7/29/2019 File 2 Preliminary Plan

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NEWCASTLE BUSINESS SCHOOL & LEARNING DEVELOPMENT GSBS6001 CASE STUDY PLANNING

Preliminary Plan: sections and word budgetWork 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

Executivesummary

Summarises key points of theargument and therecommendations made

Summarises the whole reportin 1 page summary so thatbusy executives can decidewhether they really need toread the details

Up to 1 page (250-300 words. Notcounted in wordlimit.)

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

Introduction

Explains the context of thereport, why it is being written,and outlines its structure;(do not simply repeat the taskinstructions; write it in a waythat provides some realinformation)

Orientates the reader to whatthe report is about, how it isorganised, and thecircumstances in which it wasproduced.

5-10%100-200 wds

Written after the body &recommendations are completed. Thisis a summary of the context. Youshould assume you are writing for theintelligent reader, who shares ageneral background with you, but may

not be familiar with the specifics of thissituation

Body sections

Sections (with headings &sub-headings) are based ontopics/issues you considerrelevant to the decisions of Xperspective

You are providing the readerwith a logical organisation ofyour ideas about the case

70-80%(how manytopics/issues canyou discuss in 1400-1600 words?)

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

Conclusion Key points of the wholediscussion

Summarises the importantpoints for the reader

5-10%100-200 wds

Do not include any new ideas hereitsa summary of key points to link thediscussion with the next section, therecommendations.

RecommendationsStrategies for some/all of therelevant characters, and/orthe organisation, to improvedecision making;

You are providing the readerwith a solution for betterdecision making

10%200 wds

It should be very clear from thepreceding discussion as to why theseparticular recommendations are beingmade. Perhaps 1 or 2actions/processes are immediatepriorities, with others following later.

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