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NEWCASTLE BUSINESS SCHOOL & LEARNING DEVELOPMENT GSBS6001 CASE STUDY PLANNING Preliminary Plan: sections and word budget Work out how many bits there are, and then allocate a proportion of the total words. Word limit: 2000 words SECTION WHAT GOES IN IT? WHY? WORDS (approx.) NOTES

Executive summary

Summarises key points of the argument and the recommendations made

Summarises the whole report in 1 page summary so that busy executives can decide whether they really need to read the details

Up to 1 page (250-300 words. Not counted in word limit.)

Cannot be written until the body & recommendations are completed (WRITE IT LAST);

Introduction

Explains the context of the report, why it is being written, and outlines its structure; (do not simply repeat the task instructions; write it in a way that provides some real information)

Orientates the reader to what the report is about, how it is organised, and the circumstances in which it was produced.

5-10% 100-200 wds

Written after the body & recommendations are completed. This is a summary of the context. You should assume you are writing for the intelligent reader, who shares a general background with you, but may not be familiar with the specifics of this situation

Body sections

Sections (with headings & sub-headings) are based on topics/issues you consider relevant to the decisions of X perspective

You are providing the reader with a logical organisation of your ideas about the case

70-80% (how many topics/issues can you discuss in 1400-1600 words?)

Each report creates its own structure; the sequence of headings & sub-headings should tell a logical story by themselves (see examples)

Conclusion

Key points of the whole discussion

Summarises the important points for the reader

5-10% 100-200 wds

Do not include any new ideas here its a summary of key points to link the discussion with the next section, the recommendations.

Recommendations

Strategies for some/all of the relevant characters, and/or the organisation, to improve decision making;

You are providing the reader with a solution for better decision making

10% 200 wds

It should be very clear from the preceding discussion as to why these particular recommendations are being made. Perhaps 1 or 2 actions/processes are immediate priorities, with others following later.