Reference no: EM133768478
Assignment - Review
Learning Outcome 1: Examine, analyse and synthesize complex information and data to identify current issues in the marketplace and recommend sustainable solutions to solve business problems.
Learning Outcome 2: Demonstrate effective written communication skills (consolidate).
Topic - Supermarket concentration benefits stores, not shoppers. It's time to split Foodstuffs - not make it stronger (Mind Map)
Instructions:
For this assignment, you will create a mind map in MindMeister to provide a critical review of one of the following articles that have been published in The Conversation.
Your mind map will include an analysis and evaluation of the article's effectiveness with branches from the centre (the headline of the article) that address each of the criteria below. The activity in week 3 will help prepare you for this assignment.
How do I sign up to MindMeister?
Use the following as a guide for what should be included in your mind map and check the rubric to make sure you have addressed each of the criteria.
What issue does the article deal with? What is the central argument?
Is the argument well-substantiated? Are there any gaps/limitations? Biases? What evidence is provided to support the argument?
What techniques do the writer use to engage the audience? Is the article well-structured? Logical? Clear?
What is your overall evaluation of the article's effectiveness?
Below are some tips for writing a Conversation piece for Assignment 3. You can use these tips to guide you with your evaluation of the article. For example, the evidence provided refers to referencing and the use of hyperlinks to take the reader to more information, ask yourself if there are enough, or too many and do they take you to relevant material. Also, when discussing the techniques used to engage the audience ask yourself if the headline is visually exciting, or does it include keywords that can be used to make it easy for an online search.
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.