BUSS4 Essay Technique - Signposting Analysis and Application

A good structure is so important when it comes to writing high-scoring paragraphs in an essay. One thought I had last night was whether it might be possible to encourage the examiner with his/her marking by making it clear what each part of a paragraph is trying to do! Let's call it "signposting" for want of a better word.I had a go at this below with a sample paragraph point where I was trying to achieve good analysis (GAn) and good application (GAp) in just one paragraph point.See what you think and whether you believe it might help with the writing and/or structuring of a paragraph point. I've highlighted the attempted "signposting" in bold.

Essay Question

In your opinion, is it now too late for western businesses to succeed in China?

One reason why it may be too late now for Western businesses to succeed in China is that they face much stronger competition from domestic Chinese businesses than existed 5-10 years ago. Let’s analyse how and why this might be the case. Chinese firms have learned quickly what it takes to produce high quality products at low cost. After all, they have been suppliers to, or joint venture partners with, western businesses for many years. Nowadays many Chinese businesses want to use their experience and know-how to compete for themselves. Therefore Chinese suppliers have turned into competitors by moving up the supply chain and the danger for western businesses is that these Chinese competitors may have some important competitive advantages. For example they may have a much better understanding of local customer needs and wants which could allow them better differentiate their products. They may also be more able to take advantage of the widespread adoption of mobile technology in China. This in turn may allow domestic Chinese competitors to develop products and services that can compete on price as well as quality, which Western businesses may struggle to match. Many examples can be used to support this analysis. For example, smartphone and tablet maker Xiaomi has quickly gained market share in China from Apple, Nokia and Samsung by using its ability to source high quality and low price manufacturing. It has also built a loyal and enthusiastic Chinese customer base through effective use of social media and its detailed understanding of Chinese customers. Apple and other Western businesses are finding it hard to compete with such an agile domestic competitor as Xiaomi. By contrast, in the very different market of solar panel production, Chinese businesses have not only dominated the domestic market but they now also dominate Western markets. Helped by massive subsidies from the Chinese government (a good example of an advantage often exploited by domestic firms), there are now over 300 Chinese firms making solar panels and they already have over 50% of the US market too! There is no doubt that the strength of domestic competition in China is now a major threat to Western businesses looking to succeed there.