Reference no: EM133781078 , Length: word count:1000

Assignment - The Conversation article guide

Learning Outcome 1: Critique contemporary issues in marketing and its adaptation by relevant businesses and organisations.
Learning Outcome 2: Synthesize emerging trends in marketing practices and their impact on the corporate and social environment.
Learning Outcome 3: Discuss and apply theories and practice developed in other units.

Instructions
In the workplace, a common task is to research and write reports on various topics. For example: if you work for the City of Joondalup you may be asked to prepare a report on the potential redevelopment of a shopping precinct; or, if you work for an advertising agency, you may be asked to prepare a report on the effectiveness of a recent promotional campaign. The ability to collect, analyse and communicate information are crucial skills for students to develop. This assessment task has been designed to develop these capabilities and provide an engaging research experience for students.

The Task: You have been invited by the Editor-in-Chief to write an extended article for ‘The Conversation' on a current issue in marketing covered in the lectures for MKT6308.

What is The Conversation?
The Conversation is an independent source of news and opinions written by academics and researchers. The Conversation aims to provide high-quality articles to the public, to allow for a better understanding of current affairs and complex issues (as indicated in their tagline: ‘Academic rigour, journalistic flair'). Importantly, The Conversation focuses on evidence-based analysis of issues making the news. Since launching in 2011, The Conversation has become one of Australia's largest independent news and commentary sites. It has a monthly audience of 8.2 million people. A community of over 53,000 academics and researchers from over 2090 institutions contribute to the online publication.

For further background information on The Conversation, see:

Who we are: Who we are

Where to Start?

Step 1. Familiarise yourself with The Conversation
The first step is for you to become familiar with The Conversation. Explore the website, read articles that interest you and take note of how the articles draw on a mix of research, fact and opinions.

Step 2. Develop your topic area
The Conversation presents articles based on current affairs - it is important that you devise a topic area that is current and a critical issue that you believe is newsworthy.

Step 3. Research the topic
A combination of academic literature (i.e. journal articles), media reports and online sources of information should be drawn upon. As a student at University you need to be discerning about the sources of information that you use to inform yourself and others about a particular topic.

In this assignment students are NOT to use Wikipedia or similar websites such as Business Dictionary.com or Wise Geek etc. The quality of information provided on such sites is not of a discernible nature and use of these sites in your assignment will be reflected by a reduced mark in the relevant assessment criteria which focus upon the quality of your evidence and analysis.
Students should research their chosen topic thoroughly. Academic research conducted in this area and industry examples are to be discussed. It is expected that a lot more information is sourced than can be integrated into the 1000 word article. Thus, students must demonstrate their ability to review and synthesise information and be selective with what is included in their final article.

Step 4. Writing your article

Firstly, based on your research make a brief sketch of your main points. Planning the structure of your article is crucial. It is important to grab the reader's interest. If you were reading an article, what would grab your attention? What would encourage you to read to the end of the article? It is recommended that you have the most important information first and then move on to peripheral information/discussion. Real world examples should be drawn upon throughout the article.

Tip: work hard on the first paragraph to grab the reader's interest. Start with a short, sharp statement (no more than two sentences) that outlines the article's essential facts. Generally readers are interested in the five Ws (who, what, where, when, why). Focus on what is new or surprising with this topic area.

Requirements
• 1000 words in length (10% -/+ acceptable).
• Herewith the requirements in terms of referencing:
o Include at least FOUR (4) Academic Journal references. When referencing these academic journal articles, use the APA style of referencing, in accordance with ECU's guidelines, for both in-text and end-text referencing.
o Include at least FOUR (4) hyperlink references that will take the reader to the information that supports your argument. Since you must include the hyperlink, NO in-text or end-text referencing will be required for the hyperlinks.
• Subheadings can be used, however discussion must flow between sections.
• Images, tables, figures etc should be used (ensure they are referenced) to increase engagement.
• Proofread your work before submitting; marks will be deducted for spelling and grammatical errors.

Flavio's tips
• Organise the structure of your piece
• Collect the evidence - this is crucial
• Make sure to include a catchy title
• Provide a brief explanation of what is happening (context of the story)
• Why is this happening?
• What can we do about it
• Write up your piece and send to a friend for feedback.
For more information on writing an article for The Conversation please see the writing tips provided for Assignment 3 below.

Headline tips
• Keep your headline simple and direct - it should be seven to ten words at most, with the most relevant and important words at the start.
• Avoid puns and "smart" headlines, unless it suits the story. Instead, aim for an accurate and engaging label that summarises the content.
• Names of people, things and places are good. Don't abbreviate these.
• Aim to employ active verbs, which add muscle and emphasise the "actor" in the story, e.g. "Aspirin cuts cancer risk" or "WikiLeaks reveals flaws in new privacy laws". Author guide: pitching & writing for The Conversation
• Think of ways to distinguish your article from others. Is this new, or a first? Does it answer an important question, or solve a puzzle?
• Would you read it? Remember, you are writing for people reading online. What keywords would you Google to find a story like yours? Try using those.
• Would you feel compelled to read beyond the headline or first sentence?

Writing tips
• Work hard on the first paragraph to grab the reader's interest.
• Start with a short, sharp statement of the article's essential facts, in no more than two sentences.
• Start with what's new, relevant, or surprising. Readers want to know Five W's: who, what, where, when, why, and sometimes how.
• Make a brief sketch of your main points and stick to them. Put the most important information first. That allows readers to explore a topic to the depth that their curiosity takes them (not everyone reads to the end).

Tone and ‘Readability'

Write the way people talk. Why say "A male person disembarked from the vehicle", when you could say "a man stepped out of the car"?
Explain complex ideas. Don't get too technical. Avoid jargon.

The Conversation's Readability rating is based on Flesch-Kincaid readability tests, set at the level of an educated 16-year-old. That's still higher than most media outlets. And they focus on ‘readability' because they want to share your expertise with everyone - including young people and a big, global audience of people whose first language isn't always English.

Referencing
If you make contentious statements, please back them up with research. The same goes for facts and figures, e.g. if you're saying 28% of Australians are obese you need to reference with online links that readers can click on, preferably to full research papers, but to abstracts or news stories if the full paper isn't available. Don't use footnotes or endnotes. Ideally, put your reference/web link in brackets beside each statement to be referenced.

Word limit: 1,000 words (+/- 10%)