Best Buy Case Study Write Up Essay

1. How does Best Buy define customer centricity? The idea behind customer centricity was to be the customer’s smart friend and give a full solution. The sales people stand by the customers and try to find what they really need and what they want. The opposite of this would be product centricity. At this time the electronics were getting easier to use, their interaction required specific knowledge that only a fraction of the client base possessed. In this situation, the used to be advantage of best buy disappeared, and the company tested the first version of customer-centricity by setting up 12 laboratory stores and then rolling out tested concepts in 32 pilot stores. The test were successful very successful. Best buy changed its segments from products such as MP3, TV, or PC to customers like Barry. All these make customers more convenient to shop in the store. Compared to the other stores, Best Buy did not focus on brands but usage. The sales person never asked what do you want to buy, but rather ask what you want to do. In launching customer centricity, Anderson used an autocratic set of power tools and expected swift support from his top team to execute his vision. 2. Is Customer-Centricity the same as customer services? No, the customer-Centricity is not the same as customer service. The difference is that they can contour their sales and service pitch to each individual after they know which category that they fall into. They know from past company stastistics and knowledge about the different types and what their shopping style is like. Customer service is about trying to sell your existing products. The case states also that customer service may be in response to its competitors, and not its customers. Customer centricity mainly focuses on research of customers buying power, purchase preference and customer behavior. It is based on the research that Best Buy has gathered over time. From here, the company can redesign its products, and develop a new marketing strategy and give more suitable service. 3. How does it relate to Consumer behavior? Chapter 10 touches upon things that could be related to consumer behavior. In store decision making talks about spontaneous shopping which is unplanned buying and impulse buying. Point of purchase stimuli is product display or demonstration that draws attention. The salesperson also can create exchange process. This involves commercial friendships. This is basically what customer centricity is about, forming commercial friendships. Chapter 10 also talks post purchase satisfaction which is the overall feeling about a product after someone has purchased it. Chapter 13 discusses income and social class and this is directly correlated to the customer centricity model. The model puts people in different classes. They were Jill, Barry, angles and devils. Chapter 13 goes into detail and talks about how people can be put in classes based on income, education, age, religion, gender, just like Best Buy put these four people into classes to segment them. Best Buy, in essence, used consumer behavior to classify these people. 4. Finally, do you agree with this new strategy for Best Buy? What is its impact on the financial performance? We think that it was a good idea for Best Buy to implement this. It has worked financially and it seemed to have made the company more profitable. From looking at the financials from 2002 to 2004, it appears as though the strategy seems to be working. Best Buy remains at the top of the list for Consumer electronics companies in the United States. Its revenue was 49.7 billion dollars in 2010, which is 18% of North American market share. In the last 5 years, it keeps 25% of gross profit growth. It seemed like it was known that Wal Mart would catch Best Buy as the number one store at that time, but I think this was because of different reasons, like its building of so many new stores and supply chain capability.

Resolving Conflict

As the team in the scenario is experiencing process conflict, there are two options for intervention that could alleviate the conflict. Team redesign is the first option, and conflict process coaching is the second. As the team is on a very strict deadline, which is rapidly approaching, conflict process coaching would be the most practical form of intervention. The conflict between the members of the team is caused primarily due to a lack of trust. Sheila and Jeremy do not trust Judy because they believe she lied to her and Judy does not trust them to do the job because of their lack of experience in the training programs.The lack of trust combined with a deadline that none of the team members believe they can meet has created a stressful environment. Conflict process coaching, as defined by Thompson (2011), â€Å"may include trust-building exercises† (p. 193). â€Å"It’s important to establish comfortable, group-sanctioned ways to express the inevitable anger, tension , and frustration that arise in a team endeavor and to positively redirect that energy to build trust and cohesion† (Ross, 2006). Building trust to ensure the cohesiveness of the team will redirect their energy and focus to meeting the deadline.In order for this team to be successful, they have to be cohesive and efficient. In order to accomplish this the team members must work cooperatively, trust each other and understand the common goal. The team members all have their areas of expertise that can contribute to team success, but if they do not trust each other, then the conflict will preclude the team from meeting their deadline. Through conflict process coaching, the team can quickly move past their conflict and become efficient and successful. Resolving Conflict As the team in the scenario is experiencing process conflict, there are two options for intervention that could alleviate the conflict. Team redesign is the first option, and conflict process coaching is the second. As the team is on a very strict deadline, which is rapidly approaching, conflict process coaching would be the most practical form of intervention. The conflict between the members of the team is caused primarily due to a lack of trust. Sheila and Jeremy do not trust Judy because they believe she lied to her and Judy does not trust them to do the job because of their lack of experience in the training programs.The lack of trust combined with a deadline that none of the team members believe they can meet has created a stressful environment. Conflict process coaching, as defined by Thompson (2011), â€Å"may include trust-building exercises† (p. 193). â€Å"It’s important to establish comfortable, group-sanctioned ways to express the inevitable anger, tension , and frustration that arise in a team endeavor and to positively redirect that energy to build trust and cohesion† (Ross, 2006). Building trust to ensure the cohesiveness of the team will redirect their energy and focus to meeting the deadline.In order for this team to be successful, they have to be cohesive and efficient. In order to accomplish this the team members must work cooperatively, trust each other and understand the common goal. The team members all have their areas of expertise that can contribute to team success, but if they do not trust each other, then the conflict will preclude the team from meeting their deadline. Through conflict process coaching, the team can quickly move past their conflict and become efficient and successful.

Financial Statements Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2000 words

Financial Statements - Essay Example While the financial statements will provide the overall financial health of the company, SAC board will also be warned of relying solely on the financial statements as the basis for their future decisions. The memo will contain a list of inherent weaknesses that financial statements have in them. a. Income statement - The income statement describes the company’s revenues and expenses along with the resulting net profit or loss over a period of time. Revenues are those that the company earned through the sale of products or services to customers, or any other form of income that accrues to the company due to its business activities. On the other hand, expenses are those resources that the company has to spend to produce the revenues. The net result is either a net income or a net loss. If revenues exceed expenses, it is a net income. If expenses exceed revenues, it is a net loss. These information are all reflected in the income statement of the company. b. Balance sheet – The balance sheet is a financial statement that describes the company’s financial position at a given time. Its three main components are the assets group, the liabilities group, and the owner’s equity section. The assets are the resources of the company that are being used to produce the goods and services the company sells to its customers. The liabilities and the owner’s equity, on the other hand, are the means by which assets are financed and acquired for the company. Liabilities are what the company owes its creditors, while equity is what the company owes its owners or stockholders. A company’s total assets are equal to all its liabilities and owner’s equity. c. Statement of owner’s equity – The statement of owner’s equity is also known as the statement of retained earnings. (Internet Center for Management and Business Administration, Inc., 2010) This statement shows changes in the owner’s equity, resulting from the operations

The Marriage (Same Sex Couples) Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 5000 words

The Marriage (Same Sex Couples) - Essay Example Same-sex marriage (also known as gay marriage) is marriage between two persons of the same sex sex/gender. Legal recognition of same-sex marriage or the likelihood to perform a same-sex marriage is some of the time alluded to as marriage equality or equivalent marriage, especially by supporters. The primary laws in modern times, empowering same-sex marriage were established amid the first decade of the 21st century. In May 2013, thirteen nations, and a few sub-national administrations, permit same-sex couples to wed. Uruguay and New Zealand have both sanctioned laws to legitimize same-sex marriage, which has come into energy in August 2013. Same-sex marriage laws have differed by jurisdiction, being differently treated through anauthoritative change to marriage laws, a court decision focused around protected certifications of fairness, or by immediate prominent vote. The acknowledgement of same-sex marriage is a political, cultural, rights issue, and even a religious issue in numerou s countries. Debates are continuously rising on the hot topic whether same-sex couples ought to be permitted for marriage, be obliged to hold an alternate status. Permitting that couples to wed lawfully is thought to be a standout among the most imperative of all human and civil rights.Gay marriage has been a discriminating point in numerous nations for ages. Around the year 2000, nations, e.g. America and the United Kingdom began affirming gay marriages, despite the fact that not everybody concurred with this choice.

Globalization Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2250 words

Globalization - Essay Example Furthermore, the paper also discusses PESTEL Analysis and what benefits does it have in UK economy and their drawbacks. Lastly, it describes the future of globalization. The term ‘Globalization’ is defined as a process of integration which has been derived from the human connectivity and their exchange of ideas, products and different aspects of their culture and trends. In other words globalization is represented as a new term for changes in International relations which was exploited in the end of the twentieth century. Globalization refers to the larger context with respect to the globe rather than in a national context. The advancements and breakthroughs in transportation and telecommunication play an important role in the rise of globalization alongside with the increase use of the internet which has led to the growth in globalization. When economies are interconnected with each other, it has provided an opportunity for globalization to occur (Jones 2010). Globaliza tion has various meanings and it has been the source of argument in the recent decade about its true meaning. Albrow (1990) argues that globalization is far broader concept than interconnection and relations between the different objects. He explained that globalization is referred to all those processes by which different people of the world and different products of the world are incorporated to form a single concept or a society (Gupta 2009). However, many of the terms superseded the previous terms due to change in the nature of the world. Appadurai (1996) suggested that globalization is the process of mixing of the culture with respect to different locations and identities of regions. The author tried to propose that globalization will occur if people from different identities and regions would come together and blend their culture to form one idea is to be known as globalization (Appadurai 1996). Carnoy (2001) defines globalization as the weakening of the state when it cannot c ope up with the environment. This implies that if a country fails to adapt to the new conditions of the world in the global environment, then it blends up with the environment itself for keeping themselves alive in the market (Munck 2005). Many scholars have traced back the history to gather information on the origins of globalization which was found to present before the European age of discovery. When people moved to different regions, they tried to adapt to the certain environment and to the cultures of the particular region. It is where the role of globalization play its part when people share different ideas and merge it to become one single idea (Jones 2010). Aspects of Globalization Globalization has both the social and economical aspects, if understood; it can help nations to achieve greater heights of success and growth. In economical terms, it is the rapprochement of countries and their flow of goods and capital from one place to another due to various inventions that has been made by countries. The first wave occurred in the era of economic boom which made Great Britain to realize its capability and brought the nation into foreground. Many scholars term the modern globalization as the increase in the technological achievements of a country which have made possible for people to migrate and allowed the flow of capital and information to satisfy its needs. Scientific reforms and revolution have created new forms of transportation and the rise of

The Confession of Saint Patrick Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

The Confession of Saint Patrick - Essay Example He narrates the story of his life from his childhood through to adulthood and right up to the time before his death. This account by St. Patrick gives us an insight into the background of the prevailing times and also lending focus to the legends and the myths that shrouded his personality. This biographical account is edited by Whitely Stokes and was compiled by Beatrix Fà ¤rber and Benjamin Hazard. The language used by the author was Latin. His father was Calpornius, who was a deacon in an era much before celibacy became the rule for priests. He was a Romanized Briton. Patrick’s mother came from an upper-class Gaulish family of Martin of Tours, though Patrick does not pride himself for the fact. As time gradually rolled by, Patrick’s enslavement had a great impact on him and strengthened his faith in the Christian religion. At the very impressionable age of sixteen, he admitted in his ‘Confessions’ that he was captured and brought to Ireland to serve as a slave to a Druidic chieftan named Milchu in Dalriada, at the County Antrim. But at the age of twenty two he escaped from there and once again reunited with his parents at Britain where later he became ‘one of the first Christian clergymen in Ireland, being preceded by men such as Pallidius (c.380-457/61). His first convert was his patron Dichu, who gifted him a huge barn (sabhal) where a church was constructed and the site still retains the name of Sabhal that is pronounced as â€Å"Saul.† In Ireland, Patrick was not the first Christian missionary, because much before him were missionaries like Secundus and Pallidius who continued their active work in the south of the island. But even so, Patrick is given a lot of credence as one of the best missionaries because his teachings had a great impact especially in provinces like Ulster and Connaught where there were no Christians before. He came across as a man who possessed a deep love for God and courageous enough to face

Leadership and Management Issues Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

Leadership and Management Issues - Assignment Example Some famous quotations are even written about the meaning of leadership like Warren Bennis saying that â€Å"leadership is the capacity to translate vision into reality,† (Corocran 2008, p. 3). The image is very important in leadership as it guides the core values of the leader and the activities and strategies to turn the vision or goal into reality (Anthonissen 2008, p. 48). Another way of defining leadership is according to Gardner that President Harry Truman defines leadership as to â€Å"get other people do what they don’t want to do and like it,†. It means that a good leader should be able to understand his members in the team or organization and he knows how to deal with them. If problems arise, he can think quickly of ways on hot to solve them. He really understands human motivation. It is defined by Hoy and Miskel as cited in Chelladurai (2006, p. 100) as the â€Å"activating forces [†¦] within individuals† which consist of â€Å"memory, aff ective responses, and pleasure-seeking tendencies† as they affect human behaviors and actions with â€Å"a goal orientation.† It can be said that together with leadership and motivation comes management. Management is an old concept. It originated from the Latin word manus which means by hand or power. Management may also come from the Italian word managers are pertaining to officers in charge of a certain production facility. It evolved then into the French manager and later on, it became the English term management.... In the concept of English people, management pertains to business organizations with people working as guides and to supervise the performance of others (Witzel 2004, pp. 1-2). American Management Association in 1980 defined the concept of management and according to the group, â€Å"management is getting things done through other people,† (Montana and Charnov 2008, p. 2). It means the efforts of other people are involved and the management is just the supervision and guidance on the efficiency of the whole group. Currently management can be defined as â€Å"working with and through other people to accomplish the objectives of both the organization and its members† (Montana and Charnov 2008, p. 2). According to Montana and Charnov (2008, p.2), there are three key differences between the two definitions: the employees play the great part in the organization, the focus is the result to be obtained and personal goals are aligned with the organizational goals. The practice of managing people in the organization is called the management process. The management process has six fundamental functions: planning, organizing, staffing, directing, coordinating and controlling. Planning is the most basic function of management. It is concerned with what, how and when the activities or performance be carried out by an organization. The course of actions is created in the process of planning. It involves the identification of long-term and short-term objectives, creation of strategies and formation of policies and rules to be followed by the members of the organization. Usually the top management creates the initial planning and identification of long-range objectives but the planning function is being done by all managers from all

Question Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words - 15

Question - Essay Example 486). This view gives hegemony between deafness and deafhood. While deafness is a medical condition, deafhood represents a continuous struggle by deaf people to explain their existence to the world (Hauser 2010, p. 486). Deafhood, in this case, is interpreted as a process rather than an end that characterizes the perception of deafness. In this view, the world should recognize deaf people as normal but different. In describing normal, the term recognizes deaf people as individuals capable of emotions and rationality just as other hearing people do (Ladd 2003, p. 176). In describing different, however, the term recognizes deaf people as individuals facing different challenges from hearing people. The medical definition of deaf people has characterized them as strange and helpless people who demand help from the hearing people. This means the society typified the deaf as people who are less capable of surviving in an ordinary world. In essence, deaf people are just normal people whose langu age system differs from the hearing people ((Ladd 2005, p. 13). Oralism and audism, therefore, are great challenges for deaf people in defining themselves to the world. The society symbolically participates in eugenics in order to define a distinct way in which every person should define oneself. This occurs as the society highlights the traits it considers as positive and the traits it considers as negative (Ladd 2003, p. 18). In a physical sense, the society invests in activities such as genetic engineering, genocide, and selective breeding as a means of identifying the part of the population it deems fit for life. Oralism is an educational philosophy that focuses on the development of speech and listening skills (Ladd 2005, p. 13). This philosophy constrains the individuality of deaf people by claiming that if everyone is taught reading through lips and auditory input, they eventually attain

Ethical consumerism Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2000 words

Ethical consumerism - Essay Example In addition, the company avoids criminal acts such as corruption and fraud. It is also committed to helping the community by participating in charity events. This has contributed to its good reputation in the market. Ethical consumerism refers to buying or using products that are ethically manufactured and delivered. In the current market world consumers highly value ethically produced goods (Payne 2012, P. 1). Examples of ethically produced goods include those that can be recycled. Companies that produced such kind of goods are viewed as ethical companies because they care about environmental sustainability. Such companies indicate how their products can be recycled on their product labels. In addition, the processes of producing the goods have to be ethical. For instance, ethical production includes avoiding child labor and overexploitation of workers. Buying goods that are produced by underpaid workers or slavery is not ethical consumerism (Payne 2012, P. 1). Other products that fall under ethical categories include those that organically produced goods. Such goods do not contain chemicals that may harm the health of consumers. Other products in this category include cosmetic, fashion, electr onic and insurance products. By buying such goods one qualifies to be an ethical consumer. One can be an ethical consumer without knowing, however; ethical consumerism involves being aware of ethically produced goods in order to prevent abuse and exploitation. An example of a firm that claims to operate ethically is Dell Company. The company is ranked among the most ethical firms globally in the year 2014 (Ben 2014, p.1). The ethics and values of the company include carrying out its operations in integrity ways, focusing on accountability, and commitment to engage with its consumers and suppliers in ethical ways. The company has used various approaches in order to achieve the high position

Chinese economy Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Chinese economy - Essay Example China was forced to open coastal ports resulting in a steady flow of trade between the West and the East. According to Rit Nosotro, â€Å"Although the Europeans introduced railroads, highways, and started some industrial activity, the overall effect on China’s economy overall was negligible since it did not involve the hundreds of millions of peasants deep in the interior†. During the early and mid Qing period there was a considerable rise in Chinas population. But since there was no substantial industrial development China could not utilize the excessive manpower nor raise the standard of living. The economic condition of the government was poor since the dynasty could not collect enough taxes from a poor society. Also there was serious corruption as the government ate away a large part of the taxes collected. The powerful landlords evaded government taxes. All this led to a huge tax burden on the peasants. When these oppressed peasants rebelled (Taiping rebellion) the dynasty had to spend more money to control this rebellion thus making the financial conditions even worse. From the mid-19th century onwards political decentralization made collection of taxes more difficult.. Administrative inefficiency led to inefficient financial management. Also the unequal treatises prevented China from raising tariffs on foreign trade to pay off deficits and the government had to take huge foreign loans. To overcome the money problem, government increased domestic taxes causing more rebellions. Also there was an unfavorable balance of trade which reduced the value of the countrys currency thereby reducing the governments income. The wars that China fought with the foreign powers and the resultant war indemnities China had to pay in 1842, 1860, 1896 and 1900 also dented the economy. Finally in 1911 the Qing dynasty was overthrown. In a planned economy or direct economy the state manages the economy.

Sales Letter Essay Example for Free

Sales Letter Essay The Kutztown Community Parks and Recreation Program and I would like to inform you, and your coworkers, of our wonderful summer programs for children. Our camps are a great way for children to interact with others and have a fun time doing it. Instead of your child sitting at home all day playing video games and being bored out of their minds, send them to our camps for a great summer filled with activity. Camps are held from June 1 through August 15. During this time, your child will be entertained with some wonderful opportunities. During the day, children can take their pick between activities such as arts and crafts, sport instruction, structured recreation, supervised free time, and swimming pool usage. Your child will also be provided with two snack times and lunch for a small fee. On the dates 6-5 and 7-11 the camps will be going on field trips to Hershey Park and the Philadelphia Zoo. Transportation is provided for both of these trips. With summer just around the corner, my company and I encourage you to sign your children up for our summer programs. The camps have been very successful in the past. With seven parks, two community pools, sports, arts and crafts, field trips, and a wonderful staff, there is no doubt that your child’s summer will be filled with fun and excitement. Thank you for your time and I will be contacting you in the near future to follow up. If you have any questions before that time please feel free to contact me at [emailprotected] com. Sincerely, JJ Lloyd Activity Director.

Report Generator for Bayanan Barangay Hall Essay Example for Free

Report Generator for Bayanan Barangay Hall Essay Computer technology has been widely used in different fields, nowadays; computer is the main system that is being used from large and wide scale manufacturing up to small scale industries. The defining feature of modern computers which distinguishes them from all other machines is that they can be programmed. In recent times, the world has witnessed a rapid increase in technological innovations. This era ushered in the advent of the electronic computer system among other modern technologies. At present the computer technology has permeated nearly all aspects of human organizational roles and education. Computer encompasses almost all facets of human endeavors. So much has been written on it and its relatedness to all areas of human disciplines, which include computer/information technology, engineering, agriculture etc. However, in the field of case records their role is much less well defined, for here the organization of data as a preliminary to computer input is the real stumbling-block. Barangay Bayanan is one of the barangay in the City of Muntinlupa. It is bounded between Barangay Alabang and Barangay Putatan. With residents for about 35,865 the hall is strategically located along Bayanan Bay walk, Muntinlupa City. Transactions are currently done manually wherein, information about the citizens are being process by just simply writing the citizen’s name, age, location and other personal information. Producing report such as Barangay Clearance, various certificates etc. is done manually by ink and paper, which is very slow and consuming much efforts and time. Furthermore, the duplication of produced report to each citizen is often result to data management problem such as slow processing, inaccuracy of report and many others. These problems are typical of a manual or traditional system. This research aims to consider a computerized report generator is needed to avoid redundancy and to quicken the generation of reports from the replacement of the current manu al system. The general objective of the study is to design and develop a report generator that would serve as proposal to help Bayanan Barangay Hall to their operation and provides an easier, faster, more organized, secured, and accurate system.  The specific objective of the study is to identify the problems encountered by Bayanan Barangay Hall and also create a report generator that will improve the scope such as citizens, staff and administration. In general scope, the focus of this study is directed towards the design and development of a report generator for Bayanan Barangay Hall with its administration, staff, and citizens are selected. The report generator has a secure log-in for administration and staff. For its limitation, the study is limited only to citizen-data entry person transactions. The inventory report, payroll of the staff and the payment for the service rendered is not provided by the report generator because it will only focus in generating reports after the registration of the citizen’s information is being done by the authorized personnel.   This part describes the relationship between the dependent variables, independent variables and intervening variables of existing system and proposed report generator.

News Consumption Strategic Implications Broadcasters

News Consumption Strategic Implications Broadcasters INTRODUCTION OF TOPIC Changing trends in news consumption and strategic implications for broadcasters The Indian Media environment has undergone changes in terms of news consumption trends as well as news production techniques. This has lead to contours of On demand culture for News which has been furthered by the digital revolution in the news arena. News consumption is shifting from a passive act to a proactive, interactive and participatory act. 2008 has seen some tremendous changes in the way we gather, share and interact with news.nes today is becoming less linear, less controlled, chaotic however increasingly participatory. The relationship between producers and consumers is changing. Examples of participatory news consumptions: Twitter showed its potential network to distribute raw information in almost instantly in the case of Mumbai attacks and arrest of American student in Egypt. Many media broadcasters took to using this medium as a strategy to cover the news. In early 2008 the channel CNN has built a platform called Ireport .com which permits anyone to submit and upload content from anywhere in the world and a team of journalist scours the content to look for stories. It could also sell this contributor generated created material on news wire for high margins. Another example would be Network 18 anchor Rick Sanchez used twitter to gather his story on twitter for Hurricane Gustav, showing conversations about the storm on screen. CNN even launched a daily show around it which was positioned as audience driven hour of days news and smart conversation Today in the news sector what is changing is how people interact with news , when they acquire it and thus old news deliverers must definitely adapt to it. The 24 hour television news channel in India today has become a meme. The random house unabridged dictionary defines a meme as a cultural item that is transmitted by repetition in a manner analogous to the biological transmission of genes. Today there is nothing new or different in the way news channels telecast news stories. Activism, excitement, concern, empathy all are packaged in the same way. Most channels look alive, behave alike, talk alike. There is scarcity as regards to channel loyalty in television news. Additionally with media proliferation, audiences are getting and more fragmented and thus news broadcasters are in a fight to gain new audiences. Garnering eye balls, retaining loyal customer, and targeting new segments to gain new audiences becomes extremely important in today times. But with changing consumption habits the same old strategies like breaking news, anchors, tickers may be becoming ineffective today. Thus broadcasters need to revisit these strategies to create differentiation and competitive advantage. The research plans to undertake a study on news consumption trends today the way forward and thereby look at strategies that broadcasters are using currently to tap the existing and potential news customer. The research attempts will be to predict current future news consumption trends and strategic tools used by the broadcaster. LITERATURE REVIEW The Indian news industry was for long governed uncontested by print media. Till 2008, the country consumed 100 million newspaper copies making it the second largest market in the world for newspapers. In 1976 regular broadcasting started in India and Doordarshan had monopoly. It was in 1991 that the concept of multichannel came into India with the advent of BBC, CNN, Prime sports, MTV and Star Plus. Since then with the increasing technological changes taking place there has been extreme competition in this segment as differentiators like breaking news, program choices, expertise, live coverage are slowly diminishing. Almost all news channels in India today are on the same platform / level today as far as capacity and resources available for production of news. Internet slowly entered with new technological framework and changed the rules of the game. 2/3 rds of the internet users today visit the internet atleast 2-3 times a week. Thus consumption of internet is increasing not only in terms of reach but also in terms of impressions. News broadcasters have started teaming up with digital platforms to provide news on the internet as well as mobile mediums. Social media is emerging as another platform for interactivity to take place in the news sector. More and more news is breaking first on Twitter, Facebook, blogs and Flickr today even before being livecasted on news channels. Also today, news is no longer the dull, uninteractive genre as it is associated to be. Increasing numbers of news channels are cashing in on interactivity by using citizen journalism / participatory journalism. This new competitive media landscape has lead proliferation of channels, fragmentation of audiences and lack of diversity among show formats and content. This has lead to a fight among news channels to retain and grow audience numbers. In this scenario first look at the displacement theory : Kayany Yelsma, 2000 used the displacement theory to suggests that with the advent of a new media the overall consumption remains constant and as consumption of one medium increases the consumption go another medium reduces. This would imply that as digital media grows, audiences would move away from broadcast and a change in news consumption habits would occur. However there are convergence theorists who argue that one need to look at the relationship between traditional and new media to understand how simultaneous consumption will change the way news has been consumed till now. Users and gratification theory Infante, Rancer andWomack, 1997 have used the U G theory to explain how individuals use mass media to satisfy their needs.The U G theory argues that peoples needs and interests influence their use of a particular medium and how they respond to it. The idea is that the audience is self motivated to seek the kind of gratification that they want. With the advent of internet gratifying the need of immediacy it is important to relook at the motivations of the audience to turn to broadcast news and their gratification opportunities to construct effective strategies to retain and garner new audiences. Thus although the theory suggest different needs / motivations of consumer there is no research done on the strategies undertaken by Indian news broadcasters to segment different audiences accordingly to different gratification opportunities and provide differentiated offerings to them and how this helps them gain a competitive edge with advertisers and viewers. Let us look at a few theories which seek to explain convergent media behavior and look at MEDIA CONVERGENCE as a strategy: Selective media theory Stempel Hargrove, 1996; Stempel, et al., 2000; Vincent Basil, 1997 have endorsed the selective media theory which suggest that individual direct their attention to respond to specific stimuli in their environment. This implies that exposure to different media content is an active choice and individuals will seek information regarding contents that interest them across all media platforms. That is the consumption of sports news on one platform will lead them to consume the content in the sports space on mobile, online , broadcast and other platforms if the individual is interested in that particular section. Niche theory Dimmick, et al., 2000 in the Niche theory suggest that individual derive different gratifications from using different media. These gratifications would in turn depend on the modality of the medium and as the overlap in these gratification offerings is low in the news industry, the mediums would be more complementary than displacement. Involvement theory Petty Cacioppo, 1986 in the involvement theory suggest that individuals involved in obtaining information on an area are more likely to consumer news from all mediums to optimize their resources to gain maximum knowledge. Thus highly motivated consumers will seek information across various media outlets. It is important to understand whether broadcasters today are using their multi platforms to generate interest in broadcasting medium and pull audiences from online to broadcast or they first break the news on broadcast giving out more information on other platforms. There are various opportunities for gaining audiences by using these theories and news channels today need to jump at them to create competitive edges for themselves. Convergence today has become the strategic option for many media companies although he levels of response from consumers still it make it possible to differentiate between Leaders, laggards and learner ( Denis et al , 2006 ). Thus at business growth levels convergence is linked to growth strategies in 3 ways : 1) Operational convergence 2) cross platform marketing where companies leverage their platforms and repurpose their old content for new viewers 3) developing on demand content thereby addressing viewer needs Thus there have been clearly been changes in news consumption behavior especially in metros like Mumbai where technological acceptance, lifestyles and media environment are fast changing. 2008 witnessed a phenomenal change in the way we consumer news. Participatory media formats have lead us to not only gather news but enabled us to share it and produce it. As demonstrated above, besides using convergent media to gain audiences, broadcast channels need to revisit their competitive and differentiation strategies. For decades breaking news has been used as an age old strategy to establish exclusivity and garner eyeballs. With the introduction of similar technology, real time streaming and social media all news channels are breaking news at the same. Hence there is a need to explore the relevance of breaking news as a strategy and its effectiveness. Program choice selection: Webster and Wakshlag have identified the main factor in program selection as availability. They say if viewer choices are dictated by what is available to them. Many programming strategies are designed to stop the viewer from searching for a more gratifying program based on the assumption that if their program does not annoy them they will not change them. Thus the aim of many programs is to avoid displeasure. Jeffres (1978) called such programs least objectionable programs (LOP). However digital factors make this factor irrelevant in the future. Apart from that they identified audience they watch a program with as an influencer and selection habits as another. They say if a program search is generally restricted to a particular number of channels which Heeter calls Channel Repertoire. Thus viewers may avoid certain programs because the channel or network is not in their repertoire. However there is no research done on the branding and programming Indian news channels undertake to be included in the set of acceptable channels of a viewer. Rosenstein and Grant (1997 have pointed out that habit is a factor for selecting certain mediums and offerings. However how broadcasters are tapping into this habit to develop channel loyalty is yet to be studied. Weimann, Brosius, and Wober have shown that there is little variation in consumption of news content. When two people watch the same news program, one may watch it because of the programs specific appeal, whereas the other one is simply waiting for another program to come on. This explains their finding that overall time spent with the news media is roughly the same, regardless of reported medium reliance .Beaudoin and Thorson,2004 who remarked that exposure to news is not necessarily an expression of attention to news. Given the possibility of involuntary avoidance, one should remark that the reverse also applies: Lack of exposure to news is not necessarily an expression of lack of interest in the news. Thus programming choices designed to meet needs of such audiences who express an interest can be used as a niche strategy to gain hold in such audiences. A few programming segments that broadcasters need to look at are Late night viewers and Sunday morning program choices as strategic programming decisions. The PEW research center , 2004 has undertaken studies have been conducted in the US , research needs to be done on what news channels are doing to tap gain TRPs with these audiences. Anchors as differentiators: To look at anchors as brands for the news channels we need to view them as ingredient brands. The reason why companies for adopting ingredient branding as a strategy is that it helps the host brand to improve distribution accessibility, differentiate itself from other competitors and enhance the long term equity of the host brand (Desai and Keller, 2002; Norris 1992). The ingredient brand can also build end users brand preference, stabilize consumers demand, and establish long-term relations with manufacturers (Norris 1992). Anchors / Tv show hosts can be looked in the same respect for news channels. Today Barkha Dutt ,Rajdeep Sardesai have become ingredient brands of the networks they represent. Different segments news gratifications to study strategies for gaining their attention: For youth audiences, the news consumption patterns become extremely critical as they get formed into habits for a lifetime around they time they leave for college.(e.g., Al-Obaidi, Lamb-Williams, Mordas, 2004; Barnhurst Wartella, 1998; Schlagheck, 1998). Thus many media selectively target college students as a long term strategy to gain first advantage into new generation of consumers (Barnhurst Wartella, 1998). Motivations for media usage vary by age, with motivations to escape or pass time usually highest among younger viewers (Greenberg, 1974; Rubin, 1979). College students are susceptible to depression (Rich Scovel, 1987), making them especially vulnerable to the formation of media habits that relieve dysphoria through attendance to escapist media content. Edward Huang, Indiana University-Purdue University Indianapolis, USA, 2007 has undertaken a study Studies on how do what uses do youth make of news and what gratifications they derive from it have been undertaken in the US . The following questions have been answered through this study. Have news media failed to address the youths news consumptions objectives? What role does participatory news media play in satisfying youths consumption needs What are the best strategies in serving young new consumers? To explore the question of emergent news consumption trends it becomes essential to explore the future users news consumption patterns. With myriad options of news outlets, including the Internet, college students are emerging more as news grazers, which means they check news periodically but do not have a particular time for news competitors (Pew Research Center, 2002). A new grazer are audiences which take advantage of the new media environment to check the news from time to time with no set patterns and with a passivity towards event and information. Thus they tend to follow the news on television with the remote control flipping the channel from time to time when they are disinterested. (Pew research 2004) Thus the battle among television news providers to capture the grazing audience has been heated up. Commercial success in such an environment requires the news product to cater to the interests of the news grazer. Thus news producers today cover topics that are less likely to prompt grazers to switch to another channel.( Bellamy and walker 1996) News providers have started downplaying political news to make it soft entertainment oriented news.( Patterson 2000) The strategies that present broadcasters are using to tap this audience will determine the future leaders. Senior citizens are the ones that have maximum time currency and thus strategies used to gain those eyeballs also become increasing important. Thus it is important to study this in the competitive landscape. Thus changing news consumption behavior has lead to news broadcasters to relook at their differentiators, strategies and also identity and target new audiences while retaining old ones so as to avoid becoming irrelevant or obsolete in future. NEED Gap: With the above mentioned technological and lifestyle changes there has been no study undertaken on consumption trends in 2008 2010 and thus predicting the future. Such studies have been undertaken for different segments in the US but not in the Indian context. RESEARCH OBJECTIVE/ SCOPE OF THE RESEARCH The scope of the research extends to both consumer trends in news consumption as well as broadcasters response and action to the same thereby drafting in conclusion the strategies which are used for differentiation in todays news scenario. The research objectives can be listed as below: To identify the patterns and trends in new consumption for various audiences To study the case Mumbai Terrorist blast to understand recent news consumption habits and delivery tactics. To list and rank the competitive strategies used by news channels to differentiate their offerings and gain new audiences To study the integration of print, broadcast, radio , citizen, digital , social mobile media and their working with each other to carry news in todays scenario Rationale: As literature and current news cases such as Mumbai terror blasts, 9/11, Economic Times launching a channel reveal consumption of news has changed today. Thus delivery tactics must be relooked and strategies revisited as differentiation is almost nil in the news broadcast industry today. There is a constant struggle to garner new audiences and thus it becomes important to follow the new trends. There has been no study conducted on the trends in news consumption today and in future times in the Indian scenario. Hypothesis: With the changing news consumption trends there is a need for broadcasters to align their delivery tactics and revisit their competitive strategies Research questions Are news channels truly differentiated in todays scenario? Is there any kind of channel loyalty? What are the strategies news channels are using for differentiation? What are the patterns and trends in news consumption for various audiences? How have broadcasters aligned their delivery methods to meet these news trends? How are various media integrated while provided news today? RESEARCH METHODOLOGY The study is primarily exploratory in nature. I shall be primarily using qualitative tools to identify trends from current data viable and accounting for the broadcasters perspective. Extensive Tam analysis study of viewership data already available Areas of information: Demographic and basic lifestyle information Source of news consumption Response to news Participation in news production and delivery Channel loyalty Perceptions about different brands Consumption behavior for different genre of news Impact of :Anchors, tickers, breaking news, programming choices Programming choices preferences for each segment Industry perspective In this phase after identifying the trends in consumption patterns I shall be undertaking a qualitative research for a few broadcasters to understand the tactics and strategies used by them. The different treatment given by them to these segments shall be understood. Also the need for differentiation and their action plans regarding the same shall be understood. Areas of information: Segmentation by broadcasters and different treatments of the same Tactics used by broadcasters to retain and develop channel loyalty Tactics used by broadcasters to gain new audiences Integration of traditional and new media by broadcasters Importance given to differentiation and strategies used to achieve the same Tool used: In depth interview I shall be meeting with experts in the broadcast company: Marketing, Programming Editorial. Media consultants were interviewed to understand the working of the business. The following panel of experts was used in the discussion of various aspects. Sampling: Purposeful Sampling This method allowed me to select experts based on relevant work experience and knowledge of the industry. Thus the information collected was highly credible and reliable. The method also was convenient as I was the only one involved in the selection process. This allowed me to make analysis and thereby compare different perspectives. Further snowballing was used as a method of referral sampling wherein through networks of professionals experts were reached. These experts made valuable contributions to the field. Case study method of analysis: Detailed study of 2 TV news channels- NDTV 24 x7 and CNN -IBN have been undertaken. A brief programming review, convergence strategies, differentiators, marketing branding strategies of the channels have been studied. Each case covers interesting new emerging strategies used by that particular broadcaster during the period of 2008 -2010. A single event based case study of how twitter was used during Mumbai blasts is also studied. This is used to study the effect of new media on consumption and the extent of the impact and implications it holds on the broadcasters. This case method allows me to study changes that have happened in the last two years in Channel strategies and also news consumption. Thus it allows me to map the different strategies used by broadcasters and identify emerging trends. Advantages of case study method: The case study method is most valuable when the researcher wants to obtain a wealth of information about the research topic. Case studies provide tremendous detail. Many times researchers want such detail when they dont know exactly what they are looking for. The case study is particularly advantageous to the researcher who is trying to find clues and ideas for further research. This is not to suggest, however, that case studies be used only at the exploratory stage of research. The method can also be used to gather descriptive and explanatory data. The case study technique can suggest why something has occurred. For example, in many cities in the mid-1980s, cable companies asked to be released from certain promises made when negotiating for a franchise. To learn why this occurred, a multiple case study approach examining several cities 16 could have been used. Other research techniques, such as the survey, might not be able to get at all the possible reasons behind this phenomenon . Ideally, case studies should be used in combination with theory to achieve maximum understanding (Wimmer Dominick, 1983:156). The case study method also affords the researcher the ability to deal with a wide spectrum of evidence.Documents, historical artifacts, systematic interviews, direct observations, and even traditional surveys can all be incorporated into a case study. In fact, the more data sources that can be brought to bear in a case, the more likely it is that the study will be valid (Wimmer Dominick, 1983:156,157). Disadvantages of case study method : There are three main criticisms. The first has to do with a general lack of scientific rigor in many case studies. Yin points out that too many times, the case study investigator has been sloppy, and has allowed equivocal evidence or biased views to influence the findings and conclusions. It is easy to do a sloppy case study; rigorous case studies require a good deal of time and effort (Wimmer Dominick, 1983:157). The second criticism is that the case study is not easily open to generalization. If the main goal of the researcher is to make statistically based normative statements about the frequency of occurrence of a phenomenon in a defined population, some other method may be more appropriate. This is not to say that the results of all case studies are idiosyncratic and unique. In fact, if generalizing theoretic propositions is the main goal, the case study method is perfectly suited to the task (Wimmer Dominick, 1983:157). Finally, like participant observation, case studies are likely to be timeconsuming and may occasionally produce massive quantities of data that are hard to summarize. Consequently, fellow researchers are forced to wait years for the results of the research, which too often are poorly presented. Some authors, however, are experimenting with nontraditional methods of reporting to overcome this last criticism (Wimmer Dominick, 1983:157). Even with these limitations, the methods provide a lot of possibilities as it is very flexible. It allows deep study of a specific subject. Thus having specified the method, the unfolding chapters refer to the case in point. Expected contribution: Theoretically, through the findings of the research, the user gratifications theory, nice theory, selective theory and involvement theory will be tested. I shall use these theories in the news genre and test the application of the same in this genre. On the practical front, the testing the hypothesis shall have practical significance for the broadcasters. Additionally the trends indentified and predicted for the coming year shall have strategic implications for news broadcasters. The trends shall enable the broadcasters target their prospective audiences better and use tactics to compete, differentiate garner new audiences. NDTV 24 X 7 Founded in the year 1988, the channel was Indias first and largest private producer of current affairs, news stories and entertainment .The brand NDTV 24 * 7 is the market leader and holds an unrivalled reputation for excellence. The following strategic initiatives for growth were undertaken by NDTV . Reliance Infocomm (2004): s In 2004, the channel tied up with reliance Infocomm, Indias largest mobile service provider to provide on the hour news updates of actual newscast with streaming of videos of NDTV news. This enabled Rim customers to watch streaming videos of election updates as well as other news coverage on their handsets. Southern Edition (2006): In 2006, the channel announced the launch of a southern edition - a daily news show using opt -out telecast technology for its viewers in Tamil Nadu, Kerela Karnataka. This show is on air on weekdays at 7 30 and on weekends there is an extravaganza of region specific programming. FTA (2007) : In 2007, it was converted to a FTA channel in the CAS notified areas of Delhi, Mumbai and Kolkatta.The channel is still a pay channel in Chennai. Durand Cup (2007): In 2007 NDTV decided to get into telecasting the live broadcast of Durand Cup 2007.No other news channel in India had beamed live sports before this. The reason behind this was that football viewership has been growing in India. The target audience is mostly 15 +, in SEC A+, A, B+ and B segments. PROGRAMMING Apart from news the channel also airs other programs like We the people and The big fight which are hugely popular. The channel continues to produce original content such as documentaries and special reports featuring political news, entertainment reports and cricket. The channel also has an afternoon weekday segment of the business and market news thereby encompassing all programs offering for their core viewer. The channel has an innovative approach to programming there taking the first step in news shows. Very recently it launched Newsnet2.0 which involves consumer engagement in the production of news as well as syndication of online content. It covers he hot topics which are currently exciting netizens across the world. It provides a 360 vision of all the mediums that people use to discuss their views on contemporary issues. Weekend programming: The weekend programming comprises an array of non news shows like Documentary 24 x 7, cell guru, picture this and others. There are also shows recapping and discussing the weeks news events. Weekday programming: A one stop solution for all interests of the target audience , on weekdays the channel provides news offering in sport, politics, business, national and current news. The Key shows We The People- This powerful opinion-based show, hosted by Barkha Dutt, puts eminent panelists at the mercy of an enquiring public, throwing the floor open for discussions on the issues affecting the country and its people and ensuring that the average citizen has his or her say. The Big Fight- Hosted by Vikram Chandra, the show pits those on opposite sides of an issue against each other in a lively and often heated debate. What emerges from the sometimes controversial opinions is a thorough 360Â ° view of the key national or global issue at hand. India 60: Verdict- NDTVs flagship news programme, India 60 Minutes, is complemented by this special debate segment on the major controversy of the day. Designed to be interactive, it lets viewers have the final word on the big issue in that days news, be it from politics, sports, entertainment or business Bombay Talkies- Sreenivasan Jain takes a walk with Mumbais renowned personalities, through an area that is especially significant to him or her. The freewheeling chat format of the show touches upon a range of issues, showcasing new facets of their persona. The show has featured people from all walks of life, including the likes of Amitabh Bachchan, Raj Thackeray, Nusli Wadia, Shatrughan Sinha and Sanjay Leela Bhansali. Walk the Talk- One of the flagship programmes of NDTV 24X7, it is a technical first in the Indian television industry, being the only programme in the country to be shot in one take. For four years and with over two hundred episodes, Indian Express Editor-in-Chief, Shekhar Gupta, has travelled and questioned every eminent national personality at a place of special relevance to the guest. Amongst the stellar guests the show has had, were all three of Indias recent Nobel Prize winners Dr. Amartya Sen, VS Naipul and the Dalai Lama. www.ndtv.com CONVERGENCE NDTV Convergence the new media arm of NDTV encompasses an array of digital media and mobile media services to provide a complete solution to advertisers and tap into the mobile/net savvy audience of todays times. NDTV ACTIVE : NDTV active is packaged with various mobile sites consisting of text based content like news, movies, astrology, music, lifestyle and stocks powered by NDTVs online content. The portal is monetized through ads, sponsorships, plus offering some sections of the portal on a subscription basis. He channel is looking at content syndication and they want to tie up with mobile operators to provide content for their mobile portals. NDTV convergence launched a free SMS service with July systems in partnership. The service called MISMS will enable mobile users to access multimedia content via sms. Users of this service can get the latest news, videos, stocks, and cricket scores by sending the short code to NDTV. The content is hosted on NDTV active which is NDTVs existing mobile portal. NDTV active receives about 15000 visitors a month. From its mobile services NDTV is targeting to achieve Rs. 4. 3 crore in revenue which comprises 15 % of their total revenue. OTHER PORTALS: NDTV website looks more like a general interest website than a serious ne News Consumption Strategic Implications Broadcasters News Consumption Strategic Implications Broadcasters INTRODUCTION OF TOPIC Changing trends in news consumption and strategic implications for broadcasters The Indian Media environment has undergone changes in terms of news consumption trends as well as news production techniques. This has lead to contours of On demand culture for News which has been furthered by the digital revolution in the news arena. News consumption is shifting from a passive act to a proactive, interactive and participatory act. 2008 has seen some tremendous changes in the way we gather, share and interact with news.nes today is becoming less linear, less controlled, chaotic however increasingly participatory. The relationship between producers and consumers is changing. Examples of participatory news consumptions: Twitter showed its potential network to distribute raw information in almost instantly in the case of Mumbai attacks and arrest of American student in Egypt. Many media broadcasters took to using this medium as a strategy to cover the news. In early 2008 the channel CNN has built a platform called Ireport .com which permits anyone to submit and upload content from anywhere in the world and a team of journalist scours the content to look for stories. It could also sell this contributor generated created material on news wire for high margins. Another example would be Network 18 anchor Rick Sanchez used twitter to gather his story on twitter for Hurricane Gustav, showing conversations about the storm on screen. CNN even launched a daily show around it which was positioned as audience driven hour of days news and smart conversation Today in the news sector what is changing is how people interact with news , when they acquire it and thus old news deliverers must definitely adapt to it. The 24 hour television news channel in India today has become a meme. The random house unabridged dictionary defines a meme as a cultural item that is transmitted by repetition in a manner analogous to the biological transmission of genes. Today there is nothing new or different in the way news channels telecast news stories. Activism, excitement, concern, empathy all are packaged in the same way. Most channels look alive, behave alike, talk alike. There is scarcity as regards to channel loyalty in television news. Additionally with media proliferation, audiences are getting and more fragmented and thus news broadcasters are in a fight to gain new audiences. Garnering eye balls, retaining loyal customer, and targeting new segments to gain new audiences becomes extremely important in today times. But with changing consumption habits the same old strategies like breaking news, anchors, tickers may be becoming ineffective today. Thus broadcasters need to revisit these strategies to create differentiation and competitive advantage. The research plans to undertake a study on news consumption trends today the way forward and thereby look at strategies that broadcasters are using currently to tap the existing and potential news customer. The research attempts will be to predict current future news consumption trends and strategic tools used by the broadcaster. LITERATURE REVIEW The Indian news industry was for long governed uncontested by print media. Till 2008, the country consumed 100 million newspaper copies making it the second largest market in the world for newspapers. In 1976 regular broadcasting started in India and Doordarshan had monopoly. It was in 1991 that the concept of multichannel came into India with the advent of BBC, CNN, Prime sports, MTV and Star Plus. Since then with the increasing technological changes taking place there has been extreme competition in this segment as differentiators like breaking news, program choices, expertise, live coverage are slowly diminishing. Almost all news channels in India today are on the same platform / level today as far as capacity and resources available for production of news. Internet slowly entered with new technological framework and changed the rules of the game. 2/3 rds of the internet users today visit the internet atleast 2-3 times a week. Thus consumption of internet is increasing not only in terms of reach but also in terms of impressions. News broadcasters have started teaming up with digital platforms to provide news on the internet as well as mobile mediums. Social media is emerging as another platform for interactivity to take place in the news sector. More and more news is breaking first on Twitter, Facebook, blogs and Flickr today even before being livecasted on news channels. Also today, news is no longer the dull, uninteractive genre as it is associated to be. Increasing numbers of news channels are cashing in on interactivity by using citizen journalism / participatory journalism. This new competitive media landscape has lead proliferation of channels, fragmentation of audiences and lack of diversity among show formats and content. This has lead to a fight among news channels to retain and grow audience numbers. In this scenario first look at the displacement theory : Kayany Yelsma, 2000 used the displacement theory to suggests that with the advent of a new media the overall consumption remains constant and as consumption of one medium increases the consumption go another medium reduces. This would imply that as digital media grows, audiences would move away from broadcast and a change in news consumption habits would occur. However there are convergence theorists who argue that one need to look at the relationship between traditional and new media to understand how simultaneous consumption will change the way news has been consumed till now. Users and gratification theory Infante, Rancer andWomack, 1997 have used the U G theory to explain how individuals use mass media to satisfy their needs.The U G theory argues that peoples needs and interests influence their use of a particular medium and how they respond to it. The idea is that the audience is self motivated to seek the kind of gratification that they want. With the advent of internet gratifying the need of immediacy it is important to relook at the motivations of the audience to turn to broadcast news and their gratification opportunities to construct effective strategies to retain and garner new audiences. Thus although the theory suggest different needs / motivations of consumer there is no research done on the strategies undertaken by Indian news broadcasters to segment different audiences accordingly to different gratification opportunities and provide differentiated offerings to them and how this helps them gain a competitive edge with advertisers and viewers. Let us look at a few theories which seek to explain convergent media behavior and look at MEDIA CONVERGENCE as a strategy: Selective media theory Stempel Hargrove, 1996; Stempel, et al., 2000; Vincent Basil, 1997 have endorsed the selective media theory which suggest that individual direct their attention to respond to specific stimuli in their environment. This implies that exposure to different media content is an active choice and individuals will seek information regarding contents that interest them across all media platforms. That is the consumption of sports news on one platform will lead them to consume the content in the sports space on mobile, online , broadcast and other platforms if the individual is interested in that particular section. Niche theory Dimmick, et al., 2000 in the Niche theory suggest that individual derive different gratifications from using different media. These gratifications would in turn depend on the modality of the medium and as the overlap in these gratification offerings is low in the news industry, the mediums would be more complementary than displacement. Involvement theory Petty Cacioppo, 1986 in the involvement theory suggest that individuals involved in obtaining information on an area are more likely to consumer news from all mediums to optimize their resources to gain maximum knowledge. Thus highly motivated consumers will seek information across various media outlets. It is important to understand whether broadcasters today are using their multi platforms to generate interest in broadcasting medium and pull audiences from online to broadcast or they first break the news on broadcast giving out more information on other platforms. There are various opportunities for gaining audiences by using these theories and news channels today need to jump at them to create competitive edges for themselves. Convergence today has become the strategic option for many media companies although he levels of response from consumers still it make it possible to differentiate between Leaders, laggards and learner ( Denis et al , 2006 ). Thus at business growth levels convergence is linked to growth strategies in 3 ways : 1) Operational convergence 2) cross platform marketing where companies leverage their platforms and repurpose their old content for new viewers 3) developing on demand content thereby addressing viewer needs Thus there have been clearly been changes in news consumption behavior especially in metros like Mumbai where technological acceptance, lifestyles and media environment are fast changing. 2008 witnessed a phenomenal change in the way we consumer news. Participatory media formats have lead us to not only gather news but enabled us to share it and produce it. As demonstrated above, besides using convergent media to gain audiences, broadcast channels need to revisit their competitive and differentiation strategies. For decades breaking news has been used as an age old strategy to establish exclusivity and garner eyeballs. With the introduction of similar technology, real time streaming and social media all news channels are breaking news at the same. Hence there is a need to explore the relevance of breaking news as a strategy and its effectiveness. Program choice selection: Webster and Wakshlag have identified the main factor in program selection as availability. They say if viewer choices are dictated by what is available to them. Many programming strategies are designed to stop the viewer from searching for a more gratifying program based on the assumption that if their program does not annoy them they will not change them. Thus the aim of many programs is to avoid displeasure. Jeffres (1978) called such programs least objectionable programs (LOP). However digital factors make this factor irrelevant in the future. Apart from that they identified audience they watch a program with as an influencer and selection habits as another. They say if a program search is generally restricted to a particular number of channels which Heeter calls Channel Repertoire. Thus viewers may avoid certain programs because the channel or network is not in their repertoire. However there is no research done on the branding and programming Indian news channels undertake to be included in the set of acceptable channels of a viewer. Rosenstein and Grant (1997 have pointed out that habit is a factor for selecting certain mediums and offerings. However how broadcasters are tapping into this habit to develop channel loyalty is yet to be studied. Weimann, Brosius, and Wober have shown that there is little variation in consumption of news content. When two people watch the same news program, one may watch it because of the programs specific appeal, whereas the other one is simply waiting for another program to come on. This explains their finding that overall time spent with the news media is roughly the same, regardless of reported medium reliance .Beaudoin and Thorson,2004 who remarked that exposure to news is not necessarily an expression of attention to news. Given the possibility of involuntary avoidance, one should remark that the reverse also applies: Lack of exposure to news is not necessarily an expression of lack of interest in the news. Thus programming choices designed to meet needs of such audiences who express an interest can be used as a niche strategy to gain hold in such audiences. A few programming segments that broadcasters need to look at are Late night viewers and Sunday morning program choices as strategic programming decisions. The PEW research center , 2004 has undertaken studies have been conducted in the US , research needs to be done on what news channels are doing to tap gain TRPs with these audiences. Anchors as differentiators: To look at anchors as brands for the news channels we need to view them as ingredient brands. The reason why companies for adopting ingredient branding as a strategy is that it helps the host brand to improve distribution accessibility, differentiate itself from other competitors and enhance the long term equity of the host brand (Desai and Keller, 2002; Norris 1992). The ingredient brand can also build end users brand preference, stabilize consumers demand, and establish long-term relations with manufacturers (Norris 1992). Anchors / Tv show hosts can be looked in the same respect for news channels. Today Barkha Dutt ,Rajdeep Sardesai have become ingredient brands of the networks they represent. Different segments news gratifications to study strategies for gaining their attention: For youth audiences, the news consumption patterns become extremely critical as they get formed into habits for a lifetime around they time they leave for college.(e.g., Al-Obaidi, Lamb-Williams, Mordas, 2004; Barnhurst Wartella, 1998; Schlagheck, 1998). Thus many media selectively target college students as a long term strategy to gain first advantage into new generation of consumers (Barnhurst Wartella, 1998). Motivations for media usage vary by age, with motivations to escape or pass time usually highest among younger viewers (Greenberg, 1974; Rubin, 1979). College students are susceptible to depression (Rich Scovel, 1987), making them especially vulnerable to the formation of media habits that relieve dysphoria through attendance to escapist media content. Edward Huang, Indiana University-Purdue University Indianapolis, USA, 2007 has undertaken a study Studies on how do what uses do youth make of news and what gratifications they derive from it have been undertaken in the US . The following questions have been answered through this study. Have news media failed to address the youths news consumptions objectives? What role does participatory news media play in satisfying youths consumption needs What are the best strategies in serving young new consumers? To explore the question of emergent news consumption trends it becomes essential to explore the future users news consumption patterns. With myriad options of news outlets, including the Internet, college students are emerging more as news grazers, which means they check news periodically but do not have a particular time for news competitors (Pew Research Center, 2002). A new grazer are audiences which take advantage of the new media environment to check the news from time to time with no set patterns and with a passivity towards event and information. Thus they tend to follow the news on television with the remote control flipping the channel from time to time when they are disinterested. (Pew research 2004) Thus the battle among television news providers to capture the grazing audience has been heated up. Commercial success in such an environment requires the news product to cater to the interests of the news grazer. Thus news producers today cover topics that are less likely to prompt grazers to switch to another channel.( Bellamy and walker 1996) News providers have started downplaying political news to make it soft entertainment oriented news.( Patterson 2000) The strategies that present broadcasters are using to tap this audience will determine the future leaders. Senior citizens are the ones that have maximum time currency and thus strategies used to gain those eyeballs also become increasing important. Thus it is important to study this in the competitive landscape. Thus changing news consumption behavior has lead to news broadcasters to relook at their differentiators, strategies and also identity and target new audiences while retaining old ones so as to avoid becoming irrelevant or obsolete in future. NEED Gap: With the above mentioned technological and lifestyle changes there has been no study undertaken on consumption trends in 2008 2010 and thus predicting the future. Such studies have been undertaken for different segments in the US but not in the Indian context. RESEARCH OBJECTIVE/ SCOPE OF THE RESEARCH The scope of the research extends to both consumer trends in news consumption as well as broadcasters response and action to the same thereby drafting in conclusion the strategies which are used for differentiation in todays news scenario. The research objectives can be listed as below: To identify the patterns and trends in new consumption for various audiences To study the case Mumbai Terrorist blast to understand recent news consumption habits and delivery tactics. To list and rank the competitive strategies used by news channels to differentiate their offerings and gain new audiences To study the integration of print, broadcast, radio , citizen, digital , social mobile media and their working with each other to carry news in todays scenario Rationale: As literature and current news cases such as Mumbai terror blasts, 9/11, Economic Times launching a channel reveal consumption of news has changed today. Thus delivery tactics must be relooked and strategies revisited as differentiation is almost nil in the news broadcast industry today. There is a constant struggle to garner new audiences and thus it becomes important to follow the new trends. There has been no study conducted on the trends in news consumption today and in future times in the Indian scenario. Hypothesis: With the changing news consumption trends there is a need for broadcasters to align their delivery tactics and revisit their competitive strategies Research questions Are news channels truly differentiated in todays scenario? Is there any kind of channel loyalty? What are the strategies news channels are using for differentiation? What are the patterns and trends in news consumption for various audiences? How have broadcasters aligned their delivery methods to meet these news trends? How are various media integrated while provided news today? RESEARCH METHODOLOGY The study is primarily exploratory in nature. I shall be primarily using qualitative tools to identify trends from current data viable and accounting for the broadcasters perspective. Extensive Tam analysis study of viewership data already available Areas of information: Demographic and basic lifestyle information Source of news consumption Response to news Participation in news production and delivery Channel loyalty Perceptions about different brands Consumption behavior for different genre of news Impact of :Anchors, tickers, breaking news, programming choices Programming choices preferences for each segment Industry perspective In this phase after identifying the trends in consumption patterns I shall be undertaking a qualitative research for a few broadcasters to understand the tactics and strategies used by them. The different treatment given by them to these segments shall be understood. Also the need for differentiation and their action plans regarding the same shall be understood. Areas of information: Segmentation by broadcasters and different treatments of the same Tactics used by broadcasters to retain and develop channel loyalty Tactics used by broadcasters to gain new audiences Integration of traditional and new media by broadcasters Importance given to differentiation and strategies used to achieve the same Tool used: In depth interview I shall be meeting with experts in the broadcast company: Marketing, Programming Editorial. Media consultants were interviewed to understand the working of the business. The following panel of experts was used in the discussion of various aspects. Sampling: Purposeful Sampling This method allowed me to select experts based on relevant work experience and knowledge of the industry. Thus the information collected was highly credible and reliable. The method also was convenient as I was the only one involved in the selection process. This allowed me to make analysis and thereby compare different perspectives. Further snowballing was used as a method of referral sampling wherein through networks of professionals experts were reached. These experts made valuable contributions to the field. Case study method of analysis: Detailed study of 2 TV news channels- NDTV 24 x7 and CNN -IBN have been undertaken. A brief programming review, convergence strategies, differentiators, marketing branding strategies of the channels have been studied. Each case covers interesting new emerging strategies used by that particular broadcaster during the period of 2008 -2010. A single event based case study of how twitter was used during Mumbai blasts is also studied. This is used to study the effect of new media on consumption and the extent of the impact and implications it holds on the broadcasters. This case method allows me to study changes that have happened in the last two years in Channel strategies and also news consumption. Thus it allows me to map the different strategies used by broadcasters and identify emerging trends. Advantages of case study method: The case study method is most valuable when the researcher wants to obtain a wealth of information about the research topic. Case studies provide tremendous detail. Many times researchers want such detail when they dont know exactly what they are looking for. The case study is particularly advantageous to the researcher who is trying to find clues and ideas for further research. This is not to suggest, however, that case studies be used only at the exploratory stage of research. The method can also be used to gather descriptive and explanatory data. The case study technique can suggest why something has occurred. For example, in many cities in the mid-1980s, cable companies asked to be released from certain promises made when negotiating for a franchise. To learn why this occurred, a multiple case study approach examining several cities 16 could have been used. Other research techniques, such as the survey, might not be able to get at all the possible reasons behind this phenomenon . Ideally, case studies should be used in combination with theory to achieve maximum understanding (Wimmer Dominick, 1983:156). The case study method also affords the researcher the ability to deal with a wide spectrum of evidence.Documents, historical artifacts, systematic interviews, direct observations, and even traditional surveys can all be incorporated into a case study. In fact, the more data sources that can be brought to bear in a case, the more likely it is that the study will be valid (Wimmer Dominick, 1983:156,157). Disadvantages of case study method : There are three main criticisms. The first has to do with a general lack of scientific rigor in many case studies. Yin points out that too many times, the case study investigator has been sloppy, and has allowed equivocal evidence or biased views to influence the findings and conclusions. It is easy to do a sloppy case study; rigorous case studies require a good deal of time and effort (Wimmer Dominick, 1983:157). The second criticism is that the case study is not easily open to generalization. If the main goal of the researcher is to make statistically based normative statements about the frequency of occurrence of a phenomenon in a defined population, some other method may be more appropriate. This is not to say that the results of all case studies are idiosyncratic and unique. In fact, if generalizing theoretic propositions is the main goal, the case study method is perfectly suited to the task (Wimmer Dominick, 1983:157). Finally, like participant observation, case studies are likely to be timeconsuming and may occasionally produce massive quantities of data that are hard to summarize. Consequently, fellow researchers are forced to wait years for the results of the research, which too often are poorly presented. Some authors, however, are experimenting with nontraditional methods of reporting to overcome this last criticism (Wimmer Dominick, 1983:157). Even with these limitations, the methods provide a lot of possibilities as it is very flexible. It allows deep study of a specific subject. Thus having specified the method, the unfolding chapters refer to the case in point. Expected contribution: Theoretically, through the findings of the research, the user gratifications theory, nice theory, selective theory and involvement theory will be tested. I shall use these theories in the news genre and test the application of the same in this genre. On the practical front, the testing the hypothesis shall have practical significance for the broadcasters. Additionally the trends indentified and predicted for the coming year shall have strategic implications for news broadcasters. The trends shall enable the broadcasters target their prospective audiences better and use tactics to compete, differentiate garner new audiences. NDTV 24 X 7 Founded in the year 1988, the channel was Indias first and largest private producer of current affairs, news stories and entertainment .The brand NDTV 24 * 7 is the market leader and holds an unrivalled reputation for excellence. The following strategic initiatives for growth were undertaken by NDTV . Reliance Infocomm (2004): s In 2004, the channel tied up with reliance Infocomm, Indias largest mobile service provider to provide on the hour news updates of actual newscast with streaming of videos of NDTV news. This enabled Rim customers to watch streaming videos of election updates as well as other news coverage on their handsets. Southern Edition (2006): In 2006, the channel announced the launch of a southern edition - a daily news show using opt -out telecast technology for its viewers in Tamil Nadu, Kerela Karnataka. This show is on air on weekdays at 7 30 and on weekends there is an extravaganza of region specific programming. FTA (2007) : In 2007, it was converted to a FTA channel in the CAS notified areas of Delhi, Mumbai and Kolkatta.The channel is still a pay channel in Chennai. Durand Cup (2007): In 2007 NDTV decided to get into telecasting the live broadcast of Durand Cup 2007.No other news channel in India had beamed live sports before this. The reason behind this was that football viewership has been growing in India. The target audience is mostly 15 +, in SEC A+, A, B+ and B segments. PROGRAMMING Apart from news the channel also airs other programs like We the people and The big fight which are hugely popular. The channel continues to produce original content such as documentaries and special reports featuring political news, entertainment reports and cricket. The channel also has an afternoon weekday segment of the business and market news thereby encompassing all programs offering for their core viewer. The channel has an innovative approach to programming there taking the first step in news shows. Very recently it launched Newsnet2.0 which involves consumer engagement in the production of news as well as syndication of online content. It covers he hot topics which are currently exciting netizens across the world. It provides a 360 vision of all the mediums that people use to discuss their views on contemporary issues. Weekend programming: The weekend programming comprises an array of non news shows like Documentary 24 x 7, cell guru, picture this and others. There are also shows recapping and discussing the weeks news events. Weekday programming: A one stop solution for all interests of the target audience , on weekdays the channel provides news offering in sport, politics, business, national and current news. The Key shows We The People- This powerful opinion-based show, hosted by Barkha Dutt, puts eminent panelists at the mercy of an enquiring public, throwing the floor open for discussions on the issues affecting the country and its people and ensuring that the average citizen has his or her say. The Big Fight- Hosted by Vikram Chandra, the show pits those on opposite sides of an issue against each other in a lively and often heated debate. What emerges from the sometimes controversial opinions is a thorough 360Â ° view of the key national or global issue at hand. India 60: Verdict- NDTVs flagship news programme, India 60 Minutes, is complemented by this special debate segment on the major controversy of the day. Designed to be interactive, it lets viewers have the final word on the big issue in that days news, be it from politics, sports, entertainment or business Bombay Talkies- Sreenivasan Jain takes a walk with Mumbais renowned personalities, through an area that is especially significant to him or her. The freewheeling chat format of the show touches upon a range of issues, showcasing new facets of their persona. The show has featured people from all walks of life, including the likes of Amitabh Bachchan, Raj Thackeray, Nusli Wadia, Shatrughan Sinha and Sanjay Leela Bhansali. Walk the Talk- One of the flagship programmes of NDTV 24X7, it is a technical first in the Indian television industry, being the only programme in the country to be shot in one take. For four years and with over two hundred episodes, Indian Express Editor-in-Chief, Shekhar Gupta, has travelled and questioned every eminent national personality at a place of special relevance to the guest. Amongst the stellar guests the show has had, were all three of Indias recent Nobel Prize winners Dr. Amartya Sen, VS Naipul and the Dalai Lama. www.ndtv.com CONVERGENCE NDTV Convergence the new media arm of NDTV encompasses an array of digital media and mobile media services to provide a complete solution to advertisers and tap into the mobile/net savvy audience of todays times. NDTV ACTIVE : NDTV active is packaged with various mobile sites consisting of text based content like news, movies, astrology, music, lifestyle and stocks powered by NDTVs online content. The portal is monetized through ads, sponsorships, plus offering some sections of the portal on a subscription basis. He channel is looking at content syndication and they want to tie up with mobile operators to provide content for their mobile portals. NDTV convergence launched a free SMS service with July systems in partnership. The service called MISMS will enable mobile users to access multimedia content via sms. Users of this service can get the latest news, videos, stocks, and cricket scores by sending the short code to NDTV. The content is hosted on NDTV active which is NDTVs existing mobile portal. NDTV active receives about 15000 visitors a month. From its mobile services NDTV is targeting to achieve Rs. 4. 3 crore in revenue which comprises 15 % of their total revenue. OTHER PORTALS: NDTV website looks more like a general interest website than a serious ne

The Hopeless Battle :: Racism United States History Black Essays

The Hopeless Battle A courtroom is supposed to be a place of equal ground, where a person of any race, gender, or religion receives fair treatment under the law, and everyone is innocent until proven guilty by a jury of their peers. This has not always been the case, even though it was always been in the constitution. The 1930s was the beginning of the Great Depression. Most people were poor and couldn’t find work. The economy was terrible all over the world. During this period, the country was preoccupied, and little was done to help the black people receive the rights and treatment that they deserved. It was impossible for a black man in Alabama to receive a fair trial during the 1930s. A black man didn’t stand a chance of winning a court case against a white person because, Alabama was one of the most prejudice states in the country, the white people in Alabama during this period of time were still prejudice, and people resisted any change that would allow a black man more power. They also believed that black people were second-class to white people. To begin with, if a black man was on trial, the location of the courthouse played a major part in the verdict. The southern states were much more prejudice than the northern states. The majority of the southern states fought for slavery in the Civil War. Even in the 1930s, southern states refused to follow orders from the White House on how blacks were to be treated. Alabama and Mississippi, without much question, have been the most consistent centers of opposition to racial change, while Georgia, Louisiana, and South Carolina have been relatively less conservative. There has been no shortage of strong segregationists in the latter states, but militants have not dominated electoral politics to the same extent that they have in Mississippi and Alabama. (Black 105) A black man didn’t have much of a chance of winning a case against a white man anywhere, but this was especially true in the states of Alabama and Mississippi.

My Family Tradition Essay -- Personal Narrative Divorce Marriage Essay

My Family Tradition While preparing for this paper, I thought very hard about any specific traditions that my family has or has had in the past. Although thinking and brainstorming for a long time I could not come up with one tradition that my family has. I think that the main reason for that is because, almost everyone in my family has gone through a divorce. Ending a marriage seems to be very popular in our society today, one statistic states that, â€Å"50% of first marriages end in divorce.† However common divorce may be the pain and heartbreak seems meaningless, until it happens to you. The reason why I can’t think of any family traditions is because all of my family traditions have been ripped apart because of two people’s ill feelings toward each other. Therefore, my family tradition is divorce. I know it seems strange for a family tradition to be divorce, but opening presents on Christmas Day and eating a fancy dinner on Thanksgiving, have all been overshadowed by something far more traditional in my family. My great-grandmother and great-grandfather lived in England and brought eight beautiful daughters into this world. Two years after my grandmother and her twin were born; my great-grandparents ended a 15-year marriage in divorce. When my grandmother was 17 she met my grandfather an American man who was in the US Air Force. Shortly after their meeting, they found out they were having a baby and were married soon after. My grandmother then moved to the States and they began their life together. Eventually the Rains family had two more children, my mother and my Uncle Les. Unfortunately, this was never a fairytale life for any member of the family. My grandfather was an alcoholic, due to the stress in his job and be... ... the biggest impact that divorce will have on me as a teacher is, that I realized that the best thing I could give these children is love. Because of all the heartbreak in my family, I know that love is one thing that no one can live without. School is more than reading and writing, it is about life and I feel that the biggest part of life is love and being loved. Even though I have been through such a horrible experience, I am not alone in this world, nor will I be the last one to ever go through such an experience. Mariah Carey, who is my favorite singer, writes the following. The words describe a part of me that isn’t always seen, which is, the part of me that is fighting to move on from this experience. â€Å"I know there is a rainbow for me to follow to get beyond my sorrow, thunder precedes the sunlight, so I’ll be all right, lf I can find that rainbow's end."

Gabriel Garcia Marquez :: Spanish Essays

Nacio el 6 de marzo de 1928 en Aracataca, Columbia , en el hogar de Gabriel Eligio Garcia, telegrafista y de Luisa Santiaga Marquez Iguaran. Siendo muy nià ±o fue dejado al cuidado de sus abuelos maternos, el Coronel Nicolas Marquez Iguaran -su idolo de toda la vida- y Tranquilina Iguaran Cortes. El reconoce que su madre es quien descubre los personajes de sus novelas a traves de sus recuerdos. Por haber vivido retirado al comienzo de su padre, le fue difà ­cil tratarlo con confianza en la adolescencia; "nunca me sentia seguro frente a el, no sabia como complacerlo. El era de una seriedad que yo confundia con la incomprension", dice Garcia Marquez. En 1936, cuando murio su abuelo, fue enviado a estudiar a Barranquilla. En 1940, viajo a Zipaquira, donde fue becado para estudiar bachillerato. "Alli, como no tenà ­a suficiente dinero para perder ni suficiente billar para ganar, preferia quedarme en el cuarto encerrado, leyendo", comenta el Nobel. En 1946 termino b achillerato. Al aà ±o siguiente se matriculo en la Facultad de Ciencias Politicas de la Universidad Nacional y edito en diario "El Espectador" su cuento, "La primera designacion". En 1950, escribio una columna en el periodico "El Heraldo" de Barranquilla, bajo el seudà ³nimo de Septimus y en 1952, publico el capà ­tulo inicial de "La Hojarasca", su primera novela en ese diario, en el que colaboro desde 1956. En 1958, se caso con Mercedes Barcha. Tienen dos hijos, Rodrigo y Gonzalo. Gabriel Garcia Marquez, quien esta radicado en Ciudad de Mexico desde 1975, en una vieja casona restaurada por el mismo, es amigo cercano de inportantes personalidades mundiales, lo fue de Omar Torrijos y conserva fuertes lazos con Fidel Castro, Carlos Andres Perez, Francois Miterrand, los presidentes de Mexico, Venezuela, Colombia y otros muchos. El 11 de diciembre de 1982, despues de que por votacion unanime de los 18 miembros de la Academia Sueca, fue galardon ado con el Premio Nobel de Literatura por su obra. La vida y obra del Nobel Garcia Marquez ha sido reconocida publicamente: en 1961 recibio el Premio Esso, en 1977, fue homenajeado en el XIII Congreso Internacional de Literatura Iberoamericana; en 1971, declarado "Doctor Honoris Causa" por la Universidad de Columbia, en Nueva York; en 1972, obtuvo el Premio Romulo Gallegos por su obra "La Candida Erendira y su abuela desalmada". En 1981, el gobierno frances le concedio la condecoracion "Legion de Honor" en el grado de Gran Comendador.