EXAM ESSAY PLAN

Question 1

Technological Change

Answer 1

1) Brief history of the media industry’s reaction to technological change
2) The need for businesses to plan on how to deal with technological change
3) Types of technological change
4) Examples of success regarding dealing with technological change - Freeview, The X Factor’s Companion app
5) Consequences of technological change
6) Organisation structure as a critical part of creating appropriate responses to change

Question 2

Strategic Schools of Thought

Answer 2

1) Three key themes in the field of strategy and how this has resulted in the three strategic school being formed
2) Rationalist school of thought - Definitions, advantages, disadvantages, lack of relevance to the media industry
3) Adaptive school of thought - Difference to the rationalist school of thought, definitions, advantages, disadvantages, relevance to the media industries in a response to technological change perspective
4) Interpretive school of thought - Ties with adaptive school of thought, definitions, advantages, disadvantages, relevance to the media industries as producers of cultural content, whose employees have high order needs

Question 3

Structure and the Media Industries

Answer 3

1) Four broad developments in the structure:
Growth, integration, globalisation, concentration of ownership
2) The strategies being applied by the conglomerates to become more powerful:
Cost and economies of sale
Branding
Synergy
Segmentation and specialisation
Globalisation
Diversification
Ability to absorb big losses on project
3) Impact that growth strategy has on the industry (market model versus the public sphere model)
Impact that growth strategy has on content