In academic writing, nothing must come as a surprise to the reader. Academic writing is not like fiction writing, where the reader can be held in suspense, not knowing who committed the crime, or whether the girl will get the boy, or whether the story will end happily or tragically. In academic writing, the whole “story” is outlined in the introduction, and given in detail in the body.

Activity 2-1: Analyzing the structure of an introduction

Below is an introduction which would be suitable for a 1500-2000 word essay on intercultural communication. Read carefully and discuss with your partner what aspects of information are addressed by this introduction.

Sample Introduction 1

Over the past twenty five years, since Australia embraced multiculturalism as a policy, issues of intercultural communication have become more and more prominent in the workplace. However, until relatively recently, little had been written on these issues, and even now, many organizational managers have no training or knowledge of how to deal with communication problems, even though most workplaces are staffed by people of diverse cultures. Particular problem areas include the difficulties that some non-English speakers have in understanding safety instructions (figures produced by the ABS in 1997 show that migrant workers have a higher incidence of accidents at the workplace); an ignorance of the different forms of non-verbal communication used by other cultures(for example it is considered impolite in some societies for an employee to look directly at his or her employer), which can lead to misunderstandings and unpleasantness; and the lack of knowledge about differing expectations. Based on interviews with managers and staff in six organizations (public and commercial), this report examines these three problem areas, and shows that many of the difficulties faced by both natives and migrants in the workforce are caused by a lack of awareness of, and training in, intercultural communication.

Questions for discussion

This introduction has included the following things:

(1) _______________________________________________________________

(2)________________________________________________________________

(3)________________________________________________________________

Notes

In academic writing, everything follows logically from a starting point. There can be no twists and turns; the logical direction of the argument is indicated in the introduction, and followed faithfully in the body.

Usually an introduction will contain the following:

(a) Introduction to the topic of your study

(b) Background information about your topic

(c) Justification for your choice of topic focus

(d) Outline of the structure of the essay

(e) Definition of key terms related to the topic

(f) Thesis statement (Your view point or perspective)

(g) Your purpose in writing the essay

Activity 2-2: Identifying features of an introduction

1. Read the Sample Introduction 1 in Activity 2-1 again. Identify what features (a-g) outlined above have been addressed and complete the Table below with the information you read from the text.

Table 1 Features of introduction

2.Read another sample introduction below (Sample Introduction 2). Underline the features listed above and write the letter (a-g) and complete the Table.

Sample Introduction 2

Downsizing as a Necessity for Survival

Over the past decade, an uncertain economic climate and the rapid development of technology have led to an increasingly sophisticated business environment. Under these rapid changes, in order to gain competitive advantages, organizations are being increasingly reoriented or converged. Downsizing (Steven et al., 1998) is a response to the external environment, as companies are attempting to reposition themselves so as to gain a competitive advantage in an uncertain marketplace. Emphasis is on “lean and mean” as an effective way for organizations to achieve the “lean” purposes of downsizing. Downsizing is necessary for survival in many cases. If human resource managers lack an appropriate downsizing programme, they will be faced with negative feedback from employees. As a result, it will lead to the opposite effect to the “lean” performance and efficient purposes of downsizing. This project will examine how to present a positive vision of downsizing to employees. First, the purpose of downsizing will be addressed. Then, examples of the characteristics of an effective downsizing process will be examined. In the final part, three sets of data that evaluate the process of downsizing will be explored.

Table 2 Features of introduction