Consideration for Strategist when Implementing Strategy What does a strategist need to consider when implementing a strategy? Use examples to illustrate your answer. Instructions were given by the teacher for the essay:-
1. You are being assessed on your ability to answer the question. Reflect on the SPECIFIC DEMANDS of the question and build your essay around your response to those.
2. The question may be general and open to different interpretations or approaches. This allows you to 1) use the terms of the question to define what YOU
want to focus on. 2) Choose how you are going to do so, and justify that choice. This means that you must support your arguments with evidence and other
arguments or positions within the literature.
Consideration for Strategist when Implementing Strategy Questions
3. To answer your question you always need to engage with different positions and arguments, thus combine arguments and counter-arguments. This will demonstrate that you understand how different positions relate to your essay questions and strengthen your own position.
4. Steer clear of either inflexibly taking one side in a complex debate or simply giving pros and cons Be nuanced; that is, show you understand the complexity of a debate but do not be afraid to take a stand. Just make sure you justify it with reference to the literature.
More instructions are given by the teacher on structure just for you to know (in case):-
Essays must be well planned and structured. A well-structured essay always includes an introduction, the main body, a conclusion. The sequence of an essay
shows the logical progression of your thought.
While planning and writing your essay, sub-headings help you to see what you’re doing (and how well you’re doing it) – and help to keep you on track (vs
wandering off the subject).
Consideration for Strategist when Implementing Strategy Introduction
The following three aspects should be part of any good introduction, and can ONLY be achieved with good planning:
a) What are you going to do? Summarise what the essay is about (i.e. the main topic(s) and the significance of the question).
b) How are you going to do it? Layout the structure or ‘steps’ of the essay (i.e. very brief summaries of what each of the sections will be about). Each
step MUST contribute to answering the specific demands of the question in some way.
c) What is the main thrust of your argument? (I.e. state it so that the reader can see where you are going).
d) You can also use the introduction to define core terms. This should not be a long discussion, but a succinct exercise to allow you to build your essay in
the main body.
Main Body: the main body is the development of your argument, the analysis you present, how you justify it logically, and the use of evidence and/or debate.
When planning and writing the main body of your essay you should:
a) Be careful with the use of evidence (e.g. empirical case studies, data, etc). Be aware that evidence always concerns a particular time and place, so make
sure that you specify evidence by time and place. This should help you to avoid over-generalization.
b) Be aware that assertions are not evidence. You may have an opinion about something, perhaps based on others’ assertions (e.g. in the media, in textbooks),
but unless you have weighed-up the (often competing) evidence and/or logic, then it may be wiser to make clear that an issue is not certain (i.e. shades of grey rather than black and white).
c) Do not let quotes talk for you. Break up longer quotes and/ or paraphrase in your own words (but still, of course, referencing the source). If using
longer quotes always explain your interpretation of their meaning and/or how it relates to the specific focus on your analysis.
Consideration for Strategist when Implementing Strategy Conclusion
The conclusion draws together the various strands of your argument used to answer the question. You can also use the conclusion for broader
reflection on the topic, perhaps in terms of how it relates to wider issues, or what you think is missing from the terrain of the debate and why this
matters, etc.
Followed by a bibliography
