Academic Writing for International Students of Business

(Frankie) #1

(e) Globalisation, in an economic sense, describes the opening up of national
economies to global markets and global capital, the freer movement and diffusion
of goods, services, finance, people, knowledge and technology around the world.


(f) Empathy as a concept has an interesting history. As Eisenberg and Strayer (1987)
note: ‘Some people take the term empathy to refer to a cognitive process
analogous to cognitive role taking (e.g. Deutsch and Madle, 1975); others take it to
mean.. .’.


 Working with a partner, decide which example(s):


(i) gives a variety of relevant situations


(ii) defines the term in a negative way


(iii) quotes a definition from another writer


(iv) uses category words


(v) explains a process


Practice exercises


When writing introductions, it is often useful to define a term in the title, even if it is fairly
common, in order to demonstrate your understanding of its meaning.


 Study the following titles, underline the terms that are worth defining, and write a
definition for three of them.


(a) Do ‘managing diversity’ policies and practices in Human Resource Management
add value?


(b) How can the management of an entrepreneurial business retain its entrepreneurial
culture as it matures?


(c) Why is organisational culture of sustained interest not only for academics, but also
for practising managers?


(d) Is it true that firms in perfect competition do not make a profit?


 Think of a topic you are currently studying and write a definition for a term used in
that topic that needs clarification.


2.6:Definitions 115
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