1 BS3916 Thinking about Management 3: The critique & its application to management thought

2 BS3916 Thinking about Management 3: The critique & its application to management thought What is a critique ? A critique is an analysis of a book or article which: –informs the reader of the subject matter – indicates the merits and demerits of it so that a reader can decide whether to read the original article

3 BS3916 Thinking about Management 3: The critique & its application to management thought What is meant by a critical review ? A critical review is one in which you have applied your critical faculties to an evaluation of the article’s strengths and weaknesses Being critical is not the same as criticising Academics can be notoriously bitter when writing critical articles

4 BS3916 Thinking about Management 3: The critique & its application to management thought What should be in a critique ? 1.Title of the article to be critiqued (in full Harvard style) 2.A summary of the work (sufficient to convey essence of the work) 3.Your own evaluation of the work (good and bad points, how far the case is made)

5 BS3916 Thinking about Management 3: The critique & its application to management thought What structure could a critique have ? Title of work to be critiqued Opening statement(s) to set the scene Explain the purpose of the article Summarise the principal points Discuss the internal coherence of the article

6 BS3916 Thinking about Management 3: The critique & its application to management thought Internal coherence If the article is conceptual, is the underlying theory spelled out ? Is the argument coherent and easy to follow ? (bearing in mind the target audience) Is the argument a balanced one ?

7 BS3916 Thinking about Management 3: The critique & its application to management thought External referents Does the article refer to other published work ? How does the article relate to the other published work ? Is it possible to assess the contribution the article will make to the subject ?

8 BS3916 Thinking about Management 3: The critique & its application to management thought If the article reports on a survey… Is the sample indicated, plus relevant details ? Are the statistics/data clearly supported ? Are the results clearly presented ? Are correct conclusions drawn from the data? Are correct statistical inferences drawn ?

9 BS3916 Thinking about Management 3: The critique & its application to management thought If the article uses qualitative data such as interviews.. Is too much being claimed for the data ? Is the author using the respondents merely to present a one-sided picture ? Are the respondents chosen because of their typicality or because of their uniqueness ?

10 BS3916 Thinking about Management 3: The critique & its application to management thought How do I choose an article to critique ?  Browse in the periodicals section of the library OR choose a reading from a book  should be recent and business related  choose an article which is academic (i.e. not polemical, entertaining)  An article which utilises a survey gives you some good material to evaluate

11 BS3916 Thinking about Management 3: The critique & its application to management thought How do I extend my knowledge to write my critique ?  Most academics have their own knowledge stock to draw upon  Read around the area (by following a reference, reading similar articles,reading a textbook)  Give yourself some ‘thinking time’

12 BS3916 Thinking about Management 3: The critique & its application to management thought Argue appropriately  Tailor your critique to the type of article you have chosen (e.g) - do not say it is incomprehensible if it is written for a technical audience -not sufficiently academic if written in a lighter style  remember your critique says as much about the reviewer as the reviewed

13 BS3916 Thinking about Management 3: The critique & its application to management thought Mistakes to avoid…  Spend too long on a pure summary  Indicate that the author has made rudimentary errors (unless you are sure of your ground!)  indicate you found the argument difficult to follow (unless you think that is likely to be so for the typical reader)

14 BS3916 Thinking about Management 3: The critique & its application to management thought Make any evaluation balanced…  Your evaluation should always find something positive to say, as well as including critical points  your critique should be such that others recognise the article when they read it for themselves  support your own judgements with evidence

15 BS3916 Thinking about Management 3: The critique & its application to management thought And finally…  Use aids to writing style to make sure your own work is literate, spell-checked, grammatical etc.  Typed, 1.5 line spacing, assignment title put at the beginning of the assignment etc.  Do not forget to include a photocopy of the original article