Mass Communication Study And Current Affairs

Meaning of grapevine or informal communication : When an organization does not follow any prescribed or official rules or procedures of the organization is called  informal communication . The basis of informal communication is spontaneous relationship among the participants. Informal communication system is the opposite system of  formal communication . In this system the communication is made without following any predetermined rules of policy. Informal communication plays a vital role to operate the organization’s activities. When the employees cannot understand the subject matter of the communication, they can discuss with their authority anywhere about the matter as like in the dining table or in the play ground or in the club. Some definitions of informal communication are as follows: According to Bartol and Martin, Informal communication is the takes place without regard to hierarchical or task requirements.” According to Bovee and his associates, “Informal com...

The main advantages of formal communication are given below Increase overall efficiency:  This  type of communication  is used by following the predetermined rules so it increases the overall efficiency of the organization. Easy communication system:  The top level management communicates with their employees by using formal downward communication system. Again the employees communicate with their higher authority to use this system. It is very much easy to communicate with each other. Permanent record:  The copy of formal communication is always preserved in the file and it is used as reference. As a result, it is easy to seek the copy of it if necessary. Quick accomplishment of work:  Sometimes the rapid communication is to be needed with the employees. To use the formal  downward communication  system it is possible to communicate with the employees quickly. So the work may be done timely. Maintenance of discipline:  Under the form...

Mass communication is an indispensable part of business. Business activities would be restricted without mass media. In this post modern age, the success of business largely depends on mass communication. The role of mass communication in business is mentioned below- Launching business : Media of mass communication are used to make wide circulation of news regarding forming and launching a new business. Mass media can bring the matter to the knowledge of concerned parties very quickly and seek their patronization and support. Advertising products and services : Mass communication plays a vital role in adverting products and services. Mass media like radio, television, newspapers and magazines are the prime vehicles of advertisement. Through advertisement on mass media, businesses can persuade potential customers easily. Informing market demand and supply : Equilibrium condition of demand and supply of goods in the market is essential for market stabilization. If there is more d...

What is Market Report? Market is regarded as the heart of economy. When reports are prepared on the basis of ever-changing behavior of market, it is known as market report. Thus, market report is a written document containing information related to the transactions of a particular product in a particular market. Generally, market report is a report related to market operations. In the broader sense, when a report is prepared on the basis of buying and selling, demand, supply, price fluctuations, market tendency, price index, method of price determination, transfer of title etc. of a particular product in a particular market place at a specified time, it is called market report. That means, market report is a written document prepared on the transactions of a particular product in a particular market place at a particular time. According to  Dr. A. M. Lorenzo , “A market report is an index to business condition prevailing in a particular market at a specified period or on a f...

Government Regulation of the Media Even though the Constitution guarantees freedom of the press, the government does regulate some media. Print media are largely unregulated, and newspapers and magazines can print nearly anything as long as they don’t slander anyone. The Internet has also gone largely unregulated, despite congressional efforts to restrict some controversial content. Broadcast media, however, are subject to the most government regulation. Radio and television broadcasters must obtain a license from the government because, according to American law, the public owns the airwaves. The Federal Communications Commission (FCC)  issues these licenses and is in charge of regulating the airwaves. FCC Police The FCC also acts as a police agency of the airwaves, and it can fine broadcasters for violating public decency standards on the air. In extreme cases, the FCC can even revoke a broadcaster’s license, keeping him off the air permanently. The FCC has fined radi...

MANAGING (LIFE) IS ABOUT MAKING SENSE. History and Orientation Since Sensemaking has been under development since 1972, it cannot be explained in a few sentences. It is important to know that the project has been based on three central assumptions regarding communication practice: a) That it is possible to design and implement communication systems and practices that are responsive to human needs; b) That it is possible for humans to enlarge their communication repertoires to pursue this vision; c) That achieving these outcomes requires the development of communication-based methodological approaches. Core Assumptions and Statements Sensemaking is an approach to thinking about and implementing communication research and practice and the design of communication-based systems and activities. It consists of a set of philosophical assumptions, substantive propositions, methodological framings and methods. According to Weick, sensemaking consists of seven aspects Grounded in i...

HOW RELATIONSHIPS INFLUENCE BEHAVIOR History and Orientation The idea of social networks and the notions of sociometry and sociograms appeared over 50 years ago. Barnes (1954) is credited with coining the notion of social networks, an outflow of his study of a Norwegian island parish in the early 1950s. Core Assumptions and Statements Core:  Network analysis (social network theory) is the study of how the social structure of relationships around a person, group, or organization affects beliefs or behaviors. Causal pressures are inherent in social structure. Network analysis is a set of methods for detecting and measuring the magnitude of the pressures. The axiom of every network approach is that reality should be primarily conceived and investigated from the view of the properties of relations between and within units instead of the properties of these units themselves. It is a relational approach. In social and communication science these units are social units: individu...

UNDERSTANDING SPEAKER’S INTENTION (in Dutch: taalhandelingen) History and Orientation Speech act theory is built on the foundation laid by Wittgenstein and Austin. John Searle is most often associated with the theory. Ludwig Wittgenstein began a line of thought called ‘ordinary language philosophy’. He taught that the meaning of language depends on its actual use. Language, as used in ordinary life, is a language game because it consists of rules. In other words, people follow rules to do things with the language. Core Assumptions and Statements According to Searle, to understand language one must understand the speaker’s intention. Since language is intentional behavior, it should be treated like a form of action. Thus Searle refers to statements as speech acts. The speech act is the basic unit of language used to express meaning, an utterance that expresses an intention. Normally, the speech act is a sentence, but it can be a word or phrase as long as it follows the rules...

HOW PEOPLE COMPREHEND TEXTS. History and Orientation A number of theories about reading exist in which different parts of the reading process are described: recognizing letters and words, syntactic parsing of sentences, understanding the meaning of words and sentences, incorporating the meaning of the text in other present knowledge about the same topic. One of the most influential theories is the theory of Kintsch and Van Dijk (Van Dijk & Kintsch, 1983). This theory describes the complete reading process, from recognizing words until constructing a representation of the meaning of the text. The emphasis of the theory is on understanding the meaning of a text. Kintsch continued working on the theory. In 1988, it was extended with the so-called construction-integration model (Kintsch, 1988), followed by a completely updated theory in 1998 (Kintsch, 1998). This theory is often used as a starting point for constructing own models and theories, which several authors have done. ...

PEOPLE CONSTRUCT MEANING ON THE BASIS OF EXCHANGING RULES History and Orientation Pearce and Cronen (1980) developed the Coordinated Management of Meaning (CMM) theory. According to CMM, two people who are interacting socially, construct the meaning of their conversation. Each of the individuals is also comprised of an interpersonal system which helps explain their actions and reactions. The CMM theory is related to a number of theories: (e.g.) Speech Act, Symbolic Interaction and Systems Theory. Core Assumptions and Statements The theory of CMM says basically that persons-in-conversation construct their own social realities. Pearce and Cronen (1980) believe that CMM is useful in our everyday lives. People within a social situation first want to understand what is going on and apply rules to figure things out. They act on the basis of their understanding, employing rules to decide what kind of action is appropriate. Pearce and Cronen (1980) use the term ‘making social wor...

THE ADOPTION OF NEW IDEAS, MEDIA, ETC.  (or: Multi-step flow theory) History and Orientation Diffusion research goes one step further than two-step flow theory. The original diffusion research was done as early as 1903 by the French sociologist Gabriel Tarde who plotted the original S-shaped diffusion curve. Tardes' 1903 S-shaped curve is of current importance because "most innovations have an S-shaped rate of adoption" (Rogers, 1995). Core Assumptions and Statements Core:  Diffusion research centers on the conditions which increase or decrease the likelihood that a new idea, product, or practice will be adopted by members of a given culture. Diffusion of innovation theory predicts that media as well as interpersonal contacts provide information and influence opinion and judgment. Studying how innovation occurs, E.M. Rogers (1995) argued that it consists of four stages: invention, diffusion (or communication) through the social system, time and consequences. T...