BS3916 Thinking about Management

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BS3916 Thinking about Management

• 3 The critique its application to
  management thought

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BS3916 Thinking about Management3 The critique
its application to management thought

• What is a critique ?
• A critique is an analysis of a book or article
  which
• informs the reader of the subject matter
• indicates the merits and demerits of it sothat
  a reader can decide whether to readthe original
  article

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BS3916 Thinking about Management 3 The critique
its application to management thought

• What is meant by a critical review ?
• A critical review is one in which you have
  applied your critical faculties to an evaluation
  of the articles strengths and weaknesses
• Being critical is not the same as criticising
• Academics can be notoriously bitter when writing
  critical articles

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BS3916 Thinking about Management 3 The critique
its application to management thought

• What should be in a critique ?
• Title of the article to be critiqued (in full
  Harvard style)
• A summary of the work (sufficient to convey
  essence of the work)
• Your own evaluation of the work (good and bad
  points, how far the case is made)

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BS3916 Thinking about Management 3 The critique
its application to management thought

• What structure could a critique have ?
• Title of work to be critiqued
• Opening statement(s) to set the scene
• Explain the purpose of the article
• Summarise the principal points
• Discuss the internal coherence of the article

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BS3916 Thinking about Management 3 The critique
its application to management thought

• Internal coherence
• If the article is conceptual, is the underlying
  theory spelled out ?
• Is the argument coherent and easy to follow ?
  (bearing in mind the target audience)
• Is the argument a balanced one ?

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BS3916 Thinking about Management 3 The critique
its application to management thought

• External referents
• Does the article refer to other published work ?
• How does the article relate to the other
  published work ?
• Is it possible to assess the contribution the
  article will make to the subject ?

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BS3916 Thinking about Management 3 The critique
its application to management thought

• If the article reports on a survey
• Is the sample indicated, plus relevant details ?
• Are the statistics/data clearly supported ?
• Are the results clearly presented ?
• Are correct conclusions drawn from the data?
• Are correct statistical inferences drawn ?

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BS3916 Thinking about Management 3 The critique
its application to management thought

• If the article uses qualitative data such as
  interviews..
• Is too much being claimed for the data ?
• Is the author using the respondents merely
  to present a one-sided picture ?
• Are the respondents chosen because of their
  typicality or because of their uniqueness ?

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BS3916 Thinking about Management 3 The critique
its application to management thought

• How do I choose an article to critique ?
• Browse in the periodicals section of the
  library OR choose a reading from a book
• should be recent and business related
• choose an article which is academic (i.e.
  not polemical, entertaining)
• An article which utilises a survey gives you
  some good material to evaluate

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BS3916 Thinking about Management 3 The critique
its application to management thought

• How do I extend my knowledge to write my critique
  ?
• Most academics have their own knowledge
  stock to draw upon
• Read around the area (by following a
  reference, reading similar articles,reading a
  textbook)
• Give yourself some thinking time

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BS3916 Thinking about Management 3 The critique
its application to management thought

• Argue appropriately
• Tailor your critique to the type of article
  you have chosen (e.g) - do not say it is
  incomprehensible if it is written for a
  technical audience - not sufficiently academic
  if written in a lighter style
• remember your critique says as much about the
  reviewer as the reviewed

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BS3916 Thinking about Management 3 The critique
its application to management thought

• Mistakes to avoid
• Spend too long on a pure summary
• Indicate that the author has made
  rudimentary errors (unless you are sure of
  your ground!)
• indicate you found the argument difficult to
  follow (unless you think that is likely to be so
  for the typical reader)

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BS3916 Thinking about Management 3 The critique
its application to management thought

• Make any evaluation balanced
• Your evaluation should always find
  something positive to say, as well as
  including critical points
• your critique should be such that others
  recognise the article when they read it for
  themselves
• support your own judgements with evidence

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BS3916 Thinking about Management 3 The critique
its application to management thought

• And finally
• Use aids to writing style to make sure your
  own work is literate, spell-checked,
  grammatical etc.
• Typed, 1.5 line spacing, assignment title
  put at the beginning of the assignment etc.
• Do not forget to include a photocopy of the
  original article