Task 4- 'dragons den' Investing in an independent company

The PPT presented is now visible on slideshare:

http://www.slideshare.net/rosiewinslade/developing-an-independent-media-company-optix



RESUBMIT: 


<iframe src="http://www.slideshare.net/slideshow/embed_code/16399192" width="427" height="356" frameborder="0" marginwidth="0" marginheight="0" scrolling="no" style="border:1px solid #CCC;border-width:1px 1px 0;margin-bottom:5px" allowfullscreen webkitallowfullscreen mozallowfullscreen> </iframe> <div style="margin-bottom:5px"> <strong> <a href="http://www.slideshare.net/rosiewinslade/optix-16399192" title="Optix" target="_blank">Optix</a> </strong> from <strong><a href="http://www.slideshare.net/rosiewinslade" target="_blank">rosiewinslade</a></strong> </div> 

Task 3 - Glossary key terms

An independent company- A company not owned by anyone else

Conglomerate- A number of different companies that are grouped together to form a whole company. For example Disney. 

A monopoly- One company with ownership over lots of other companies. For example Bauer Media.

An Oligopoly- Company controlled by a small group of firms.

Globalisation- Growth of a company to make it global/worldwide. 

Cross media ownership- Where one company owns more than one form of media e.g radio & TV. For example Capital FM with their website TV channel and Radio station.

The 'advertising cake'- Advertising industry cut into many different sections e.g a shopping centre.

A franchise- Permission granted to a company allowing them to carry out specified commercial activities.

A merger- A combination of two companies into one. T-mobile and Orange formed together to make EE this is an example.

A takeover- Where the company is publicly traded.

Media convergence- the tendency for different technological systems to evolve towards performing similar tasks.

Task 2: Pre project research

Who are the 'big six' media conglomerates? What type of media industries are these conglomerates working in? How much is each conglomerate worth?

The 'big six' media conglomerates are GE, News Corporation, Disney, Viacom, Time Warner and CBS.

GE

The industries this conglomerate is working in are Comcast, NBC, Universal Picture and Focus Features. This conglomerate is worth $13.96 billion.

News Corporation
The industries this conglomerate is working in are FOX, Wall Street Journal and New York Post. This conglomerate is worth $33 billion.Disney
The industries this conglomerate is working in are ABC, ESPN, Pixar, Miramax and Marvel Studios. This conglomerate is worth $40 billion.

Viacom
The industries this conglomerate is working in are MTV, Nick Junior, BET, CMT and Paramount Pictures. This conglomerate is worth $14 billion.

Time Warner
The industries this conglomerate is working in are CNN, HBO, Time and Warner Bros. This conglomerate is worth $29 billion.

CBS
The industries this conglomerate is working in are Showtime, Smithsonian Channel, NFL.com, Jeopardy and 60 Minutes. This conglomerate is worth $14 billion.


Conglomerates are MNCs , consisting of smaller companies called subsidiaries. What are the benefits of being part of a major media conglomerate?

There are some advantages in being part of a media conglomerate. These are: promoting each other, creating a good and sustainable reputation, advertising, and funding. An example of a conglomerate having these advantages is Disney. 

Ownership of media is shared by a select few. How might this affect the industry and audience?

Competition-  
Smaller companies have to compete against conglomerates. For example a small individual specialist toy shop e.g Toymaster would find it hard to compete against a worldwide known shop like the Disney Store. 

Employment-  
The industry is competitive so the conglomerates only hire multi-talented staff who will settle for a reduced salary. For example News Corporation will hire highly qualified staff who will be payed little.  

 Independent media companies-
An independent company wont have as many resources than the conglomerates so they find it hard to compete.

The audience/products-
 the company may lose out on the money if the quality of the product does not meet standards. People would not want to buy expensive products. There is competition with prices , people like to shop around.