American radio broadcasts commenced in 1920 when KDKA broadcasts were aired. The public radio fad that followed the first broadcast was immense. America was transformed into a nation of spectators, educating and entertaining, delighting and angering and every class and age were joined into one culture. American social public dialogue rotated around radio content. As at 1922, six hundred stations were operational in the USA. From 1923 to 1930 families in America collected for night entertainment provided by their sets. Chicago’s initial 1921 radio channel, KYW, became the initial specialized station, dealing exclusively with opera. Soon the proprietors diversified to include activities like classical and popular music, sporting functions, lectures, fictitious stories, market information, weather updates, newscasts, political comments and market information (Sullivan, 2007). Such radio channels instilled a feeling of society among various ethnic groupings because every group would tune in to programs appropriate for their needs and interests. Radio taught new thinking and talking ways to Americans and made them purchase items they had no clue of their necessity before.
All of a sudden everyone started broadcasting including banks, newspapers, public amities, departmental stores, colleges and universities, creameries, pharmacies, towns and cities and hospitals.
Radio allowed immediacy by facilitating the tuning in to a function while it was on progress. Soon afterwards, Americans required additional talk, music, drama and advice from huge and extra powerful radios and more voice fidelity.
The 1920s saw American listen to radio content with fear and hence they could tune in to close to anything. Topics on culture, a little entertainment and information were aired then. Radio gave Americans a national uniqueness. One function, regardless of the venue, enabled Americans to partake in a shared experience allowing America to be involved at the time the event occurred (Liebes, 2002).
Radio presenters soon became personalities to whom listeners had intimate relationships with. For instance, a 1926 card originating from London bearing only the phrase “Phillips Carlin, celebrated radio announcer, America”, had no problem reaching the addressee. Additionally, in excess of 600 letters were sent to Carlin when he got a daughter.
Starting from the 1928 elections, radio started to profoundly affect political campaigns. Herbert Hoover announced in 1928 that he would campaign primarily through radio. Thus, the brief terse announcements, meant to influence passion and feelings, made by campaigners could reach millions of Americans. The concentration span of Americans was being altered since they were now averse to elaborate and long speeches. The mean length of a campaign communication dropped to 10 minutes. Radio implied that for the initial historic time a single individual could address numerous people, exert influence over them, possibly altering their lifestyles. One speaker would disseminate information, entertainment, propaganda, religious and political fervor, hatred and culture throughout the nation.
As at 1930s, with about 15 million jobless Americans, families were apprehensive about future prospects and hence radio provided an escape from the prevailing conditions. More than 19 million radios existed in America. The set was so valued that Americans would prefer selling telephones, beds, refrigerators and bath tubs to selling the radio that linked them to humankind.
The broadcasting mode was also changing. Although educational and inspirational talks, traditional music, solemn dramas, rare present event analyses, and occasional complaint talks; absolutely lighter comedy, diversity and well-liked music was aired. Listeners regarded radio as being more of a convenient escape mode from their predicament and less as a method of airing education and culture (Goebles, 1999).
The small number of occasions that popularized the radio emanated from Franklin Delano Roosevelt after his march 4 1933 inauguration. Roosevelt utilized the radio in attempts to bring together terrified society. Following 80% rejection by newspapers of the president’s policies, Roosevelt addressed American directly via “Fireside Chats”. On March 12th 1933, the president rendered his initial speech explaining the predicament.
Roosevelt delivered additional talks in 1933 (3) and thereafter sixteen more. Washington was bombarded with many letters from American who had listened tot her president’s speech. Others had Roosevelt’s photo near their sets so as to envision him while listening to him.
However, progress in radio skills also generated an anxiety pitting modernity against the American habits and traditions. Radio altered the present American society’s viewpoints regarding different cultures and personality types. It forever altered family life. It has also contributing towards shrinking the globe by bringing all far away locations together. It also introduced different types of functions and celebrities.
Communities use radio to convey citizens’ concerns, issues, languages and cultures. Radio stations offer central platform for societal contribution and interaction as well as a debate and dialogue platform. For regions without roads, electricity, phones and with minimal literacy levels, the radio offers the most affordable and convenient channel to reach persons (Goebles, 1999).. This has resulted to the generation of communication procedures that have effectively emancipated locals to attain the reduction of poverty, progressive development goals, boosted participation and inclusiveness, proper governance, harmony building plus accountability. Such empowerment is linked to initiation of citizenship programs and components of plans aimed at such radio channels and towards networks exhibiting clear goals and concepts. Ghana’s Radio ada and Senegal’s Radio oxyjeunes have faired well in this regard. Radio promotes inclusion within political procedures and the recognition of citizens’ viewpoints. Contact with information, voice and awareness remain crucial elements that facilitate poverty minimization and enduring human progress.
Radio has contributed towards ensuring more accountability by governments through facilitating common citizens’ questioning of leaders concerning issues like utilization of community resources. Radio has an important role in the community by rallying groups towards activities through educating and emancipating citizens, by empowering marginalized society members through initiating power redistribution, and through making local as well as national administrations notice the needs of the community. Such marginalized members include black females, poor children and informal sector workers. Radio helps them systematize and fight for transformation and enhancements of their political and socio-economic statuses. Radio is very instrumental in guaranteeing the incorporation of marginalized groups within mainstream society. It promotes public involvement, facilitates local debates and facilitates linguistic and cultural variety and inclusion (Harwood, 2004, 596). It provides information concerning common cultures plus values which may influence personal liberties. This is best exemplified by the impact of radio broadcasts towards Nepal’s re-adoption of a democratic system. Radio has also been influential within Caribbean regions and Latin America by denouncing undemocratic regimes and voicing the concerns of marginalized persons. Gender inequity plus gender labels have been handled through radio broadcasts. This had led to facilitation of the inclusion of the female gender and recognition plus practice of female rights. This in turn has brought in social and democratic change and has facilitated civil society progress plus democratic procedures (Balas, 2003, 514).
In North America, the radio has been utilized to promote democratization and poverty minimization by providing numerous programs, many affordable or free community service programs and announcements, coverage from or regarding undeserved societies, comprehensive reporting about political proceedings even those performed by minute parties, solemn dialogue on issues like labor organizations and agitating for an increasingly liberalized media.
Radio aids in the minimization of poverty by starting from the grassroots by promoting active contribution in societal processes. This is achieved via dialogue and information pertaining to pertinent social concerns. This is particularly true in instances where past wars have damaged different foundations of the community. For instance, in 2006 a web-based station, called AmmanNet, was launched in Jordan. The channel has impacted greatly upon policymakers, because, following the airing or a program concerning taxi-drivers’ worries, that disclosed that taxi operators had no insurance cover, the administration put in place regulations to correct this situation. AmmanNet also pioneered the airing of live parliamentary broadcasts during business sessions of the parliament of Jordan (Sullivan, 2007). Such broadcasts resulted in heightened concentration upon local events. The web helps radio offer home news and facilitates the consistent contact with citizens residing away owing to economic or political reasons.
Radio has also been utilized to introduce societal change by addressing the promotion resolution n of women liberties, reduction of HIV prevalence, issues of planning families and controlling trafficking in children. Women are effectively encouraged to actively get involved within their societies and to be residents who can be listened to. This particularly applies in circumstances whereby certain cultural principles need to be challenged owing to their characteristic of being harmful to the female gender. Also, feelings to females plus avenues though which women may be subject to abuse as well as how females are regarded relative to males within society are some concepts which are questioned by radios (Lewis, 1992). For instance, in Asia, women role models plus achieving gender equity in programming has worked to enhance gender equity and the liberties of women. Such initiatives generate changes in the behaviors of citizens. The radio media has the power of generating high emotional backgrounds which assist in making information highly memorable. Radio is thus an effective and simple answer to attaining development objectives, preventing unstable nations from degenerating into failed nations and making citizens rejoice in their cultures. Radio effectively communicates crucial development elements like education, health plus livelihoods (Smith, 2003). This enhances community welfare through facilitation of the attainment of millennium development goals (MDGs) and concepts like self-esteem, excellence of existence and happiness. Radio broadcasts manage to disseminate dialogues concerning previously taboo and sensitive issues like gender-based aggression, marrying off children as well as Female Genital Mutilation (FGM). Such initiatives have resulting in the emancipation of the female gender.
The proliferation of radio channels within Uganda specializing on issues like HIV/AIDS, health, youth affairs, gender issues and education has resulted in favorable economic progress coupled with reduced HIV prevalence owing to the emancipation information obtained from the radio stations. Radio remains the most appropriate avenue for dissemination of information to poor and illiterate populations since it does not require reading expertise or cash to purchase local dailies. It permits local citizens to be familiar different experiences by way of contact with immediacy media (Balas, 2003, 522).
Radio also promotes socialization; solidarity, societal inclusion plus liberties of persons to discuss their lifestyles and point out inequalities within society, as were the case in South Africa. Radio handles local concerns, particularly social, cultural and economic issues and employs national and local languages. The media is referred to as a development, societal knowledge, peace, and the cultural and socioeconomic empowerment tools’ messenger. Inclusion results to enhancing information regarding common values and cultures and in acknowledgement of personal liberties particularly for females (Pringle, 2008).
Radio contributes by way of communication procedures to molding citizenship plus personal involvement in public issues. This aids the endurance of local understanding and enhances solidarity in societies, since it draws responses from persons.
Radio has the effect of widening communication liberties and rights to information and to effectively voice opinions. This is owing to the Liberalization of communication plus initiating of community programs by civil rights organizations. Rights to being informed are politicized. Citizens are emancipated to contribute to public discourses through the re-appropriation of political arrangements. Politics has thus ceased to be regarded as a preserve of politicians; rather, it incorporates citizens (Pringle, 2008). Radio plays the role of representing civil rights groups and molding a political dispensation that exhibits collectivity and dynamism. This has resulted in increased participation plus communal action in resolving issues concerning whole societies, reinforcing of societal voices to boost the discussion with different societies plus with development agents, emergence of societal individuality, granting of public arena for rigorous citizen’s contribution and heightened awareness of ethnic world or state citizenship concept (Sullivan, 2007).
Radio has the social effect of conserving cultural terminology and languages, adding more value to such and resulting in the improvement of community self-esteem and to enhanced recognition by persons outside such community. Radio remains an effective avenue to the resolution of conflicts as happened in Sri Lankar, Nepal and El Salvador. The media has encouraged dialogue prior to the dispute degenerating into a violent scenario (Lewis, 1992).
Radio serves to offer protection as regards safety and security in the event of danger, especially with preventable disasters. The radio media has also benne effective in the prevention of disasters and facilitating disaster relief. This has been achieved in relation to disasters like the Asia tsunami, New Orleans Katrina hurricane and in tackling desertification consequences within sub-Saharan Africa. The radio was employed to facilitate the dissemination of early caution to residents and following the Asian floods, initiating harmony building plus reconstruction (Goeblels, 1999). After hurricane Katrina ravaged USA, radio stations obtained FM certificates for use in areas where victims were hosted. Transmitters were erected and broadcasting commenced. Radio sets, through which emergency statements and basic logistics correspondence required to reunite relatives were broadcast, were issued to victims.
Modern radio broadcast tremendously influences people’s lives since it forms the main source of news, entertainment and news fro many people. This helps mold perceptions regarding different events and by extension, society. Radio offers persons a view regarding other people’s lifestyles and this may skew perceptions pertaining to society (Libes. 2002).
Radio’s appeal may also be influenced and utilized in the propagation of violence and hate, like happened during Rwanda’s 1994 genocide. Hate broadcast mainly by Radio Television Libre des Mille Collines, a private station, significantly influenced the ensuing genocide which saw the murder of 800,000 restrained Hutus and Tutsis.
The Nazi regime in Germany regarded the radio as a tool to use for entirely transforming society and execution of a huge revolution that would change every aspect of the nation. Nazis altered the content and organization of radio thus ensuring its natural continuation and further development. Among such changes was the incorporation and utilization of a spiritual aspect to radio (Liebes, 2002). This was sin order to make radio satisfy prevailing needs and demands then. Radio was regarded as the primary link between such a religious movement (the notion) and the Germany nation (the citizens). The radio was utilized to achieve sweeping influencing over of the determination of the citizenry. Radio was meant to offer immediate occurrences enduring meanings. It would identify problems existent then and handle them in novel and different ways. This would be achieved through abolishing of bureaucratic organization swiftly and replacing it with economy and simplicity. The most excellent aspects pertaining to Nazi Germany would be incorporated into radio thus making it the most flexible and multifaceted mode of conveying the needs, wishes, hopes and longings existent then (Pringle, 2008).
The entertainment aspect in Nazi Germany radio was related to the prevailing conditions and thus contained the topic of the envisaged reconstruction project. All activities related to the radio were centralized and technical tasks were ignored with great emphasis being given to spiritual duties. German listeners were obliged to remit a license charge and the cash generated by the radio was ploughed back into it and the remainder catered for the cultural and spiritual requirements of Germany. Nazi leaders wanted the radio to entertain, teach and offer support for citizens, as opposed to gradually harming the cultural and intellectual existence of citizens (Harwood, 2004, 601). It was also planned that in the event the publishing and stage sectors exhibited decline owing to the dominance of radio, then the excess funds obtained from the radio would be utilized in the maintenance and strengthening of artistic and intellectual sectors.
A deliberate campaign meant to source for radio sets was put in place with a view of doubling the number of Germans who tuned in to radio. Numerous affordable radio sets were thus sourced thus enabling even Germans of littler means acquire sets.
Works cited
1.
The separate actions of public officials and their staffs, employers and their employees, parents and children, teachers and their students and individuals determines the ethical quality of a society. Ethical decision making are important on an individual level because they establish and define our ethical character, they are crucial on a social level because they produce significant direct consequences and, indirectly, help to set up the moral tone of all social interactions. In essence, the ethical issue regarding river pollution suggests that values or moral judgment of the individuals in a society may come into conflict. Therefore, it makes eminent sense to approach such an issue by issuing a systematic problem solving model to generate possible solutions and to provide a framework for choosing among the solutions.
It is important to mention that ethical decision making was deployed in developing a solution for this problem and alternatives were evaluated systematically in terms of their ethical terms. Throughout the decision process, I recognized that although some responses may be unethical, there are number of ethical ways of dealing a situation (Josephson, 1988).
The first step for me as a manager of the manufacturing facility was to identify the desired outcome for the entire situation. As a manager, my goal was to draw out an ethical strategy for manufacturing that is based on an environmental compatible design by fostering relationship between the locals and the firm and to create a win-win situation for everyone. Once there was complete understanding on desired outcome, I conceded with the notion to define the problem keeping in mind about its antecedents and about the environment in which it is occurring. In this case, the problem was supposedly due to the result of a spillage from the faulty facility and the problem is of a real concern to the company. After carefully drawing out the management problem, I examined the difficulties that evolved in solving this problem. In this case, there were two obstacles that prevented from drafting a feasible solution. Firstly, the vested interest of EPA officials and secondly, the cost function inherited from repairing this facility reflected this task to be impossible. However after carefully reviewing the ethical implications of yielding to the difficulties, I as a general manager decided to comply with the law and to improve the corporate image in accordance with a genuine commitment to a cleaner environment. This is because the cost of harm to others and damage to the organization’s image outweigh the cost of not solving the problem (Waters, 1989).
After I had a clear and distinct mission of a bio-friendly strategy, I chalked down alternatives for solving this problem based on stakeholder acceptability and one that maximizes our goal. In this critical situation, there were two strategies on board that converge to a similar course of action, either to revamp the existing facility or to introduce a new manufacturing facility. The notion of a new manufacturing facility takes precedence over revamping the existing facility because apart from the fact that the latter one had already depreciated through its useful life, it was also prone to further spillage and also demanded a high cost schedule. Therefore, after conducting a feasibility study accompanied by cost benefit analysis, the benefit of a new manufacturing facility exceeded the cost of acquiring it by promising techniques for managing future spillovers. Finally after adopting the new solution, the reaction of the employees, EPA and the local residents was studied to remain aware of others perspective and at the same time be cautious over deliberate attempts by individuals to sabotage the situation in order to keep the problem. After reaffirming a positive reply from the stakeholders and ensuring the problem has been resolved to my satisfaction, individuals involved throughout the process were repaid for their efforts; to guarantee that the endeavor to implement ethical solution in the organization will continue.
2. Much has been written about Jack Welsh, the former CEO of GE (General Electric Corporation). Welsh have been credited with making GE the world’s largest corporation during his tenure with the company. Write a critical analysis of Jack Welsh as a leader. Questions that might be worthy of investigation include, but not limited to: What management theory did he most align with? What was his primary source of power of influence? Be sure to support all conclusions and points of view with credible information/facts. Unsupported claims will not be acceptable.
Revolutionary, innovator, notable, simple, ambitious, determined are few words that establishes the credibility of the long hailed, greatest business leader of the era, Jack Welch. He is considered to be the most favorable manager of the century because he had the charisma to change a model of perfection; GE motors. Jack Welch, celebrity CEO of General Electric, at the beginning assumed the direction of the company in 1981, and while all saw GE as a healthy corporation, a “sacred institution” that could not, nor would need to be touched, he saw it as an organization on the verge to collapse and took drastic measures to save it, and undertook changes that all had previously questioned. His approached, condemned by many, provoked a revolution in GE and it transformed it into a world-wide leader (Slater, 2003).
When Welch took over at GE, the business world had admired large bureaucracies as critical for close monitoring of personnel; it had placed great faith in a command-and-control management system, encouraging executives to over manage; it had allowed the employee to attain a protected status by guaranteeing of a job for life. Jack Welch punctured holes in each of these assumed notions. His legacy is that he has forever distorted these myths and has inspired managers of corporations around the world to behave in a different way: With flat organizational structure, bureaucracies have become much smaller, accompanied with fewer management layers; managers manage much less, delegating far greater authority to empowered employees; the right to a job for life is no longer assured as management runs much tighter and more productive (Lowe, 2008).
To speak on Welch is to speak on change management He is an untiring leader, a perfectionist who is always in search of new things that according to him will have a key role in future. He in an angry, candid executive whose thirst for achievement never ends and thus he is always unsatisfied with his work, as he himself says during GE board meeting: “We more want to be than this. We don’t want only to change the competitive scene by being better that the competitors, but what we are talking about is to take quality to a totally new level. We want to be so valuable for our customers, so important for the success of them that our products will be the only choice.”
For Jack Welch, in the businesses only the fittest survives, therefore for him, to be a leader was necessary in whatever he does. Initially, Welch received much criticism and the greatest number of resignations in GE because of the change he initiated in GE, that it provoked the media to title him as “Jack Neutron”, “a neutron bomb, who eliminates people, but leaves the constructions in foot”. Welch justified its action by saying that “If he had not acted in this manner, it would have transformed General Electric into a welfare society, and not in an agile and fiery enterprise that it was intended to be.” The years of progress and growth had justified his actions and today he is recognized as a revolutionist that listens to his employees, knows the name of majority of them and although being a genius, believes in the importance of learning, stimulating creativity and passion among the employees, and leveraging intelligence and teamwork in conducting business.
Anyone in business, from the most influential corporate managers to the hourly factory worker, has much to learn from Jack Welch and his ideas. Studying about his management skills tells us what American business was once like, and outlines how the tactics he pioneered have changed business for the better in so many ways. In his two decades at the helm of GE, Jack
Welch did more to add to the leadership literature than any other CEO of the modern era. Not only did he give more thought to the business of leadership, Welch devised principles, strategies, and tenets to lead by. By creating one of the world’s most determined and agile corporations, Welch created a new language for organizations, that gave voice to the new methods and strategies that transformed GE from a century- old bureaucracy into a relentless force.
3. Reflect on your experiences –both direct and indirect—and, in no more than two pages, explain why the ―ideal decision process‖ is or is not often followed in organizations. Provide management strategies and or guidelines that would make the ―ideal decision process‖ more prevalent in organizations.
Decision making is one of the primary and most crucial responsibilities of being a manager. The quality for manager’s decision is important for two principal reasons. First, the quality of a manager’s decisions directly affects his or her career opportunities, reward and job satisfaction. Second, managerial decision contributes to the success or failure of an organization.
An ideal decision process entails identifying and choosing alternative solutions in a rational and systematic manner that lead to a desired state of affair. The decision process identifies the critical stages that must be followed when making a decision. However, decision does not always follow an orderly plan. Practical experiences, of course, tell us that the assumptions implied in an ideal decision process are unrealistic. The assumption of perfect rationality in an ideal decision process is contrary to the fact . According to Herbert Simon, a noble laureate, an ideal decision process is not even close to approximation, it does not even remotely describe the processes that human being use for making decision in a complex situation (Milkman, 2008) . Thus, the ideal decision process, based on the principles of rationality and logic, is at best an instructional tool
In reality, the decision making process of a manager is guided by a decision maker’s bounded rationality. It means that the decision makers are bounded or restricted by a variety of constraints when making decisions. For example, in our daily activities, our decision making process is hampered by personal or environmental characteristics that reduce rational or ideal decision making. In other words, the limited capacity of the human mind, problem complexity and uncertainty, amount and timeliness of information at hand, criticality of the decision and time demands may distort an ideal decision process.
It is a universal phenomenon faced by the managers that they are limited by how much information they process because of bounded rationality. This result in the tendency, on the side of the managers, to acquire manageable rather than optimal amount of information. In turn, this practice makes it difficult for managers to identify all possible alternative solutions. In the long run, the constraints of bounded rationality cause the decision makers to fail to evaluate all potential alternatives. The use of heuristics by decision makers helps reduce the uncertainty inherited from the problem. Since these shortcuts represent knowledge gained from past experiences, they can help managers evaluate current problems but also lead to systematic errors that erode the quality of the decision. In actual, a decision process reflects the combination of how a manager perceives and comprehends stimuli and the general manner in which he chooses to respond. This shows that decision making styles within the organization may vary and depends on value orientation and ambiguity. Also managers satisfice, that is choose solutions that meet the minimum qualification; one that is “good enough”, because they don’t have time, information, or ability to handle the complexity associated in an ideal process. Satisficing produces satisfactory results and not optimal result, which nowadays managers look for.
The use of knowledge management techniques can help an organization to overcome the obstacles against an ideal decision process. Knowledge management involves the implementation of systems and practices that increase the sharing of knowledge and information throughout the organization. The use of computer system to share explicit knowledge and observing, participating and working with experts and colleagues can influence decision making which in turn can lead to effective decision making. Moreover, group problem-solving techniques can facilitate better decision making within groups. Brainstorming can help generate multiple ideas and alternatives for solving problems. The use of computer aided decision making tools will reduce consensus roadblocks and collect more information and ensure objectivity to a decision in a shorter period of time.
James A. Waters, F. B. (1989). Attending to Ethics in Management. Journal of Business Ethics , 493-7.
Josephson, M. (1988). Teaching Ethical Decsion Making and Principled Reasoning. Ethics: Easier Said Than Drone , 50-62.
Kreitner, R. (2003). Organizational Behavior. Los Angeles : Mc Graw Hills.
Lowe, J. (2008). Jack Welch Speaks: Wit and Wisdom from the World’s Greatest Business Leader. New Jersey: John Wiley & Sons, Inc.
Milkman, K. L. (2008). How Can Decision Making Be Improved? Harvard Business Review .
Slater, R. (2003). 29 Leadership Secrets From Jack Welch. San fransisco: Mc Graw Hill.