Writing a Business Essay
Business Essay: Sample Topics and Essay Plan
A manager often has to make long-term decisions based on short term informations. Management is hence often referred to as the art of planning for the future based on the experiences of the past and the present. A business essay is essentially a step-by-step breakdown i.e. a process analysis essay on how a decision is to be made.
Some sample essay topics are:
- The market for lithium semiconductor chips in the IT industry
- Outsourcing to the Philippines: A Cost-Benefit Analysis
- A Ten Year Plan for a Establishing a Startup in the Food Packaging Industry
- Six Sigma Implementation in Medium Sized Companies
- Protecting Intellectual Property at IBM: Existing Procedures and Additional Suggestions
- Separation of Auditing and Consulting Activities: Deloitte’s Experience
- Product Life Cycles for Car Audio Systems
- Due Diligence Process for IPOs: Recent Developments
- Video Gaming: Recommended Marketing Strategies for the under 15 segment
Pick a topic that you are interested in and that is related to a sector that you plan to pursue a career in, since this is a task intended to test your analytical skills. Often the professor puts forward a hypothetical situation and instructs students to write a business essay focusing on certain aspects. For instance:
ABC Corporation’s “Twisteez” snack, marketed as a beer accompaniment, has been edged out by “Zing Crunch” its competitor LMX’s product. LMX’s product is endorsed by a leading Formula One driver and positioned as an energy booster and “party food” while Twisteez has traditionally been positioned as a light snack for lazy Sunday afternoons. Suggest strategies that ABC should consider to regain marketing share such as those relating to (but not limited to) product redesign, positioning change and product line extension.
Begin the essay with an introductory paragraph that gives a brief background on your topic and the areas you intend to focus on. For instance the essay on the separation of auditing and consulting can mention how the Enron scam necessitated this, the time taken by the financial sector in general to make the structural changes and what makes the experience of Deloitte unique.
For the main body of the business essay, focus on about four or five points with a paragraph elaborating on each point. Structure the essay such that each point follows the previous one naturally. Attribute sources wherever used. Try to get some primary information, such as through interviews or correspondence with the people involved. To understand the kind of analysis expected, its advised that you look at the style used in articles in the Wall Street Journal and other financial publications, particularly the pieces on the estimated growth trajectory of industries. Also see the post on a marketing assignment to learn how a complex topic can be broken down into doable sub-tasks. Remember that the essay has to be primarily based on your inputs, so even when you mention the findings of other agencies, you have to put them in the relevant context and see what course of actions they seems to advise.
Summarise the information in the business essay’s conclusion.
