Academic Writing for International Students of Business

1 Group work

 Read the text and complete the following exercise.

THE IMPORTANCE OF GROUP WORK IN THE

BUSINESS SCHOOL

Some students in business schools, especially those from other academic cultures,

may be surprised to find they are expected to work in groups to complete some

academic assignments. For those who have always worked on their own this may

cause a kind of culture shock, especially as all the students in the group will

normally be given the same mark for the group’s work. In addition, students are

normally told who they will work with, although with some kinds of project the

group may be able to choose its own topic. However, there are important reasons

for this emphasis on group work in many English-speaking institutions.

First of all, employers are generally looking for people who can work in a team.

Most managers are not looking for brilliant individuals, instead they want

employees who are comfortable working with a mixed group with different skills

Working in

Groups

UNIT

1.12

Many courses in business schools expect students to complete written tasks as part

of a group of four to eight students. This unit explains the reasons for this, and

suggests the best way to approach group work in order to achieve the maximum

benefit from the process.