Communications and Media

Social networking platforms are gaining popularity. The name  Facebook is worth mentioning as it is one of the leading website that facilitates online social networking. Alluring features of this web portal makes the process of communication lucid by remaining within the basic model of communication. The enhanced interpersonal and group communication processes are noteworthy. Even, with the drastic change in the communication processes intrapersonal communication has also undergone a swing.

Since last few years the popularity of social networking portals are going uphill. Facebook is one of the popular social networking platforms that facilitate interaction among peers. According to the Linear Model of mass communication the social networking websites can be considered as communication can be continued between the communicator and communicatee, where information is transmitted from sender to receiver. The social networking portal Facebook offer several features that help to perform interpersonal and group communication. Even there are several activities offered by Facebook that involve intrapersonal communication. It is prudent to take a quick look at the alluring interactive features of Facebook.There remain plenty of groups and each group is followed by number of users who signs in with secured password and user ID.  Any user can create or join a group as per freewill, while joining a group at times the moderator of the particular group monitors and decides whether the user is eligible to join or not. In this regard the moderator effectively plays the role of Gatekeeper during the communication process. A communicator wishes to join a community or group with the purpose of initiating group communication. But the process of participation gets managed by the moderator of the group. It can be specified that in case of mentioning or citing particular web portal, it is necessary to validate it by typing in the provided text. This is just a security process but indeed it is a gatekeeping.

Finding the nearer ones and friends is possible by keying in the name of the profile with which specific profiles are maintained. In such circumstances after identifying that any profile belonging to the closer ones it is possible to send a friend request. Thus two users get involved in interpersonal communication process. When two profiles get connected, the information gets reflected in the wall of the linked profile. In turn this is again a group communication.

A wide array of personal activities and games are offered to the users. And these games are indeed interactive. While playing these games it intra personal communication process takes place. The message option facilitates with the messaging facility. With this a user can send messages to another one and similarly the messages can be replied back. For immediate communication purposes social networking sites like Facebook have attained huge popularity. On the cultural skyscraper it can be posed in the middle rung. There are several positive sides of using the networking sites. These sites help to remain connected with friends, colleagues and nearer ones. At the same time latest updates about different social activities can be known from the groups and communities. In case of informing or reaching friends or for updating them it is possible to write the message in the walls of Facebook.

The positive and negative issues are debatable. With much inclination upon online communication the face to face interaction is at a decrease. Sitting in front of the personal computer to interact with the social networking sites removes users from physical activities. Again, accessibility to the internet is mandatory for continuing the use of Facebook. Nowadays Facebook is also accessible from the mobile devices. With the increasing use of social networking platform people are becoming more and more technology dependent. Still, it is heartening that use of technology helped to remain connected with friends and foes.

Effective communication is one of the most pertinent and challenging tasks for managers at any level in an organization. Communication is the process of sending and receiving messages (Bovee, Thill,  Chaturvedi, 2007). Effective communication is more complicated. Essentially, it is being able to share information in such a way that it is understood by the sender and the receiver, benefitting both parties. Communication plays a vital role in every business because most of a managers work time is spent in exchanging information with others.

Moreover, the dynamics of todays business world are evolving rapidly. As businesses become more decentralized and globalization continues to prevail, distances between cultures are becoming smaller and diversity among people at the workplace is growing. The result of all this is the increased complexity of the communication process and likelihood of communication barriers arising.

TRG Customer Solutions (TRG), headquartered in Jacksonville, Florida, is the leading Business Process Outsourcing organization in its industry, hiring over 5000 employees across the globe. It offers on and off-shore equity capital, strategic advice, customized outsourcing solutions, and proprietary technology to its clients (The Resource Group, 2009).

Having such large and diverse group of human resource and a presence around the world, it is crucial for TRG to structure its environment in such a manner that the interaction of the various cultures present at the organization and the culture of the organization itself do not hinder the communication taking place. Failing to recognize the barriers to communication and addressing them can and does produce negative results, observable from the cases below.

Since communication is a dynamic process, obstructions can result due to many factors. Many of the barriers to communication arise due to organizational factors. Daft (2002) lists four major factors stemming from an organizations structure as the causes of communication barriers, namely Status and Power Differences, Differences across Departments in Terms of Needs and Goals, Absence of Formal Channels, and Poor Coordination.

Status and power differences
Employees at various levels of power tend to be selective when communication to other employees of unequal status. People at lower levels of the hierarchy have to be careful about what they are communicating to their managers. They may be hesitant to send any information indicating bad news and may only want to send messages which they think the managers will be interested in. In the same way, managers may feel that lower-level workers play an insignificant role and not pay attention to their needs. They may also screen what is being communicated down the hierarchy to avoid undermining the organizations stability and their own authority.

TRG provided its services to a variety of clients at any given time. The clients who outsourced some function of their business typically did so to reduce costs and meet certain short term goals. After these objectives were achieved, the partnership between TRG and the client would draw to a close, temporarily until new objectives were designed, or permanently. The direct effect of these outcomes was on the Tele-sales Executives (TSE), who were hired for these clients. Managers would often be reluctant to disclose the termination of the clients partnership and would not share any related information with the TSEs until it was absolutely necessary to. Many TSEs felt their importance was ignored by restricting information being communicated to them. This created an atmosphere of distrust and created distances between the management and the TSEs.

In order to overcome this communication barrier, the organization has to develop a culture of trust and candidness among workers across the hierarchy. Lower-level employees should be encouraged to share their point of view and managers should be respectful and open to their opinions. Managers also need to make sure that their subordinates do not develop fear of reprisal while conveying any information as this will allow them to express both good and bad news without hesitation.

At TRG, managers would do well by sharing as much information as they can with the subordinates. This will allow the TSEs to develop a sense of contribution to the organization and motivate them to cooperate with the management while facing complex issues such as transferring employees to other departments.
 Thus, creating an atmosphere of open communication and trust among the various power levels will ensure that all workers feel comfortable and are willing to contribute valuable input into the organization.

Differences across Departments in Terms of Needs and Goals
In every organization, there are various departments responsible for specific components of the business process i.e. production, HR, finance etc. As such, every department has its own needs and goals which it works to achieve. When a problem occurs, departments may take different approaches to resolve them and if the need of interaction between departments arises, the different interpretations can become barriers to effective communication.

The differences which arise between departments due to communication barriers are evident from the following example. At TRG, the Outbound Sales department worked in close relation with the Quality Assurance department. The two departments had different objectives, to maximize sales and to ensure quality and customer protection respectively. At several occasions, the TSEs misrepresented or used unreasonably pressure o the customer in order to make a sale. The Quality Assurance Representative (QAR) would be compelled to cancel the sale and perhaps take corrective action against the TSE. This information would be communicated informally to the TSE directly by a QAR, which would often result in conflict because each party would be keeping its own departments goals in mind.

To avoid such conflicts, the organization needs to develop formal channels of communication. By doing so, the various departments can communicate more clearly and consistently with each other and also avoid any differences of interest.

To make the communication between the Quality Assurance and the Outbound Sales department seamless, the management introduced a weekly newsletter which communicated valuable information like areas of opportunity for the TSEs. The newsletter was distributed to all employees and served as a common channel for all departments to send information across the organization. Also, the practice of informal interaction between the Quality Assurance and Outbound Sales department was replaced with communication permitted only via email.

By taking these measures, the organization was able to promote increased cooperation between the two departments and increased the level of information being shared throughout the organization, thus making the employees more informed.

Absence of Formal Channels
In any organization, there are more than one channels of communication, typically formal and informal ones. Also, communication flows upward, downward, and horizontally in an organization. For a long time in the history of management, informal communication was seen as having negative results on the organizations performance (Baker 2002). The major concern of informal communication is the potential contradictions it may have with its formal counterpart. This may result in disparity among the organization as a whole as complete information may never reach all employees.

Informal communication, especially at the lower levels of the hierarchy at TRG was abound. This was largely due to the fact there was little information being sent down from the management in the form of letters, memos, etc. During vacancies in the management, for which TSEs were the potential candidate for the promotion, no formal message was communicated regarding this matter. This created much gossip at the workplace and distracted the TSEs from focusing on their primary tasks.

The most appropriate approach for this barrier would be to set up more formal channels of organization in all directions i.e. upward, downward, and horizontally. Larkin and Larkin (1994) recommend that downward communication works best when immediate supervisors communicate directly with their subordinates. This communication can be further improved by using formal channels such as bulletin boards, emails, and open door policies which allow not only managers to communicate directly to their subordinates but vice-versa as well.

At TRG, once the management realized that not communicating directly to the employees caused hindrances in performance, it introduced a number of initiatives to overcome this problem. All new vacancies in any department of the organization were formally announced via email and one-page memos were placed throughout the organization, with details of the requirements potential candidates should meet and instructions on how to apply for that position. Secondly, top management established an open door policy, allowing employees at the lower levels to be able to approach them directly. At the same time, immediate supervisors were given more authority to share key information with subordinates.

This was in line with the theory that supervisors with more power are believed to be more credible and are able to inculcate a greater desire and satisfaction of communication between their subordinates and themselves (Roberts and OReilly 1974).

Poor coordination
A major problem related to communication that many organizations face is due to poor coordination. This mean that different departments are not aware of what other functions of the business are involved in and the role they play in making the system work as a whole. Also, top management is usually occupied with strategic decision and planning and is out of touch with the lower levels. This is usually found in organizations with a centralized structure where the flow of communication may not be adequate to solve non-routine problems.

All new employees hired at TRG were initially put through a training period where they were instructed on matters of general customer service etiquettes and selling techniques. Subsequently, the TSE was provided any information about the client and its business that heshe would need to be equipped with in order to carry out the services. Once the new recruit passed the training programs, heshe would go on to work for an actual client. The training sessions were conducted by the Training  Development department while the actual client services were the responsibility of the Outbound Operations department. This is where the dilemma lied. The two departments carried out their functions with very little interaction amongst each other. This created a problem because the information provided by the Training  Development department was not in sync with the requirements of the Outbound Operations. The training provided consisted of very general information which did not adequately prepare the TSEs for the clients requirements.

In order to remove these discrepancies, the organization needs to go through a major restructuring phase in which teams are designed to assist the flow or information for better coordination and problem solving. The structure should be based on the combined needs of all the departments. Another measure an organization must implement is the use of feedback. Feedback is an essential part of the communication process (Daft 2002). This will allow managers to improve the overall flow of information and close any gaps.

In the case of TRG, a team was constructed with members from the two departments, which put in combined efforts to develop a training program. The training manuals were rewritten, and the training sessions were conducted by a member from both departments as well. Also, all recruits attending the training session were regularly asked to fill forms evaluating the training programs and their effectiveness. Managers were easily able to spot any shortcomings in the information being communicated to the new employees and were able to improve the overall efficiency of the training programs.

Conclusion
Organizational communication is an integral part of any business. With the increased diversity found at the workforce in the present age, people coming from various cultures interacting and the complexity of the communication process, it is becoming increasingly difficult for managers to handle and overcome communication barriers.

The major barriers to communication which arise from organizational factors are Status and Power Differences, Differences across Departments in Terms of Needs and Goals, Absence of Formal Channels, and Poor Coordination.

All of these barriers can be overcome by taking strategic measure to change the organizational environment. The key to overcoming these communication challenges is to bring about a major change in the organizations culture. The environment should be such that it fosters trust among managers and subordinates, consist of formal channels of communication, and facilitate communication in all directions. Steps should be taken which allow the flow of communication to fit the needs of the various departments. Doing so is the responsibility of not only the top management but all managers and even subordinates, to an extent. This was evident from the examples of TRGs communication barriers and the actions through which the communication process that takes place at an organization was improved, discussed above.

Therefore, it is essential for any organization to consider the key role communication plays, recognize the barriers which may obstruct it from flowing effectively, and address them with the appropriate courses of action.

Purpose To shed light on the environmental (cultural issue) that must be considered for MNEs and their expatriates working in the Gulf Region therefore, the paper is addressing a gap and deficiency in the field of International Human Resources Management (IHRM)

Rationale
It is an exploratory research, which builds its theoretical perspective on the Ministry of Lab our Law prevailing in the UAE, and the researchers understanding and experience of the variables effectiveness in the literature concerning the field of International Business. Human Resources Management policies have to consider that managing cultural differences in businesses in the Gulf Region is very challenging, and it should be noted that none of the majority studies focus on the practical level of Human Resources Management.

Methodology
Exploratory Research, Literature Review. Literature review focuses on findings that outline the advantages and disadvantages of hiring expatriates to work in UAE businesses.

Analysis
As the economic climate of the world continues to change because of the global economy and technological advances there are more opportunities to enter into business agreements with individuals and organizations around the world. Some of the advantages that may come from such arrangements are reduced fees for services, expanding ones professional network, and potentially client base. However, one of the primary drawbacks that frequently arises is ineffective communication, which can lead to further conflict, if not managed in an efficient manner. In many cases, the ineffective communication is not intentional  its often a result of cultural differences. If either party is not aware of the communication styles of the other, a gesture that was meant with good or neutral intention may be perceived with offense. Outdated psychological frameworks that play up cultural differences as opposed to similarities are another.  In the article International Dimensions of Human Resource Management Gaining a Competitive Advantage, author Khalid Alrawi from the Al-Ain University of Science and Technology conducted a literature review of the strategies that worked best in UAE businesses that hire expatriate managers. He states that one of the concerns that business in the UAE have with expatriate managers is that many have an ethnocentric approach to work (Alrawi, 2008),
or they believe that the practices that they employ in their home country for task accomplishment is the bestor only way to meet their objectives. He offers a solution to this approach by encouraging training of expat mangers in a geocentric approach for task management where they learn to evaluate a task based on the best approach, as demonstrated by people around the world (Alrawi, 2008). This psychological process is called reframing.

Findings
Further reasons for expatriate failure include spousefamily dissatisfaction, inability to adaptadjust to the culture or management styles, and difficulty learning the language (Alrawi, 2008).

Conclusion 
Globalization has been driven largely by issues of marketing, cost and competition. International HRM is a subject that has developed in the wake of these driving forces. Consequently, people management on the international scale has often lagged behind other management functions such as production and finance at both practical and theoretical levels language (Alrawi, 2008).  The need for more effective integration can best be advanced through the use of the geocentric approach, which uses the best available managers without regard for their countries of origin, and allows for the development of international managers and reduces national biases (Alrawi, 2008).

There are a number of resources in the organization which have to be managed in most efficient way to achieve the pre determined objectives of the business. We have basically made list of main techniques to understand the feasibility of resources in an organization and accordingly analysed them. The major resources into our consideration could be analysed by

RBV technique The RBV (Resource Based View) is the exercise done from the part of the management of the company to take into account all kind of strategies, policies and strategic resources which a firm could use in order to attain the goals. Most often than naught, it is seen that this technique is used to attain competitive advantage by the firm as it analyses both human and non human resources of the business important for attainment of the business goals.  (Thompson, Strickland, Gamble III, 2007)

Let us take the case of Wal-Mart, the organizations best managed and talked about resources are its supply chain management and the logistics management department of the company. The purchase control and the inventory management of the company is also managed in a wonderful way. Given the huge size that the organization has, the things which we have mentioned should be flawless. Putting forward all the steps in an integrated way makes sure that Wal-Mart gets competitive advantage at the end of the day.

Apart from the RBV of the organization, there are resources which are helpful in attaining the objectives of the firm. We have taken some of the prime examples into account

Tangible Resources The resources which are virtually seen by everybody and whose presence and absence could be really felt. For example the financial resources which includes debt and equity funds which are important for the company for managing day to day transactions along with taking new contracts and projects. (Carpenter 2007)

Human Resources The people are the biggest resource for companies today. In the era of globalization and rapidly growing international trade, there is always the availability of diverse workforce which makes sure that the objectives of the business are achieved through better participation in the management affairs and decision making.

Intangible Resources The technical knowhow of the process of production along with other fixed assets obtained by the organizations through research and development are known as intangible resources. They include patents, copyrights, labels and trademarks. They gives the company the assurance that their products and processes shall remain their intellectual property.

Goodwill The reputations of the organization build over the years by striving hard for excellence through brand building and other innovative methods.

There are distinctive capabilities limited to a particular concern for production of goods and rendering of services. These are known as core competencies of particular company. Core competencies shall not be confused with the intellectual property rights or intangible assets. The core competencies include
Products and services which provide gains to the customers
b) Innovation in ideas and ideas are strictly with the company- patents, copyrights etc.
c) Expansion could be possible in new markets. (Barney, 1986)

Analysis SWOT analysis
SWOT analysis is the all round study of almost all the aspects. The best thing about a SWOT analysis is the fact it is easy to carry out and covers all the positive and negative aspects of the business organization.
It is important for an analyst to understand that there is not one or other method better or worse than another. It purely depends on the needs and nature of the organization how the things are seen and analysed. In most common case, if the organization could really afford to develop core competencies, it is assumed that the organization would be able to get all the other pre requisite resources for success. It is quite broad concept and something which ensures success of the organization. In any case, these resources are pretty helpful in understanding the internal environment of the organization along with making sure that the analyst is able to understand the core areas along with functional aspects of the business.

Media is considered to be any form of mass communication as well as all the people involved in it.  In recent years, mass media included journalism, broadcast media like television and radio, as well as the World Wide Web. Now, many other forms of mass communication have been included as mass media.  Film is now considered mass media as well.  However, with these various forms of media delivering information on a daily basis to the second, and even sometimes to the millisecond, it cannot be avoided that one media will influence another.  In many cases, the way news is delivered on television is influenced by print media, for instance, a television show is formatted according to a format known as a news-magazine-show, which as the name connotes is based on the actual news magazine of print media.  This influence between the various media of mass communication is currently widespread.  Another example of this intermingling is glossy magazines that are laid-out to look like internet web pages.  The influence of one media on another is on various elements of media in general.  It is on this premise that the assumption is made that media influences the content, the format, and the theme of television and film.

Understandably, the creation of television shows and movies involves many processes of which the collection or the decision of content is one.  Producers and network big bosses have to first decide what to show.  This particular process involves research the studies of what would sell to an audience at a certain period of time.  Television and film are both very commercial forms of media and in most cases the objective of creation of these two media would be for television, to boost ratings and attract advertisers, and for film, to sell in the box office.  As such, both of these media have to put extra attention into deciding what content should go into their shows or their movies.  The process involves painstaking research and surveys that determine if the product they are marketing, in this case, the television shows or the movies, are products that the general public would want seen on TV or on the widescreen.  Aside from just research and studies, producers also need to consider the type of audience that the content will be shown to or otherwise, would have to contend with regulatory boards of all sorts and result to their product not being sold to the largest audience possible.

Another process involved in the creation of television shows and movies is deciding what format to use.  For television, the format is quite like the lay-out of a newspaper and the editors and creative staff of any television show will have to decide on what format to use to make the show consistent its content.  For instance, if the content is mostly informative instead of entertaining, preferred formats are talk shows and documentaries.  In any case, the element of entertainment has to be considered anyway.  In movies, the format is often translates into cinematography which involves how the content is presented.  For example, if the film is a very early period film, then it could be presented in black and white, or if it is ultra modern, then perhaps heavy use of computer generated images (CGI) may be used.  Then, there is also the matter of whether all or part of the film is presented in CGI, or straightforward animation, or classic actor-driven moviemaking.  Finally, the third process that is essential to television and film is the decision of the theme of the show or the film.  This means that although the content and the format have been decided, the creative team should also consider consistency throughout the entire show and determine what the theme of the content is.  For instance, if the television show is about movie stars, the theme could be about their pets or their houses.  In film, most of the time, the theme precedes the content, so if a producer decides to produce a love-themed film, then the content may be the stories of many other things, such as Romeo and Juliet or Cinderella.  These are love themed stories, and the story is the content, while the theme is what drives the story.  All these three processes involved in television and film are now currently heavily influenced by other forms of media and even influenced by the identical media as well hence, other movies can influence other movies and other television shows can influence other television shows.

Medias influence on the content of television and film is steadily increasing.  Print media has had various influences on television in the past.  The coverage of the domestic woes of high profile people like Bill Clinton and other Hollywood celebrities have spurred the creation of talk shows that feature ordinary couples battling with their own domestic problems, to the point of even yelling at each other on national television in the last decade or so a good example of this would be the David Letterman Show (CBS)  Recent advancements in technology featured in science journals and magazines have resulted to numerous television documentaries that feature technological and medical breakthroughs such as the Popular Science Television Show (Marcott)  Even the proliferation of web cams and the marketability of live feeds on the internet have given rise to what is now known as reality TV.  In film, media has influenced content in more ways than one as well.  About ten years ago, a film which was based on e-mail (IMDB) was released to the public.  It was called Youve Got Mail (IMDB) starring Meg Ryan.  Only five years ago a film entitled, Must Love Dogs (IMDB) was about the proliferation of internet dating ads, (IMDB) then there is the more recent, Julie and Julia (IMDB) which is a true story based on an actual internet blog. (IMDB)   All these are films with content based on a recent addition to the family of mass media  the internet.  Prior to these films, there have also been films based on television shows like Quiz Show (IMDB) in 1994 which is a movie about joining television game shows, (IMDB) then there is The Truman Show (IMDB) which is a full length movie starring Jim Carrey (IMDB) based on reality television shows.  Pleasantville, (IMDB) another hit movie happens to be about television shows.  In Pleasantville, there is a journey which starts with materializing a TV-series into life and ends up with materializing the life into this TV-series. (Vercan)  Other films with content influenced by other media are those that are based on books and novels like the Harry Potter series, the Star Wars Trilogy, Dracula, as well as animated films that are based on fairy tales like Snow White and Sleeping Beauty.

Books are considered mass media and when these are made into movies, they go from one media to another, and more than just influencing the latter, these materials get reinvented and presented in a different way.  In effect, what most of us would consider as other media influencing other media is in fact an intermingling of media, which of course begins with one media influencing the content of the other.  On the matter of media presentation, it is mostly the format that is influenced by other media and not the content.
Medias influence on the format of television shows and movies is also significant because people are more hooked on the internet now, television formats have been modified to become interactive.

Telecommunications have also influenced television in that nowadays, certain shows have formats that allow immediate communication or polls through text messaging.  Of the most popular of these is American Idol.  In film, the influence of other forms of media is also evident.  Video games, which are a popular form of mass media among young people is also beginning to invade Hollywood with such movies as Super Mario Bros., (IMDB)   Dungeons and Dragons and Mortal Kombat (IMDB)  all these films have formats that are similar to playing the game on a console.  The formats of these films have been designed to mimic the format of video games as accurately as possible so that they would appeal to the console gaming crowd.  There are even films with formats based on comic books like Sin City (IMDB) and Cool World(IMDB)  which employ graphics that remind one of reading comic books or comic strips.  There are movies as well that are based on popular book formats called anthologies.  These books feature a number of stories compiled in one collection, often intended for the impatient reader.  So, for the impatient moviegoer, there are also movie anthologies which are films that are formatted in such a way to accommodate three or more short films.  Among the most popular of these are the Amazing Stories (IMDB) series, Creepshow (IMDB) series, and the Urban Legend series.  Film formats can also be based on television shows like the television series The Twilight Zone which was based on a popular anthology by Rod Serling, and is now a basis for Twilight Zone  The Movie which is formatted in exactly the same was as its television cousin.

The theme of television and movies is also influenced by other media.  In television for instance, cookbooks have influenced the bumper crop of cooking shows and food-themed documentaries such as Discovery Channels Food Safari (Discovery Asia) and Glutton for Punishment (Discovery Asia) then with the slew of environmental awareness and protection media campaigns, television has come up with hour after hour of environment-themed shows like Living with Ed   The movies are no different when it comes to theme.  With war always on television, it has also become the inevitable theme of many movies to include the remake of Platoon. (IMDV)  Then, when it comes to the greenhouse effect, good films to watch would be 2010 (IMDB) and The District. (IMDB) These movies merely demonstrate how other forms of media can cause the production of television shows and films that are based on relevant themes that are tackled in some other media except television and film.

What has to be understood in the field of mass communication is that it will continually grow and consistently influence other forms of media.  A unidirectional influence however, is not the kind of influence that is most likely to develop in media.  As mentioned earlier, what happens is an intermingling of elements of the various media, in this case, the content, theme, and format of other forms of media carried over to other, distinctly different media.  It is very interesting to notice how media, in its own right is not only able to influence people but other media as well.  This makes the fourth estate exceptionally powerful.  Our lives nowadays are influenced by media in its many forms and the fact that this influence seems to be able to pervade everything from the toothbrush that we use to the breakfast that we eat can be both disturbing and amusing.

Often, we tell ourselves never to be slaves to the media.  However in a world where every move is an act to become acceptable in society, media has the upper hand.  If media is carefully analyzed it is actually like a virus that has contaminated every aspect of our existence.  The way we perceive our selves is influenced by media through the establishment of stereotypes that result from media, our faith is a result of the proliferation of the bible, the Quran, and other religious documents our lifestyles are dictated upon by advertisements and the internet  practically everything that we do, we hope for, and we envision is a product of the influence of media.  Being a slave to media means not being able to maintain individuality because individualism is probably the first thing that will disappear if media is allowed to overrun society and the public at large.

Fortunately, there are many things one can do to ensure that media does not gain the upper hand.  Each of us should learn how to deal with media in a way that we get from it instead of media stealing from us  yes, media, in its most harmful form can cause use to make unwise investments, waste valuable money on things we dont really need, and even give up our perfectly normal human lives for things that we probably did not even think about only five years ago.  The one danger that media has on us is its ability to create a need.  As humans we have basic needs and if we are able to prioritize our needs according to their degree of importance, then perhaps we can be able to beat the media in claiming the unique us.

Imagine a world where the media rules  this would probably be a world where globalization begins to destroy the cultural and social constructs of every nation.  We are individual, just as our countries are diverse and it is within us to protect this individualism as much as we can from the influences and temptations of media.  Beauty is not always the glossy picture of some skinny model on a celebrity magazine  in some parts of the world, beauty is dark skinned, filed teeth, or circumcised clitori these are indications that apart from geographical distances, individualism can be due largely to the diverse cultural landscape, the landscape that we should protect from the harsh and undesirable effects of slavery to the media.

Media does have positive effects to include its main purpose which is mass communications but in this world where the only constant is change, there is a very real risk of media being able to do more than what it should and such is entirely dependent on how it is perceived individually.  If it is perceived as something that should be the basis of every single life decision, then everybody should stay home when the weather report says that there would be heavy rains.  With media totally controlling humans, there is no reason to elect a president.
Let us put media in its rightful place, as a means of mass communication.  Medias influence on television and film is precedented it is an occurrence that has existed for many decades in the past.  The sad fact is when we allow media to influence not only television or film but us.  Let us learn from media and not derive our lives from it.  After all, learning from media is something that will build for us a society that is intellectually strong, individually aware, and psychologically stable.  Let media influence other media, but let not media influence our uniqueness.

A lot of inventions and innovations are being developed in todays society due to the rapid and unprecedented advancement of science and technology. The different innovations are beneficial to the society for they improve and enhance our activities and lifestyles. These innovations are disseminated for public consumption and for them to know the different facets of the product or idea that is new to the public. Mobile phones and digital cameras are some of the most useful products of the worlds technological advancement. Cell phones render several benefits to the user due to their many features and capabilities. The cell phones transformed our mode of communication, especially in contacting people in other places. Cameras are capable of capturing the moment and memories. Most of the digital cameras and cell phones contain SD cards, which is a flash memory device that is capable of storing data and files. SD cards are small but big in capacity. Due to the popularity and prevalence of the use of SD cards, SD players will be a very popular product in the market. This product can enable you to play or view all the files stored in the SD card. This product is highly similar with Amazon Kindle but with wide features. For example, you downloaded a movie in your SD card and you want to watch it, this device is capable of such feature. Because this product is something new to the society and due to the fact that there is a large number of people who own a cell phone and digital camera and is now an indispensable tools in our lives, there is a need to disseminate the information effectively for the public to know. Effective diffusion strategies and appropriate messages are needed in order for the public to fully grasp the innovation.

Diffusion of Innovation Theory
Diffusion of Innovation Theory explains how an innovation is diffused or communicated through different channels over time among the members of the social system. The theory was purported by Everett Rogers. Diffusion is a special term in communication that is concerned with the proliferation of messages that are regarded as new ideas or products in the society. An innovation is simply an idea or product that is perceived as new by the individuals. The characteristics of an innovation, as perceived by the social system, determine the rate of adoption or how fast would the innovation be adopted by the members of the social system. The main four elements of the theory are (a) innovation, (b) communication channels, (c) time, and (d) the social system (Rogers  Scott, 1997).

Diffusion Strategies and Messages
There are a lot of people who are in need of technological gadgets like digital cameras cell phones. The SD card inside these gadgets is very useful as it stores files and data. The leaders or the innovators of the message are the members of the companies manufacturing the SD players and trying to push the product in the mainstream. However, not all these people are familiar with this product. Hence, there is a need to devise comprehensive and effective strategies in order to effectively disseminate the information about the risk of developing causing brain cancer brought by the use of cell phones.

One of the strategies that can be employed to inform the public about the product is through advertising, which is an effective strategy in disseminating information. Advertising can be used to inform the public of the features of the new product and how such will affect their lives. Despite the fact that there are a lot of people who own mobile phones, the approach in sending the messages should be different for every target group.

Innovators
According to the theory, there are different units of adoption which involves the time in diffusion of the innovation. There are five adopter categories or five different classifications of the members of the social system. Innovators are the top group of individuals. This group is highly interested in new ideas. Most of the time, innovators are the first individuals to know and experience the new idea that will be shared to their peers and cliques. Innovators also play a role of gatekeeping the flow of ideas into the different categories of the social system. They are the cosmopolites of the social system. Thus, the information regarding the features of the new product and how it will largely affect their lives will catch the attention of the innovators.

Early Adopters
Early adopters are those that are integrated into the social system. They have connections with the innovators and the early majority. This particular group has the greatest opinion leadership in the social system. Potential adopters look at early adopters for advice  and information about the innovation. Their opinions and feelings toward the effectiveness of the product are of vital importance on the adoption of the new technology. The message for this group should focus on the description of the product and its advantages. This message should also highly focus on the positive facets concerning the technology which will be disseminated by the early adopters to the potential adopters.

Early Majority
The early majority is the group in the social system that is connected to the early adopters and the late majority. They do not hold opinions in the system and they are usually influenced by their peers. The early majority deliberate first before adopting the new idea. The effective diffusion strategy for this particular group is through weighing the pros and cons and the cost and benefits of the new technology. Because this group is deliberating on the innovation, it is best to give basis and something to compare it with.

Late Majority
The late majority is the group of individuals that adopt the new idea after the average member of the social system. Adoption may be due to the increasing peer pressure as this group is skeptical and cautious in adopting the new idea. The late majority will not adopt the innovation until most others have done so. The effective diffusion strategy for this particular group is to show that a lot of people are subscribing to the new product for them to join the bandwagon.

Diffusion of innovation theory is a theory that explains how a new idea or product is communicated in the public and how it is adopted by the social system. All new products of technology are diffused to the public for them to know the different facets of the particular technology. SD cards are a product of technology that proved to be beneficial to the public and is now commonly used by the inherent public. There is a need of SD players which are capable of playing and viewing the files stored in the SD card. This product is likes similar to Kindle but with a wider features. There is a need to diffused the innovation since it will be beneficial to the individuals, especially those who are attached to their files and data. The strategies for the diffusion of the innovation is different and appropriate for the different categories of the social system.

Dear Cropps,
Early September 2009 there were rumors floating on the web and other sources that Cable giant Comcast is trying to build an entertainment empire and in doing so they are planning to buy NBC Universal from General Electric. The officials from NBC Universal denied any such news but rumors were circulating for months that General Electric are looking to unload the news and entertainment company.  As you would know that finally after almost nine months of hard fought negotiations both the companies have put pen to paper. The deal is finalized and according to the deal Comcast would pay General Electric about 6.5 billion in cash out of the total amount of 13.75 billion. The deal would create a joint venture with Comcast owning 51 of the total shares of the company (Kurtz, 2009).

As a media consumer I have certain reservations in this regard and that is why I am writing you this letter. The biggest concern which I have observed around myself is that although this deal would mean that movies would reach rapidly to the viewers after showing in theaters, but it would give too much power to Comcast in the entertainment industry. Comcast that already supply a quarter of all U.S households that pay for the TV would gain control of the NBC broadcasting company and eventually this would lead the industry towards a monopoly.

Some of the consequences that the consumers would face as a result of this deal include higher prices for even non Comcast consumers, as the merger would give Comcast more bargaining power and they would be in a much stronger position to pressurize other cable providers (Whitelaw, 2009). Secondly the primary objective of Comcast from this deal is to get access to the entertainment content and in this regard Comcast would be able to charge extra for the video on demand offering (Peers, 2009).

The reason as per my understanding that why Comcast made this deal is because they are very eager to spread out their holdings, as recently news came out that they were facing infringing threats from online video suppliers, and a more intense competition from the satellite and telephone companies that are providing TV subscription.

Apart from the consumers the businesses that are affiliated with this industry would also suffer as this deal in other words means that Comcast would be able to offer chartbuster movies on the channel ahead of their DVD release. By doing this it would have an effect on the business of the DVD providers. Moreover as Comcast would own NBC Universal the traditional route of movies from theaters to home entertainment would become shorter.

Also history tells us that mergers between the content providers and distribution companies dont work, and a very good example in this context could be given of Time Warner which finally cracked their cable systems operation this year. AOL and Time Warner are undoing their wretched relationship where Time Warner already has got rid of their cable operation business. This example gives the higher authorities a clear message that big media deals rarely works and time Warners breakup is one example (Thomasch, 2009).          
To cut it short I just want to say that apart from consumers point of view just as an observer I believe that with the advent of internet the future for the cable channels are murky as the internet access is only going to increase with the passage of time. Comcast is doing very well with its cable TV operations and it would have been better if they would have strengthened their cable operations rather than getting into content business.

Thank you keeping acknowledging my considerations I hope to see your reply soon.

Thanks and regards