Rhetorical complexity in case analysis writing: A corpus-informed study of the advisory move

This paper examines how students construct the Advisory move in case analysis writing, the stage where analysis is transformed into persuasive recommendations. Using a 256,000-word corpus of business and information systems texts from the BAWE and ISWIQ corpora, we develop a detailed scheme of rhetorical sub-moves within the Advisory move. The scheme identifies how Orientation, Recommendation, and Argument are realized through strategies such as endorsement, rejection, implementation, and justification. N-gram analysis further shows how students use modality and evaluative language to calibrate obligation, contingency, and certainty. By making visible the rhetorical sub-moves and linguistic resources that underpin effective recommendations, the study highlights how genre-based instruction can better support students in moving beyond descriptive writing to persuasive, decision-oriented argumentation. We argue that explicit teaching of these patterns is essential for preparing students to meet the hybrid academic–professional demands of case analysis writing.