Everything You Wanted To Know About Generating a Technobabble-Free Press Release But Were Afraid To Ask - The Writers For Hire

EVERYTHING YOU WANTED TO KNOW ABOUT GENERATING A TECHNOBABBLE-FREE PRESS RELEASE BUT WERE AFRAID TO ASK Imagine yourself in the following situation: You’re the chief engineer of an up-and-coming technology company, and you’ve just led the launch of a ground-breaking systems control software package. You’re excited. You know your new product can meet a wider range of needs for industrial operators than competing solutions. You’ve published a detailed press release, and now you’re waiting to hear back from the tech press and trade publications. And †¦ crickets. Your big announcement does not seem to have drawn any attention or comments. You ask your team members to look into the matter, and they tell you sheepishly that only a handful of newspapers and blogs have taken note of your announcement. Moreover, they inform you that these outlets have either run the company’s statement in full or have condensed it into a brief blurb that uses exactly the same wording. You’re disappointed – and not sure what to do next. You’re proud of your new product and confident that it can find an audience. So far, though, your audience seems to be yawning. What happened? Perhaps you’ve fallen victim to technobabble. That is, perhaps you – and your communications team have spent enough time in the company of your fellow engineers, coders, systems architects, and other technical experts that you’re defaulting to the jargon you use with each other in the office. And as a result, the message you were trying to send out to potential buyers, not all of whom have the same level of familiarity with technical terms that you do, has been lost in a thicket of acronyms, abbreviations, and neologisms. Luckily, you aren’t alone.   Many, many other companies have written press releases that are all but incomprehensible to the average reader. Take, for example, this statement from Borealis: This press release is a difficult read for several reasons: The headline, â€Å"Borealis inaugurates EUR 15 million investment project mtm plastics GmbH,† gives few details about the topic at hand.The first paragraph devotes more space to describing the companies involved than to explaining what exactly is happening.The text is heavily loaded with technical terms.Most of the results of an internet search for more information on the topic consist of articles that are slightly reworded versions of the press release. Press Releases: Like Doing a Root Canal But how much does it matter if your press release is a difficult read? And if technobabble is truly a problem, how can you avoid it in press releases? To answer these questions, The Writers For Hire spoke to Joel Alpert, the founder and strategic and creative director of MarketPower, an Atlanta-based branding and marketing consultancy. Alpert, who worked for multiple weekly newspapers in the New York City market before moving into consulting, pointed out that press releases have their own problems even if they’re light on technobabble. â€Å"Most press releases are like doing a root canal,† he said. â€Å"They’re incredibly painful to listen to [or] to read. They’re terrible. They do the wrong things †¦ Just in the course of [working in journalism], you learn to hate press releases.† Journalists and editors are in a better position than most to critique public statements from businesses because they see so many of them, he explained. â€Å"Years ago in New York City, we certainly worked with press releases,† he said, referring to his past experience. â€Å"We got hundreds each week. You’d go through them; you’d throw most of them away. You’d edit them, and then you’d publish [them] in some form. When you do that often enough, you develop a sense of taste – of tolerance – for what you’re willing to put up with.† Your takeaway here? Journalists get a ton of releases, and many are poorly written. So make their job easier, and they’ll be more likely to pay attention to you.Tweet this Telling Your Story Unfortunately, the communication problem is not limited to interactions with the press. Companies that struggle to draw the attention of journalists and editors are also likely to have difficulty making a good impression on potential clients and customers. According to Alpert, the best way to avoid boring copy is to tell a story. When telling that story, a strong start is crucial, he remarked. â€Å"The first thing to do is to make the story interesting. And it’s got to be enjoyable, preferably fun,† he added. â€Å"The lead has got to be very strong [and go] right into a story that really engages the reader. Otherwise, the reader will probably throw it away immediately.† To achieve this aim, he said, companies may need to move beyond describing their newest products and services in a straightforward, just-the-facts-ma’am manner. Potential customers – even those who are looking for technological solutions to complex problems – may respond more positively to a different approach, he said. â€Å"You might not tell a story about the brand or about the company,† he said. â€Å"[Instead], you can tell something that expands on your brand or your interests by telling something that’s interesting. It could be a customer experience. So while that doesn’t seem, at face value, to be about the brand, it really is because you’ve told about how a customer interacted with the brand.† HelloPackage seems to be thinking along the same lines, if its press release dated September 14 is any indication. The package management system platform’s statement succeeds on several fronts: The headline and first paragraph draw attention to an easily relatable problem – namely, that of keeping track of more and more packages thanks to the expansion of delivery options.The second paragraph provides data to support the company’s argument without leaving readers to drown in a sea of numbers.The overall tone is collegial and engaging – and non-technical, despite the technical nature of the product.The statement explains clearly how the company can help resolve a real-world problem. If Borealis had taken this approach, the first paragraph of its press release might have read as follows: â€Å"For both manufacturers and consumers, plastics are cheap and convenient. They are also disposable – and piling up around the world, creating environmental hazards. Borealis, a leading provider of innovative solutions in the chemical industry, is contributing to clean-up efforts through the expansion of a plastics recycling facility in Niedergebra, Germany.† The Eyes Have It Hitting these high notes may seem like a tall order for companies involved in complex, high-tech operations. But there are concrete ways to optimize the content of press releases to help them reach laymen and experts alike, Alpert told The Writers For Hire. One technique is to keep press releases and other marketing materials brief, he said. â€Å"Keep it short because if you’ve got something that can be told more [succinctly], you’re getting that story published the way you want to have it, [rather] than getting it sliced to bits because someone feels like they have to take a pen or cursor to it,† he said. Another helpful strategy is to seek out striking imagery, he said. â€Å"There’s something you can do that really helps a lot, and that is [to be] visual,† he said. â€Å"Instead of saying something like ‘we’re growing quickly,’ you say ‘we’re growing in leaps and bounds.’ If that happens to [catch the readers eye], it’s a little more visual.† Even companies involved in heavily technical projects should make use of striking imagery, Alpert asserted. â€Å"Everything has an angle that can be made interesting,† he said. â€Å"I worked for a client in insurance compliance consulting, which is pretty dry stuff. And we had a whole theme of getting through the jungle of insurance compliance that was very visual, with all kinds of illustrations about escaping from the paper tiger in the jungle and cutting through the jungle with machetes. Everything became a way of cutting through the bureaucratic clutter that this industry is known for, and we made that interesting. And this particular client’s business started growing radically once we started doing this kind of stuff because it has a way of gaining the attention and interest of the target audience.† He continued: â€Å"[Something] that’s more engaging and more entertaining and more interesting will gain the attention of your audience – wherever it is, every single time, no exceptions. There’s no industry that can’t create some interesting thinking or analogy.† Borealis would probably have benefited from this approach. For example, the German company could have tweaked its statement to include a more evocative headline, such as â€Å"Borealis to scoop up more litter with EUR 15 million push to expand plastics recycling facility.† Likewise, with a few modifications to the original text, it could have offered a clear and succinct explanation of its investment program. More specifically, it could have used the following as its second paragraph: â€Å"The company is set to spend EUR 15 million on the expansion of a plastics recycling facility that it acquired through the acquisition of another German firm, mtm plastics GmbH, in 2016. The project aims to boost the capacity of the plant, which is located in Niedergebra, Germany, while also improving its ability to navigate the high-end market of plastic re-granulates.† Maintaining Credibility When reworked in this fashion, press releases can do a better job of capturing readers’ interest. But if the topic at hand is technical in nature, will an overhaul really do justice to it? According to Alpert, avoiding technobabble doesn’t have to entail a loss of credibility. â€Å"Sometimes a company has something that’s highly technical and it’s a big innovation, and you have to explain to [readers] why this big innovation has value,† he said. â€Å"That can and should be able to be done. That can also be made interesting and engaging.† He explained: â€Å"Sometimes in the cases of a technical product, you can be a little more technical in what you do because you want to gain some credibility †¦ [Your press release] may be seen by a CFO as well as a CTO, or it may be seen by a programmer or someone in customer service, and [those] audiences are really different. They have different tolerances for what they want to read.† Even so, he said, the desire to cater to expert readers is no excuse for a badly crafted press release. â€Å"No matter who it is, even if they have a technical background, they still want to be able to read it like a normal sentence and not [have it] sound like they’re sitting in a science class looking at the periodic table of elements,† he commented. This target is not out of reach, as the organizers of a technology conference in Wuxi, China can demonstrate. In this press release, the Organizing Committee of 2018 World Internet of Things Expo has accomplished several important goals: In the headline and first paragraph, it uses evocative phrases such as â€Å"pivotal leap,† â€Å"great breakthrough† and â€Å"years of cultivation.†It presents readers with a striking visual image by referring to the event as the â€Å"pearl† of Wuxi.The statement explains how consumers can benefit from the technologies showcased at the event.It references new technological developments without taking refuge in technobabble. Borealis would have done well to adopt a similar approach. For example, it could have played up the positive environmental impact of its plans by playing up the theme of cleaning up litter along the following lines: â€Å"The expansion project will add value to mtm plastics GmbH, which is already in the vanguard of efforts to recycle items that might otherwise be sent to landfills, including mixed post-consumer plastic waste and as one of Europes largest producers of post-consumer polyolefin recyclates.† Cross-Fertilization In any event, companies should certainly aim to stand out, given that media markets have changed so much over the last two decades. â€Å"I don’t think it’s a secret to say that press releases have been fighting for their survival for years,† Alpert said. â€Å"In electronic media, there are so many places to go for information, and social media tends to dominate over press releases. So press releases are not as popular as they used to be.† Even so, companies can attain the best of both worlds by writing press releases that bear more resemblance to social media posts. Alpert explained: â€Å"A press release tends to have a more corporate style, and social media tends to be more conversational. I would argue that press releases should be more conversational, or if not conversational, then minimally they should be engaging and absolutely interesting and readable.† The press release mentioned above serves as a good example of this informal approach. In similar fashion, this September 13 statement from MyRepChat strikes a friendly note: Instead of listing the software’s technical features at length, it uses brief summaries and quotes from its CEO to highlight the ways that the software helps its users. By contrast, Borealis uses a quote from its acting CEO that comes across as plodding and overloaded with buzzwords: â€Å"This investment in our mechanical recycling capabilities at mtm is key in realising our growth ambitions in the circular economy, and it underlines our continuing commitment to mtm. We need stepwise expansion projects to minimize down time, but also need to maintain existing facilities and business.† The company might have done better to preface this statement with something more descriptive, such as: â€Å"Borealis’ acting CEO Alfred Stern emphasized his company’s dedication to expanding its activities in the area of plastics recycling – and doing so without forcing mtm plastics GmbH to take a break from the important business of responsible handling of post-consumer waste.† Content Management In short, according to Alpert, avoidance (or judicious use) of technobabble is valuable for any company looking to bolster its bottom line. Clear communication â€Å"absolutely leads to sales,† he said. â€Å"That’s why we have so much marketing communication [and] so much chatter across every imaginable medium, from email and Twitter and Facebook on your phone to electronic billboards and ads in elevators.† As noted here, good writing skills are a crucial part of the solution, especially for companies involved in complex and technical industries that are not easy to describe to laymen. But they do not have to be the only tool in use. Indeed, technology – in the form of content management systems (CMSs) – can play a role. CMSs are software packages or apps that allow their users to collect, store, manage, and publish information, including text, graphics, and other materials. As companies accumulate collections of press releases and other public statements, they can use CMSs as an archive that stores older material: as a smart index that tags text and graphics so that they can be used in the most effective context, as a template that generates new material and calibrates it to specific audiences, as a sounding board that allows staff members to update and comment on press releases and other public statements, and as a publishing solution that formats material attractively. Pimcore, a German open-source software vendor, has pointed out that these systems help companies access the technological resources needed to streamline the process of composing and releasing marketing materials: â€Å"You don’t need to know HTML or any other programming language to build a website using a CMS. All you really need to know is how to use Microsoft Word and you will be able to create (using) your CMS to create web pages, blog posts, news articles, landing pages, and press releases.† (hyperlink to https://pimcore.com/en/resources/blog/why-you-should-be-using-a-content-management-system-cms_a981) In other words, CMSs can be a helpful complement to good writing skills. They can streamline the process of drafting press releases by helping companies to draw on their most successful marketing campaigns and statements of the past. Through tagging, they can help companies tailor their press releases to different audiences with different tolerances for technical information, while ensuring that the final product is well formatted and visually appealing.

Walt Disney Company Case study

Walt Disney Company Case study Disney’s has different characters that have proven successful in different market segments and as such, cross-platform franchising has enabled the company to create a sustainable competitive advantage (Russell 2012). For example, the company targets children and young teens with its princess and Cars franchises.Advertising We will write a custom case study sample on Walt Disney Company Case study specifically for you for only $16.05 $11/page Learn More In addition, Disney’s uses music labels such as Hanna Montana or Jonas Brothers to reach out to a diversified consumer group. On the other hand, the Pirates of Caribbean targets the adults and older teens’ markets. Through product differentiation, Disney has managed to reach out to multiple markets, and this has helped to promote the Disney brand as a whole (Russell 2012). Disney has also adopted product differentiation through its Pirates franchise. This is aimed at gaining sustainable co mpetitive advantage. The Pirates franchise comprises of a series of products such as DVDS, movies, figurines/ships and toys, customers, and Disney world ride. All these products have been integrated into a single franchise that targets different consumer markets. The movie Car is among the major brands that has created a competitive advantage for the company. After the hit movie Cars, Disney went ahead to produce a series under the brand name Cars. To reach out to customers, Disney used DVDs in addition to launching the Disney TV channel. As a result, the company has managed to reach out to different consumers of different age groups and locations. The Cars brand is also available through an online virtual gaming world which targets teens and children. All these practices are part of the company’s product differentiation strategies which the company has adopted in an attempt at reaching out to different customers, thereby creating a competitive advantage. Disney has developed a strong brand which differentiates the company from other competitors in the industry. For example, the brand name, â€Å"Pirates† is used on Disney’s products to appeal to target customers from different segments of the market. Product appeal results in consumer loyalty among the targeted consumer markets thus giving the company an upper hand over its competitors. As noted by Bob Iger, the company has manaed to create multiple experiences through product appeal thus generating consumer enthusiasm (Disney Institute 2012). This has enabled Disney to give its consumers a reason to come back and share the same experience.Advertising Looking for case study on business economics? Let's see if we can help you! Get your first paper with 15% OFF Learn More The application of market diversification has also given Disney competitive advantage in the market. For example, Disney has been moving its franchises with the objective of capturing the growing t eens’ market. In addition, the company has broadened its viewership on its Disney Channel franchise in a bid to capture new markets. Under the leadership of Bob Iger, the company has moved Disney Channel from premium channels to basic channels. In addition, it has also focused on launching local versions its major key markets around the globe. All these activities have led to a sustainable market share of the company. Marketing mix entails the 4ps that is, product, price, place/distribution, and promotion. Disney’s Cars franchise is one of the company’s leading franchises. According to Disney (2012), the Car franchise has helped the company to achieve huge success in the film industry. As part of its marketing mix, Disney produced the hit movie Cars, which was followed by series of Cars in the form of animations available to targeted markets. The company also produced Cars 2 which promoted the Cars franchise. Other accessories associated with the Disney Cars fra nchise include personal care, food, apparel, home dà ©cor, electronics and toys (Disney 2012). Different products of the Car franchise are promoted through the Disney Channel, personal selling, displays, and advertisements. For instance, Cars was introduced to the movie theaters and to the public by designing cartoon car characters which were later displayed in merchandise stores along with the real Car movie as part of its promotion exercise. The Cars franchise is currently promoted through Cars e-magazine, internet platform and other mobile phone applications such as Cars’ Lightning Was Here (Disney 2012). The products are found in movie theaters’, online platforms, and leading merchandise stores. Disney has adopted a strong distribution network in order to ensure that the products are available to consumers within the stipulated timeframe. Disney uses premium prices as part of its pricing strategy (Garcia 2011). The prices offered by Disney are modest and affordabl e given the high level of competition in the entertainment industry.Advertising We will write a custom case study sample on Walt Disney Company Case study specifically for you for only $16.05 $11/page Learn More Considering that the company’s executives constantly under pressure to increase profit margins the company has adopted aggressive pricing. This strategy is intended to increase sales. Since Disney has already gained its market share, it uses competitive pricing. Competitive pricing is associated with quality products such as the products associated with Cars franchise. Based on the case study, Disney’s major focus has been on family-friendly fairs with a major emphasis on teens and young children. However, due to increased competition in the industry, Disney should consider choosing another market segment. A good example of a new market segment for Disney to target would be young girls in Middle East. Through the Disney Princess franch ise (Walt Disney 2012) the company could target an untapped market in the Middle East. Jasmine as portrayed in the film Aladdin is a girl who was later captured and treated like a slave (Walt Disney 2012). Middle East is an emerging economy with a fast growing population of women. The Middle East market is promising especially the female segment (Krupnick 2011). Therefore, targeting girls in Middle East is appropriate because the population has an increasing purchasing power. Krupnick (2011) add that the Middle East market is composed of oil-rich nations whose purchasing power has been on rise. For instance, Middle East has a purchasing power of more than 8% (Newman 2006). Therefore, it is important to note that the targeted market will afford Disney branded dolls and other feminine related accessories. Some products such as body and hair perfumes for girls which are a reflection of Jasmine would be highly marketable. Furthermore, Middle East Women inclusive of girls have larger inf luence on products because of their family spending. Arab females have been categorized as an attractive market target group because they form the largest group of media consumers (Carter 1997). In addition, they have a higher buying power just like other buyers in Western markets. The population of females of ages below 30 years is higher compared to that of men.Advertising Looking for case study on business economics? Let's see if we can help you! Get your first paper with 15% OFF Learn More This means that there is a ready population which can be targeted (Carter 1997). Advertising through the media and magazines are the most appropriate methods of reaching the target market. This is because traditionally, magazines and media have been the key advertising medium for existing and emerging brands (Carter 1997). If at all Disney is to reposition itself in the Middle East market, the management should take in to consideration market changes and market trends. Products diversification would be a viable option as it would ensure that the target market gets to enjoy a variety of Disney’s products. For example, Jasmine diversified fragrances, perfumes, dolls, t-shirts, and clothing have the capacity to evoke various feelings among the target market. Perfumes with different scents and sizes have different effects on different people and are thus recommended. Jasmine dolls should be of different sizes, color, and be clothed differently in order to meet new market trends a nd customers’ preferences. Also, Disney needs to invest heavily on TV commercials and magazines because females from the Middle East are heavy consumers of TV commercials (Carter 1997). In addition, Disney could upgrade its products and give them a youthful look which create memorable experiences and brand image in the minds of the consumers. Finally, the company should improve its current products by adding new features as a way of making them more appealing to the target customers. Carter, Meg. â€Å"The Buying Power of Arab women. (Latest Developments in Advertising in the Middle East). † Campaign. 6 Jun. 1997: 1. Print. Disney. Disney Consumer Products: Disney-Pixar Cars. 2011. Web. https://www.disneyconsumerproducts.com/Home/display.jsp?contentId=dcp_home_ourfranchises_disney_cars_usforPrint=falselanguage=enpreview=falseimageShow=0pressRoom=UStranslationOf=region=0. Disney Institute. Disney’s approach to Brand Loyalty. PDF files. 24 Nov. 2012 disneyinstit utecollateral.com/files/PDP/BrandLoyalty_Extended.pdf Garcia, Jason. â€Å"Disney Pricing Strategy: Seeking More Profits out of Long-Term visitors.† Orlando Sentinel. 20 Jun. 2011: 1. Print. Krupnick, Ellie. Arab Women The Majority Of Couture Clients, Executives Say. 10 Oct. 2011. Web.. huffingtonpost.com/2011/10/07/arab-women-couture-clients_n_999680.html. Newman, Mark. Purchasing Power. 2006. Web.worldmapper.org/posters/worldmapper_map170_ver5.pdf Russell, Christina. The Walt Disney Company. PDF files. 24 Nov. 2012, christinalrussell.com/documents/DisneyFinanceProject_000.pdf. Walt Disney. Disney Consumer Products: Disney Princess. 2011. Web. https://www.disneyconsumerproducts.com/Home/display.jsp?contentId=dcp_home_ourfranchises_disney_princess_usforPrint=falselanguage=enpreview=falseimageShow=0pressRoom=UStranslationOf=region=0

A Brief History of Globalization Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 3000 words

A Brief History of Globalization - Essay Example This research will begin with the definition of globalization as a process (or set of processes) which embodies a transformation in the spatial organization of social relations and transactions, expressed in transcontinental or interregional flows and networks of activity, interaction, and power. Globalisation is perhaps the most overused and least understood word, and one can easily see that the meaning and scope of the word has transformed and evolved dramatically over the past few years. The controversy associated with it proves how complicated scholars on both sides have made it. Under this backdrop, here is someone with a rational approach who seeks to clarify the concepts. Alex MacGillivray’s views are wry and balanced, replete with historic anecdotes and high-quality analysis of each aspect and implication of globalization. He litters his writing with speckles of benign humor when referring to the steady growth in the number of countries over the last few decades accord ing to membership of the UN, recognition by FIFA or entries in the CIA’s World Fact Book. His observations are woven logically into the fabric of first-rate primary data analysis. For instance, a new data set showing that much of the reputed growth of an international trade over the past two decades arise from regional (intra trading block), rather than a truly international movement of goods and services. This idea contrasts what organizations like WTO and World Bank acclaim as the benefits of globalization.

Is Money Neutral Contrast the view regarding the neutrality of money Essay

Is Money Neutral Contrast the view regarding the neutrality of money between Real Business Cycle theory and New Keynesian Theor - Essay Example This is an important question to ask, as it affects the way, the government chooses to govern the economy and the ways to control it. The two schools of thought, the New Keynesian Theory and the Real Business Cycle Theory, debate the answer to this question (Mankiw, pp. 181-220, 2003). Both of these theories have a unique perspective to offer on the answer, and since each raises valid arguments, neither has yet been discredited for the other. The theory of money neutrality maintains that the effect of money does not affect real, inflation-adjusted factors like employment; real Gross Domestic Product (GDP) and ‘real’ consumption (real because they have are all adjusted for inflation). This is because this theory considers the force of money as an inflationary one, with no large implications for the economy in terms of the macroeconomic factors. However, the theory does acknowledge the impact money has on nominal variables, such as price and wages, and even exchange rate o f the country’s currency (Wickens, pp. 199, 2009). These factors bound to gain influence from the money rate of interest, as they have a direct link to money and its circulation in the economy. The two schools of thought that debates on the neutrality of money have opposite views about how far-reaching the effect of money can be in an economy. The classical model states that money is neutral in both the short run as well as the long run. This means that this model considers money to be a neutral force, one that does not affect macro factors such as GDP or employment in the economy. Whereas, the Keynesian school of thought states that a force as strong as money does have its impact on the economy in the end. It believes that monetary policy does have a strong impact on the real economy, if one waits enough time before observing the changes. Each of these schools believes that this effect is visible within the short run for a short period of time, which is a factor on which the y both see eye to eye, but for different reasons. For the long term however, they both offer opposing views (Wickens, pp. 199, 2009). The classical model presents the view that monetary policy cannot affect the real economy and its macro factors, neither in the short run, nor in the long-run (Gali, pp 50-79, 2008). It states that nominal shocks, which are changes in the money supply and money demand, do not have any effect on the business cycle. This monetary policy is one of the tools that a government uses to control the economy, which it does by manipulating the money supply and circulation. According to the theory, when ‘money supply’ changes, it affects price proportionately. However, there is no effect on the real variables in the economy, such as the real interest rate or the unemployment level in the economy. As mentioned above, the classical school does also believe that the money supply affects the real factors for a short period. However, it believes that ver y soon, the price level adjusts to this change in money supply, thus making it ineffective to any real factors in the economy. This is apparent in the diagram below, which shows how the equilibrium reverts to normal after a temporary price shock (Abel and Bernanke, pp. 2005). In other words, it believes that the non-neutrality of money is short-lived, persisting over a period of insignificant length. Thus,

Conceptions of crime Essay Example for Free

Conceptions of crime Essay Conceptions of crime are distorted by exposure to media coverage. Discuss. This cours from coursework. inf coga ga . r se . ga . ga . w or. ga . . ga . k inga foga . ga . ! The media constitutes a major part of modern society and plays a large role in our lives. It is the prime source of information and entertainment, and moreover acts as a strong influence on public belief and opinion. The media is highly influential in coae ae . r se . ae . ae . w or. ae . . ae . k inae foae . ae . . shaping our views upon the world in which we live. When it comes to crime, coae ae .r se . ae . ae . w or. ae . . ae . k inae foae . ae . . however, do the reports shown by the media present an accurate picture of the true This cours from coursework. inf events? The more horrific the report, the more likely it is to capture the attention of the public, which obviously secures plenty of profit for media barons. Is our increasing reliance on an institution that relies on sensationalism to create profit unwise, as this could well mean that the facts they report lack truth? The media reinforces social myths by selective reporting, and thus presents a distorted view ofreality. This could be leading to an increasingly misconstrued public view of certain crimes. The media is a very powerful influence on the way in which we behave and how we view the world, therefore it is important that it shows a realistic picture of what is taking place in our society, otherwise we will gain a false perception of aspects such as crime. Is the media really portraying crime as it truly is, or is it selectively reporting the most colourful events in order to secure audiences and therefore profit? It is important to understand that there are many crimes that are completely ignored by the media, as they are not seen as ? newsworthy?. Usually only those that will capture public attention are mentioned. This means that the crimes that fill our screens and pages are usually violent or shocking in nature. From a functionalist perspective this can serve a positive function, as the deviant behaviour makes ordinary people feel safe in the knowledge that they are morally better than the criminal, and reporting of crimes and subsequent punishments can also serve as a deterrent to others and a good method of reinforcing the social order. However, there is also a certain degree of bias present in all reporting that stems from the integrated norms and moral background of the journalist involved. It is almost impossible to be completely objective when reporting, and most journalists will slant their stories to appeal to the widest possible audience. This is theorized in the hegemonic model, and works on the basis that the majority of journalists are likely to be white, male and middle-class and will therefore bring with them to their stories their own similar set of norms and values, be this unconsciously or otherwise. The editors will also carry out a selection process on the stories before they hit the public view; therefore it is highly unlikely that any crime report reaches the news in an unbiased state.? Journalists also tend to use a set of stereotypes, which serve to easily identify ? types? of people and reduce complexities of character to a series of ? bad guys? and ? good guys?. These can lead the public to make quick judgments, which may not be based on true fact.? The media? s presentation of stereotypical images can change the public opinion on certain groups in society, and may create a false picture of them that may be harmful. The groups most often portrayed as criminal are the less privileged and minority groups such as those from ethnic minorities. Because our lives are so deeply influenced by the media we begin to see the portrayal of these groups as a reality, and this may cause crimes committed by other groups or individuals (such as corporate crime in the middle class) to be overlooked or seen as less serious.? In addition, the police can make use of the media to help maintain social order by choosing what to tell reporters, as many news stories use police accounts as a major source for their information. A good example of the media distorting aspects of crime is shown with the reporting of women involved in criminal activity. The common media portrayal of women is more passive and much less inclined to commit crime, and when they do it is seen as less violent or shocking in nature, or as influenced by a stronger male personality, for example Myra Hindley was commonly said to have been under the influence of Ian Brady when the horrific Moors murders were committed. Media coverage usually concentrates on the most violent and shocking aspects of crime. This can often be far from the truth, and puts the public in fear when in reality there is a tiny chance of them falling victim. Listening to the news, it appears that the country is riddled with serial killers and rapists however official crime statistics would show that this is not the case. Reporting like this can lead to mass panic and fear across the country, and this aspect was investigated further by Stanley Cohen in his book ? Folk Devils and Moral Panics? where he studied the 1960s mods and rockers conflicts. The media? s handling of the fights between the rivals groups made it sound as if Brighton was full of riots and was a very dangerous place, when in reality this was a false picture of events. However, these stories grabbed the headlines, and as a result appealed to a large audience and gained lots of attention with the public. At the moment there is lots of media coverage about murders in Cornwall, and about the girl who was kidnapped and murdered on Dartmoor. The way these are reported makes people fearful that there is a serial killer on the loose, when in reality there is probably little chance of this happening to them and they should be more concerned with the more common but less ? colourful? crimes that threaten society, most of which would be much more obvious if the public were able to look at official crime statistics. This viewpoint fits in well with the idea of the media as a manipulative entity that is ideologically biased and therefore bases its selection of news on this fundamental bias. This manipulation theory is Marxist in origin and works on the idea that the public are passive and absorb the information that the media presents them with without question, and that the media consist of the ruling class who use media channels to perpetuate their views and opinions in society. Official statistics paint an interesting picture of the true nature of crime levels in society. It is a fact that crime rates have actually remained stable over the last year, after experiencing a period of decline. This challenges the constant media message that crime is everywhere and on the increase. When people were interviewed about crime rates many of them believed that crime was well on the increase, as result of a ? heightened degree of press coverage which particularly focused on a claimed rise in crime.? (Jon Simmons in the Home Office Report 2002).? It is a well-known fact that the media tend to emphasise aspects and types of crime that are violent or shocking, such as murder and rape, which affects the general population by creating huge worry about occurrences of violent crime when it is a statistical fact that one is over four times more likely to fall victim to burglary. Another form of media that can, and often does, present distorted representations of crime are television shows such as The Bill, Merseybeat or reality shows such as Crimewatch. For example Crimewatch focuses on catching criminals who have carried out violent crime and places little or no emphasis on occurrences of burglary or more ? normal? crimes, even though this type of crime is much more frequent. The Bill shows many incidents of violent crime, however also tends to show other less ? newsworthy? forms of crime such as theft which is a more realistic approach. coac ac . r se . ac . ac . w or. ac . . ac .k inac foac . ac . . There are a number of media influence models that attempt to explain the extent and nature of media influence. The manipulation theory presented earlier is one of these theories; however there are others that attempt to explain the media? s effect on society in different ways. The pluralist model argues that the public are not passive receptors but active participants with the ability to choose and form their own opinions from the vast variety of information presented by the media, whether about crime or about other social issues. The media only serve to reinforce the existing values that people possess. Tversky and Kahneman suggest that the easier it is to recall or imagine an event, the more likely we are to see it as risky or as frequent in occurrence (Tversky and Kahneman cit. 1994: 303). Therefore if this is correct then constant media coverage of violent crimes could lead us to believe that such crimes are the ones most likely to affect us. Mass media reporting can also serve as a substitute for direct experience, however research into this supports the pluralist model by showing that people are usually active consumers and interpreters rather than passive recipients. The issue at hand seems to be the growing difference between the way the public perceive crime and the reality as shown by official statistics. For some reason, society has a far greater fear of murder and other violent crime than is justified by the actual number of occurrence, when in reality there is far greater likelihood of incidences of burglary or car crime. So where do these fears stem from? The answer appears to be that they come from the way in which the media report crimes and how they select the most newsworthy aspects so that more papers will get sold and so viewing figures will increase. In conclusion it is an unavoidable fact that our society is so immersed in the media that its influence is hard to get away from. To a large extent, media does form our social world, however it is also true that people are active interpreters of information, and are able to utilize their own opinions on events and stories shown by the media. We are only taking in what the media offer to us not the real truth about what is happening. It is very easy for our conceptions of crime to be distorted by the way that the media portray it, as the only information we are receiving on the events is that which comes from the media. However if people really are actively interpreting and thinking about the true nature of crime levels, while attempting to broaden their horizons of information, then they will be more aware of the reality of the situation and our conceptions will be far less influenced by media constructed images and opinions. Bibliography Maguire, M, R. Reiner and R. Morgan. 2002 The Oxford Handbook Of Criminology New York: Oxford University Press Haralambos, M. 2000? Themes and Perspectives in Sociology? 4th edition Cohen, S and Young, J. 1973? The Manufacture Of News: Deviance, Social Problems and the Mass Media, London: Constable and Co Ltd.

Type 1 diabetes :: essays research papers

Squats Versus Lunge   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  The purpose of my project grade sheet is to get a better understanding of the movement I chose which was squats versus lunges. The body of my research paper will give the reader a better understanding of the following for my specific movement. Anatomy: The origin and insertions that are involved include the Glutes- gluteus medius, gluteus maximus, Hamstrings- lliotibial band, biceps femoris, semitendinosus, adductor magnus, gracilis, semimembranosus. Calves- Gastrocnemius, soleus, peroneus brevis, flexor hallucis longus. Thighs- Pectineus, sartorius, adductor longus, tensor fasciae latae, gracilis, quadriceps, rectus femoris, vastus intermedius, vastus lateralis, and vastus medialis. These muscles originate just beneath the gluteus maximus on the pelvic bone and attach on the tibia. The primary functions are knee flexions which involve bringing the heel towards the gluteus maximus and hip extensions moving the leg to the rear end. Squats and lunges are a simple but very effective exercise for the lower bodies specifically the legs. It helps with balance and coordination which comes very useful for any sporting events as well as muscle development. The hamstrings, gluteus, and quadriceps muscles can be worked by using dumbb ells, barbells or just by simply using your own body weight, which we refer to as calisthenics. The most important point to remember about calisthenics is that if your muscles do not receive more stress than what they are used to, you are wasting your time. The advantages of using dumbbells and barbells are more effective in developing the smaller synergistic (helping) muscles and stabilizer muscles. Synergism is the combined effects of two or more parts of forces or agents which is greater than the sum of individual effects. The bone articulations that are involved include the pelvic bone, tibia bone and femur. The soft tissue ligaments (connects bone to bone) and tendons (connects muscle to bone) that are involved are the anterior and posterior cruciates, patella tendon connects quadriceps muscles to patella, and it also involves the shins. Kinetics: Sir Isaac Newton a scientist during the 1600’s, made observations about the world surrounding him. The observations he came up with and out of those he developed the three laws of motion. Newton’s laws of motion explain rest, constant motion, and acceleration motion; He described how balance and unbalanced forces act to cause the states of motions. In other words they are fundamental to understanding human movement. The laws that account for my movements are the law of inertia, which is the first law, it states â€Å"a body in motion tends to remain in motion at the same speed in a straight line unless acted on by a force; a body at rest tends to remain at rest unless acted on by a force†.

Early to Bed

Early to Bed April 17th 2013 Section 1 It’s not unusual you can hear the floorboards creak, the toilet flush, and the sound of the first one shoe drop to the floor from your neighbor at 1 a. m. in your apartment, and you may be one of them. Nowadays many people stay up late, especially for those people who have variable sleep schedules, such as university students. University students usually change their sleep schedules due to studying, working for a living, or working for social networking (e. g. alcohol and caffeine consumption). Staying up late usually leads to insufficient sleep, and this situation is prevalent among university students. According to a survey done by Leon C. Lack Ph. D. in the journal â€Å"Delayed Sleep and Sleep Loss in University Students†, â€Å"A sample of 211 university first-year psychology students†¦ accounted for about 50% of the total enrollment in the course†¦ about 50% of the sample complained of insufficient sleep and estima ted needing about half an hour more sleep on the average to feel rested. (Lakc, 2010) Moreover, the author also realized the linkage between staying up late and the insufficient sleep, â€Å"Delayed sleep pattern presumably arises from a delay in their endogenous biological rhythms that creates difficulty in falling asleep early enough to get sufficient sleep before necessary weekday morning awakening. † (Lakc, 2010) Both delayed sleep and insufficient sleep can cause serious healthy issues, and also affect one’s working productivity. Based on the Journal named â€Å"Pathways to adolescent health sleep regulation and behavior† by Ronald E Dahl, M. D. â€Å"There is mounting evidence that sleep deprivation has its greatest negative effects on the control of behavior, emotion, and attention†¦ the most obvious direct health consequences of insufficient sleep are high-risk behaviors associated with substance abuse and automobile accidents. † (Dahl, 2002) Delayed sleep may harass one’s circadian rhythm, and further lead to delayed sleep phase disorder. Insufficient sleep may cause emotional fluctuation, which further affect your social networking relationships since being tired usually means being grumpy. Students usually think that they are more productive at night, owever the truth is opposite. Humans aren’t used to saying up late, in the optimal situation, based on an article from CNN Health, â€Å"we rise in the morning and after about 16 hours of wakefulness we are sleepy and we go to bed and sleep for eight hours† (Shives, 2010) Staying up simply means we use our brains so intensively even when our brains are ready for a rest. During the weekdays, delayed sleep and insufficient sleep make us feel tired in the daytime, and it is difficult for students to be concentrated in classes, then further affect students’ academic performances.The benefits of sleeping early are obvious. Going to bed early helps us maintain the order of circadian rhythm and ensures the quality of sleep at night. Based on Dahl’s journal, â€Å"Sleep appears to be particularly important during periods of brain maturation. † (Dahl, 2002) Sleeping is the process of restoring our brain, we would be more productive, concentrated, and confident in our work during daytime. Sleeping early means we can have more time in the morning. Changing and maintain sleep schedule is a continuous process. It is impossible to accomplish all the changes overnight.In order to successfully switch sleep schedule to optimal situation, we should be aware the healthy issues derived from delayed sleep, identify a target behavior with a personal research, set achievable and incremental goals as time goes by, and finally reward your success. Section 2 As a junior-year university student at business school, both my academic and personal life have been busy, being productive is one of the major factors that let me survive. I o ften stayed up late to get work done since I thought sacrificing sleep created more time for work, and then I could keep abreast of my schedule.However, things just went contrary to my wishes. First of all, staying up shorted my sleep time, which led to insufficient sleep time. Then I had to use coffee to fight for fatigue and tiredness, but my productivity still kept low during classes. In order to catch up what I left during the classes, I had to spend more time to study outside. After I finished all my homework, it was usually around 1 a. m. , but the drag effect of caffeine kept me waking up at that time. My daily life was a vicious spiral and I found my body reactions slowed down physically and mentally, my motion was under the weather and even affected the relationship with my girlfriend. Therefore, the main reason I’ve chosen to sleep early is increasing my productivity and getting rid of fatigue and tiredness without caffeine. In order to optimize my sleep schedule, I organized a three-stage target schedule: The first stage (3/30 to 4/15), I went to bed at 12:00 a. m. and woke up as usual; the second stage (4/15 to 4/30), I went to bed at 12:00 a. m. and woke up half an hour early as usual; the third stage (After 4/30), I went to bed at 11:00 p. m. and woke up one hour early.Half a month has passed, even though I am in the second stage, but I do have some progresses that benefit for my daily life. Setting a fixed time to go to bed forces me to manage my time more effectively. Most importantly, sleeping early gives me more energy in daytime, and now I can keep my brain working without caffeine even I wake up half an hour early than before. My productivity is improving, and the biggest change is I can keep myself on the same page with professor in lectures simply because I have enough energy to think more and interact mentally.Nevertheless, things won’t change overnight, and I do encounter some difficulties during my behavior changing. So f ar, the biggest challenge has been my habit of staying up in my sub-consciousness. During weekdays, as long as my schedule gets crowded, I will have the intent to delay sleep time out of habit even those tasks are not urgent; in weekends, parties are attractive for me and most of them last until late night. Be honest, I did not meet my short-term goal three times so far. Reaching my ultimate goal is not easy, and I am implementing some strategies hopefully to keep myself on the right track.First of all, I believe separating my plan into three short-term stages makes my plan as a continuous improvement that is easier to accomplish and encourages me to proceed; second, finding a change agent is important. My girlfriend is my change agent, and she has helped me to act with the criteria I set closely. One advantage of choosing my girlfriend as the agent is I have to listen to her order because I do not want to piss her off. Even though I’ve not reached my ultimate goal yet, some potential long-term benefits can be observed.First and foremost, I will be more productive in my academic performance. Sleeping early provides my body an optimal circadian rhythm which gives me a high quality and sufficient sleep at night. Consequently, I will have abundant of energy to handle my busy university life. Moreover, sufficient energy will enable me to balance my academic life and personal life more reasonably, and then I will have a great passion to maintain my private relationship with my girlfriend and my social networking.Last but not least, sufficient sleep will give me a healthy life that will be the upmost foundation for my body health in my future life. Section 3 By reviewing my journal entries for the past half a month, in sum, I did follow my stage short-term target in weekdays. Meeting the short-term target in each stage is easier in weekdays because my class schedule is relatively fixed. Nevertheless, meeting the target in weekends has been the difficult part. As I mentioned in the last section, attending parties held in weekends last late made me out of my planned track.Moreover, since I was used to stay up late for a long time, sometimes I still consider staying up is a way to relax myself. As for the change of emotional process, at the very beginning, I even felt anxious when I went to bed without completing my tasks as usual, and this emotion hindered me to fall asleep. Fortunately, as I reorganized my tasks priority corresponding to my early to bed plan, and that anxious emotion has no longer been a problem. Below is a snapshot of my tracking chart.Cells with yellow filling indicate weekend days, and times in red font indicate failing fulfillments. Works Cited Lakc, L. C. (2010). Delayed Sleep and Sleep Loss in University Students. Journal of American College Health , 105. Dahl, R. E. (2002). Pathways to adolescent health sleep regulation and behavior. Journal of Adolescent Hleath , 10-11. Shives, L. (2010, 11 30). Get Some Sleep: A re you a night owl? Here's why. Retrieved 4 17, 2013, from CNN Health: http://thechart. blogs. cnn. com/2010/11/30/get-some-sleep-night-owl-its-a-real-condition/