Formal Report.
Title:
The difference between two different article on teamwork in Forbes and The Chronicle
Executive Summary:
Newspapers and magazines have been the constant source of information for people till date. However, the trends have shifted from print media to digital media. In this report, two newspaper articles on the topic ‘importance of team work’ would be reviewed on the basis of structure and language. One is an informal business article in the Forbes magazine which has drama and exaggeration, while the other is a formal article in The Chronicle. Both the reviews show how media texts uses certain techniques for creating the desired effect on the audience.
Table of Content:
Introduction pg 3 Structure pg 3 Language pg 4 Tone pg 4 Conclusion pg 5 Recommendations pg 5 References pg 6
Introduction:
In today’s era of globalization, teamwork is a philosophy which has gained much appreciation and acceptance in all areas of life. From imparting education in primary schools to taking dynamic decisions in a corporate firm, teamwork has become crucial for achieving success. Many researchers and experts have put forward their opinions and views on teamwork through online media, newspapers and business magazines. These articles are written in a manner so as to influence the audience by presenting facts and figures which persuade the reader.
This report focuses upon the two business articles on teamwork in leading online magazines. These reviews were chosen on the basis of their structure, target audience and the tone of language used.
Structure:
This article by Forbes, Why and Where Is Teamwork Important, reflects upon the importance of teamwork for increasing the output quality, retention and morale within an organization. The article has an informal structure with many inconsistent paragraphs. The article is lengthy, but the use of bullet point to state the important facts makes it easier for the reader to understand the points of the author. Since the article presents a detailed list of the downfalls of working alone, it helps in gaining a better perspective of the importance of team work. In addition, the article does not use any pictures to attract the eye of the reader. The only picture used is of the writer of the article himself.
In contrast, the article in The Chronicle, The Myth of Collaboration and the Top, is well-structured formal report with ten consistently sized paragraphs which reflect upon the importance of team work in a logical and consistent manner. The article is chosen because it sheds light on the necessity of teamwork for getting complex work done at workplace. The article is divided into two headings, each making a distinct point of its own. In addition, the use of picture in the article is very impressive as it shows six people working collaboratively. It creates an instant positive impact on the reader.
The author in the Forbes uses facts like “Some companies, like Google, even emphasize in their promotion processes that an engineer has to demonstrate ownership in a project, which incentivizes engineers to define and prioritize individual projects so that they can be the indisputable owners of those projects and increase their chances for a promotion” (Lau, 2013). The usage of names like Google lends credibility to the article along with creating a biased opinion in the minds of the reader.
Language:
The two articles have significantly different styles of language. The Forbes article is written with a style of drama and exaggeration. For example, “From the perspective of efficiency, a traditional argument against staffing large teams comes from Frederick Brooks’s The Mythical Man-Month. A man-month or person-month refers to the unit of work that one person can accomplish in one month” (Lau, 2013). A sentence like this is aimed at engrossing the reader and makes them want to continue