Critical Thinking Essay

Assignment: The "issue" of Stakeholder Management and Corporate Performance.

You are to write a minimum, 2 page essay, on this week's subject matter per below.

Also, please cite at least two outside sources. This assignment does NOT have to be in APA format, but you need to include separate title and reference pages. You will also find a guide for your essay below.

Sociologist Erving Goffman has pointed out that all social groups, including professionals, develop a protective attitude toward members of their group, even when what some of the members do is seen as morally wrong. A sense of loyalty to the group often overrides what they would otherwise deem immoral.

Consider the arguments for and against exposing Stakeholders with whom you are personally close or with whom you have close professional ties. Develop a position on this issue that could serve as a guide for anyone in such a position with regard to Corporate Performance.

Essay Guidelines:

What is a critical thinking essay?

Many college assignments require you to support a thesis. The concept of a critical thinking essay is that you start without an end in mind.

You don't necessarily know how you feel about a subject or what you want to say about the subject ... you allow the research and your own thinking to determine the outcome. This is writing to learn rather than writing to prove what you know.

The critical thinking essay has you look at and contribute to a range of arguments rather than just one at a time.

Critical thinking essays consider the strengths and weaknesses of various solutions to a problem or various answers to a question. It requires thinking ... not information reporting.

The critical thinking essay starts with a question, not a thesis. Your essay shows how your thinking changes as you research a topic. For example, when you begin researching capital punishment, you may be in favor of the death penalty because it is a deterrent. Then you may find some studies that question whether it has a deterrent effect and that may influence your thinking. You don't have to know what you think about your topic when you start writing your critical thinking essay.

Critical thinking essay format.

Essays are shorter pieces of writing. Therefore, essays are (by nature) concise and require you to be clear and to the point. This means that there is no room for your thoughts to wander or stray ... you must be deliberate and stay on topic.

Essay Outline

Introduction (1-2 paragraphs)

a) Focus on explaining the topic.

Body (minimum of 4-5 paragraphs but use as many as necessary. Several short paragraphs are better than 1-2 overly long paragraphs)

Write your body before your write your introduction and conclusion.

Examine all aspects of the topic. Show your knowledge and grasp of the material you have read.

a) Discuss the differing opinions of the topic as reflected in the research.
b) Discuss any issues or problems.
c) Did you have enough information?
d) Did the research raise issues you hadn't considered?
e) Did the research contain confusing, incomplete or contradictory information?
f) Explain how your research influenced your thinking.
g) If your thinking has changed, what changed it?
h) If your thinking has not changed, how did what you learned support your original opinion?
i) If you're not sure about your opinion, what information might you need to form an opinion?

Conclusion (generally 1 paragraph)

a) The conclusion rounds off the essay.
b) Refer back to your main ideas or points and reiterate your answer to the question.
c) NEVER introduce new information in your conclusion.
d) The conclusion moves from specific to general.