Learning outcomes

Students learn about management in media organisations from the perspective of how internal and external dependencies shape strategy formulation, competitive relations, product development, and development dynamics. Special emphasis is placed on emerging characteristics in organisational structure, international influences and markets, and demands for change management. The course lays a foundation for future studies, furnishing students with an essential understanding of diverse management roles, responsibilities and functions at various levels within a media company. Most elements addressed in lectures and readings are developed in depth and detail in advanced courses later in the sequence.

Contents

After completing the course the student will understand:
• The essential work of media managers at different levels in organisations
• Variable relations and implications of a market multiplicity (political, open, popular and professional)
• Strategic thinking as the cornerstone of media management work
• Challenges and dynamics in managing change processes
• The roles and functions of managers in organisational development

Teaching methods

Teaching method	Contact	Online
Lectures	21 h	0 h

Lectures (21 hours), readings and team-based assignment (7 hours).

Teaching language

English

Evaluation and evaluation criteria

Numeric 1-5.
Class attendance (1 ECTS), written examination on lectures and readings (2 ECTS), and presentation of team results in researching a case example agreed with the instructor (2ECTS).

Study materials

• Holt, Jennifer and Alisa Perren (2009) Media Industries: History, Theory and Method. Chichester, UK: Wiley-Blackwell. 

• A packet of contemporary readings from academic journals and books, trade press sources, international news magazines, and on-line reports.

Belongs to following study modules