Violations of human rights Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

Violations of human rights - Essay Example In some other countries, financial and community privileges are not applied, therefore, the primary impression behind focusing human privileges is that all government authorities should try to maintain these important privileges and get that all kinds of elegance in this regard are exterminated. The United Nations on Decembers 10, 1948 implemented the worldwide announcement of Individual Rights and called upon the different member countries to guarantee all a person’s privileges to their individuals. Dec 10 thus became an ancient day in the history around the globe history. As such this day, i.e. Dec 10 is therefore recognized all over the globe every season as Individual Rights Day. The Universal Declaration of Human Rights enumerates two sets of human rights or privileges. The first set of privileges is civil and political rights such as right to independence of conversation or expression, right to lifestyle and freedom, right to equivalent rights before law, right to have legal remedy, right to shift easily and right to elect or take aspect in the government of ones nation. The second set of privileges is economic and social rights. These privileges consist of right to perform, right to have rest and enjoyment, right to have a good quality of lifestyle, right to details and right to have equivalent pay for equivalent performance. Many kinds of breach or violations and discrimination of human privileges are seen in different areas around the globe. For example, Amnesty International’s 2009 World Report and other sources display that in 81 countries individuals are tormented or misused, Face biased trials in at least 54 countries, Limited in their independence of appearance in about 77 countries. (Amnesty.org) Functions of pain and ill therapy are regularly dedicated by government security solutions and equipped categories, such as continual thrashings, attacks

Emplyment interviews Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words - 1

Emplyment interviews - Essay Example The main disadvantages are high cost and lack of anonymity. Still, this type of interviews is crucial for effective recruitment because it allows certain standardization of description. To effect the standardization and control for which procedures are designed, they are presented in a specific format conveying information for a particular action to be taken (Sammar et al 2009). The second type is a structured interview. During this interview, the action may be only one step in a series of steps or the entire series. Once formalized in this manner, procedures need to be followed explicitly to achieve their objectives. Hence the rigidity of bureaucracy. Sometimes exceptions may be made to a formalized procedure, but in that case the manner of making an exception is also formalized. In a systems context, a procedure is like a hard-wired circuit. It ensures predictability. The main advantages are high reliability and level of control. The main disadvantage is a law level of personal involvement of an interviewer. The third type is behavioral interviews. Much of the workers knowledge is conscious, obtained in schools, training, and / or on the job. But much of it is also subconscious, a distillation of experience in which personal solutions to problems encountered in the course of the workday may or may not have worked. The main advantages are the possibility t o measure attitudes and accurate reflection. The main disadvantage is subjectivity (influenced by age, income level, race, etc.). The forth type is situation interview. The environment created within the focus group is one in which the conscious knowledge of the participants comes together, and insights are expressed that may be new or may have only existed under the surface. As he or she leads the workshop, an emerging pride is evidenced by the participants in the interview analysis they use to do their jobs to the standards required for quality

Open Innovation Essay Example for Free

Open Innovation Essay In light of the trend towards open innovation, inter-organizational technology transfer by means of alliances and licensing has become a key component of the open innovation processes. In this assignment we will discuss how open innovation can be the key of success and open up different opportunities, describe innovation in terms of what managerial consequences it can have on a company and try to find out what can be the driving forces of innovation in a company. The company We have chosen W. L. Gore Associates, Inc. as an example of an innovative company. Gore does research in use of its advanced technology in four main areas: electronics, industrial, medical and fabrics. The company is American, founded in 1958 and today it has about 7000 employees and facilities in more than 30 countries. (Gore 1, 2011) W.L. Gore Associates is a company with a long history of innovation. In the beginning RD and product development was conducted inside the organizational boundaries and the firms’ critical technological knowledge was primarily developed and applied in-house, in other words they pursued traditional, closed innovation processes. (Lichtenthaler et al. 2010) In recent decades, W.L. Gore Associates also actively collaborate with external partners throughout the innovation process. They do this in two ways: Firstly, Gore acquire technology from external sources to complement their internal RD through strategic alliances which is known as inward technology transfer and requires absorptive capacity to acquire and utilize external knowledge (Lichtenthaler et al. 2010).One example is the strategic alliance with Sefar AG for the Architectural Fabrics Texchtestile 2009 in Frankfurt am Main (Gore 1, 2011). Secondly, they exploit their own technology in outbound open innovation processes through licensing agreements to generate additional income, which requires desorptive capacity to transfer technological capabilities outwards (Lichtenthaler et al. 2010). One example is the licensing programs for products made with Gore-Tex ® fabric and fibers (Gore 1, 2011). Absorptive capacity depends on path dependency because, it requires the ability to recognize, assimilate, and apply external knowledge in the context of innovation and learning processes. On the other hand, desorptive capacity determines the potential volume of technology transfer based on two process stages; identification and transfer of a firm’s technology portfolio (Lichtenthaler et al. 2010). However, outward technology transfer or licensing of a particular technology may not always be permitted by management, especially for the core technologies, because of the competitive threats and risk of losing competitive advantage. Innovation Virtually all of Gores thousands of products are based on just one material, a versatile polymer ePTFE, which the company engineers to perform a wide variety of functions (Carter, 2002). Gore has been granted more than 2,000 patents worldwide in a wide range of fields, including electronics, medical devices, and polymer processing (Gore 1, 2011). Gore uses a type of open innovation strategy, keeping control of its core technology and licenses the use and allows for innovation within a particular field to its licensees. Baudreau and Lakhani claim that Gore is using product platform innovation, where the control of the platform (ePTFE) is shared between external developers and Gore, as Gore provide the core technology, which the licensees innovate on and then sell the developed products to the final consumer. External innovators (other companies) and customers can transact freely as long as they affiliate with the platform owner. Gore maintains some control through the rules and regulations they impose on their licensees (Boudreau et al. 2009). The platform design theory closely resembles the type of open innovation that Chesbrough names â€Å"architect†; the company develop architecture to allow for platform design, where external innovators can further develop the technology (Chesbrough, 2003). Driving forces An interesting question is what drives Gore to be an innovative company. We have taken a look at what is driving the company to produce innovations and we have found a mix of technology-push and demand-pull. We have deduced that in the beginning of Gore’s history, they used technology-push. We base this argument on their focus on developing a technology and putting it on the market. Wilbert L. Bill while working at DuPont saw potential in a certain polymer called polytetrafluoroethylene, or PTFE (Gore 1, 2011). In 1969, the discovery of a remarkably versatile new polymer known as expanded polytetrafluoroethylene (or ePTFE), led the enterprise from industrial products into new applications in medical, fabric, and electronics markets. They make medical products which are used in vascular, cardio-thoracic, plastic and orthopedic surgeries, their cables are used in computers and even travelled to the moon, their fibers are used in everything from chemical processing to industrial pumps, their fabrics protects from rain. They have such a big variety of product range that it can be found everywhere and in everything, including automobiles (Deutschman, 2004, Rothwell 1994). Today, customer preferences are an important part of the innovation process. For Gore the customer needs is a huge driving force for innovation. They use consumer inspired innovation to develop new products, in particular, lead users who help develop products that suit their needs. (Schaldecker B 2011)The next step is to use technology to make the idea into a real product. This â€Å"customer focus† shows us that demand-pull is important as well. One hands-on example is the way Gore is using lead users in product development. Although it is productive to use lead-users who know what they want, they don’t need to be loyal to only one company. This can result in companies using the same lead-users which increase the risk for exploiting confidential information. The race to reach the market first becomes even more crucial (Rothwell 1994). We believe the main driver for technology licensing by Gore is generating revenues. Other strategic drivers are: selling products in addition to licensing technology. â€Å"These additional product sales are achieved due to enhanced demand because of a second source of supply/../ or by licensing a technology to a weak rival in order to deter entry of a stronger competitor† (Lichtenthaler, 2007). â€Å"Technology licensing may be motivated by the realization of learning effects, which result in the compression of a firm’s learning curve† (Lichtenthaler, 2007), meaning the licensee transfers knowledge to the licensor, allowing for faster learning. Moreover, the acquisition of external technology or intellectual property gives access to another firm’s technology portfolio; for example Gore acquired intellectual property of NMT Medical, Inc. on October 19, 2011, who has the best medical therapy for the prevention of recurrent stroke and transient attack (Flagstaff, 2011). Besides, Gore can enhance its reputation by licensing out technological knowledge and guarantee its technological leadership by licensing out technology. Finally, a company can license out technology to strengthen its inter-organizational networks. Thus, technology licensing in turn maintain, increase and expand a firm’s networks (Lichtenthaler, 2007). Managerial Consequences Firms can capture value from technology and with the trend towards open innovation firms actively transfer technology to other organizations. This licensing dilemma could have both negative and positive consequences. Licensing could decrease profits in their product business which could substantially weaken competitive position, on the other hand active technology licensing could increase revenues which are a necessity in order to gain and sustain a competitive advantage. However, â€Å"the negative consequences of licensing often seem to be overcompensated by positive effects† (Lichtenthaler, 2007, p 67). To facilitate the positive effects of licensing, firms need to develop dynamic capabilities of technology licensing by exploring continuous innovation to seize monetary and strategic opportunities while avoiding potential negative effects by process systematization in internal technology exploitation. The strategic licensing opportunities need a completely different management, when the interdependence between internal and external technology exploitation increase they require a relatively integrated approach and assignment of dedicated employees to technology licensing (Lichtenthaler, 2007). As we stated before Gore concentrate on core competence and they nurture it through the employees, or associates as Gore call them (Gore 2, 2011). To be able to create an innovative atmosphere the organization has an open and informal corporate culture with little hierarchy. There are no formal bosses and they have self-evaluating systems where compensation is decided by teams of colleges evaluating each other (ibid). A quote from an employee: â€Å"Your team is your boss, because you dont want to let them down. Everyones your boss, and no ones your boss (Deutschman, 2007). In order to give incentives to perform in the best interest of the company, employees also get shares in the company (symbolizing the rising value of the whole company) that they can cash in when they retire or leave (Deutschman, 2007). The structure of the organization is designed to create innovativeness and focuses on teamwork were employees with mixed roles are put in small teams to collaborate. The facilities never exceed a work force of 150-200 employees, to get a more personal environment where everyone knows each other (Deutschman, 2007). This can be seen as type of networking, which is a contributing factor to the success of innovative organizations (Rothwell, 1994). A part of the employees work time (10%) is set off for free of choice â€Å"dabble time†; thinking of new ideas on their own (Harrington, 2003). These are some signs of a flatter and flexible organization structure like those which Rothwell (1994) describes as important success factors for innovative organizations. To sum up we see that the innovative core have a large impact on managerial consequences as how to deal with the employees. The open innovation gives Gore more options, looking outside the company means that the company doesn’t need to have a lot of resources and capabilities in-house to make money from commercializing a product (Chesbrough, 2003). We have deduced it allows for exploration without complete exploitation, letting Gore build up capabilities in researching and core competences, while still making money out of side-track inventions. Instead of having to be completely ambidextrous, Gore can be specialized in research in some technologies and ambidextrous in others (Gupta, 2006). Conclusions On the example of W. L. Gore Associates, Inc we analyzed the open innovation strategy which is perused nowadays by a lot of the most successful and innovative companies with the aim of successful inter-organizational technology transfer. Alliances and licensing happen to be the most common form of technology transfer in the open innovation process. Gore implements a strategy of exploration in its innovation activities as well as exploitation. Although, exploiting your own innovation is important, the Gore example shows us how concentrating on innovation exploration together with open innovation strategy through licensing and alliances can help to win markets which you will never reach by your own.

Five issues of the bmw

Five issues of the bmw The Bavarian Motor Industry Background Bayerische Motoren Werke AG (BMW) was founded in 1916 by Franz Josef Popp in Munich, Germany and it was mainly producing aircraft engines. The circular blue and white BMW logo or roundel is portrayed by BMW as the movement of an aircraft propeller, to signify the white blades cutting through the blue sky. The first aircaraft engine BMW produced was IIIa inline-six liquid-cooled engine in 1918 and it was prefered for its high-altitude performance. With German rearmament in the 1930s, the company again began producing aircraft engines for the Luftwaffe. Among its successful WWII engine designs were the BMW 132 and BMW 801 air-cooled radial engines, and the pioneering BMW 003 axial-flow turbojet, which powered the tiny, 1944-45-era jet-powered emergency fighter, the Heinkel He 162 Salamander. When WWI ended BMW was forced to stop producing aircraft engines by the terms of the Versailles Armistice Treaty. The company consequently shifted to motorcycle production in 1923 once the restrictions of the treaty started to be lifted where the motorcycles produced where able to brake speed records and win many races. In 1928-29 BMW started the production of cars where until today its production is being driven by the passion of a luxury sports car and inovative technology. Implimeantation Of The Five Topics New technology. New technology is very importand to multinationas companies in order to comunicta and share information. The issue here is the New Technology†¦ implementing it integrating with the existing ones The second issue is the Organisational Changes Requirements†¦ the difficulty in balancing change in Corporate Culture Organisational Structure. Security/threats. In large intustries and especially in the automotive intustry importand is to be able to secure all the vital inforamtion from industrial espionage, hackers or trespassers. The issue here is How important is IT security to management The secont is What are the impacts of IT security breaches? Ethic/social issues. In todays enteprisec a lot of importance has been given into the ethics of a company and it has great importance fot the companies image and the way the company oparates. The issue here is the use of electronic surveillance The second is Ethical Issues E-commerce and its issues. Nowadays a lot of corporate giants are using business intelligence and data mining systems in order to have a better view of what the customer prefers and be able t attract more customers. The issue here is the Data security ethics The second issue is Privacy Global MIS/risks. A lot of big companies expand to other countries in order to find new markets or cheaper workforce. The issue here is Consider Partners Collaboration -expertise, funds, etc Partner and supplier relationship management Varaiable Option Conidered For BMW New Technologies The implementation and integration of new technologies is very importand in the level of compatibility with the previous hard ware systems or software systems. In order to have a Continuous flow of information between all the countries BMW is established we need to check the technological and legal barriers of each country before continuing in the implementation of new technologies. The Organisational Changes Requirements†¦ the difficulty in balancing change in Corporate Culture Organisational Structure. In big complex organisations such as BMW the imports of new technologies might disrupt the current infrastructure and that because new computer software may vanquish the need of a customer support canter because everything can be atomically through internet. Security/Threats The issue here is How important is IT security to management. In the automotive industry its important to be able to keep vital documents of the company or prototypes of designs safe from industrial espionage or malicious hackers. The way for this to be done is through with Communications (networks) controls, firewalls or encryption programs. The secont is What are the impacts of IT security breaches? The impacts of security breach in any organisation can be disastrous in terms of industrial espionage or malicious phishing programs acquiring information about members of the organisation or employs in order to use their information for internet fraud. A catastrophic breach can be easily avoided with firewalls and separate back up drives. Ethic/Social Issues The issue here is the use of electronic surveillance. BMW uses electronic surveillance in order to be protected from bad employs or spies. In this case through agrremnts made with the government in companies owned building BMW has the right to have an electronic surveillance system but must have a sing informing the persons entering the buildings about the cctv. The second is Ethical Issues. BMW as multinational company known thought out the world is also directed by its image in ethical issues. Since BMW has a fun club in the internet it is obliged by the law and for ethical issues to have the information of the members strictly confidential and not be exploited for commercial reasons. E-commerce The issue here is the Data security ethics. BMW uses e-commerce in order to have information on the customers likes dislikes and be able to be more attractive to customers. All the informations are gathered by business intelligence programs. Internet users entering the companys site are being monitored on what they browse the data collected are being stored in order to be analyzed in the design of an attractive offer. All information gathered is a part of the legal authority on the companys web site. The second issue is Privacy. Information gathered for the research of the company is to be kept confidential and private for the company use only. In my opinion the company should keep the record for the use of new ideas and records of royal customers. Global MIS/Risks The issue here is Consider Partners Collaboration -expertise, funds, etc. In global companies operating in different countries in the world means co-operations with several other organizations or parties. Since BMW has factories in Germany Austria South Africa and America they need to have partners with vehicle construction knowledge in order for them to be more efficient and improve the quality. This why in countries that BMW has factories BMW it has educational programs with technical, managerial and specialist training as well as providing assistance for higher education. The second issue is the Partner and supplier relationship management. BMW operates factories and dealerships in all over the world so it is very important to have a constant communication with all the partners and the suppliers. The best solution is a global system network between all the partners and suppliers using web services in order to be informed on any supply needs and the daily development. Lessons Learned So Far And Options Considered Differently. In a global company like BMW there are many risk of the regarding the information systems and the information technologies. In the automotive industry it is very important to have a comparative advantage over your rivals by being innovative and have a better understanding of the customers needs. All the information that is gathered and stored its of critical importance to keep them safe away from industrial espionage or hackers or phisers. It is also important to have all the internet or business application from programs like Trojan viruses, viruses, worms, or spasms because the can slow the performance of an application or even worse destroy it losing all information that are not stored. There is a big risk of internet crime of stealing personal information or information extortionists. There is a great importance from keeping your data systems or applications protected from all the possible intruders either living like hackers or social engineers or non living like programs viruses worms etc. New technology is being conastly developed either in information systems telecomunications or sience. New technoligy in the case of BMW means better production better informaion systems and comunication between all the dealerships and factoris acros the world. Inforamtion technology is based on information systems and information sharing technologies witch they are supported by communication networks such us the internet intranet or extranet wich it can be either cable or WiFi. This way multinational compaies like BMW can communicate with the factories and offices around the world and keep a constand flow of information through private server. So in todays wolrd the new technology can give the competitive advantage to help sustaining a healthy bussines with an excelent communication with factories all over the world. Ethical issues play a major part in global companies for their legal perception of the law on workforce and the public image of the company. BMW is using 29% of its earning in educational programs in third world countries something which shows respect for the workforce and a good public image. Nike for example had ethical legal issues because it had child workers in their factories. Ethical and legal issues also play role on the information systems gathering information about the customers or fun clubs of BMW through the internet or using electronic surveillance for security in private areas. In this case all information gathered or the video recorded from the surveillance cameras is legally restricted to be on public broad cast and BMW has secure storage places for all this material. E-commerce is the new way for global companies to have detailed information on their customers through surveys or intelligence programmes like data mining or predictive analysis to be able to have a better understanding of the customers choices and like in order to attract them or dislikes in order to improve. All those are part of the new technologies implemented by global companies that make full use of the internet. Of course all those information are to be used only by companys special personnel for the design of a new product or the improvement of an existing one. Major manufacturing companies that want to expand in to other countries either for its market of for the cheap labour they use globalisation systems in order to be in contact with all the factories all over the world. Global information systems like extranets XML web services electronic data interchange etc. in order for BMW headquarters to have full knowledge of all production in all of the factories scattered across the world they need to have a clear direct link with all the factories and dealerships. Its also important to have partners with who they can have a good communication and be trained in a level of mutual understanding this is why BMW has training programs teaching managerial and manufacturing courses in order to improve the quality and the efficiency. Conclusion And Improvement Ideas. In the end as we can see through the big history of BMW from 1916 to today BMW is a colossal in the industry area with factories all over the world and the need for information systems and technologies in order for the headquarters in Munich to coordinate the manufacturing plants and assembly plants all over the world with out delays from the suppliers. However the future of the e-commerce and information system is a long way a head because a new technology is being developed so the potentials of more effective communications and more improved security systems for the newly developed threats to the security of a system. So in the end global organisations like BMW will constantly rely on information and communication systems and new technology in order to operate though out the whole world. References http://www.bmwplant.co.za/Content/index.jsp.htm http://www.bmweducation.co.uk/default.asp http://www.bmw.com/ management information systems:managing the digital firm laudon laudon 9th edition http://books.google.com/books?id=7fCgRL1-gGACprintsec=frontcoverdq=management+information+systemscd=5#v=onepageq=f=false 8th chapter

Regulatory Issues of VoIP :: essays research papers

Regulatory issues of VoIP The Federal Communications Commission (FCC) has worked to create an environment promoting competition and innovation to benefit consumers. Historically, the FCC has not regulated the Internet or the services provided over it. On February 12, 2004, the FCC found that an entirely Internet-based VoIP service was an unregulated information service. Currently, the FCC is not regulating VoIP, however there are still major concerns that need to be addressed. There are three main issues that are of the utmost importance to the telecommunications industry. The Tax Freedom act, E-911, and Calea are three most imperative issues concerning VoIP.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  The Internet Tax Freedom Act was authored by Rep. Christopher Cox and Sen. Ron Wyden, and signed into law on October 21, 1998 by President Bill Clinton. This law bars state and local governments from taxing Internet access service. In 2003 the House of Representatives approved bill H.R. 49, the â€Å"Internet Tax Non-Discrimination Act of 2003.† This bill would expand and make permanent a federally imposed â€Å"moratorium† on state and local taxation of sales of â€Å"Internet access† services. States and local governments would be permanently prohibited from charging sales taxes on the monthly service charge that households and businesses pay to be able to access the World Wide Web.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  VoIP rides a fine line between being a telephone service and an internet service. This is due to the fact that a call is initiated from a phone in an analog format, transmitted over the internet in a digital format and finally converted back to analog format typically across the same lines that traditional phones operate on. In addition many states rely on the taxes received from telephone service to run programs to low income areas. VoIP is seen as threat to these programs because taxes will not be imposed on this service due to current legislative language. Many opponents of the non-taxation of VoIP feel that exemption from taxation is not needed to spur investments in this type of telecommunication. They also feel it singles out one type of telecommunications service for favorable treatment, which will lead to other types of services asking for similar treatment at the expense of the state and local tax base. E-911 short for Enhanced 911, is a location technology that will enable phones to process 911 emergency calls and enable emergency services to locate the geographic position of the caller. When a person makes a 911 call using a traditional phone with ground wires, the call is routed to the nearest public safety answering point (PSAP) that then distributes the emergency call to the proper services.

Client And Server Architecture :: Networks Telecommunications

Most organization today are moving to client server architectures. Client server attempt to balance the processing between the client and the server by having both do some of the logic. In these networks, the client is responsible for the presentation logic, while the server is responsible for the data access logic and data storage. The application logic may reside on the client on the client or on the server, or it may be split between both. These are many ways in which the application logic can be partitioned between the client and the server. The type of the client server consists of two-tier, three-tier and multi-tier client server. Two-tier client server is one of the most common. In this case, the server is responsible for the data and the client is responsible for the application and presentation. The two-tier client server is uses only two sets of computers, one client and one server. For example, the database management system (DBMS) runs in the server. A request from the client is sent to the DBMS, which responds by searching the server and sending only the result to the client. If 100 records matched the criteria in our million-record example, only 100 kilobytes of data traverse network rather than one gigabyte. Another type of client server architectures is three-tier client server uses three sets of computers. In this case, the software on the client computer is responsible for presentation logic, an application server is responsible for the application logic, and a separate database server is responsible for the data access logic and data storage. Three-tier client server Beside that, the web really is a client server. Because on the server side, the web uses a multi-tier architecture with interlinked web server, application servers, database servers and caching servers. On the client side, user machines commonly execute scripts embedded in countless web pages. They also execute java applets, java programs and rich client application, all of which means that both client and server cooperate in tandem. Advantages and disadvantages of these method The client server architecture does not propose any new model or architecture, but it simply allows users to get more processing power for developing their business network applications in a cooperative processing environment. It does not define any new infrastructure, but it uses the existing structure and new user interface tools. It integrates these new tools and the concepts of the distributed architecture to define a new computing environment which will enhance productivity at much lower operating costs.

Functions, Trends and Nature of Ownership and Control in the British Mass Media Essay

In this piece of writing I will attempt to explain the functions, trends and nature of ownership and control in the British Mass Media. At the end I will describe the features of a Mass Media conglomerate. The Mass media is basically any style of text or image that is viewed by a lot of people. For example T.V, radio, newspapers, books, magazines, billboards, etc are all forms of mass media. Some of these can reach millions of people like T.V, where as newspapers usually reach hundreds of thousands and so on. The media gives us things like, news, entertainment, advertising etc. TELEVISION: Television is the biggest form of media in the UK and in most countries in the world. There are two main types of T.V in the UK, public funded and independent. The BBC is publicly funded by T.V licence fees of around à ¯Ã‚ ¿Ã‚ ½100 that cover all BBC related audio & visual broadcasting. The government does not have any direct influence over what is shown on T.V although there are regulators who decide what is acceptable and what is not. The BBC is controlled by their board of governors of which there are twelve who are appointed by the Crown to ensure that the BBC fulfils its obligations. Among them are National Governors for Scotland, Wales and N. Ireland. One Governor has special responsibility for the English Regions. All are part time non-executives. They meet monthly and hold the BBC’s managers to account for their performance against the agreed strategy and objectives. The BBC is led by the director-general, who is both chief executive and editor-in-chief. The Governors appoint the Director-General and (with the Director-General) the most senior management. BBC operations are run by the directors of nine programming and broadcasting divisions and six professional services, and by the Chief executives of the BBC’s two commercial businesses. They report to the director-general and together make up the Executive Committee. A less formal Leadership Group meets to discuss and develop a clear vision for the BBC. The independents are controlled by themselves. However thy may be part of a bigger conglomerate. The ITV is a federation of television companies holding licences from the Independent Television Commission (ITC) to broadcast in 14 regions covering the whole of the United Kingdom. Each licence is awarded for a minimum of ten years. The ITV network has 15 independent regional television licences in 14 regional areas (there are 2 licences for London, a weekday and a weekend licence). All programmes are designed for local audiences in each region. The ITV is controlled by the ITV Council, comprising the Chief Executives of each licensee. Each ITV licensee has rights over the programme schedule, and is responsible for the production and broadcasting of its own local programme and news services. The ITV and its independent companies are regulated and licensed by the ITC. The ITC is independent of the Government and of the broadcasters. They are funded from fees that the licensees have to pay. The ITC makes sure that the independent and commercial licensees provide quality programs and a high standard of competition among other things. They also set certain standards for the time allocated to certain styles of programmes. There are five categories of channel 3 programmes for which the ITC sets minimum requirements. These are, * National and International news Three programmes each day of 20 minutes (lunch), 15 minutes (early evening) and half an hour in peak time. * Current affairs One and a half hours weekly average * Children Ten hours weekly average * Religion Two hours weekly average * Regional Varies from franchise to franchise Although the ITC is involved in licensing and regulating all forms of digital television, the Broadcasting Act 1996 makes it specifically responsible for establishing Digital Terrestrial Television (DTT) in the UK. DTT is especially important because it carries existing free-to-air services provided by the BBC, ITV, Channel 4 (S4C in Wales) and Channel 5. At present, T.V broadcasting is mainly analogue, however within the next five years it will all be digital. Digital T.V will bring a bigger choice of programmes to watch, as it will have on average 200 stations. You can already do shopping and go on the internet with digital T.V, but by the time it takes over analogue completely it will have many more options and facilities. NEWSPAPERS: There are many distinguishing features in the British Press. Some of these are things like the differences between tabloid and broadsheet papers or the differences between national, local and regional papers. There are ten morning daily papers and ten Sunday papers which make up the national press. Fleet Street in London used to be the centre of the newspaper industry, but all the national papers have moved their editorial and printing facilities to other parts of London or away from the capital all together. National papers are often described as ‘quality’,’mid-market’ or ‘popular’papers because of their differences in style and content. Five dailies and four Sundays are usualy described as ‘qualitie’ papers. These papers are directed at people who want full information on a wide range of public maters. Popular newspapers are for the more light hearted reader. Mid-market publications cover the intermediate market. Quality papers are normally broadsheet (large-sheet) in format and mid-market and popular papers are tabloid (small-sheet) in size. Scottish editions of national papers usually only change things like the sports page and the T.V listings. Most places in the UK have their own regional or local newspaper. These can be anything from daily papers to evening ones, Sundays or weeklies. These papers concentrate mainly on local or regional stories although the dailies do print national and international news from a local viewpoint. Newspapers from the Irish Republic and the British national press are widely read in Northern Ireland. Several hundred free distribution papers, mostly weekly and financed by advertising, are published in the UK. They have enjoyed rapid growth in recent years. Ownership of the national, London and many regional daily newspapers lies in the hands of large corporations, most of which are involved in the whole field of publishing and communications (media conglomerates). Local papers however are owned by different companies’ altogether. Newspapers are also controlled by their boards of management. It is possible for two national papers to be owned by the same company and they can even be owned by broadcasting companies as a separate division, however influence between the two types of media is not recommended. There are local weekly papers for every district in Greater London; these are often different local editions of one centrally published paper. This does not just happen in London. A prime example of this in our area would be the Press and Journal. It covers the North of Scotland as well as some southern areas as far down as Perth and Stirling, but it produces different editions for every area of which there are eleven. These editions are classed as local editions. All newspapers are answerable to the press complaints commission, which responds to public complaints about printed items. RADIO: There are basically two types of radio in the UK. There is Commercial Radio and The BBC Radio. The Radio Authority governs commercial radio stations such as Moray Firth radio and XFM. The radio authority is basically the ITC of the radio. Like the ITC it also has no powers over the BBC. The BBC is fully independent. Although there are far more Commercial radio stations than BBC ones, the BBC is still ahead in ratings. The gap between BBC Radio and its commercial rivals has widened recently to show BBC Radio to have a share of 51.4% compared with 46.79% for Commercial Radio. In the neck-and-neck race for reach, the BBC edged ahead with 31.2 million listeners compared with their rivals’ 31.1 million. The figures released by RAJAR (Radio Joint Audience Research Limited) cover the period from June 26 to September 17 2000. Radio can change on a daily basis because the control of its output is not restricted. The format usually stays the same although major changes in presentation can happen from time to time. Independent radio station change depending on their income and audience. The better the audience the better the sponsorships and advertisers. Things like audience talk shows on radio where members of the audience can phone in and participate are very successful. The BBC and large independent radio companies are controlled in the same way as they are on T.V. Although the majority are part of larger groups, local radio is controlled by local management. These groups use their own style in the local stations but adapt it to suit the area of broadcast. VOLENTARY & IN-VOLENTARY CODES OF PRACTICE: Independent T.V and radio are quite strictly controlled by the ITC and Radio Authority, but magazines and newspapers have more freedom. These, along with the BBC, ITV, Press Complaints Commission and the Broadcasting Standards all enforce their own codes of practice throughout the media. However, the law has the final say in control of the media in the following areas: Defamation: A statement which damages the reputation of an individual or company, i.e. false accusations, libel, innuendos, etc. Obscenity: The publication or broadcasting of material which will tend to deprave or corrupt. Incitement of racial hatred: 1986 public order act forbids material which is likely to incite racial hatred. Blasphemy: To pass the limits of decency and controversy and outrage Christian feelings. Only applies to Christians. Sedation: Forbids the publication of material that incites hatred towards parliament or the monarch. Official secrets act: Forbids the publication of official secrets. Contempt of court: Forbids you from pre judging a court case or to assume someone is guilty. MASS MEDIA CONGLOERATE: Carlton Media Group: The Carlton Media Group runs the following sixteen companies: Carlton London Region The London Region is one of three areas for which Carlton TV is the ITV broadcaster. Visit the site for regional company news. Carlton Central Region The Central Region is one of three areas for which Carlton TV is the ITV broadcaster. Visit the site for regional company news. Carlton International Carlton International is the largest distributor of classic British films and the biggest sales house for British TV outside the BBC. ITN ITN is one of the most respected independent news organisations in the world catering for news, sport, business and entertainments. Carlton West Country Region The West Country Region is one of three areas for which Carlton TV is the ITV broadcaster. Visit the site for regional company news. ITV Carries information about programmes on the ITV network. Action Time Television production company Action Time is a leading distributor of entertainments formats, including an extensive home video clip library. London News Network LNN is a TV and production company working for joint shareholders Carlton and LWT. Carlton Cinema Carlton cinema is a film channel available exclusively on On digital. Visit the website for comprehensive movie listings. Media Sales For information on rates, screen advertising, pitch time, sponsorship and career opportunities at Carlton. Carlton Communications Plc Carlton Communications Plc is the publicly quoted parent company of Carlton Media and other related media companies. Click here for the share price, financial and other investor information. ONdigital ONdigital was the first company in the world to launch a digital terrestrial television service delivering multi-channel TV and interactive services into homes through an ordinary TV aerial. Visit the website for listings. Simply Food SimplyFood.co.uk is the UK’s No.1 food and drink website and home to the Carlton Food Network. It has a searchable UK restaurant guide and a database of thousands of recipes, plus features and reviews. Carlton Video On the Carlton Video website you can buy videos and DVD’s of many of Carlton’s programmes and films, including classics like Inspector Morse, Soldier Soldier, and Britain at War. PeopleBank PeopleBank is the UK’s leading provider of internet recruitment services, bringing together quality candidates and employers. Online since 1995, PeopleBank has extensive experience in providing cost-effective e-recruitment solutions. HTV HTV, the ITV broadcaster for Wales, was recently bought by Carlton TV. Visit the site of the most popular channel in Wales. They also have â€Å"Carlton Books†. This shows that Carlton cover broadcasting, publishing, the internet, advertising, and marketing. This means that if Carlton have a successful income level from one of there companies it can benefit all of them and in turn make them more desirable to the public. Because of this they can use control there revenue a lot better without having to pay other companies to do things like marketing. They sell advertising space to make the initial money to fund projects such as a new drama series. They can then market and publish their own material and because they own all the copyright they can expand by using the internet. Although there is a national guideline concerning who owns what and the amount of fields you can spread into to prevent companies from becoming â€Å"all powerful† and swallowing up smaller companies, Carlton still has it’s eye on â€Å"Direct†. This is a group who run insurance and holiday companies. At present, Carlton are biding for the Scottish Media Group who have two radio stations, a newspaper group, Scottish and Grampian television. If they are successful in their bid, they will be able to grow to new heights and spread into both radio and print forms of media quite successfully in Scotland. Functions of the Mass Media: There are five main functions in the mass media. Entertainment functions: This provides healthy amusement and helps to divert the attention of the audience from serious social issues and inequalities. Information functions: This helps to structure a particular view of the world and to look at it in geographical, political and social terms. Cultural functions: This helps to develop mass culture at the expense of more diverse subcultures. That helps to maintain the status quo in cultural terms, but may also discourage change and growth. Social functions: These socialize us into beliefs and relationships which help us operate successfully in society. This naturalizes one view of society and stops us thinking, obtaining and acting on alternative views. Political functions: This helps us to understand the operation of politics in our society. However, it gives us the illusion of participating in the political process, but actually endorses the authority of those who continue to run our lives unquestioned. The media are also capable of shaping opinions about political events and issues. Current Trends in the Mass Media: When you think of current trends in the media at the moment two things come to mind, digital and conglomerates. A lot of companies are trying to branch out into other fields of the media at the moment. The Scottish media group for one are trying to expand their interests in radio although this could cause problems with it’s T.V. franchises. There are regulations set up to prevent certain big companies from taking over the media by branching ever wider into it. However there are discussions about these regulations which could result in big firms having huge ownership or control over certain areas of the mass media. The main trend of the moment has to be the evolution from analogue to digital. T.V. and radio are all a part of the growing trend and it doesn’t look like it’s going to stop there. Already you can tune in to the radio through digital T.V. as well as go on the internet, shop, play games, the opportunities are endless. The future however lies with a fully digital T.V. without the aid of ugly dishes on the side of your house or cumbersome boxes on top of you tele. With this you will be able to access anything you want. There will be no set programs, no times, just you, your T.V. and the whole media world at your fingertips. You will be able to pick anything to watch, read, here, play, buy, or do from your tele. This astonishing development is proving very expensive to produce, run, and buy if it is ever released. If it is released it will be the main media related technological break through in history.