How to write a Management Essay

People read management essays to gain valuable insight that is up-to-date and reveals the knowledge of concepts that are prevalent in the market today. After all, management is a soft skill that is developed outside of the classroom with practical examples that reflect the theories build in management study. In order to write a management essay the first thing to do is to asses the expectations that a reader of such an essay will have. Ideally a management essay should shed new light on information or introduce a new concept. The essay should relate the idea to contemporary theories and bring forth examples to prove the introduction of the new idea.

If given a choice of topic, choose a topic that either introduces a new concept or explains an existing concept with the latest examples. Drawing from real life examples is very important for the reinforcement of ideas discussed in the essay. Examples are a definite method at writing a memorable essay. Management topics vary from planning, organising, resourcing, motivating, compensating, development and such. The net is cast very wide because management touches every part of the business or corporation, and so do management theories.

The next step while writing a management essay is to determine the structure. In most academic and management writing the structure reads like this: introduction containing synopsis of theory; body containing evidence and full disclosure of synopsis stated; conclusion with recommendations and reinforcement of theory, tying all pieces together. The introduction of the essay usually answers the question ‘what’ and the body of the essay answers the question ‘how’ and ‘why.’ Modern day essays often benefit from having an easy to read format that incorporates bullet-points and headings. The same structure can apply to these essays as well, however it just has appropriate headings before the start of each paragraph and the points in the paragraph are broken down into bullet-points.

In the body of the essay the argument must be not only explained but also explored. Simply researching other pieces of writing and collecting those thoughts does not make a good management essay. A good management essay introduces something new to the table. In the course of the essay the new idea is explained and put to the test by supplying adequate examples. At this time it is the job of the essay writer to convince the reader of the viability of his/her theory and explanation. In effect it is almost like the essay writer is selling a new/modified idea and requires a great pitch to help the concept take root in the mind of the reader.

Practical examples are very necessary to explain the theories of management. The essay may explore an idea for which examples can be drawn from the market or test a new idea for which experiments may be explained. Either way, scenarios must be described with enough detail and results must be tied to the concept with assurance. Most management essays will reference multiple theories of management. It is not important to provide examples for each as that may result in the main issue being sidetracked. Most examples should be pertaining to the key concept examined in the essay. There should be at least 2-3 examples for the main argument.

The flow of the essay should be almost story-like. Having the examples evenly distributed in the body of the essay is a good way to keep the flow of the essay. It is suggested that the examples not be plugged into the essay at one time as that can make the rest of the essay monotonous. The writer of the essay should use the storytelling skill of the practical examples to really engage the reader. Using well know companies as examples is necessary to bring credibility to the essay and to the writer.

The theories and the examples mentioned in the essay should be well researched and sourced. Using industry wide sources is essential to the integrity of the essay. There are a variety of media available for the writer. Databases like Hoovers, Neilson, etc. are valuable sources of information. Publications like the Wall Street Journal, Business Week, Fortune, etc. are also considered excellent sources. Theories of management should come from management texts and academic journals.

The referencing style for most management essays is Harvard referencing as it is comprehensive and can cite a lot of different kind of media. Quotes, theories and examples are mostly secondary sources of information and hence it is essential for the writer to cite the sources and provide a comprehensive bibliography.

For the conclusion of the essay, it is beneficial to restate the synopsis and the findings so that the essay is reinforced and ties together comprehensively. Often times, management issues may be discussed in the essay for which recommendations can be provided. It is important for the conclusion of a management essay to restate its findings and finish decisively.

In recent times one important thing that management essays should take into consideration is its ability to be searchable. Since many management essays can turn up online either in university databases or online academic journals, these essays must incorporate the keywords or meta-tags that relate to the main topic of the essay. There should be some crucial keywords that are repeated enough times to make the essay more searchable by search engine web crawlers. Such essays will also benefit from an easy to read format.

So we see that management essays should be succinct in revealing the ideas of the writer. The writer must convince the reader with enough practical market examples from credible corporations and sources. The conclusion and recommendations should tie together the main argument and have a powerful finish. There should be fluidity of ideas and information throughout the essay. Current day management essays should be online-savvy and easy to read. Most importantly, a good management essay should have a new offering in the area of management which is presented with integrity and conviction by the writer.

Other management sections:

Management Essays

Management Dissertations

More how to write guides:

How to Write an Essay