Description
Remember, the assignment is to present a 3-4 page critique of any Harvard Business Review (HBR) or MIT Sloan Management Review article published since 2017. Look for an article that is centered around marketing advice. The author(s) should be making some claim about how a marketing strategy should be, and giving you some evidence for why they think that. If you find an article on another topic you find enticing, or an article that is published prior to 2017, and would like to write about, run it by me first. Both HBR and MIT Sloan Management Review can be accessed through the library, or for HBR you can get around article limitations by using a “Private”/“Incognito” window on your browser. You can either start by searching on a particular topic that interests you or start looking at the most recent articles and find one that sounds like it’s giving marketing advice. Points will be assigned as follows: 5 points – Your use the following organization for your essay: Paragraph 1 – You introduce the main idea of the article and your main points of disagreement. Briefly introduce your three main sub-points. Paragraph 2 – Explain the idea of the article in a bit more detail. Be brief, remember the point of the assignment is to critique the article, not to summarize. So you need to write just enough so that your reader gets the gist of what the article is about, and will understand your counter-arguments. Paragraphs 3, 4, and 5 – Your three supporting sub-points. Make sure each the gist of each sub-point is clearly stated in the first sentence of each of these paragraphs. Paragraph 6 – Briefly present some alternative viewpoint- even though you’re critiquing the article, does it still hold some value? Paragraph 7 – Concluding paragraph. Reiterate your main point and why you think it’s important. 7 points – Quality of arguments: Your three supporting sub-points all make sense, are well-sourced, and logically build to your main point. Your sub-point paragraphs all flow logically, with a main point stated in the first sentence or two, and your evidence for the point stated in the rest of the paragraph. I can clearly tell what your sub-points are and how they relate to one another. Your points of disagreement need to be specific. Any idea about marketing could be dismissed as being “too broad” or “too general”, or by saying “every business is different”. Your goal is to make a point about marketing strategy – don’t just give counter-examples to what the author of your source article argues, tell me what those counter-examples teach us about marketing. Don’t just talk off the top of your head – bring in outside sources (which can include those used in class) and demonstrate that you are able to compare and contrast two different perspectives. Remember, you are writing a critical analysis of your target article, you are not trashing it. Don’t say your source article authors are totally wrong. Instead, present an alternative viewpoint, or a viewpoint that can be combined with what the authors say to form a more complete picture. Some questions to consider: Will the advice the authors advocate apply to every industry? Is there some technology that would change the implications of their advice? Are there some types of customers for whom their advice won’t work? 6 points – Writing is concise, clear, and free of fluff (see the “How to Organize Any Essay” guide section on common sources of fluff). 4 points – Citations are used where appropriate (see https://www.princeton.edu/pr/pub/integrity/pages/cite/ as a rough guide for when you need to cite. Undergrads tend to under-cite, so err on the side of citing and ask me if you’re unsure). Use MLA or APA format. This means you use in-text citations, giving credit when you bring up information. In other words, don’t just say “Uber usage was down 57% in 2020”, say “Uber usage was down 57% in 2020 (Stein, 2020)”. As this is a short essay, avoid direct quotations of more than few words. Also, you’ll have writing that flows better if you just state the finding or idea and then give the citation, rather than using the source author as the subject of the sentence – so, “Uber usage was down 57% in 2020 (Stein, 2020)” not “According to Stein (2020) Uber usage was down 57% in 2020.” An exception is when the information you mention is important because of who says An exception is when the information you mention is important because of who says it. If a random person at a bar thinks the economy is going to tank in 2022, that’s not very notable, but if Jerome Powell, the Chair of the Federal Reserve, writes an op-ed where me makes that prediction, that’s important. In that case, “According to Chair of the Federal Reserve, Jerome Powell (2020), the economy will tank in 2022” is the sentence you should write. Your sources don’t need to be peer-reviewed journal articles (though they certainly can be), but they should come from reputable sources. A reputable source has some combination of relevant credentials, clear journalistic standards, and traceable claims (i.e. the source itself is well-sourced). If a source has none of those things, err against it, especially if it’s something posted on a platform where anyone can post relatively unchecked information. Check with me if you’re unclear on whether a source is reputable. 3 points – Reference section is included and properly formatted, and I can easily look up your sources if I tried. These should be easy points to get. Again, use MLA or APA format. The reference page does not count towards the page limit. NOTE: I will also deduct points for improper formatting (e.g. using different fonts, inconsistent margins or spacing, etc.).
