English for international business

Introduction Structure

In the introduction structure, much depends on the type of research you are conducting and the length of your work. A common structure might be:

1. A definition of key terms, if needed
2. Relevant background information
3. Review of work by other writers on the topic
4. Purpose or aim of the paper
5. Your research methods
6. Any limitations you imposed
7. An outline of your paper

Opening sentence: The first few sentences should be general but not vague in order to help the reader focus on the topic. They often have the following pattern: Time phrase topic development.

Conclusions: Conclusions tend to be shorter and more varied in format than introductions. Some may have a summary or concluding remarks. But students should generally have a final section that summarizes the arguments and makes it clear to the reader that the original question has been answered.

Common conclusion structure:

1. A summary of main findings or results
2. Link back to the original question to show it has been answered

been answered

c) Reference of the limitations of your work

d) Suggestions for the future possible related research

e) Comments on the implication of your research

Argument and discussion

on most course, students are expected to study the conflicting views on a topic and engage with them, which means analysing and critiquing them, if appropriate.

Discussion vocabulary

An essay requires an evaluation of both the benefits and disadvantages of the topic, with a section of the assay headed "discussion", in which a summary of these is made.

• Benefits
• Disadvantages
• Advantage
• Drawback
• A positive aspect
• A negative feature
• Pro (informal)
• Con (informal)
• Plus (informal)
• Minus (informal)

One major advantage is…

A serious drawback is …

Another significant benefit is…

… was a considerable disadvantage

A serious drawback to integrating content and language is the heavy demand it places on the teacher.

A significant benefit of teaching a subject through a foreign language is

The increased motivation to master the language.

Organization:

The discussion can be organized in two ways:

1. Grouping the benefits in one section and the disadvantages in another (vertical).
2. Examining the subject from different viewpoints (horizontal).

Vertical example:

• Drawbacks
• Benefits
• Discussion

Horizontal example:

• Economic
• Ethical
• Social
• Discussion

In discussion, avoid personal phrases such as "in my opinion" or "actually, I think". Use instead "it is generally accepted that...", "it is widely agreed that...", "most people...", "it is probable that...", "the evidence suggests that...", "it can be argued that...".

These phrases suggest a minority viewpoint: or "one view is that...".

When you are supporting your opinions with reference to sources, use the phrase "according to..." or "...claims".

That…”such as: orCounter-arguments are ideas which are opposite to your ideas. In academic discussion, you must show that you are familiar with all the various opinions and positions on the topic and provide reasons to support your own position.

It is usual to deal with counter-arguments first, before giving your point of view.

Normally in your conclusions on a topic follow an assessment of evidence. You must show that you have examined the relevant sources, since only then can give you a balanced judgement.

Cause and effect

Academic writing frequently involves explaining a link between a cause, such as a price rise, and an effect or result, such as a fall in demand. Alternatively, research may begin with a result, such as the French revolution, and discuss possible causes. This unit demonstrates and practice two methods of describing the link, with the focus either on the cause or on the effect.

A writer may choose to emphasise either the cause or the effect, in both case, either a verb

or a conjunction can be used: a) Focus on the causes with verbs: caused, led to, resulted in, produced... With conjunctions: because of, due to, owing to, as a result of... b) Focus on effects with verbs: were caused by, were produced by, resulted from, were owing to... With conjunctions: due to, because of, as a result of, owing to... comparison the comparison might be the subject of the essay or might provide evidence for the argument. In all the cases, it is important to explain clearly what is being compared and to make the comparison as accurate as possible. The two common structures for comparison are: -er is added to one-syllable adjectives and two-syllable adjectives ending in -y, which changes into "I". More/less are used with other adjectives or two or more syllables. The comparison can be modified by the use of adverbs such as: slightly, marginally, considerably, significantly, substantially (for small amounts), (for large amounts). All followed by "than".

as…as the same

Similarity or near-similarity can be noted by the use of oras…

Note that:

• high/low are used for comparing abstract ideas
• More/less must be used with than + comparison
• When using superlatives, take care to define the group
• The most/the least are followed by an adjective
• The most/the fewest are used in relation to numbers

definitions

Definitions are usually found in the introductions. Basic definitions are formed by giving a category and the application (and we use the verb to be). Complex definitions: it can be difficult to explain terms that you may feel are generally used and understood.

Examples

Are used in academic writing for support and illustration. They can strengthen the argument, and they can also help the reader to understand a point.

Examples are commonly used to introduce a topic, but if the reader is given an example for illustration, the idea becomes more concrete.

Without examples, writing can seem too theoretical, but an example makes the idea easier.

To understand phrases to introduce examples:

• For instance, for example
• Such as particularly, especially
• A case in point
• In other words

Generalizations are often used to introduce a topic, simple and easy to understand. But they must be used with care, to avoid being inaccurate or too simplistic. The writer must decide when accuracy is necessary and when a generalization will be acceptable. Avoid using generalizations which cannot be supported by evidence or research, such statements are dangerous because there may well be exceptions. Instead, it is better to use cautious phrases: …may be/tend to be…, …often…, …can…

It can be made in two ways:

1. Most commonly using the plural
2. Using the singular + definite article (more formal)

Problems and solutions

Writing tasks frequently ask students to examine a problem and evaluate a range of solutions. We will explain ways in which this kind of text can be organized.

probl Solutio Arguments against Conclusion in

favour of em n A solution A solutions
B & CAn alternative structure can be:
probl Solutio Arguments Solutions B Conclusion inem n A against and C favour of solutionsolution A arguments Aagainst

The following words are used as synonyms for problem and solution:
Difficulties, challenge, questions, issues, worry/dilemma.
Remedy, answers, suggestion, proposal, rectified/solved, avenue.

Visual information
In many subjects it is essential to support your writing with statistical data.
Visual devices such as graphs and tables are a convenient way of displaying
large quantities of information in a form that is easy to understand.

Type of visual:
Some of the main types used in academic texts are (they are often
combined):
Diagram (structure)
Table (statistical display)
Map (location-small scale)
Pie chart (proportion)
flow chart (sequence of process)

graph (changes in time) licensed under by Unknown Author is licensed

bar chart (comparison) under by Unknown Author is

plan (location – large scale) licensed under by Unknown Author

scatter graph/plot (relation between two sets of variables) is licensed under by Unknown Author is licensed under

The language of change

verb adverb verb Adjective + noun

Grow (grew) slightly

Drop (dropped) A slight drop

Rise (rose) gradually

Fall (fell) A gradual fall

(past tense in brackets)

Example looking at a line graph:

The graph shows that the rate of inflation was 2% in January and then rose to 2.5% in February. After that it levelled off until April and then increased steadily to over 4% in July.

Inflation fell slightly in August but then climbed to a peak of 5% in September.

From there it dropped sharply to below 2% in December.

Describing visuals

Although visuals do largely speak for themselves, it is common to help the reader interpret them by briefly commenting on their main features.

(you don’t need

to repeat all the information, the numbers of the graph). Note that: shows, illustrates, displays etc. Labelling - When referring to visual information in the text, the word "figure" is used for almost everything (such as maps, charts and graphs) except tables. - Figures and tables should be numbered and given a title. Titles of tables are written above, while titles of figures are written below the data. - As with other data, sources must be given for all visual information. - If you are writing a lengthy work such as a dissertation, you will need to provide lists of tables and figures, showing numbers, titles and page numbers after the contents page. Cohesion It means joining a text together with reference words (he, she, theirs, the former etc.) and conjunctions (but, then etc.) so the whole text is clear and readable. Reference words: Pronouns: he/she/it/they Possessive pronouns: his/her/hers/its/their/theirs Object pronouns: her/him/them Demonstrative pronouns: this/that/these/those Other

Phrase: the former/the latter/the first/the second

Implied language

To avoid confusing the reader, it is important to use reference words only when the reference is clear and unambiguous.

In various written forms, certain words may be omitted for convenience. For instance, in emails the subject (noun or pronoun) is frequently left out. In other cases, nouns may be implied.