How to write a Management Essay
Some people still think that management is a study only CEOs or actual management professionals can benefit from. This, however, could not be farther from the truth — management is a skill everyone uses, on a daily basis. Sure, organization and planning are essential for any corporation. Still, they may come in handy in daily communication with people and even in planning and assessing a variety of tasks we come across.
In a real-life business environment, any employee with management skills becomes a highly valuable asset. Even despite this, many students mistakenly believe that reading a couple of books on the subject will teach them everything they need to know about management. In practice, this is a skill that can only be mastered outside the classroom. The good news here is that having a strong theoretical background helps a lot when it comes to real-life professional environment. And, writing management essay is one of the surest ways to get this so much required knowledge. So, let’s try and see what it takes a write a great management essay that will not only get you an A+ but also give you some valuable skills for the future career.
WRITING A MANAGEMENT ESSAY: THE BASICS
A management essay is not very much different from any other academic paper. Just like any academic assignment, the primary purpose of a management essay is to assess students’ knowledge of a particular subject in question. The major difference lies in attempting to understand if the student possesses some of the practical skills, though — as compared to the vast majority of academic assignments aimed to evaluate theoretical knowledge in the first turn.
In other words, a management essay calls for some critical thinking, which, in turn, makes it a rather creative task. The first thing to focus on is the question the prompt is asking you. Your goal to see the question within a question and react with the most efficient response to the prompt. Ideally, this response should indicate a student’s ability to apply theoretical knowledge to practice. So, restating a bunch of stats and sticking to bookish terms will not do you much good in a management essay — if you plan to land a higher than a C-grade, of course.
THE STRUCTURE OF A MANAGEMENT ESSAY
Now that you understand that a management essay should highlight your ability to ACT in a real-life business environment, let’s take a closer look at the structure of this academic paper.
Outline
Even though a management essay does have some peculiarities of its own, it is still — first and foremost — an academic assignment, and it has to follow a conventional academic writing format. Here’s what a structure of any management essay should look like:
- Introduction
- Quickly introduces the topic of the paper and its importance
- Briefly discussed the aspects of the topic under analysis
- Presents a clearly formulated thesis statement
- Body paragraphs
- First argument
- Introduction of the first argument (topic sentence)
- Supporting evidence for the first argument
- Logical transition to the second argument
- Second argument
- Introduction of the second argument (topic sentence)
- Supporting evidence for the second argument
- Logical transition to the third argument
- Third argument
- Introduction of the third argument (topic sentence)
- Supporting evidence for the third argument
- Logical transition to the fourth argument (optional) or conclusion
- Fourth argument (optional)
- Introduction of the first argument (topic sentence)
- Supporting evidence for the first argument
- Logical transition to the conclusion
- First argument
- Conclusion
- Quickly restates the main points of body paragraphs
- Rephrases a thesis statement
- Proves the relevance of a thesis statement in real-life business environment
MANAGEMENT ESSAY WRITING TIPS
Now that you double-checked the structure of a management essay, it’s time to get down to writing. Here are some practical tips that will prove helpful in the process.
Introduction
An introductory paragraph of a management essay can be especially problematic for those students who rely on theoretical knowledge instead of putting their practical thinking to test. To put it simply, management is a practical skill, and so, management essay introduction cannot be based on pure theory. Even though you are to quickly introduce the problem, you are to highlight the practical meaning of the question you are about to discuss. So, right from the very start of your essay, you are to display some creative thinking.
After you’ve managed to hook the reader with the practical relevance of your subject, you can continue to a brief summary of the problem you plan to discuss. While the summary should indeed be brief (2-3 sentences tops), you are to actually present a full overview of the aspects you are going to analyze.
Finally, you are to proceed to a thesis statement, which is — basically — the main argument of your entire paper. You are going to discuss it in greater detail in the main body of your management essay.
Body paragraphs
It is incredibly important to have only one logical thought/argument per paragraph here. You cannot just jump from one idea to another, as this will seriously affect your paper flow and will disrupt the logic of your assignment. That is why you are strongly encouraged to outline your argument before you sit down to write the actual paper.
Each paragraph should start with a topic sentence that quickly sums up the gist of the whole paragraph. This technique is especially useful if your professor is not the only person who is going to read the paper. Topic sentences at the beginning of each paragraph give a chance to quickly skim through the essay without paying close attention to every sentence.
Of course, you should make sure that each new argument logically follows the preceding idea. To do so, be encouraged to use transition words — this will ensure smooth paper flow and will positively reflect on your academic score.
Conclusion
A conclusion is a brief summary of your management essay that does not analyze any new information. Even though you are sometimes encouraged to emphasize the possibility of further research on the subject, you are not to ask any new questions here. In fact, the main purpose of your conclusion is to make sure that every question you posed in the introductory and paragraphs has been given a comprehensive answer to.
Traditionally, a conclusion also relates the thesis and proves it right (if that was the goal of your paper). When it comes to the summary of previously analyzed points, you do not have to dig into too many details. Of course, if you are working on a lengthy research paper, it could be a wise idea to sum up the major points you’ve already analyzed — just to make sure you and the reader are still on the same page. If however, you’ve been working on a short, three to five pages, essay, you do not need to fill the conclusion with the info that is (most likely) still fresh in your reader’s mind.
CHOOSING SOURCES FOR A MANAGEMENT ESSAY
Next thing to remember is the quality of the sources you choose for an essay. Even though management is a relatively new science, do not forget that you are still working on an academic paper. So, choose your sources accordingly.
First and foremost, avoid Wikipedia. While it can be a very useful tool on the research stage, it is not a valid academic source — after all, anyone can edit its articles. Next, stay away from blog posts — these, too, are mostly written for entertaining purposes; so, they are not considered valid in the academe.
Where do you look for sources, then? You can start with respectable online magazines, like Huffington Post, for example. Previous academic publications also count, and you can find them both online and in your college/university database. A local library is also an option, even though it might not be the best one for a management essay.
Finally, you can always make use specialized search engines, like Google Scholar.
POLISHING UP YOUR ESSAY
Last but the least — do not forget to carefully proofread your work. Plus, pay attention to the formatting guidelines — even though they might seem a trifle to you, your professor will be obliged to take some points off for not complying with the academic formatting requirements.
Typically, a management essay can be structured and formatted in the variety of academic writing styles — from APA to MLA. If the assignment prompt does not specify anything, double-check with your professor.
