Tips and Ideas for Distinction

Hi all, When planning and writing my assignment there are various things I will go through and think about before starting, some of these include:-

∙•The case study, this is probably where I put most of my attention. When I personally have chosen bad case studies in the past, I find myself struggling to write. The order of the assignment also seems to become increasingly difficult as I get into it. Alternatively, choosing a good case study, and by good I mean relevant and applicable, this can actually take away a lot of the thinking for me. The problems and solutions have already presented themselves to me and I am working on a real solution. The less I have to make up, the better, so picking a real life case study is something I now always do.

∙•In this module especially, for every positive there is a counter negative, especially in leadership and management styles. So for every idea you have, or for every experience you have had, there was an alternative way it could have been done. Every experience therefore may give you two ideas to write about.

∙•I separate the assignment into word count targets. If I have a 3000 word essay to write and 4 sections, I would divide this up into 4 sections of 750. I can then plan to write 750 words a week to have my first draft in the first month.

∙•In general, I try to write my assignment from 2 directions. The first is to write a factual summary of the situation. I try to include things that are known to the writer and include academic references. Secondly, I write using my experience and opinion. Once I have done these I then compare both, connect the similarities, explore the differences, and try to offer an opinion on what could happen between the two.

∙•Planning for me is essential. Motivation to open up a word document and start when not knowing what to write can be the hardest part sometimes. Planning what I am going to do in what order makes it very quick and easy to get started in a matter of minutes once looking at a word document.