Writing Effective Papers
Dr. McTague
Five papers are due for the course. This is the largest component of the grade (40%. Each paper is worth 8 points. Please read and follow these pointers on how to write an effective MBA paper.
1. Read the paper topic carefully. Do not read it quickly and REACT. Think about the topic. It will require a good deal of work - especially thinking -- to write an effective paper.
2. Read about the topic. Go to the Wall Street Journal and Yahoo Finance. What do they have to say about the topic? Why is it important? What are the important events related to the topic? What major figures are talking about it? Use this analysis as the basis of your paper.
3. This is a finance course. Focus on finance. When you cite financial facts, analyze them.
4. Avoid opinion. These topics ask for intelligent analysis rather than an opinion. Substitute quotations from The Wall Street Journal and leading authorities for your opinion. If you write, "I think" and "I feel," edit those statements out and replace them with analysis.
5. Avoid Internet blogs. They often rely on opinion not analysis. Show all sources in a professional bibliography.
6. Do not plagiarize from frequently useless sources such as Wikipedia and Investopedia. Material on Wikipedia is often updated partially or not updated for years. Related to this course, realize that material on Wikipedia may have been written before the recession. It may say that the euro is rock solid; Greece has a strong economy; or that Starbucks will be the largest company in the world.
7. Answer all questions in the assignment. When students react, they may download unrelated, outdated material from other sources. Do not fill the paper with useless company history. What happened to WalMart in 1962 or Apple in 1976 is not relevant to their current situations.
8. Edit your work. Write and rewrite. If you write only one draft and turn it in, you are unlikely to get a good grade. Keep working on your paper. Make each draft better than the previous one. If you are advised to work with a Writing Tutor, do so.
9. Read over the comments on your papers and apply the comments in the future. If the comments say you need more analysis, analyze the next topic more carefully. Strive to improve.