Response # 1
Author Mollie West helps companies to create good organizational culture. In her article “How to Create a Culture Manifesto for Your Organization (And Why It’s a Good Idea), Stanford Social Innovation Review, she examines the manifestos of three companies. West gets into examples right at the start. There is a section for each company with a header naming the company and what they sell. She provides a synopsis of each company’s manifesto, what spurred them into creating it and who wrote it. She provides links to the companies’ websites and includes photos from each workplace. Last, she provides an update on what each company is doing currently. Finally, after focusing on what she most likely believes are outstanding models of company manifestos, West proceeds to educate readers on how they too can create a statement of their organization’s core cultural values. It is understood, based on the publication her article appears in and the companies she chose to highlight, that the audience she is attempting to reach are social change leaders in business. Most leaders don’t have a lot of spare time, so when they read an article, it’s because the title was catchy (perhaps it mentions a problem that needs solving). The content is straight to the point, easily digestible, visually appealing, not too long and offers solutions. I believe Ms. West was adept at including all of those elements in her article and will surely reach and inform her intended audience.
Response #2
I am strongly considering writing my area of research as an online business magazine article in order to reach leaders of organizations. Part of my decision-making process stems from the material I want to convey. Because equity and inclusion for Black people might be considered an important and hot topic in this moment for some, it might also be a divisive or scary one for others. I think (depending on the chosen title) I might reach more people in a magazine that isn’t threatening but also lends its authority to the subject simply by publishing it. An online magazine article isn’t stuffy like a scholarly article, it contains casual or informal language and often tells a story with text broken up into sections with headers. There are images and links to data or more scholarly articles for those so inclined to explore them. As I stated in my first response, leaders don’t have a lot of free time, so an article that is visually appealing, easy to absorb, offers a solution to a problem and is a relatively quick read will be appealing to my intended audience.
Hi Sherri,
I think your online business magazine article is super appealing because it really reaches an audience that can easily access information, and this type of “easiness” also encourages more intrigue. I love the idea of having links posted as well, where viewers can learn more if they are inclined to. Also having an article written in a less “stuffy” way as you said lets information not blow over readers’ heads, which is crucial when it comes to delivering such important messages and information. For my project, I was debating using a very similar tactic, but it would be more so of a blog post than an article. However I went with the poster route, so I am really interested in seeing how your project turns out, I think it will be great!
-Kate:)
Hi Sherri,
I like how you pointed out how West used the title of her article to reel her audience in. I think so many people overlook the importance that titles hold on readers. It gives them a first impression into what the content is going to be about, and whether or not it will even be interesting. Thank you for pointing it out, I completely forgot to think about that.
I agree with your idea that magazines aren’t as stuffy as scholarly articles, which is why I planned on taking a similar approach with the project. Normal people, or even leaders as you mentioned either do not have the time to read through a long article or do not have the attention span to read through something like a scholarly journal. I am looking forward to seeing how your project works out, it looks really interesting!
Right–as readers, we may be drawn more to articles that pique our interest with a snappy title, and that appeal matters very much to how we consume the contents of those articles. In other words, we may be more inclined to synthesize information from articles we *chose* to read, as opposed to ones we *had* to read. Given that you plan to navigate some rather complex territory, engaging willing readers will be really valuable.
Hi Sherri,
I think your idea of a writing an online business article is great. This summer I enjoyed reading the assigned business articles more than the scholarly articles. Maybe it’s because most of the reading I do is online and I am used to the style and tone of those articles. These types of articles also tend to be easy for colleagues to share with each other, which will help you get your message out in a timely way. Also, I agree that online articles usually aren’t intimidating so you won’t face as many barriers to get readers to pay attention. I think if you can find a way to tap people’s natural curiosity about a subject, you will draw in the readers.
Hi Sherri,
An online magazine article is a great idea considering the type of information you want to present. All of the reasons you listed for coming to the decision that you did makes sense, and it seems like it took careful consideration into a multitude of important factors such as audience, intended tone, and the amount of information you want to relay. Whenever I want to inform myself on a topic that I might not be too familiar with, I usually start with online articles because of how much information they have and how easy they are to read. I feel like you are off to a great start and your article will reflect all the ideas that are important to your topic.