you agree with the statement. There is no "right" answer to this: either position (pro or con) is perfectly valid. The only reaction that is not valid is to sit on the fence. You must take a side and defend it. If you waffle or remain uncommitted, you will lose points. The point of "Analysis of Issue" is to see how well you can defend a policy position. You must state a clear opinion, but...
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...Critical analysis “Be more critical! More analysis needed! That’s what my tutors say about my essays. I’m not really sure what they mean.” “I thought I had written a really good assignment this time. I did so much reading and preparation for it, but my tutor’s feedback is ‘not enough argument.’ I’m not sure what to do now. I mean, I’m not an argumentative person - and I don’t really want to be.” One of the most important skills you will need to learn as a student, whatever your discipline is the ability to think critically and objectively about an issue and to present a well-constructed argument. Critical and analytical-thinking skills such as these will be essential to most aspects of your study, whether you are listening to lectures, contributing to seminars, or reading about your subject. Here, we will be focusing mainly on critical analysis for written work, as nothing gains or loses marks more for most student assignments than the quality of your written argument. Argument here doesn’t mean disagreement or unpleasantness. It simply means presenting a strong case to support a point of view. You don’t have to be an argumentative person to do this: on the contrary, good critical writing means using reasons and evidence to support your stand point. The first rule is: Identify the focus of the assignment Good critical analysis isn’t simply about writing. Before you start any assignment, you need to be clear about your focus. At university, this usually means thinking critically...
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...BUILDING EVIDENCE-BASED ARGUMENTS DEVELOPING CORE PROFICIENCIES ENGLISH LANGUAGE ARTS / LITERACY UNIT GRADE 7 “Doping can be that last 2 percent.” OD LL DUCATION www.odelleducation.com OD LL DUCATION Page 1 EVIDENCE-BASED ARGUMENTATION Literacy – the integrated abilities to read texts closely, to investigate ideas and deepen understanding through research, to make and evaluate evidence-based claims, and to communicate one’s perspective in a reasoned way – is fundamental to participation in civic life. Thus, the importance of a literate citizenry was understood and expressed by Thomas Jefferson early in the life of our democratic nation. Today, students face the prospect of participating in a civic life that stretches beyond the boundaries of a single nation and has become increasingly contentious, characterized by entrenched polarization in response to complex issues. Citizens have access to a glut of information (some of which is nothing more than opinion passed off as fact) and are often bombarded by bombast rather than engaged in reasoned and civil debate. Learning the skills and habits of mind associated with argumentation – how to conceive and communicate “arguments to support claims, using valid reasoning and sufficient evidence” [CCSS W1] as well as how to “delineate and evaluate the argument[s]” and “the validity of the reasoning and relevance and sufficiency of the evidence” presented by others [CCSS R8] – is therefore...
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...Sample Guidelines for Writing Ethical Arguments Your essay should be a position paper, not a report. The paper must make an ethical argument in defense of a thesis. It doesn’t matter what thesis you defend, but the argument must be clear and coherent. Depending on the topic, some outside research may be appropriate, but do not let that obscure the main purpose, which is to make an ethical argument. There are several possible ways to structure the paper, including one (or more) or the following: • Articulating and applying principles (such as love, respect for autonomy, respect for persons, the principle of utility, etc.) to the issue or to cases. • Investigating how one or more ethical sources work to support a particular view: for instance, how biblical principles or a religious tradition or a particular philosopher/philosophical school can be used to support your position on a focused issue. Such an approach should be critical, that is, with an awareness of where the philosophical or religious tradition is unclear or problematic and how others could use the tradition in a different manner. • Contrasting the arguments of two or more authors on an issue. • Developing and contrasting the pro and con arguments for a particular position. • Developing and answering a series of questions from general to particular, or particular to general. • Analyzing a case study. The reader of an ethical argument is looking for three main things in your essay:...
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...Sample Guidelines for Writing Ethical Arguments Your essay should be a position paper, not a report. The paper must make an ethical argument in defense of a thesis. It doesn’t matter what thesis you defend, but the argument must be clear and coherent. Depending on the topic, some outside research may be appropriate, but do not let that obscure the main purpose, which is to make an ethical argument. There are several possible ways to structure the paper, including one (or more) or the following: • Articulating and applying principles (such as love, respect for autonomy, respect for persons, the principle of utility, etc.) to the issue or to cases. • Investigating how one or more ethical sources work to support a particular view: for instance, how biblical principles or a religious tradition or a particular philosopher/philosophical school can be used to support your position on a focused issue. Such an approach should be critical, that is, with an awareness of where the philosophical or religious tradition is unclear or problematic and how others could use the tradition in a different manner. • Contrasting the arguments of two or more authors on an issue. • Developing and contrasting the pro and con arguments for a particular position. • Developing and answering a series of questions from general to particular, or particular to general. • Analyzing a case study. The reader of an ethical argument is looking for three main things in your essay: 1. a clear and interesting...
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...Even just a quick read of this book tells you about Hammett's faithful (Bible-related) analysis of something written to argue for Baptist ecclesiology. His valid and heavy (Bible-related) analysis of something written is central to his work as a whole, which makes it not only worthy of something to think about for all Christians, but also is good evidence of Hammett's intelligent wholeness or completeness. His arguments are all (Bible-related) based. Hammett views this as necessary and built-in to the Baptist faith: "Since Baptists are people of the Book, a Baptist approach to the nature of the church begins with Holy written work" (26). This is seen in the very first chapter. In his explanation of the Greek word εκκλησια, Hammett argues for...
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...tools in order to analyse the strategic positions of a firm in an industry or market. A direct outcome of this last part is to demonstrate that you can diagnose any challenges or gaps that this firm can pursue or fill and, therefore, you can recommend alternative strategies. Instructions: 1. Pick a company you find interesting in any industry, market or country you like. Make sure that you choose a firm that meets the following criteria: a. It is not very small (10+ employees) b. It generates revenue of a few hundreds thousands pounds or equivalent (£100,000+ revenue) c. you can find enough information about it The last criterion is very important as your assignment is heavily based on the information you can collect and the level of accessibility you can get for this information 2. Read as much material as you can find about this firm. Try to understand the business, the strategies it follows and the challenges it faces in that industry 3. Then, proceed with the assignment questions 2. Assignment Questions You are a management consultant and you have been asked by the Board of Directors of your employer to prepare a report that presents an assessment of the strategic position of the firm you have chosen within its industry. The report to the client should include the following: Page 2 of 8 1. A critical analysis the business environment (industry) of the firm and how it impacts the strategic position of the firm 2. A critical analysis of the competences and the resources...
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... Name/title the WORD document ‘Student Number MGT136-1’ e.g 140011001 MGT136-1Failure to comply with any of these submission requirements will results in a 5 mark penalty. | Contribution to Final Mark for Module: 20 per cent (20%). | Maximum Word Length: Between 750 and a maximum of 1000 words. The word count includes everything expect the reference list and appendix. Papers which exceed 1000 words will be penalised in accordance with Management School policy and this is set out in the Undergraduate Handbook. | Requirements: Provide an analysis of an organisation of your own choice explaining the relative importance of each of Porter’s Five Forces for your chosen organisation’s strategic position. You should support your arguments with evidence from the company and/or the relevant literature.You must NOT choose any of the following companies as the focus of your case analysis:TescoRyanairToyotaShould you present a case analysis of any of the above, you will be awarded a mark of zero.Choosing a company to examine:I suggest that you choose a well-established national or...
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...The Analytical Writing Assessment (AWA) consists of two 30-minute sections, the Analysis of Issue essay and the Analysis of Argument essay. You will receive a grade from 1 to 6, which will be sent with your GRE scores.The good news is that the AWA can be beaten.The essay topics are available for you to review beforehand. The structures for the AWA answers are simple and may be learned. In addition, while much GRE preparation may appear "useless" and without any merit beyond test day, the skills, reasoning tools, and techniques you learn for the AWA may be applied to any essay or persuasive writing. These skills will help you throughout business school and beyond. 800score has graded thousands of essays from GRE candidates and we have an unparalleled knowledge of where students go wrong. Here are some tips before we get started: * Grammar and spelling is, by-and-large, less important than structure and content. Focus on structure and your argument formation. * Take plenty of timed practice tests on a computer. Our sample essays on the site are designed for you to take timed practice essays and be evaluated. * Do not procrastinate AWA preparation. Students tend to put off the AWA until it is too late and then they cannot adequately prepare. | Chapter 2 - Section 1: Analysis of Issue | The Analysis of Issue question asks you to discuss your opinion toward an issue. You will need to write a well-balanced analysis of the issue the test presents to you.The most common topics...
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...CMM 801: Journalism and Communication Theory Academic Essay Writing An essay is best approached as an intellectual argument that develops from the ideas, issues, theories, concepts, methodologies, etc., you have been taught within the module for which it is the final assessment. It is most important therefore – even as you begin and then progress through the module – that you are clear about the fundamental perspectives, values and assumptions underpinning the course’s main themes and topics as they are being presented to you in lectures and seminars. Remember no theory or perspective has the whole picture. All accounts of the world are partial and biased from a particular understanding of how we are human and what society is. Such-and-such a view is only the case under certain conditions. A prime purpose for an essay is to critique particular ideas, pointing out how explanation A might be more useful and valid than B in these circumstances. In the conclusion of your essay, on the other hand, you might want to point out that in other contexts (social, cultural, eras, etc.) there may be other factors that need to be considered. Do these limit or question the weight of claims you have made in the development of your current argument? Key questions before you embark on writing your essay • Have you identified clearly the key issue the essay question wants scrutinised? • Have you checked the command word in the question – e.g. explain means give details about why...
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...For more than a decade, with the explosion of modern technology, consumers have been approached and overwhelmed with multimedia advertising types and creative elements. This has brought not only a big concern about the effectiveness of traditional TV commercials but also many arguments over the time of TV commercials among many advertisers and marketers around the world. To address this matter, Jeri Smith, president and CEO of advertising research firm Communicus, has recently published an editorial called “Screen Time” in the Marketing Insights. In her piece of writing, she strongly supports the role of traditional TV commercials within an overall integrated advertising campaign which targets mass audiences and clearly points out that TV commercials just need to evolve. In order to convince her target audiences, advertisers and marketers, in her epideictic argument, Jeri analyzes and evaluates the power of TV commercials compared with non – traditional media types. She appeals her audiences by adopting logos with supporting facts and data, making her persuasion even more powerful. Jeri opens her analysis by giving us a thorough background of current marketplace and her key observation on the performance of the traditional TV commercials today: “Interestingly, the traditional TV commercial is still around today, with U.S. marketers spending nearly $80 billion per year on TV advertising.” (para 1). This fact-oriented leading observation followed by more in-depth supporting facts...
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...Critical Analysis and Writing 1 Critical Analysis: What What to do: • Analyse decisions made by business people • Understand their rationale (reasons for making that particular decision) • Provide recommendations about future actions 2 Critical Analysis: Why 1. Learn to solve complex problems 2. Deal with the unexpected 3. Persuading others Descriptive Analytical Critical Analysis Persuasive 3 Critical Analysis and Writing Key steps: 1. Understand the question and context 2. Conduct research and analyse the situation 3. Develop possible solutions and evaluate options 4. Recommend a course of action and argue for it What is the questions asking? What information are we missing? What does analysis suggest? What else do we know? What do we need to research? What is happening to the business? What are the possible options? Which one’s are better? State your recommendations Build an argument to support them 4 1. Understand the question and context What is the question actually asking? What is happening? When? Who is involved? What are the facts? Do we have additional information about the case? What is our deliverable? 5 Critical Analysis Example : Food wars You are a junior strategy analyst at Coles. Given the recent controversy around food discounting (Food wars), you have been asked by senior management to provide a recommendation as to whether Coles should continue the discounting or not. In your answer...
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...Placement English III First Six Weeks – Introductory Activities: ▪ Class rules, expectations, procedures ▪ Students review patterns of writing, which they will imitate throughout the course: reflection, narration and description, critical analysis, comparison and contrast, problem and solution, and persuasion and argument. ▪ Students review annotation acronyms, how to do a close reading, literary elements and rhetorical devices. Students also review the SOAPSTONE (subject, occasion, audience, purpose, speaker, tone, organization, narrative style and evidence) strategy for use in analyzing prose and visual texts along with three of the five cannons of rhetoric: invention, arrangement and style. ▪ Students learn the format of the AP test, essay rubric and essay structure. ▪ Students take a full-length AP test for comparison purposes in the spring. Reading: The Scarlet Letter – Nathaniel Hawthorne Writing: Answer the following question in one paragraph. Use quotes from the novel as evidence. Some readers believe that the elaborate decoration that Hester embroiders on the scarlet letter indicates her rejection of the community’s view of her act. Do you agree or disagree? Explain your position using evidence from the text. (test grade) Writing: Write a well-developed essay addressing the following prompt. Document all sources using MLA citation. Compare Hester to a modern day person who has been shunned. Provide at least two research sources...
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... * Intentionally discriminates based on personal prejudice. * An act may be part of the routine, institutionalized behavior of a group. * The act must intentionally discriminate out of personal prejudice. * An act may be part of the isolated behavior of a single individual who unintentionally discriminates because he or she uncritically adopts the practices and stereotypes of his or her society * An act may be part of the systematic routine of a group that unintentionally discriminates because group members uncritically incorporate the discriminatory practices of society. Discrimination: Its Extent * Discrimination exists when a disproportionate number of a certain group's members hold less desirable positions despite their preferences and abilities. * Three types of comparisons provide evidence: * Comparisons of average benefits given to various groups, * Comparisons of the proportion of a group found in the lowest levels of the institution, Comparisons of the proportion of a group found in the...
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...50% Submission Date: 13 May 2016 The aim of this assignment is to enable students to apply the knowledge and skills of analysing and interpreting financial statements acquired from the Accounting for Decision Makers module in to a real-life public listed company. Learning Objectives: 1. To allow students to synthesise and integrate the principles and theories of accounting, together with strategic management in assessing the profile and development of an organisation. 2. To critically analyse and evaluate an organisation’s performance through the interpretation of financial statements. 3. To be able to make imaginative and constructive decisions based on the analysis of the organisation. Required: The analysis and interpretation of a company’s financial performance and position would first require the use of financial ratios to examine the various financial aspects of the company. A comparison of the financial ratios over time would enable the management to take appropriate actions in dealing with the issues and challenges of the business. Select a public listed company in Singapore from company’s website (under the investor relations heading) and obtain the most recent set of its annual report within the previous twelve months. You should also take into account any other relevant information from a variety of sources, including journal, textbook and publication. 1. Analyse the selected company profile, history and development. ...
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