BUSI 1701 Personal and Professional Development

2021-2022
 Module Leader:
BUSI 1701 Personal
Personal Tutor:
and Professional
Development

Week 3 Lecture – How to plan

and structure academic
writing
Etiquette/netiquette slide
Outcomes:
By the end of this lesson, you will have:
Developed your understanding of how to approach your assignments
Been able to appreciate different types of academic writing
Developed your understanding of how to structure academic writing
Academic ▪ Coursework/Assignments require you
Writing – what’s
to read, research, investigate, and
evaluate

the point? ▪ Writing focuses and clarifies your

thinking and reinforces your learning

▪ Writing enables your tutors to assess

how much you have learned and how
well you can apply what you know

▪ You are honing skills that are needed

in your future career and businesses
actively seek
 ▪ Library skills workshops and
Ways we Library 1-1
▪ Use of My Writing Lab to develop
support you some of the core skills needed for
academic writing (assessed)
▪ Opportunities for formative
feedback built into some modules
▪ Guidance from tutors on structure
and approach (book a 1-1)
▪ PPD 1 tutorials and materials
(Moodle)
 ▪ Assignments / Coursework
What writing ▪ Essays
will you have to ▪ Business reports
▪ Reflective reports
do? ▪ Literature reviews
▪ Project – Dissertation
▪ Exams
How do you Planning:
Find out exactly what you have to
approach it? do
How long have you got? Plan a
schedule
▪ Go to the library as soon as
possible!
▪ Read generally about the subject
▪ Write down some ideas
▪ Read specifically to find quotes,
definitions, information, support for
your ideas
▪ Plan the main structure
 Imagine: you need to write an
Planning: essay:
Find out exactly ▪ An essay is an ‘attempt’ * to discuss a
subject in a logical and balanced way.
what you have to ▪ An essay is your opinion based on
evidence
do BUT: Check with your course leader if
your should write in the first or third
person.
▪ An academic ‘essay’, or ‘paper’, shows
your assessor that you understand the
subject well enough to discuss it
confidently
Understanding an essay title
To what extent is the success of a small business dependent on
government policy?
Discuss the role of marketing in the development of small
businesses
Evaluate the effect of changes in employment law on the
growth of small businesses
Explain how a small business should decide whether to
become a limited company
 Try using the ‘TFI’ method to break
Academic Essays down the essay question.
– breaking down the This will help you answer the
question question.

▪ Topic – What the question is

generally about?
▪ Focus – What specific aspect do
you have to concentrate on?
▪ Instruction – What are you
required to do?
 ‘Discuss global warming’
Academic Essays 1.What is the topic?
– breaking down the 2.What is the instruction?
question 3.This task has no specific focus. What
focus might you take?

focus
▪ the environmental impact
▪ the social impact
▪ in Antarctica
▪ the reality of…
▪ the impact of…on agriculture
▪ the acceleration of…
 Introduction:
Essay ▪ What are you going to write about ?
▪ What do the “key words” mean?
structure ▪ How you are going to structure the
main body of the essay?
▪ What main sources will you use to
All essays have three main support your argument?
parts: ▪ What do you hope to demonstrate?
- Introduction
- Main Body
- Conclusion
Essay Main body:
Follow the structure you gave in
structure your introduction.
Each paragraph should:
▪ Present some evidence
▪ Say how the evidence
- Quote is part of the argument
- Comment ▪ Develop the argument
to the next point
- Link
 ▪ A quotation (or paraphrase) from a
Evidence book, or other published source
▪ Data from research
▪ Observations from specific
experience

The sources of all evidence &

findings must be referenced
using the Harvard Method/Style
 ▪ Summarise the most important
Conclusion points in the main body
▪ Explain how these points answer
the question in the title
Paragraph
 - Sometimes you will find that you need
Paragraphs to delete some of the information. Just
save it onto a different word document, and
perhaps you can use it in a different essay.
- First, make an outline plan for each
paragraph, and then select the information, - Make sure this essay is focused on the
examples and comments for each point. title, with the main points discussed well and
in detail, rather than many different minor
points. Everything should be clearly relevant,
- Try to make sure you only have one main and less is more!
point per paragraph.
-To see the structure, the reader also needs
to know how each paragraph connects to
the previous one. It can help to add
transition phrases, to show how each idea
flows on from the previous one.
Connecting
ideas
Transitions are an important part of
the infrastructure that connects
your ideas, examples and overall
argument/message.

Good transitions improve your

writing.
 What’s the purpose of a
Report report?
writing ▪ to inform
▪ to persuade
▪ sometimes it is a mixture of
both
 ▪ Be factual, convey information
Report ▪ Be instructional, informative or
persuasive, as required
writing ▪ Maintain business writing style
(academic style – for the purpose of
your assessment)
▪ Present research data collected by
author through survey, investigation
etc.
▪ Follow the standardized structure
▪ Include tables, graphs, appendices
(for the purpose of your assessment,
they may not be necessary)
▪ Make sure it’s presented clearly and
professionally
 Title page:
Report ▪ clear descriptive title
▪ name of author(s) and person for
Structure whom report is written
▪ attractive and business-like
presentation

Contents page:
▪ page numbers of all main sub-titles
▪ separate contents for: text; tables;
diagrams

Executive summary:
▪ summary of the report’s key findings
Report Introduction:
▪ What is the problem the report focuses on?

Structure ▪ What is the background to the problem?

▪ What are the objectives of the
investigation?

Main section(s):
▪ content as required and depending on
objectives
▪ clear structure - headings/sub-headings
reflecting the content of each section

Conclusions:
▪ summary of key points and findings
▪ clarification of the implications of arguments
Report List of references
▪ Harvard Referencing Style
Structure
Appendices
▪ extra information used, letters,
questionnaires, etc.
Planning a 1.Why am I writing this report?
2.What are the conditions that
report instigated the report?
3.What is the purpose? (factual/
instructional / persuasive)
4.Who is my reader? (academic /
business)
5.What do they know on this topic?
6.What are their belief / attitudes /
positions/ stance?
7.What will they want from my report?
8.What will I want my reader to think?
9.What will I want my reader to do?
10.How will I make that happen?
 Use words you fully understand

Tips to write ▪ “As a result of the ever augmenting workload”

“As a result of the ever increasing workload”
Avoid using clichés or slang
well ▪ “Managers often have to take the flack from
fed up customers”
▪ “Managers often have to receive complaints
from dissatisfied customers”
Avoid exaggeration
▪ “All staff complain about their managers”
▪ “It is likely that the majority of staff complain
about their managers at some time”
Don’t be emotional
▪ “We simply must stop them before it’s too late”
▪ “Many people appear to be concerned about
the potentially tragic consequences of this
action”
 Don’t be personal
Tips to write “I think that …………”
“It is the opinion of this writer that……..”

well “I have structured my essay around

three key points”
“This essay has been structured around
three key points”
Be specific
“Surveys show that ……” Which
surveys??
Cut out unnecessary words
“At the end of the day, this company,
whether it likes it or not, has simply got
to pay higher wages to its staff”
“This company should pay higher wages
to its staff”
 ▪ Use formal and accurate
Tips to write English
▪ Be mindful of how you address
well the reader
▪ Be concise
▪ Use the language which does
not reflect prejudice
/discrimination on the grounds
of race, gender, sexuality,
religion or ability.
Use our Academic Skills Support
Be inspired
References:
The Open University (2021) Help Centre, Available at: https://help.open.ac.uk/writing-in-your-own-
words, (Accessed: 30/07/21)

UCL (2021), Paraphrasing for Beginners, Available at: https://www.ucl.ac.uk/ioe-writing-

centre/reference-effectively-avoid-plagiarism/paraphrasing#Text%20comparison, (Accessed: 30/07/21)

THANK YOU