Connecting theory and case evidence to explain

causes and consequences.

Repeating statements from the case study

word-for-word.

Listing facts from the case without

interpretation.

Only

your personal notes

Only

websites or news sources

Only

journal articles

Journal

articles AND the assigned case study

The company is ineffective

The company has several corrupt employees

The company prioritises profits over employee development 

Using peer-reviewed

articles to validate your arguments

Explaining how the solution

may not fully address the problem AND/OR cause more problems

Explaining how the solution can address the problem

Supporting points with non-academic sources or no sources at

all

(Smith & Lee 2020)

(Smith & Lee, 2020)

(Smith and Lee, 2020)

(Smith, J. A., & Lee, R., 2020)

Executive Summary

Problem Analysis

Advantages and Disadvantages of Solutions

Methodology

One

that addresses the core problem and leads to desired outcomes.

One that is inexpensive but does not fully solve the issue.

One

that some stakeholders find easy to understand (e.g., issuing an apology).

(Brown, 2019, p. 75)

(Brown, p. 75, 2019)

(Brown, 2019, pg. 75)

(Brown, 2019: 75)

Vague, so the reader can interpret freely

Specific, actionable, and supported by analysis

Focused only on short-term fixes.

Completely separate from the findings

First-person informal tone (“I think…”).

Clear, formal, and objective tone.

Highly technical jargon only specialists

understand.