i think an example would be better than an explanation here is a method private void test(OrderBatch ob) { StagedOrderRemoteView order = ob.order; Console.Write(": " + order); } [please note that local variable has the same name as OrderBatch member] after 'make method non-static' refactoring we get a piece of invalid code: private void test() { StagedOrderRemoteView order = order; Console.Write(": " + order); } I guess '.this' is missing