This mini-research was conducted by caven masuku about EDUcare College in July 2009. The research seek to inquire about the use of new technology by a local professional training college based in Gweru, Zimbabwe
Chapter 1
Introduction
EDUcare College is one of the organisation in which the researcher is going to conduct a situational appraisal. However, in this situational appraisal the researcher will look at the EDUcare current relationship management strategies with its key stakeholders. Furthermore, a stakeholder map which will be in the form of the organisation structure will be presented and the EDUcare communication priorities with each department presented in the internal outlook will be explored. Recommendations on the appropriate new media tools that can improve the effective communication processes will be given. However, in an attempt to elicit information from EDUcare College, the researcher had to design the questionnaires which were then administered through the interviews. Again observation was made as the researcher was taken through the entire college offices to view the local area network (LAN) on computers that are used by the staff to communicate with each other.
For the seek of clarity key terms such as communication, management, new media and the background of EDUcare College will be fore fronted. Communication is one of the contested terrains that can be defined in a multiplicity of ways. However, Cumming et al (1964) defines the term “communication” as a process of exchanging information between or among people, organizations in order to reach mutual understanding. Fiske (1980) asserts that communication is the giving and taking of information by individual or organizations to influence the behavior and to create a deep understanding. General it can be suggested that communication is a transaction that involves the dissemination of information using either old media or new media. Old media can be defined as the mass media which among includes newspapers, magazine, radios and television. The weakness of the old media is that it is linear instead of being ritual. It regards the audience who are the recipient as passive. New media refers to the new technology tools for communication such as the mobile phones, internet, teleconferencing, websites, weblogs, electronic mails (E-Mails) and so forth.
Communication is salient in corporate organization and new media technology has improved the circulation of information from one place to another. For the clarity of this situational appraisal, Harold Lasswell 1950’s model of communication will be used to explains everything especially with regard to corporate communication in which EDUcare College is a good example. Communication here looks at who say WHAT, to WHOM, HOW, WITH WHAT EFFECTS. EDUcare College as a corporate organization has stakeholders some who are internal and external. In an interview conducted with the EDUcare College Director Mr Joseph Sungayi, it emerged that their key external stakeholder are as follows ; the government departments such as the ministry of higher education and ZIMSEC, suppliers from various companies, media houses, Gweru City Council, parents and banks such as Zimbank and FBC. In addition, internal stakeholders were identified as students, teaching staff, administration, board members and ancillary staff.
New media another important term in this appraisal could be defined as what is clear not old. This term “New Media” is used to describe all forms of emerging communication media, which combines text, graphics, sound and video, using computer technology to create a product that is similar to but clearly different from traditional media (Cutlip et al 1994). Due to technological advancement as pointed out by McLuhan in his theory of “technological advancement “,EDUcare College is one of the best college in Gweru that uses new technology such as the internet to communicate with its key stake holders. The new media used by EDUcare College adopt the Osgood and Schramme model of communication, which is ritual and tallies well with systems approach and symmetrical model of public relations recommended by Grunig. New media has numerous implications to the day to day practice of corporate communication management whose main duties among includes planning, controlling, budgeting, initiating policies and fostering effective communication within the organization.
However, theoretical framework such as systems approach, press gentry, public information model, two way asymmetric and two way symmetric will be discussed in relation to the new technological influence in the daily mundane of EDUcare College communications strategy with its key stakeholders. For the clarity seek key terms and new media technology such as electronic mails, (E-mails), chat rooms, cell phones, Usenet Newsgroups (Forum), website, videotext, teleconferencing, weblogs and so forth will be explored at length. Clear examples to support and evaluate new media use by EDUcare College will be dealt with through out in this presentation.
The term “new media” assumes that they is old media which Biagi (1999:24) perceived as mass media which among includes newspapers, books, magazines, radio and television. Old media is linear that is, it is one as to many. Here the public only consume information disseminated to them without giving feedback to the source. It views the public as passive and respond to the deciphered information positively.
Another salient term that needs to be defined contextual is “Management”. The term Management in corporate organization such as EDUcare College can be define as the top level of management that does planning, initiating policies, delegating duties and controlling the entire organization. EDUcare College has six Board of Directors which includes Elias Gomo, Fidget Muregi, Peter Dzimba, Morrison Mwamba Ngwenya, Emmanuel Purazi and Edison Mupasi. Again among the top management there is managing director Mr Joseph Sungai and the administration. At EDUcare College the top management assumes various types of management duties which inter alia includes the Executive Management (six Directors) , Expert Management ( Directors, managing director, head of marketing department and administration), and Decision support management (head of departments from the school of academics and schools of IT and education training). Final the Operational management which among includes the staff development manager, boarding masters and ancillary staff. Furthermore, management according to Clear and Weidman (1997) is the managerial process of forming a strategic vision, setting objectives, crafting a strategy and implementing it to create the corporate image. Lubbe and Puth (1994) say that a good corporate image sells a company to potential employees, opinion leaders, workers and the community.
Historical background of EDUcare College
EDUcare college is a private and independent institute established in 1994. The college provides a caring environment in which students of all nationalities, religions and cultural backgrounds are encouraged to develop those personal qualities which will enable them to lead a fulfilling an rewarding life. The college is proud of its reputation for high moral values which are upheld through discipline. The college is run by a Board of Directors, through a substantive managing Director. The Structureof the college is as follows
Location and facilities
The College is located at Number 2&4, Main Street, in the warm and friendly city of Gweru 275KM South west of Harare. It occupies the Ground and 1st Floors of Acrum Building, a complex that one cannot miss at the main street roundabout en-rout to and from Mvuma town. College facilities are being continuously updated. Alongside the well furnished teaching classrooms, there are two well-equipped and networked computer laboratories, internet, a large multipurpose hall and well maintained environs. EDUcare College also operates from Bulawayo and Botswana and links its internal and external public through new technology such as the internet, website, mobile phone, telefax and intercom phones. However, apart from the internet, they have a local area network (LAN) which is used by the staff members for communication purposes.
Mission Statement
EDUcare College as a corporate organization wish to be and to be acknowledged as the most professional and dynamic educational and vocational training institution in Southern Africa. They strive to provide excellence of services in selected markets to the benefit of their customers, staff and shareholders.
EDUcare aim is to achieve this through a team of enthusiastic and well trained members of staff and through using most advanced new technology. We will always strive to maintain high ethical standards and a commitment to social responsibility.
Vision
To be regional leader in providing quality training and educational services.
Core Values
Total Customer satisfaction: We focus on our customer to understand and exceed their expectation. The Director of EDUcare College Mr Joseph Sungayi in an interview stated that this core value is achieved by effective communication with the key stake holders both internal and external. This is achieved by using both the new and old communication technology. For instance, the internet is used for communicating with the parents of students who are in diaspora about the adjustment of the fees, policies and the long term plan of the college. Websites are used to post the statistics about the recruitment and students turnover using Microsoft application software, which enables the college to construct graphs, histograms, pie chart and so forth. Microsoft application software is also use for financial statements, deficits and for the budget.
In addition, the college uses the Power Point for the presentations in meetings with parents, students, teaching staff, administration, marketing department and the ancillary staff. Mr Sungayi said that picture are more powerful in communication and using new technology to present important information in meetings makes them unique as compared to other colleges in Gweru. New media application software for designing advertisement to be posted to the local papers such as “The Herald”, Chronicle, Gweru Time and Power FM, is the best communication tool that makes things easier to be done with high standards and quality, which the college always strive for.
Excellence Service: “We will at all times continually strive to provide an excellent service in order to give our customers value for their money. Again on that statement Mr Sungayi said their relationship with key stakeholders such as parents are assured that their children get high quality education by not only teaching them academically, but also by introducing them to the new world of technology. Sungayi disclosed that they communicate effectively with parents through electronic mails (E-Mail), especially to the parents in diaspora. For the local parents with no access to the internet other communication tools such as texting messages through the mobile phones, faxing the documents about the meeting which always keep their rapport strong. Again when dealing with internal public like teaching staff and ancillary staff, EDUcare college uses old communication tools such as memorandums, meetings, notice boards, internet, and intercom telephones. All these facilities improves and fosters health communication with all key stake holders
EDUcare management have built a strong rapport with its key stake holders which among includes banks, policeman, Gweru city council health department, ZIMSEC, HEXCO, ICDL Cambridge University Parents, Media institutions such as newspapers and electronic media such Power FM and Midlands State University. EDUcare management communicate effectively with various government department which among include the ZIMRA, NASSA, ZIMSEC, Police and Gweru hospital. Communication with all the key stake holders is through mobile phone, fax, telephone, internet, interviews and so forth. Their communication strategy is tailor made to achieve a ritual format. The Director of EDUcare College in an interview defined the important terms to his organization such as “communication” , “business”, Organization” and “management” in relation to his communication priorities as follows; “ Communication’ especially with the mission and core values of EDUcare means the creation and exchange of meaning between or among individuals and organization, which is based on shared meanings. “Business” is trade that is the buying and selling of goods and services to generate profit in order to sustain the productivity and prosperity of an organization. As such communication is the life blood of the business prosperity.
The management department at EDUcare College, one of the best college so far in Gweru and in Zimbabwe uses the new technology which fulfils the two way symmetrical model such as the mobile phones, internet, intercom, tele-fax and so forth. Here the management. Old media which regard the masses as passive is used but at a minimal level. For instance, advertisement and Press statement about EDUcare through local media such as Power FM, Chronicle, Herald and The Gweru Times is use by EDUcare to communicate with the external public. Mass communication in corporate communication fulfils the Agentry press model which is one to many. Here the external public for EDUcare as much as they get information, can not give the feedback. The EDUcare college resort to this tool of communication to reach people of diverse taste and readership.
Mr Sungayi said that EDUcare is a private organization and the term organization means “a structured group of people who work together to reach a specific goal. An organization consist of people with different responsibility who work as a unit to promote production, therefore EDUcare college have several departments which among includes management, college staff, administrative staff, marketing staff and teaching staff. All the mentioned college staff communicates effectively not only among themselves, but also with the management. Again the group has to be formal and legal. Hence EDUcare College is formal and legal and its management together with staff members are professionals who follow the system approach model of communication when dealing with other key stake holders using new and old technology.
People: “We value our people and are committed to develop and training them to their fullest potential. This statement assist in explaining the relationship between the management of the college and the people who are also the key stake holders. EDUcare management value people and as such they communicate with them constantly about the policies, new plans and the latest developments in term of courses and fees.
Professionalism:”We are committed to the highest standards of ethics and integrity”. Again this above statement reflects how strong and respectful the management of EDUcare has towards its publics who are internal and external. Maintaining ethic and not breaching them assist this college to remain in good relationship with its key stake holders. Effective communication, using new technology and improving the well being of the stakeholders enables the management and staff members of EDUcare College to be respected. Again a strong relation ship need trust, honest and openness which the EDUcare college fulfills to its key stake holders. As such the relationship remains solid and health with stake holders.
Social responsibility: “We value and involve ourself in the community we serve” Social responsibility is a generic concept referring to business organizations such as EDUcare College concern and active in two way involvement with social, economic and political forces which influences the environment with which it exist. EDUcare College fulfills Lubbe and Puth (1994) assertion that states that in social responsibility an organization should be involved in charity or altruism. As such corporate donations to charities or more active involvement in social issues such as education, research grants, slum clearance and so forth. EDUcare management has participated in such events more often than note. For instance, they have been donating to the mayor cheers fund since 1994 up to date and last year they donated cloths to the disabled and had to invite the ZIMcare director to come and collect the donated material for disbursement.
Again the management team at EDUcare has maintained its relationship with its stake holders by offering higher quality education that meet the industry requirement at reasonable charges. Internet facilities can be accessed by the Gweru community at less cost and taking part in national events is one way the college has managed to keep their relationship intact with all key stakeholders.
Purpose of the study
The study seek to inquire the acquisition and use of new technology to improve effective communication and also to boost the image of an organisation. The study also seek to find out the importance of the new technology in corporate communication. As a result the research in the study selected EDUcare College as one of the local instituion that uses new technology for various purposes
Statement of the problem
"Use of new technology for corporate communication management"
Definition of key term
Communication: It is a process in which two or more people, groups or organisation creates and exchange information using agreed symbols in order to reach a mutual binding understanding. It is a two way process “reciprocal” and enables organisation to maintain a health relationship with their key stake holders
Management: Management in corporate organisation focuses on the entire organisation from
both a short and long term perspective. Again we have various types of management in corporate
organisation such as Executive, Expert, and Decision Support, Operational and so forth.
Furthermore, management according to Clear and Weidman (1997) is the managerial process of
forming a strategic vision, setting objectives, crafting a strategy and implementing it to create the
corporate image.
New media: The term “new media” assumes that they is old media which Biagi (1999:24) perceived as mass media which among includes newspapers, books, magazines, radio and television. New media could be described as what is clearly not old. This term “New Media” is used to describe all forms of emerging communication media, which combines text, graphics, sound and video, using computer technology to create a product that is similar to but clearly different from traditional media (Cutlip et al 1994). New media technology consist of electronic-mails, (E-mails), chat rooms, cell phones, Usenet Newsgroups (Forum), website, videotext,satellite,teleconferencing, weblogs and many more.
Organisation: It is a structured group of people who work together to reach a specific goal. It is formal and legal for example, EDUcare College. It consist of people with different responsibility who work as a unit to promote production.
Delimitation of the study
The case study for situational appraisal is confined to EDUcare College which is situated in Gweru Urban. EDUcare College as a private independent institute established in 1994. Here the researcher will look at how top management of this college communicates with its key stakeholders. This was done within the space limit of thirty days. Only EDUcare College and its internal and external public will be looked at to find how new media is used to foster health communication.
Limitation of the study
Limited time frame work which is only thirty days could create bias towards the outcome of this situational appraisal.
Due to limited number of questionnaires, this case study heavily encounters insufficient responses since the Key stake holders where not interviewed. This is a threat to validity and reality
Limiting the case study to EDUcare College instead of including all the private Colleges in Gweru makes it prone to lack of generalization. Information can not be generalized, since the interviews where conducted with EDUcare management only.
Scarcity of time is another severe constraint facing this case study. Observations could have been systematical carried over a lengthy period of time to see how communication is maintained.
Again interviewing the College management alone without including students, parents and several stake holders give the college much room to exaggerate.
Chapter 2
The research Methodology
Introduction
The concern of this section is the methodology that was used to carry out the study. The research methodology is a description of all activities or procedures the researcher undertook to conduct this situational appraisal of EDUcare College. The following subheadings are aspects of the chapter that were discussed sequential; the research design, the data collection procedures, instrument for data collection and data analysis. A summary of the chapter which surmise out the whole chapter of research methodology.
The Research Design
Borg and Gaul (1989:20) define research design as; “The procedure used to explore the relationship between variables to form subject in group administer measure, apply treatment conditions and analyze data. The definition is supported by McMillan and Schumacher (1989:20) who defines research design as; “The procedure used to explore the relationship between variables to form subjects in group administer measures, apply treatment condition and analyze data”. This definition is supported by McMillan and Schumacher (1989:158) who asserted that; “A research design is a plan for selecting subjects, research sites, data collection procedures and data collection analysis to answer the research question”.
A descriptive research design used here makes it possible for EDUcare College situational appraisal to carefully choose the top management and the director as the targeted audiences in eliciting data. Leedy (1980:76) argues that:” The descriptive survey research design makes it possible for the targeted population, to be careful chosen, clearly defined and specifically delimitated to set precise parameters in order to ensure its discreteness.
Research Instrument
To gather data for the study the researcher used basically two instruments, the questionnaires techniques administered through interviews and observation.
Questionnaires techniques
The questionnaire technique was the major instrument that was used to gather data for this situational appraisal. It contained structured questions which were all open ended. Questionnaires administered through interviews enabled the researcher to collect large amount of data from EDUcare College director. Interviews were conducted with the EDUcare College director on behalf of the executive management as well as the marketing department. In addition, the use of the questionnaires made it possible for information gathered to be converted into be analyzed and generalized. The problem of inadequate response was not experienced in this situational appraisal. EDUcare College management together with marketing department which execute the public relations duties responded well all the questionnaires which was asked by the researcher. In short respondents were quite elaborate about their open-ended responses. It could therefore be safely concluded that the questionnaires as an instrument of collecting data in this study had a fairly high degree of reliability and validity.
Observation technique
Observation technique was used as an instrument to gather data for this research together with interviews. All the new media technology used to communicate with all key stake holders at EDUcare College, such as the internet, EDUcare website, mobile phones, intercom phones, telefax, memorandums hard copies, minutes of the previous held meetings with various stake holders were analyzed by the researcher. EDUCare College Computer lab with 35 computers all networked online was toured by the researcher and used to see its reliability and validity in sending and receiving messages online.
Pilot Study
Haralambos and Holborn (1995) say that, piloting study is “a small scale preliminary study conducted before the main research in order to check the feasibility or to improve the design research”. When questionnaires were designed they had to speculate among the colleagues and the senior staff members to search for the bias. The pre-testing of the questionnaires was done internal among the Midlands State University fellow staff members. This was done to test the validity and reliability of the questionnaires.
Data Collection Procedures
After carrying out the pilot study as well as analyzing the result the researcher was now ready to collect the data for the situational appraisal. The questionnaires together with letter from Media and Society Studies at Midlands State University emphasizing the aim of the research and potential value of the study, was then taken to the EDUcare College top management offices. This took two days as the researcher wanted to have interviews with the relevant department such as the marketing department and the director of the college. When all the data had been collected the next phase was to analyze all the stake holders of EDUcare College and how they are communicated with them.
Data analysis
Leedy (1996) notes that analysis involves the ways and means of measuring and applying mathematical process. This implies that after the data has been collected, it is organized and summarised.
This situational appraisal was analyzed in three categories;
Current relationship management strategies with key stake holders.
Stakeholder map for the organization and communication priorities with each stake holder and justification such as conclusion and recommendation.
Suggestions of appropriate new media tools that can be developed and deployed in response to the challenges identified in this situational appraisal.
Summary
This chapter has discussed the research design that was used in this situational appraisal. The descriptive case study research design was found to be the most appropriate for this study for reasons that have already been discussed. Strength and weaknesses in passing of the two instruments used were explored. The chapter also described and justified the data collection procedures and indeed the data analysis techniques.
Chapter 3
Parents:
EDucare College management communicates with the parents as one of their key stakeholders through the internet. Internet is a communication tool that networks the entire world and enables individuals and organisations to communicate global. This new media technology enable the College to send electronic mails to the parents of students who are in diasporas like in United States of America, Britain, Canada, South Africa, Canada and so forth. Internet, unlike the old media is symmetrical. Internet has several advantages as compared to other new media in that it is cheaper to use. In addition, the messages sent through E-Mails can be of various outlooks like images, database, messages and so forth. Internet cuts across the geographical boundaries. Parents who are overseas are usually informed by the college about the new fees structure online
Again parents are communicated with by the college through meetings, consultation and telephone. Mobile phones are a good example of the new media technology that improves the communication competence of corporate organisations. EDUcare College uses this technology to decipher information to the parents about the meeting that the college will be planning to have. Mobile phones are also use for the case on emergence when a student feels sick and the college feels that the parents have to be informed even after taking the student to the clinic or hospital. Messages crafted as text can be forwarded using the vernacular languages like Shona or IsiNdebele without difficulties.
The priority of EDUcare College to communicate with parents using new media technology is to improve a health communication with them as key stakeholders. Little (1965) says that “communication is a sine que none, that which an organisation can not do without. Communicating frequently with parents creates a health relationship between the parents and the institution. A strong rapport based on trust, honest and credibility is created, maintained and reinforced through effective communication with the parents who happen simultaneously to be part of the community.
Communication here with parents is used as the best method of solving problems that faces the college, students and parents. For instance if they is adjustment on the fees structures, parents can be informed through convening a meeting, texting messages using mobile phones, E-mailing on line and even phoning using telephone. This promotes goodwill, image of the college, reputation and above all cultivates the spirit of solidarity and health relationship. Parents needs to be informed with changes taking place especially the fees, budget and the college future plans
EDucare College should perhaps improve their communication aspect with parents by communicationg with parents through the use of weblogs/blogs. Weblogs/Blogs: is one good example of new media that is used by corporate communication management to communicate with the internal and external public. A weblog/blog is a journal which consists of ‘articles’ or ‘postings’ in chronological sorted order. The posting can be easily viewed by any web browser and the content of many blogs can be read by RSS readers which the parents can be among. In addition, weblogs/blogs as new media technology reaches wider publics. Blogs are also used by these corporate organisations to inform the general public about the organisation structures, goods and service delivery, growth, policies as well as searching the markets. For instance EDUcare College can use weblogs/blogs to inform parents about the orgnogram of the college. Minutes of the previous meetings and currently held meetings can be posted on weblogs for parents to know what was agreed upon in their absence, especially those parents oversees.
Laudon and Laudon (2005:283) assert that corporate organization such as EDUcare can use blogs for sharing information with the parents or engaging in dialogue with company stakeholders. Weblogs as new media is symmetrical. Instead of giving power to media alone as a source of information, blogs allows general publics to contribute about the goods and service delivery. There is reciprocity in that all the readers or parents can pass a comment which can be negatively or positively and such feedback can assist in the formulation of policies. Reciprocal communication between the parents and the college fosters health communication which hints the organisation on what the parents as part of the community wishes to see the college doing for the improvement of their service
Furthermore, blogs due to its informal and information sharing characters, it can capture hidden knowledge about the parents feeling which the college management and staff members could have otherwise not know. Linda Hewitt (2008), one of the global corporate communication strategy consultants in America notes that through weblogs research can be conducted on-line; various sources can be consulted to elicit information. Information can be presented electronically using relational database, tables, pie charts, histograms or power point. Such information can be accumulated, searched and easily retrieved. Again information can be pushed to readers/parents and can appear instantly on their desktop.
It can therefore be recommended that EDUcare College should use the new media technology such as weblogs, websites, and teleconferencing to discuss important issues with the parents as key stake holders. However, despite the fact the not all parents have access to the internet most of the parents who sends children at EDUcare are well up to do people who stay in urban areas and have access at home to the internet and some even at work. Weblog saves time and cost since information can be sent to be viewed by all parents at one goal.
EDUcare College Staff
EDUcare College as a corporate institution communicates with it’s internally staff which among includes students, teaching staff, administrator and ancillary staff through a variety of ways. Memorandums; is one method used by EDUcare College to communicate with “heads of departments” (HOD’s) and teaching staff. A memorandum is used to remind staff members about previously discussed issues. It can also be used as a means of conveying an instruction to the staff members about the working hours, objectives of the college, recruitment of the new staff members and so forth. Memos in any corporate organisation can be used as protective measures. It assist in drawing attention of staff members to some issues or situations that are possible to happen such as visitors from ministry of higher education, health officers from Gweru City Council or the changes of the college set up.
Again the priority of using this method of communication with internal public is that it is less time consuming and upholds professionalism in dealing with employees. It enhances health communication and reminds the workers about the relevance of their contribution towards the colleges’ goals. Memos in corporate organisation are one best way of disseminating information among the staff members. Memorandums help in giving instructions that is standard procedures to be followed when routine tasks are undertaken. Again memos promote the growth and success of the management, students and their tutors towards achieving their major goals.
Meeting is another method used by EDUcare College to communicate with the internal public. Meetings are important to settle important matters that need urgent solution. Meetings make workers to social mix with each other and discuss their challenges at work. It fosters word to word communication which is very important in social life of human beings. People can reach a consensus there which is legal binding to everyone. A meeting enables the chairperson and the whole floor to tell the tension that staff members have and avoids dispute which can hamper the college image such as strike. A meeting allows other issues out of the agenda to be discussed and is one of the best ways of creating and exchanging ideas with work mate and management. Students can express their dissatisfaction to the college management about their welfare and get the message across without omission and commission. Getting closer to students and hearing their plight make them feel good and recognized by the institution management. This can enhance a strong relation and fosters trust and goodwill between the management and the staff and between the staff and the students.
Meetings are health in dealing with internal publics in that it helps staff to generate new ideas and adapt to changes. It is ensures that products and services are of the best. It also gives workers a sense of belonging and lack or absence of communication creates an impersonal situation. Meetings prevents conflict like strikes, which can be intrinsically ban and unhealthy to the social and financial welfare of an organisation. Hence goals, vision and images of an organisation can be easily tarnished. Meetings can assist in decision making and in controlling of the entire organisation activities such as the number of workers, working hours, role allocation and salary welfare. Meetings keep both staff members and students informed. Again as a form of communication notices fosters good climate that is opinions, attitudes and feelings in an organisation
Furthermore, meetings improve efficiency with an organisation which boasts the production and services. For instance, constant effective communication allows important messages between and among various departments to circulate, which at times may encourage competition among workers. Departmental meeting held by management at EDUcare college with departments of administration, marketing, school of information technology, evening school and schools of further education boost the moral and competition which is positive to the wellbeing of the college. This is the priority of the management department of EDUcare College which has seen them growing strong each and every moment.
Noticeboards: EDUcare College management communicates with both students and staff members through placing important notices on the notice boards. EDUcare College has two notice boards, one for the students and the other for the staff members. Important aspects such as the in-house issues and immediate changes about certain activities within the college can be placed in the notice board for the internal public consumption Notice boards are very important to keep the internal public abreast about what they are required of doing. They also act as a reminder to both the staff members and their students. The major reasons of using notice boards by EDUcare management to communicate with their internal staff are meant to maintain a strong health relationship with internal public.
In addition, notice boards are the best method of solving confusion and problems. It ensures that staff workers work together, understands the organisation’s objectives and work to achieve them. Notice boards assist in controlling of the entire organisation activities such as the number of workers, working hours, role allocation and salary welfare. Notices keep both staff members and students informed. Again as a form of communication notices fosters good climate that is opinions, attitudes and feelings in an organisation.
I therefore recommend EDUcare College to use new media technology such as weblogs, chat room for their communication since they have access to the internet. EDUcare College have both the Internet and Intranet. Intranet is a local networking that links all the local terminals and allows them to share information. The “Forum” can be created and staff members can use it as a notice board to inform the staff members especially the teaching staff. Weblogs can be used for meetings and to post and update the staff members about the previous minutes for the previous meetings held. A computer, internet and intranet allow the organisation to circulate and store their information simultaneously. This will improve the image, reputation and good will of the internal publics with the college.
Nevertheless I recommend EDUcare College to install the application software that can enable them to be engaged in teleconferencing online without moving an inch from their offices. Teleconferencing is a two way process and allows new ideas from the internal and external public to be voiced. Again communication in revolutionized and a market place of ideas can be generated. Instead of sticking papers on the notice board messages and instruction can be posted on the weblogs or be emailed to the staff members.
Banks: EDUcare deals with Zimbank and FBC and communicate with them through phone calls or mobile calls. At time the EDUcare administration used the fax machine or letters in communicating with these two banks. The priorities that EDUcare has towards communicating with Zimbabnk and FBC are to maintain a strong relationship and professionalism. EDUcare management communicates frequently when they need special service for their banking facilities, withdrawals and for salary payment to their workers. Over the years EDUcare have been doing business with the two banks Zimbank and FBC and their communication has been hailed as health and one of the best ever to be seen.
I recommend EDUcare College as a corporate organisation to resort to e-commerce in dealing with their two banks. E-commerce will enable them to complete bank transaction while seated at their offices. This is easy to achieve since they are online. Again parents in Oversees with their children at EDUcare College can pay the fees of their children while abroad. Again offering such an online service can open more opportunity for them even to source donations across the globe. More advanced banks and information technology organisation all over the world can wish to do business with them and indirectly this can make them to be one of the best institutions which politicians and affluent people may want their children to learn. To be in the lead in technology can make the college to earn goodwill, trust and reputation from the community and across the globe. Again this will make EDUcare College to become one of the great corporate organisations which can even be given a chance in contributing towards policy making about telecommunication systems in Zimbabwe.
Media: EDUcare College deals with “The Herald”, “Chronicle”, “The Gweru Time” and Power Fm in disseminating information to the external public about the college courses and programs on offer. Again print media is sometimes used for advertisement and public relations about the image of the college. Here the college uses the electronic mails, mobile phone to chat with media house and practitioners to enquire about the cost of placing an advertisement. At time the college faxes the designed advertisement to the media house for publication. Communication of EDUcare College with media houses is vibrant and effective. The relationship with media is strengthened by social event that EDUcare does to plough back to the community that they serve.
All the methods and new media techniques used by EDucare College are health for the well being and status of EDUcare College. New media such as the internet, mobile phones and intercom phones are a form of new media that fosters reciprocity. New media of such are reciprocal and enhances symmetrical communications which is a two way process. EDUcare College can supply and expand information to local media at reasonable cost without going there physical.
Advertisement by the marketing department can be designed using adobe Photoshop and text and graphics can be attached and emailed to “The Herald”, Chronicle and The Gweru Times without difficulty. This also led to the expansion of the media economy and image captured through digital camera can be forwarded together with text, especially when EDUcare have a supplement for the Midlands Show. Media have contributed positively to EDUcare College prosperity. At times mobile phone are used to ask for the cost of the advertisement and for other important message that the media can need from EDUcare College.
It can be recommended that EDUcare College should use blogs to post important information to the media houses for advertorial messages. Instead of attaching so mails with detailed information about the advertisement the College should just ask any media house to open their weblog site and get the content they need. Weblogs are good in that they can also function as storage devices and can allow images, videos, sounds and text to be captured at the same time. Colours can also be enhanced and colours communicate effective to different individuals and organizations who happens to be the college key stakeholders.
Tertiary Institution
EDUcare College as a higher learning institution deals with other colleges around such as ZEDCO, Herential and Midlands State University. EDUcare College uses internet, meetings, phone calls and mobile phones when communicating with these other colleges. For instance, EDUcare College is intending to be an affiliate of Midlands State University, and more often communicate with them through the internet. Here mails are crafted and sent to the intended recipient using this new media. Meetings which are one old form of communication is still used by EDUcare College when dealing with other colleges. Convening a meeting can be done electronically through teleconferencing.
Here technology advances in satellite communication have expanded the range of possibility for meetings and speech to be held online (Davis and Olson 1984). For instance, if EDUcare College was subscribed online to a satellite station they could have been able to hold meetings online without travelling to participate in person. Here the college management can be beamed to the meeting via satellite teleconferencing. In addition, Cutlip (1994:27} notes that simultaneous session in several cites can be linked electronically with speakers shown on large screen television equipment. Cutlip (1994) argued that teleconferencing saves travel time and costs, meeting facilities, and boarding of participants can more that off-set the cost of using this new technology. Unfortunately EDUcare College do not have this facility and should in future subscribe for them to have this facility for the meetings
Bawden and Blackman (1990) states that, teleconferencing in corporate communication management enables to reach people at many locations all at the same time with the same message. For instance EDUcare College could be able to reach all their key stake holders such as banks, ZIMSEC, Cambridge University, government officials, Gweru city council as well as parents in diasporas with access to satellite teleconferencing at once. Teleconferencing has been criticized for grooming employees and management who are too lazy and rely much on technology in addressing the problems at hand. While efficiency and effectiveness can be recommended, incompetent can act as a drawback among the employees who can be grappling in catching up with new technology. However such technology can improve production, but hinders professionalism especially if taken and used to the extremes. New technology can impress the potential employees, investors and opinion leaders to do business with well established companies that are in the lead in acquiring and using new technology. Issues that affect the globe can be quickly outlined and policies that address such problems can be initiated. EDUcare College did not acquire this new media since they prefer to solve problems and communicate with their key stake holders through face to face meetings.
Gweru City Council
EDUcare College deals with Gweru City Council for health issues and water supplies. The City of Gweru as one of the College stake holders is communicated with through memorandums, electronic mails, letters, phone call and meetings. The nature of business that they do with the City of Gweru requires the college to communicate with council health department with the word of mouth which enables then to repair their relationship more than with new technology. The director of the College Mr Sungai said that phone calls encodes the message fast, but do not allow them to communicate effectively with the health department. Meetings to him is the best way as it enables both of them to social mix, express their concern, create and repair their rapport. Meetings are like group discussions and are indeed a two way form of communication.
However, fax is sometimes used to forwarded important document to the city of Gweru and again is a new form of communications. Fax allows images and text to be forwarded to the end receiver. Again it is reciprocal and can allow the recipient to encode and at the same time decode the message sent to them. Again messages can be instant, unless if the fax on the other hand is not functioning. A fax machine does two functions simultaneously of sending and recording information to permanent characters which can be ready and stored. It can as well scan pictures, graphs, colours, text and tables without hesitation. A fax machine can be used together with a computer and allows documents to be sent online. Unfortunately EDUcare rely much on meetings and phone calls when dealing with City of Gweru than e-mails and fax.
Policeman
Last but not list EDUcare College have the police as one of their key stakeholders and communicate with them effectively. Communication is an important tool which keeps relationship glued together. EDUcare College uses mobile phone call when dealing with policeman to report certain cases such as theft, abuse of students and serious important issues which has to do with finances. Cell phone just like a telephone is a two way form of communication which is modern and gives instant feedback to recipient.
Sietal (1995) say that cellular phone is modern tool of technology that has improved the communication service of corporate organisation. EDUcare College as a corporate organisation enables employees to link with each other internal and with the police as an external key stake holder. Police can be contacted any time even when the director of EDUcare College is out of the country. Hence mobile phone enables the College top management to communicate with the police station about students’ cases anytime and anywhere. At times mobile phones can be connected to the internet for chatting.
EDUcare College does not have the facility that connects the mobile phone to the computer for chatting. Despite them having internet facility that mobile chat is not available. The priority of EDUcare is to have a vibrant and health relationship with the policemen. That makes them to have a good identity as well as reputation. I therefore recommend EDUcare College to adopt that facility of connect mobile phones on-line for easy communication with the policemen. Since this is a two way process of communication the College can get the feed back instantly and can get the message fast to the policemen without hesitation. Mobile on-line communication is flexible, reliable and cut across the geographical boundaries.
New media as all forms of emerging communication which combines text, graphics, sound and video, using computer technology are very important in communication, especially by corporate organisation such as EDUcare College. Perhaps EDUcare College can be hailed for being the first and only private College so far in Gweru that have the internet service that fosters internet and intranet services. I suggest that the College should there for increase the services that can me merged with the use of the internet such as teleconferencing, satellite dish, weblogs and video tapes and closed circuit television.
Weblogs/Blogs: as one good example of new media that is used by corporate communication management to communicate with the internal and external public can be used at EDUcare College to foster health communication. A weblog/blog is a journal which consists of ‘articles’ or ‘postings’ in chronological sorted order. The posting can be easily viewed by any web browser and the content of many blogs can be read by RSS readers. Through weblogs EDUcare key stake holders such as the EDUcare staff, banks, students, parents, media organizations, Gweru City Council, other tertiary institutions and several government departments can communicate with the college through the weblog.
Chapter 4
RECOMMENDATIONS
Just like other corporate organizations such as Disney, News Corporation and DeBeers, EDUcare College can use weblogs to reach wider publics. Blogs are also used by these corporate organizations to inform the general public about the organisation structures, goods and service delivery, growth, policies as well as searching the markets. As stipulated by Laudon and Laudon (2005:283) who asserts that corporate organisation uses blogs internal for sharing information across teams, and external for providing timely products support information or engaging in dialogue with company stakeholders, EDUcare College can do exactly the same.
Weblogs as new media is symmetrical. Instead of giving power to media alone as a source of information, blogs allows general publics to contribute about the goods and service delivery. There is reciprocity in that all the readers can pass a comment which can be negatively or positively and such feedback can assist in the formulation of policies. Reciprocal communication fosters health communication which hints the organisation on what the community wishes to see the organisation doing to them. Again two way communication through blogs assist in the formulation of policies. EDUcare College can communicate with various stake holders using this new technological tool for the good image and reputation of the College.
In addition EDUcare College can use blogs for internal communication with staff members and the students. Furthermore, blogs due to its informal and information sharing characters, it can capture hidden knowledge which would have otherwise been not said. Linda Hewitt (2008), one of the global corporate communication strategy consultants in America notes that through weblogs research can be conducted on-line; various sources can be consulted to elicit information. Information can be presented electronically using relational database, tables, pie charts, histograms or power point. Such information can be accumulated, searched and easily retrieved. Again information can be pushed to readers and can appear instantly on their desktop.
On the other hand, such new technology like weblogs needs to be updated timely. Again installation of equipment that enables internet service is expensive. Buying a terminal, installing basic software that enables certain operations to be executed, a line, modem and installation of the application software such as power point, database, adobe Photoshop and subscribing to the website designers can be expensive and unaffordable. Despite the fact that it is a two ways process new media have its shortfalls. Sending employees to training courses for them to be competent and to install several application software is cumbersome and prolongs over a period especially where there is scarce resources.
Members of staff and Students at EDUcare College must be created the e-mail portals and e-learning accounts for easy and health communication. A forum for discussion on-line should be created so that students can communicate about issues that matters most on their lives in the college. Such forum can act as a public forum for public sphere. Some of the grape vine that can be easily deduced through such discussions and assist the College in formulating policies.
All members of the staff should be bought a mobile phone for easy and flexible communication with the management and the director of the college. A mobile phone is flexible and affordable and workers can communicate with each other anytime and anywhere. Updates up the new departmental developments, changes and challenges faced by the departments can be easily communicated to the top management and the director of the college. A mobile phone is durable and portable, that is they last and can be carried around by employees. A mobile phone is reliable as employees can communicate delays, student’s problems with relevant authorities within the College premises
EDUcare College must update their website
EDUcare website must be constantly updated and more online facilities such as video conferencing, voice conferencing, data conferencing, Forums, Voice mail and so forth must be installed. Internet facility at EDUcare College should allow the access to chat rooms, weblogs, electronic mail, News net groups and many more to be mentioned. This will enable the College to communicate effectively and efficiently with both the internal and external public. A good reputation, image and identity can be maintained. New media such as the one mentioned here will integrate old modes of communication with new media of communication which can help the college to meet its objectives and to be recognized international. The out side world contact the college and make some donation and research can be conducted.
EDUcare as an aspiring college to grow big and to be an affiliate of Midlands State University, the use of new media can make them to communicate well with well wishers, government and all the stake holders across the globe.
Video tapes and closed circuit Television
I recommend that EDUcare College should acquire the closed circuit television, which has become an every day feature in many people’s lives is a new technological world for personalized messages either on prepared tapes or live. This modern medium gains the face-to-to face communication which assist to bring closer understanding between management and staff. Here the college management and members of staff can communicate with the outside world using compact disk, MP3, DVD videos, I-Pod and in the computer hard drive. For instance, Meikles Africa which spreads its tentacles across the globe have videos that indicates some of their department stores groups which among includes TM Supermarkets, Meikles, clicks, Cape Grace, Barbour, Greatmans and have some shares to Kingdom. Video that displays the products sold in these shops; the structure of each store, prices of goods, working hours and Meikles hotel building speaks volume about the image of Meikles shops.
EDUcare College apart from using video tapes as secondary storage devices can also be used to entertain the public and to tell them who EDUcare is in terms of professional training. Images and colours while there are appealing to the public, can communicate immensely to different organizations and individuals. Unlike the public information public relation (PR) models , people can get information and communicate back to the source.
EDUcare College can use video tapes for research which is an important tool in corporate communication. Again through video tape events and activities at EDUcare like the donations made to the disabled and Mayor Christmas Cheers fund can be captured, accessed as they are required by the internal and external public for the good image, reputation and recognition by the society at large. This media is close to reality and limits distortion in various ways. Video tapes can be used in gathering, such as the Trade Faire, Midlands Gweru show and so forth to show the participation of the college in national events for the positive image of the college. Images are the best form of communication and allow the less educated to get the message clear about the size of an organization, its commitment to the community and its goods and service delivery.
However, this new media have been criticized for marginalizing the rural population. There are few individuals in rural area who can afford to purchase television sets. Again the lack of electricity makes it difficult for rural population to access the new media. However, video tapes in circuit television can be used both for mass communication hence they are flexible. For instance, such videos for the EDUcare college can be played at Zimbabwe television (ZTV) for an advertisement and the general public can view it on their homes together with their families. This new media is less consuming as it can allow more work to be executed and stored safely. Messages flexibility through video tapes and TV Circuit allows information to be tailored automatically to different levels of employees (Cutlip 1994)
Teleconferencing
In addition, i suggest that teleconferencing as an important form of new media technology that has the impact to corporate organisation communications such as EDUcare College, the college must acquire teleconferencing and use it to improve the communication competence of the college with key stake holders. EDUcare College should acquire a satellite dish and integrate it with other computer facilities for good communication. Just like weblogs teleconferencing will enable the college to reach people all over the world and at the same time get the feed back about their performance and recognition. Satellite facilities will enable the college to learn on economic, social and political global aspects that can affect and improve the college wellbeing in delivering the services to the community both local and global.
Chapter 5
Conclusion
It can be concluded that they are many various forms on new media technology that can be used for communication by EDUcare College to meet the needs of both the internal and external public. Some of the new media technology that was not mentioned in this presentation because of lack of space and time includes the use of satellite dish, tele-fax, smart phones and so forth. However, it can be observed that new media technology have lead to the revolution of the free dissemination of information which leads to the “Super highway” flow of information talked about at Algiers by Japan. All new forms of technology are symmetrical as opposed to the old media which is linear. Clear examples which support the assessment and evaluation of new media for corporate communications management theory and practices were explored. Management deals with planning, initiating policies, controlling and managing the entire system of the organization and as such they need the best technology that can disseminate information accurately, reliable, effective and efficiently. Therefore the use of internet, weblogs, websites, mobile phones, satellite television and teleconferencing is important in sending information to both the internal and external public. The corporate communication theory which among include the agentry press model, public information model, two-way asymmetrical, two way symmetrical and systems approach theory were explored in this presentation. One salient issue is that in management “expert information system” an important type of information for professionals and expert in certain field like computer engineering, marketing, economics and politics can be designed and stored in new media technology. Again images can be captured through digital cameras, down loaded and forwarded via the internet. All the functions offered by new technology new media assist in the storage facility, processing, production and dissemination of information around the world and corporate organization is important especially to issues that has to do with planning, initiating of policies, communication , storage and revolutionizing the communication process. The public sphere of information which offers free market flow of ideas can be achieved and both the internal and external public can learn much faster about issues that can improve their professions and life style. Key terms were also defined in passing for clarity seek. It can be concluded therefore that they are other new technology that are not mentioned here because they are beyond the knowledge of the presenter.
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Cutlip SM et al (1994) Effective Public Relation, New Jersey. Prentice Hall.
Davis, M. GM and Olson, N.H (1984) Management Information system. New Jersey: McGraw-
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EDUcare College Prospectures: http://www.educare.co.zw
Haralambos and Holborn (1995) Sociology Themes and Perspective. Fourth Edition. Harper Collins Publishers. Britain.
Laudon KC and Laudon JP (2005) Management Information system. Eighth Edition. India.
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2008
Thursday, December 15, 2011
Saturday, October 15, 2011
UBUNTUISM AND THE MEDIA
Taking ubuntuism’s emphasis on the community as point of departure, Blankenberg (1999), Christians (2004), Okigbo (1996), Shutt (2001) and Wasserman and De Beer (2004) show how an ubuntu normative framework may emphasis a media and journalism whose primary role may be to provide a space for the concerns, ideas and opinions of the community. The overall purpose of the media may be to play a developmental role in the sense of stimulating citizens and community participation, and obtaining consensus based on widespread consultation with the community. Fourie (2008:13) argued that in the contexts of the needs of developing countries, it may encourage action towards civic transformation and community renewal. In the process, the media may need to ensure the well-being of the collective, rather than the protection of individual rights. In the study the researcher will examine the extent in which ubuntuism influences the manner in which journalist report children based stories. What is interesting is to assess whether journalist from mainstream media collectively protects the rights of children without breaching the media ethical norms that coincide with the African culture.
Freedom of expression may be interpreted firstly in terms of the freedom of the community to articulate, its opinions, questions, concerns and needs. In addition, freedom of expression may thus be measured and valued in terms of its relevancy only to the well-being of the community. Wasserman and De Beer (2004) suggest that to put differently, media freedom may be seen as a positive freedom that should contribute to the well-being of community and not only to the largest number of individuals. Ubuntu morality does not construct an apparatus of professional ethics. Rather, it works and provides an ethic of generally morality. It does not develop rules of professionals, but urges a sensitivity and preoccupation with the moral dimension of everyday life. Professionals occupy the same social and moral space as the citizens they report on. The ultimate standard for media professionals is not role specific ethical principles, but a general morality. This presupposes media workers knowledge and sharing of the community’s general morality. In the study it is important to establish hoe journalist from the mainstream media like the Sunday Mail, Sunday News, The Herald and The Chronicle occupies the same social and moral space as the citizens about the children’s rights they report on.
Nevertheless, in ubuntu journalism objectivity may neither be necessary nor desirable (Okigbo 1996). The journalist is seen to be involved member of the community and cannot remain a spectator. Through the journalist’s work, a voice must be given to the community. Active involvement and dialogue with the community rather than detachment in the name of objectivity and neutrality may be required (Blankenberg 1999). A journalist must enable people to come to terms with their everyday experiences. Acknowledge the historical and biographic complexity of a matter or an issue. In addition, Blankenberg (1999) suggest that a journalist must stimulate interaction amongst citizens, between citizens and reporters and between citizens and politicians. The study assesses whether the mainstream print media in Zimbabwe stimulate interaction among citizens about the children’s rights. Also to be examined in the study are the efforts made by the mainstream print media and civil society organization to engage citizens and politicians about the rights of the children. A journalist must enable people to come to terms with their everyday experiences. Acknowledge the historical and biographic complexity of a matter or an issue. Penetrate the moral dynamics underlying the issue and interpreting against the background of the community contexts, beliefs, values and needs.
On the other hand, the question crisis whether and how the above differ from what is perceived to be the functions and social responsibility of the media in Western normative theory. It appears that whereas western epistemological thinking about the media proceeds from a focus on the media primarily in terms of (i) information, surveillance, entertainment and educational role, (ii) the media’s freedom and right to protection in order to be able to fulfill its social responsibility, and (iii) the individual’s rights to information, surveillance, entertainment and education, the emphasis in ubuntuism may first and foremost be on the media’s role in community bonding and in dialogue towards reaching consensus based on the social values and morals of a community (Fourie 2008:15)
Kasoma (1993) argues that the world, and in particular the African Press, seem to be abandoning the noble objective of serving the people for selfish cause of serving self. He further postulate that the journalism of the North, which Africans have been imitating, can therefore, today be said to be characterized by an individualized and agitational approach to reportage. Traber (1989) suggest that, a person who has spent the greater part of his life working as a journalist in Africa or in activities connected with Africa-based media analysts who have made the same submission as Merrill which have largely been ignored by African journalists, has bemoaned the lack of Africanness in African journalism. Honesty and truthfulness are highly valued African virtues, and telling lies is utterly despicable. Now consider the half truths, misinformation, disinformation and lies contained in our press. That is not only wrong in itself, but in Africa it is culturally alienated (Traber 1989:93). It is however, important to examine how the element of half truth, misinformation, disinformation and lies by mainstream print media is exacerbated when reporting about the abuse of children.
The distinctiveness of ubuntuism as an African approach to normative theory
Fourie (2008:66) say that; how distinctive or uniquely African is ubuntuism as a paradigm for normative theory? Christians (2004) for example shows how ubuntuism can be described as a combination and extension of European and North American Communitarian philosophy. Christian (2004) further argued that it embraces the characteristics of political, feminist and dialogic communitarianism. Like western political communitarianism it emphasizes the politics of the common good, social fairness and participation guided not by social contracts but by social obligations. Ubuntuism’s moral rules are grounded in community care group understanding and group experiences (Fourie (2008:67). Like western communitarianism, as understood by Paolo Freire, Martin Buber and Levinas, ubuntuism emphasizes that only dialogue about what constitutes the common good do we become fully human; that restoring dialogue should be the primary aim of humanity; that interaction between self and the other should be the guiding principle in public life and of social ethics. It is pertinent in the study to examine how journalist from mainstream print media in Zimbabwe interacts with the community in their day to day children’s rights news coverage.
However, the journalism described above closely resembles North_American civic journalism, founded on the philosophy of communitarianism. Like ubuntuism, civic journalism seeks to emphasize a close relationship between the media and the community. Its purpose is to strengthen civil culture, to rejuvenate public life, to reach consensus rather than provoke conflict, to involve citizens, not as consumers (Dahlgren 1998, Schaffer and Miller 1995). The study seek to find out hoe The Sunday mail, Sunday News, The Herald and The Chronicle strengthens civil culture in the coverage about children’s rights. Again it is worth noting how the four print media rejuvenate public life to reach consensus with civil society organizations that deals with children’s rights. The study inquires the manner journalists in the mentioned above print media houses engage the citizens in an ongoing debate about the rights of children in Zimbabwe.
Moreover, even more so the question as to how do all of the above ideas about the relationship between a community and its public communication differ from the classic Greek ideas that the purpose of all public communication should be the promotion of knowledge about identity, belonging, sharing, ability and the survival of the community in terms of the community’s shared religious, political and civil values and responsibilities (Rosenfield and Mader 1984). Thus it can be argued that those considering ubuntuism as a distinctive African way of thinking about the role and social responsibility of the media should note that they may find well-established similar examples of such thinking and even journalistic genres subscribing to the ideas of communitarianism in both the west and the East.
Freedom of expression may be interpreted firstly in terms of the freedom of the community to articulate, its opinions, questions, concerns and needs. In addition, freedom of expression may thus be measured and valued in terms of its relevancy only to the well-being of the community. Wasserman and De Beer (2004) suggest that to put differently, media freedom may be seen as a positive freedom that should contribute to the well-being of community and not only to the largest number of individuals. Ubuntu morality does not construct an apparatus of professional ethics. Rather, it works and provides an ethic of generally morality. It does not develop rules of professionals, but urges a sensitivity and preoccupation with the moral dimension of everyday life. Professionals occupy the same social and moral space as the citizens they report on. The ultimate standard for media professionals is not role specific ethical principles, but a general morality. This presupposes media workers knowledge and sharing of the community’s general morality. In the study it is important to establish hoe journalist from the mainstream media like the Sunday Mail, Sunday News, The Herald and The Chronicle occupies the same social and moral space as the citizens about the children’s rights they report on.
Nevertheless, in ubuntu journalism objectivity may neither be necessary nor desirable (Okigbo 1996). The journalist is seen to be involved member of the community and cannot remain a spectator. Through the journalist’s work, a voice must be given to the community. Active involvement and dialogue with the community rather than detachment in the name of objectivity and neutrality may be required (Blankenberg 1999). A journalist must enable people to come to terms with their everyday experiences. Acknowledge the historical and biographic complexity of a matter or an issue. In addition, Blankenberg (1999) suggest that a journalist must stimulate interaction amongst citizens, between citizens and reporters and between citizens and politicians. The study assesses whether the mainstream print media in Zimbabwe stimulate interaction among citizens about the children’s rights. Also to be examined in the study are the efforts made by the mainstream print media and civil society organization to engage citizens and politicians about the rights of the children. A journalist must enable people to come to terms with their everyday experiences. Acknowledge the historical and biographic complexity of a matter or an issue. Penetrate the moral dynamics underlying the issue and interpreting against the background of the community contexts, beliefs, values and needs.
On the other hand, the question crisis whether and how the above differ from what is perceived to be the functions and social responsibility of the media in Western normative theory. It appears that whereas western epistemological thinking about the media proceeds from a focus on the media primarily in terms of (i) information, surveillance, entertainment and educational role, (ii) the media’s freedom and right to protection in order to be able to fulfill its social responsibility, and (iii) the individual’s rights to information, surveillance, entertainment and education, the emphasis in ubuntuism may first and foremost be on the media’s role in community bonding and in dialogue towards reaching consensus based on the social values and morals of a community (Fourie 2008:15)
Kasoma (1993) argues that the world, and in particular the African Press, seem to be abandoning the noble objective of serving the people for selfish cause of serving self. He further postulate that the journalism of the North, which Africans have been imitating, can therefore, today be said to be characterized by an individualized and agitational approach to reportage. Traber (1989) suggest that, a person who has spent the greater part of his life working as a journalist in Africa or in activities connected with Africa-based media analysts who have made the same submission as Merrill which have largely been ignored by African journalists, has bemoaned the lack of Africanness in African journalism. Honesty and truthfulness are highly valued African virtues, and telling lies is utterly despicable. Now consider the half truths, misinformation, disinformation and lies contained in our press. That is not only wrong in itself, but in Africa it is culturally alienated (Traber 1989:93). It is however, important to examine how the element of half truth, misinformation, disinformation and lies by mainstream print media is exacerbated when reporting about the abuse of children.
The distinctiveness of ubuntuism as an African approach to normative theory
Fourie (2008:66) say that; how distinctive or uniquely African is ubuntuism as a paradigm for normative theory? Christians (2004) for example shows how ubuntuism can be described as a combination and extension of European and North American Communitarian philosophy. Christian (2004) further argued that it embraces the characteristics of political, feminist and dialogic communitarianism. Like western political communitarianism it emphasizes the politics of the common good, social fairness and participation guided not by social contracts but by social obligations. Ubuntuism’s moral rules are grounded in community care group understanding and group experiences (Fourie (2008:67). Like western communitarianism, as understood by Paolo Freire, Martin Buber and Levinas, ubuntuism emphasizes that only dialogue about what constitutes the common good do we become fully human; that restoring dialogue should be the primary aim of humanity; that interaction between self and the other should be the guiding principle in public life and of social ethics. It is pertinent in the study to examine how journalist from mainstream print media in Zimbabwe interacts with the community in their day to day children’s rights news coverage.
However, the journalism described above closely resembles North_American civic journalism, founded on the philosophy of communitarianism. Like ubuntuism, civic journalism seeks to emphasize a close relationship between the media and the community. Its purpose is to strengthen civil culture, to rejuvenate public life, to reach consensus rather than provoke conflict, to involve citizens, not as consumers (Dahlgren 1998, Schaffer and Miller 1995). The study seek to find out hoe The Sunday mail, Sunday News, The Herald and The Chronicle strengthens civil culture in the coverage about children’s rights. Again it is worth noting how the four print media rejuvenate public life to reach consensus with civil society organizations that deals with children’s rights. The study inquires the manner journalists in the mentioned above print media houses engage the citizens in an ongoing debate about the rights of children in Zimbabwe.
Moreover, even more so the question as to how do all of the above ideas about the relationship between a community and its public communication differ from the classic Greek ideas that the purpose of all public communication should be the promotion of knowledge about identity, belonging, sharing, ability and the survival of the community in terms of the community’s shared religious, political and civil values and responsibilities (Rosenfield and Mader 1984). Thus it can be argued that those considering ubuntuism as a distinctive African way of thinking about the role and social responsibility of the media should note that they may find well-established similar examples of such thinking and even journalistic genres subscribing to the ideas of communitarianism in both the west and the East.
NO AGREEMENT ON THE DEFINITION OF A CHILD
According to African Charter and the Convention on the Rights of the Child (CRC), a child is anyone aged under eighteen. However, there is still no region-wide agreement on the definition of a child. There are also significant inconsistencies in setting various minimum ages such as for criminal responsibility, sexual consent and marriage.(African Child Policy Forum).Furthermore, nine of eighteen survey countries including Burundi, Ethiopia, Madagascar, Mozambique, Namibia, Swaziland, Tanzania and Zimbabwe have no official definition of a child in their legislation or constitution. The African Child Policy (2007:4) argued that children are still not a top priority in Eastern and Southern Africa, despite the number of countries that have become party to the CRC and the African Charter. Again in Zimbabwe discrimination against children frequently still exists under the law on grounds of sex, ethnicity, disability and parentage. For example, the minimum ages of marriage and or sexual consent for boys and girls is a contested issue. In Zimbabwe it is sixteen years for girls with no minimum set for boy. In the study the role of the Children Civic Society Organisation and the media in educating the masses about such rights about age limit is assessed. The study seeks to ascertain the representation of children through the media and how journalist fully protect and provide a debate forum about the rights of children in their newspapers
Who is a child?
The term “child” is contested and age alone cannot be a sufficient yardstick to measure childhood. Article 1 of the Convention on the Rights of the Child (CRC), defines a ‘child” as a person below 18 years, unless under the law applicable to the child, majority is attained earlier (Ncube 1998:100) The UNICEF fact sheet gives a summary of the rights and quoted Convention on The Right of the Child {Article 1} as follows;
The Convention defines a “child” as a person below the age of 18, unless
the laws of a particular country set the legal age for adulthood younger.
The committee on the rights of the child, the minority body for the
convention, has encouraged states to review the age of majority if it is set
below 18 and to increase the level of protection for all children under 18
From the above quotation it can be argued that the CRC gives option to the state to decide the age limit for children. One salient issue about this convention is that 18 is the maximum age for childhood and anything below that qualifies to be within the bracket of childhood stage. Ncube (1998) claimed that this age limit allows for exceptions in countries where the age of majority is set lower. It can be argued that in customary law, age has no relevance in determining childhood or adulthood. Adulthood is marked by factors that have more to do with biology or physical development, ability, the purpose for which a definition of childhood or adulthood is sought and status, that with the number of years a person has lived. In addition, Ncube (1998) says that;
Physical development entails the attainment of puberty and the undergoing,
for girls, of initiation ceremonies associated with it-Kuvundikwa (Tonga,
Chisung (Bemba) Mwalanjo (Lozi) and so on…The relevant criteria for boys
are also the undergoing and successful accomplishment of initiation task ( for
example the Lozi Milaka)
It can be argued from the above quotation it makes it difficult to have a universal definition of the term child. Various nations or ethnic groups may have different yard sticks to measure the age that constitute childhood. In this study any minor within the range of 8-18 is used as the targeted population for the study. The reason for such age limit is that these are children who can express some of their feelings clearly and can speak for themselves as well as in the press if given the permission by the society and the media.
Achebe (1958:3) in one of his novel; “Things Fall Apart” discusses children at various levels and even how they were abused. Okonkwo a man who was 18 years old and had brought honour to his village by throwing Amalinze the cat was regard as a child. Again twins in an African context were put in earthen-ware pots and thrown away in the forest. Such a practice is tantamount to murder and is violation of the children’s rights and this is supported by the following quotation; “ Nwoye, Okonkwo’s son had heard that twins were put in earth-ware pots and thrown away in the forest…” (Achebe1958:43). The abuse of children’s rights in Achebe’s novel assisted the researcher to identify the ways through which children in Africa need to be protected. Children can be used for reparations to avoid an avenging spirit and sometimes can be killed for ritual ceremonies. The good example is through Ikemefuna a doomed lad who was sacrificed to the village of Umofia by their neighbours to avoid war and bloodshed. Achebe (1958:8) describes an ultimatum that was immediately dispatched by Umofia to their neighbours demanding the offer of a young man and a virgin as compensation. Nagging and beating of children by their parents is violation of their rights. In the book Okonkwo beats his son for his ‘incipient laziness”. Again it is an African custom to deter children from eating certain food such as eggs.
In one of the Zimbabwean short stories anthologies entitled “No More Plastic Balls and other Stories” by Chihota and Muponde (2000), Mhiripiri contributed a story about a girl child called Nesta who dropped out of school because there was no money for fees. Elista a girl child aged sixteen had to have a love relationship with Joel. Joel was above 18 and use to abuse Elista by exposing her to vulgar language such as “fucking, beast” and so forth. This story assists the study to describe the abuses of children’s rights in Zimbabwe, especially a girl child. Morrison (1999:83) says that;
Children should also be protected against customs and practices that prejudice
their health and discriminate against them. Special attention needs to be given
to a girl child as they are often physically more vulnerable to abuse than boys
are
Adulthood can be further marked by the ability to procreate and a person who has a child at whatever young age is considered an adult. Ncube (1998) states that the purpose for which adulthood is being considered may also be a factor in defining whether a person is or is not a child. It can be argued that in both sex, adulthood can be confirmed by marriage. Thus, a person under the age of 18 years, for example, a 12 year old married girl or boy, may not claim rights, including participatory rights, as a child under the Convention on the Rights of the Child. Armstrong (1995:340) argued that;
However, it might also be a matter of considerable concern to many people
that a 12 year old person, for example, should be considered to be an
adult by the customary law regime of a country and, therefore, not entitled
to claim the protection and benefits of the convention
Ncube (1991) argued that the above issue cannot be resolved by attempts to impose the international (Convention) definition of childhood over the local, customary standard when they conflict, because there is, technically, no conflict involved.
Who is a child?
The term “child” is contested and age alone cannot be a sufficient yardstick to measure childhood. Article 1 of the Convention on the Rights of the Child (CRC), defines a ‘child” as a person below 18 years, unless under the law applicable to the child, majority is attained earlier (Ncube 1998:100) The UNICEF fact sheet gives a summary of the rights and quoted Convention on The Right of the Child {Article 1} as follows;
The Convention defines a “child” as a person below the age of 18, unless
the laws of a particular country set the legal age for adulthood younger.
The committee on the rights of the child, the minority body for the
convention, has encouraged states to review the age of majority if it is set
below 18 and to increase the level of protection for all children under 18
From the above quotation it can be argued that the CRC gives option to the state to decide the age limit for children. One salient issue about this convention is that 18 is the maximum age for childhood and anything below that qualifies to be within the bracket of childhood stage. Ncube (1998) claimed that this age limit allows for exceptions in countries where the age of majority is set lower. It can be argued that in customary law, age has no relevance in determining childhood or adulthood. Adulthood is marked by factors that have more to do with biology or physical development, ability, the purpose for which a definition of childhood or adulthood is sought and status, that with the number of years a person has lived. In addition, Ncube (1998) says that;
Physical development entails the attainment of puberty and the undergoing,
for girls, of initiation ceremonies associated with it-Kuvundikwa (Tonga,
Chisung (Bemba) Mwalanjo (Lozi) and so on…The relevant criteria for boys
are also the undergoing and successful accomplishment of initiation task ( for
example the Lozi Milaka)
It can be argued from the above quotation it makes it difficult to have a universal definition of the term child. Various nations or ethnic groups may have different yard sticks to measure the age that constitute childhood. In this study any minor within the range of 8-18 is used as the targeted population for the study. The reason for such age limit is that these are children who can express some of their feelings clearly and can speak for themselves as well as in the press if given the permission by the society and the media.
Achebe (1958:3) in one of his novel; “Things Fall Apart” discusses children at various levels and even how they were abused. Okonkwo a man who was 18 years old and had brought honour to his village by throwing Amalinze the cat was regard as a child. Again twins in an African context were put in earthen-ware pots and thrown away in the forest. Such a practice is tantamount to murder and is violation of the children’s rights and this is supported by the following quotation; “ Nwoye, Okonkwo’s son had heard that twins were put in earth-ware pots and thrown away in the forest…” (Achebe1958:43). The abuse of children’s rights in Achebe’s novel assisted the researcher to identify the ways through which children in Africa need to be protected. Children can be used for reparations to avoid an avenging spirit and sometimes can be killed for ritual ceremonies. The good example is through Ikemefuna a doomed lad who was sacrificed to the village of Umofia by their neighbours to avoid war and bloodshed. Achebe (1958:8) describes an ultimatum that was immediately dispatched by Umofia to their neighbours demanding the offer of a young man and a virgin as compensation. Nagging and beating of children by their parents is violation of their rights. In the book Okonkwo beats his son for his ‘incipient laziness”. Again it is an African custom to deter children from eating certain food such as eggs.
In one of the Zimbabwean short stories anthologies entitled “No More Plastic Balls and other Stories” by Chihota and Muponde (2000), Mhiripiri contributed a story about a girl child called Nesta who dropped out of school because there was no money for fees. Elista a girl child aged sixteen had to have a love relationship with Joel. Joel was above 18 and use to abuse Elista by exposing her to vulgar language such as “fucking, beast” and so forth. This story assists the study to describe the abuses of children’s rights in Zimbabwe, especially a girl child. Morrison (1999:83) says that;
Children should also be protected against customs and practices that prejudice
their health and discriminate against them. Special attention needs to be given
to a girl child as they are often physically more vulnerable to abuse than boys
are
Adulthood can be further marked by the ability to procreate and a person who has a child at whatever young age is considered an adult. Ncube (1998) states that the purpose for which adulthood is being considered may also be a factor in defining whether a person is or is not a child. It can be argued that in both sex, adulthood can be confirmed by marriage. Thus, a person under the age of 18 years, for example, a 12 year old married girl or boy, may not claim rights, including participatory rights, as a child under the Convention on the Rights of the Child. Armstrong (1995:340) argued that;
However, it might also be a matter of considerable concern to many people
that a 12 year old person, for example, should be considered to be an
adult by the customary law regime of a country and, therefore, not entitled
to claim the protection and benefits of the convention
Ncube (1991) argued that the above issue cannot be resolved by attempts to impose the international (Convention) definition of childhood over the local, customary standard when they conflict, because there is, technically, no conflict involved.
Tuesday, June 28, 2011
MEDIA CIVIC ORGANISATIONS, CIVIC SOCIETY AND CRITICAL POLITICAL ECONOMY.
Civil society is defined here as including community based organization, traditional leaders, implementing NGO’s, Unions, business associations, religious organizations, independent media, student groups, cooperatives and other associational groupings. Civil society’s role in decentralized and democratic governance may be viewed to have four major functions as follows,
i) As an advocacy for representing interests of their constituencies.
ii) In service delivery in education, health and other sectors.
iii) As a partner with government in development planning, in promoting understanding of the decentralization system and in other areas.
iv) As watchdog over government.
However, these roles are not played by all civil societies’ actors or at all times-nor are these civil society functions always clean or rigid. Civil societies are often populated by organizations such as registered charities, development non-governmental organization, community groups, women’s organizations, faith based organization, professional associations, trade unions, self-help groups, social movements, business associates, coalitions and advocacy groups and so forth.
Civil society as advocacy
Advocacy is generally viewed as a primary role of civil society. Often time, civil society groups building coalitions amongst themselves to advocate for policies. For instance, in Zimbabwe MISA Zimbabwe and Zimbabwe Lawyers for human Rights challenged the application of POSA and AIPPA. These two among to be mentioned civil society advocated for the liberalization of the Zimbabwean media from heavy government controlling rules and laws. This is both a means for weak organizations together sufficient strength to address state authorities as well as a bottom up consensus building effort (Charlick 2003)
Civil society groups do confront authorities for specific policy change, but sometimes these are not always well received or have positive outcome. In Zimbabwe media organization such as MISA Zimbabwe, MMPZ, WOZA and so forth confronted the government of Zimbabwe to repeal POSA, AIPPA and so on. Therefore, in general civil society groups have had success in influencing the central government to improve the environment and conditions in which they operate.
Furthermore, civil society plays a major role in the social relation of the media and the audiences. In Latin America in 1983, social movements of different kinds were involved in bringing down the authoritarian regimes. Community based protest contributed to discrediting and delegitimizing the Pinochet regime of Chile. In Zimbabwe, Non-governmental organization has collaborated with members of the publics to fight against the hostile ZANU PF government. The social relation of the ordinary citizens has been greatly influenced by the NGO’s and private media which play a watchdog role such as Financial Gazette and The Independent.
In addition,, civil society in its service delivery role works together with the government of the day to improve the living conditions of the public. Privatization of certain government service has led to opportunities for both private businesses and civil society organization to increase their service delivery role at all levels of government. In Pelengana, for example, the commune has worked with women’s groups on sanitation service delivery and has established a system to provide financial resources. In Zimbabwe Musasa project works to assist women to be represented in the community. The doctors with borders have worked hard to improve the community’s health. Other NGO’s such as CARO International, ORAP, OCRAST, OXFARM, CONCERN and so forth have assisted immensely to provide food to the starving communities around the country in Zimbabwe. In Zimbabwe, many international NGO have eschewed advocacy activities but have helped strengthen local partners in service delivery from identifying needs to professional standards of service. Many civil society/NGO have now become adept in service delivery and cover many domains. For instance, community mobilization, enterprise development, health education, micro-finance and so forth.
Civil society plays the watchdog role and contributes immensely to the political economy of the mass media. In a democratic system, civil society plays key role as a watchdog over the workings and effectiveness of the state and elected officials. This starts with election monitoring but is far more extensive and includes regular control of policies, priority setting, implementation, equity, budget allocations and service delivery effectiveness. For example, in Zimbabwe ZESN played a crucial role in educating journalist on how to report and to interview political members representing their parties in March 2008 harmonized elections. However, it should be noted that, “the civil society watchdog role in a decentralized system is not only critical at the central government level, but also for the regional and local level”.
Ideally, decentralization as a system of government confers on civil society the important role of controlling/monitoring critiquing government initiative to all strata of society. For example, in Zimbabwe MISA Zimbabwe have criticized the government for brutalizing and arresting journalist from independent papers for exposing the hostility caused by the ruling party supporters. In addition, MISA as a civil society have pressured the government to do away with ruthless media laws such as POSA, AIPPA, OSA and so forth. A call for licensing of independent foreign media and Independent media regulating board to replace MIC is the critique and pressure the Zimbabwean government has been facing. On the other hand, MMPZ as civil society have documented and criticized the government for using hate speech to fail an “All Inclusive government”. Hence basing from the above contribution in critical political economy civil society plays a watchdog role to expose, defend and safeguard the rights of the local citizens.
Many civil society groups are potentially constrained in their watchdog role by lack of independence or a partisan political outlook. With civil society getting much of their funding from external donors, this may very likely influence the issues they stress and the issues they avoid very frequently. The press is also be made through provision of transport and per diem or pay of production costs. For example, during March 2006 workshop held in Bamako on International foreign aid effectiveness organized by the Africa development Bank (ADB) journalist made it clear to the organizers that without payment for transport costs, they would not attend the event. After ADB agreed to make one transport payment for each press group attending the event, one group did their best to collect for more than one person attending.
Curran (2000) defines civic media as a media sector consisting of channels of communication linked to organized groups and social networks intended to facilitate the expression of dissenting and minority views. It supports organizations that are the life force of democracy. The organizations include political parties, new social movements, interest groups and sub-cultural networks that relay the concerns of society and propose policy initiatives for consideration by the political system. Civic organization are important in parliamentary democracies in need of democratic rejuvenation and where political parties have a pivotal position as organizations that aggregate interests, distribute costs, define electronic choices and offer channels of general (rather than single issue) influence.
On the other hand, civil society consists of the interested parties and organizations calling for democratic rule through the use of media’s creation of a public sphere as well as adherence to the principal democratic role of the media acting as a check on the state, as the Fourth Estate. Curran (2000) argues that the media should monitor the full range of state activities and fearlessly expose abuses of official authority. Dahlgren (1991) asserts that the public sphere is a concept, which in today’s society points to the issues of how and to what extent the mass media especially in their journalistic role can help citizens learn about the world, debate their responses to it, and reach informed decisions about what courses of action to adopt.
Civic society calls for a more liberal atmosphere which the media must operate. Dahlgren (1991) argues that according to classical liberal theory, the public sphere (or in more traditional terminology, public forum) is the space between government and society in which private individuals exercise formal and informal control over the state through the election of governments and the pressure of public opinion. The media are central to this process as they distribute the information necessary for citizens to make an informed choice at election time. They also facilitate the formation of public opinion by providing an independent forum of debate enabling people to shape the conduct of government by articulating their views. In this regard civic society views as an aggregation of individuals and government as the seat of power, with the nexus between the state and individuals as the key social relationship that need to be policed by an ever vigilant media which is on permanent guard duty, patrolling against the abuse of executive power and safeguarding individual liberty.
Civic society’s argument is that the media should brief the electorate and assist voters to make an informed choice at election time. They argue the media to provide a channel of communication between governments and governed, which helps society to clarify its objectives, formulate policy, co-ordinate activity and manage itself. In the liberal view, through the free market, it secures the media’s independence as an inclusive debate. The freedom of the market, it secures the media’s independence as an intermediary, generating wide ranging and inclusive debate. The freedom of the market allows anyone to publish an opinion and this ensures that all significant points of views are aired and also that information is made available from varied sources, extending participation in public debate. Good governance is also fostered, because decision-making processes are exposed to the interplay of apposed opinion. Barron 91995:3200 quotes the American jurist Oliver Holmes who declared in a much quoted statement, that “the best test of the truth is the power of the thought to get itself accepted in the competition of the market..
Gramsci (1971) sees what he calls civil society as having the responsibility for the production, reproduction, and transformation of hegemony, while the state is responsible for the use of coercion. This is a fairly simple and direct equation whereby the state exercises repression and civil society exercise hegemony. In addition, hegemony operates culturally and ideologically through the institutions of civil society which characterize mature liberal-democratic capitalist societies. These institutions include education, the family, church, the mass media, popular culture and so forth. Civil society in critical political economy is the way Gramsci (1971) locates the place of culture and ideology within societies, and hegemony is the way he tries to understand how they work.
In critical political economy Gramsci 91971) states that the liberal-democratic societies of western capitalism are different in that they have relatively weaker states and much more extensive and complicated civil societies which strengthen the hegemony of the dominant groups. In this situation, a war of position rather than a war of position rather than war of movement becomes the strategy to be adopted by revolutionary socialist forces. This involves a long, protracted and uneven struggle over the hegemonic hold of the dominant group, and is eventual replacement by the hegemony of the subordinate groups aspiring to power and the radical transformation of society. According to Gramsci (1971) he says that, in critical political economy the revolutionary forces have to take civil society before they take the state, and therefore have to build a coalition of oppositional groups united under a hegemonic banner which usurps the dominant or prevailing hegemony.
Gramsci (1971) write that the nature of civil society make sure of this;
“Civil society has become a very complex structure and one which is resistant to the catastrophic incursion of the immediate economic element (crises, depression and so forth). The superstructures of civil society are like the trench systems of modern warfare. In war it would sometimes happen that a fierce artillery attack seemed to have destroyed the enemy’s entire defensive system, whereas in fact it had only destroyed the outer perimeter…”. The same thing happens in politics, during the great economic crises” (Gramsci 1971:235)
Keane (1988a:33-6) suggests that the political dichotomy of left and right is not very helpful in sorting out this history and developing a modern and progressive understanding of civil society. In critical political economy, while we may find in Gramsci something of a useable tripartite model of state, civil society and economy, most of the Marxian tradition has tended to collapse civil society into bourgeois society, thereby dismissing it as the domain of ideology. And as the blueprint for the organization of society, the meshing of social life with the political life has not met with much historical success. Dahlgren (1995:126) states that in critical political economy of mass communication, the right today tries to equate civil society with the space where the private citizen can pursue his or her individualism, free from the interventionism of the state, thereby turning the concept into an argument for neo-liberal tradition, starting with Mill and de Tocqueville, have put politics before economic and appropriately warned that the state can abuse its power, engulf and smoother civil society, and undo the fragile progress towards democratizations.
In critical political economy of mass media Dahlgren (1995:128) states that civil society is thus created through various forms of self-constitution and self-mobilization. For Cohen and Aarato, civil society stands in a dialectical relationship to the political; the political role of civil society is seen not as aiming for the direct control of political power,… but to the generation of influence through the life of democratic associations and unconstrained discussion in the cultural public sphere. Ideally, civil society would function in a similar mediating way vis-Ã -vis economic society but, under capitalist relations, this vector is obviously less pronounced.
In critical political economy, civil society functions along side with the Neo-Marxist. Hence Dahlgren (1995:127) states that “the domain of civil society is characterized by legal frameworks to guarantee basic rights and to secure pluralism, publicity and privacy from the state, and, at least partially, from the economy. In this regard, they follow Gramsci’s three part model. Cohen and Arato’s orientation is towards the institutional aspects of civil society. In their views, civil society is institutionally composed chiefly of:
(i) The intimate sphere especially the family)
(ii) The sphere of associations (in particular, voluntary associations)
(iii) The many forms of public communication.
Strinati (1995) states that hegemony operates culturally and ideologically through the institutions of civil society which characterize mature liberal-democratic, capitalist societies. These institutions include education, the family, the church, the mass media, popular culture and so forth. Furthermore, civil society is the way Gramsci locates the place culture and ideology within societies, and hegemony is the way he tries to understand how they work.
Curran (1997) further argues that the watchdog perspective is commended for assuming that democracies need informed and participant citizens to manage their common affairs and believes that public debate is more likely to produce rational and just outcomes if it takes account of different views and interest, in some form of active self determination, reasoned debate and social inclusion.
Conclusively, it can be argued that civil society’s plays a salient role in critical political economy of media as public sphere through which the masses can discuss the issues that can influence the way they are govern by the elite. Again Gramsci (1971) ,views civil societies as having the responsibility for production, reproduction, and transformation of hegemony, while the state in responsible for the use of coercion. In Zimbabwe clear example for civil society groups such as MISA, MMPZ, WOZA, Doctors without Boarders, Zimbabwe Crisis and Coalition, Zimbabwe Federation of Trade Unions ZFTU and so forth, fight along side with the masses for social change. While some civil society’s are media oriented others are for human rights and democracy and they play a pivotal role in critical political economy of mass communication. The civil society fight for democracy and to reinforce strong social relations in the society. According to Gramsci (1971) civil society locates the place of culture and ideology within societies
References
Dahlgren P (1995) Television and the Public Sphere. British. Sage
Char lick R (2003) “Institutional Dynamics in Contemporary Mali- A study of the context for the impact of citizen advocacy world Education report, January 2003.
Norberto B (1988) Gramsci and the concept of civil society in Keane (ed) Democracy and civil society, Verso. London.
Downing J.D.H et al (2004) the Sage handbook of media studies. Sage. London
Hill.D; Class, the crisis of neo-liberal Global Capital, and the role of education and knowledge Workers. Saturday 28 march 2009 PDF
Strinati D (1995) An Introduction to theories of popular culture. Rout ledge. London
i) As an advocacy for representing interests of their constituencies.
ii) In service delivery in education, health and other sectors.
iii) As a partner with government in development planning, in promoting understanding of the decentralization system and in other areas.
iv) As watchdog over government.
However, these roles are not played by all civil societies’ actors or at all times-nor are these civil society functions always clean or rigid. Civil societies are often populated by organizations such as registered charities, development non-governmental organization, community groups, women’s organizations, faith based organization, professional associations, trade unions, self-help groups, social movements, business associates, coalitions and advocacy groups and so forth.
Civil society as advocacy
Advocacy is generally viewed as a primary role of civil society. Often time, civil society groups building coalitions amongst themselves to advocate for policies. For instance, in Zimbabwe MISA Zimbabwe and Zimbabwe Lawyers for human Rights challenged the application of POSA and AIPPA. These two among to be mentioned civil society advocated for the liberalization of the Zimbabwean media from heavy government controlling rules and laws. This is both a means for weak organizations together sufficient strength to address state authorities as well as a bottom up consensus building effort (Charlick 2003)
Civil society groups do confront authorities for specific policy change, but sometimes these are not always well received or have positive outcome. In Zimbabwe media organization such as MISA Zimbabwe, MMPZ, WOZA and so forth confronted the government of Zimbabwe to repeal POSA, AIPPA and so on. Therefore, in general civil society groups have had success in influencing the central government to improve the environment and conditions in which they operate.
Furthermore, civil society plays a major role in the social relation of the media and the audiences. In Latin America in 1983, social movements of different kinds were involved in bringing down the authoritarian regimes. Community based protest contributed to discrediting and delegitimizing the Pinochet regime of Chile. In Zimbabwe, Non-governmental organization has collaborated with members of the publics to fight against the hostile ZANU PF government. The social relation of the ordinary citizens has been greatly influenced by the NGO’s and private media which play a watchdog role such as Financial Gazette and The Independent.
In addition,, civil society in its service delivery role works together with the government of the day to improve the living conditions of the public. Privatization of certain government service has led to opportunities for both private businesses and civil society organization to increase their service delivery role at all levels of government. In Pelengana, for example, the commune has worked with women’s groups on sanitation service delivery and has established a system to provide financial resources. In Zimbabwe Musasa project works to assist women to be represented in the community. The doctors with borders have worked hard to improve the community’s health. Other NGO’s such as CARO International, ORAP, OCRAST, OXFARM, CONCERN and so forth have assisted immensely to provide food to the starving communities around the country in Zimbabwe. In Zimbabwe, many international NGO have eschewed advocacy activities but have helped strengthen local partners in service delivery from identifying needs to professional standards of service. Many civil society/NGO have now become adept in service delivery and cover many domains. For instance, community mobilization, enterprise development, health education, micro-finance and so forth.
Civil society plays the watchdog role and contributes immensely to the political economy of the mass media. In a democratic system, civil society plays key role as a watchdog over the workings and effectiveness of the state and elected officials. This starts with election monitoring but is far more extensive and includes regular control of policies, priority setting, implementation, equity, budget allocations and service delivery effectiveness. For example, in Zimbabwe ZESN played a crucial role in educating journalist on how to report and to interview political members representing their parties in March 2008 harmonized elections. However, it should be noted that, “the civil society watchdog role in a decentralized system is not only critical at the central government level, but also for the regional and local level”.
Ideally, decentralization as a system of government confers on civil society the important role of controlling/monitoring critiquing government initiative to all strata of society. For example, in Zimbabwe MISA Zimbabwe have criticized the government for brutalizing and arresting journalist from independent papers for exposing the hostility caused by the ruling party supporters. In addition, MISA as a civil society have pressured the government to do away with ruthless media laws such as POSA, AIPPA, OSA and so forth. A call for licensing of independent foreign media and Independent media regulating board to replace MIC is the critique and pressure the Zimbabwean government has been facing. On the other hand, MMPZ as civil society have documented and criticized the government for using hate speech to fail an “All Inclusive government”. Hence basing from the above contribution in critical political economy civil society plays a watchdog role to expose, defend and safeguard the rights of the local citizens.
Many civil society groups are potentially constrained in their watchdog role by lack of independence or a partisan political outlook. With civil society getting much of their funding from external donors, this may very likely influence the issues they stress and the issues they avoid very frequently. The press is also be made through provision of transport and per diem or pay of production costs. For example, during March 2006 workshop held in Bamako on International foreign aid effectiveness organized by the Africa development Bank (ADB) journalist made it clear to the organizers that without payment for transport costs, they would not attend the event. After ADB agreed to make one transport payment for each press group attending the event, one group did their best to collect for more than one person attending.
Curran (2000) defines civic media as a media sector consisting of channels of communication linked to organized groups and social networks intended to facilitate the expression of dissenting and minority views. It supports organizations that are the life force of democracy. The organizations include political parties, new social movements, interest groups and sub-cultural networks that relay the concerns of society and propose policy initiatives for consideration by the political system. Civic organization are important in parliamentary democracies in need of democratic rejuvenation and where political parties have a pivotal position as organizations that aggregate interests, distribute costs, define electronic choices and offer channels of general (rather than single issue) influence.
On the other hand, civil society consists of the interested parties and organizations calling for democratic rule through the use of media’s creation of a public sphere as well as adherence to the principal democratic role of the media acting as a check on the state, as the Fourth Estate. Curran (2000) argues that the media should monitor the full range of state activities and fearlessly expose abuses of official authority. Dahlgren (1991) asserts that the public sphere is a concept, which in today’s society points to the issues of how and to what extent the mass media especially in their journalistic role can help citizens learn about the world, debate their responses to it, and reach informed decisions about what courses of action to adopt.
Civic society calls for a more liberal atmosphere which the media must operate. Dahlgren (1991) argues that according to classical liberal theory, the public sphere (or in more traditional terminology, public forum) is the space between government and society in which private individuals exercise formal and informal control over the state through the election of governments and the pressure of public opinion. The media are central to this process as they distribute the information necessary for citizens to make an informed choice at election time. They also facilitate the formation of public opinion by providing an independent forum of debate enabling people to shape the conduct of government by articulating their views. In this regard civic society views as an aggregation of individuals and government as the seat of power, with the nexus between the state and individuals as the key social relationship that need to be policed by an ever vigilant media which is on permanent guard duty, patrolling against the abuse of executive power and safeguarding individual liberty.
Civic society’s argument is that the media should brief the electorate and assist voters to make an informed choice at election time. They argue the media to provide a channel of communication between governments and governed, which helps society to clarify its objectives, formulate policy, co-ordinate activity and manage itself. In the liberal view, through the free market, it secures the media’s independence as an inclusive debate. The freedom of the market, it secures the media’s independence as an intermediary, generating wide ranging and inclusive debate. The freedom of the market allows anyone to publish an opinion and this ensures that all significant points of views are aired and also that information is made available from varied sources, extending participation in public debate. Good governance is also fostered, because decision-making processes are exposed to the interplay of apposed opinion. Barron 91995:3200 quotes the American jurist Oliver Holmes who declared in a much quoted statement, that “the best test of the truth is the power of the thought to get itself accepted in the competition of the market..
Gramsci (1971) sees what he calls civil society as having the responsibility for the production, reproduction, and transformation of hegemony, while the state is responsible for the use of coercion. This is a fairly simple and direct equation whereby the state exercises repression and civil society exercise hegemony. In addition, hegemony operates culturally and ideologically through the institutions of civil society which characterize mature liberal-democratic capitalist societies. These institutions include education, the family, church, the mass media, popular culture and so forth. Civil society in critical political economy is the way Gramsci (1971) locates the place of culture and ideology within societies, and hegemony is the way he tries to understand how they work.
In critical political economy Gramsci 91971) states that the liberal-democratic societies of western capitalism are different in that they have relatively weaker states and much more extensive and complicated civil societies which strengthen the hegemony of the dominant groups. In this situation, a war of position rather than a war of position rather than war of movement becomes the strategy to be adopted by revolutionary socialist forces. This involves a long, protracted and uneven struggle over the hegemonic hold of the dominant group, and is eventual replacement by the hegemony of the subordinate groups aspiring to power and the radical transformation of society. According to Gramsci (1971) he says that, in critical political economy the revolutionary forces have to take civil society before they take the state, and therefore have to build a coalition of oppositional groups united under a hegemonic banner which usurps the dominant or prevailing hegemony.
Gramsci (1971) write that the nature of civil society make sure of this;
“Civil society has become a very complex structure and one which is resistant to the catastrophic incursion of the immediate economic element (crises, depression and so forth). The superstructures of civil society are like the trench systems of modern warfare. In war it would sometimes happen that a fierce artillery attack seemed to have destroyed the enemy’s entire defensive system, whereas in fact it had only destroyed the outer perimeter…”. The same thing happens in politics, during the great economic crises” (Gramsci 1971:235)
Keane (1988a:33-6) suggests that the political dichotomy of left and right is not very helpful in sorting out this history and developing a modern and progressive understanding of civil society. In critical political economy, while we may find in Gramsci something of a useable tripartite model of state, civil society and economy, most of the Marxian tradition has tended to collapse civil society into bourgeois society, thereby dismissing it as the domain of ideology. And as the blueprint for the organization of society, the meshing of social life with the political life has not met with much historical success. Dahlgren (1995:126) states that in critical political economy of mass communication, the right today tries to equate civil society with the space where the private citizen can pursue his or her individualism, free from the interventionism of the state, thereby turning the concept into an argument for neo-liberal tradition, starting with Mill and de Tocqueville, have put politics before economic and appropriately warned that the state can abuse its power, engulf and smoother civil society, and undo the fragile progress towards democratizations.
In critical political economy of mass media Dahlgren (1995:128) states that civil society is thus created through various forms of self-constitution and self-mobilization. For Cohen and Aarato, civil society stands in a dialectical relationship to the political; the political role of civil society is seen not as aiming for the direct control of political power,… but to the generation of influence through the life of democratic associations and unconstrained discussion in the cultural public sphere. Ideally, civil society would function in a similar mediating way vis-Ã -vis economic society but, under capitalist relations, this vector is obviously less pronounced.
In critical political economy, civil society functions along side with the Neo-Marxist. Hence Dahlgren (1995:127) states that “the domain of civil society is characterized by legal frameworks to guarantee basic rights and to secure pluralism, publicity and privacy from the state, and, at least partially, from the economy. In this regard, they follow Gramsci’s three part model. Cohen and Arato’s orientation is towards the institutional aspects of civil society. In their views, civil society is institutionally composed chiefly of:
(i) The intimate sphere especially the family)
(ii) The sphere of associations (in particular, voluntary associations)
(iii) The many forms of public communication.
Strinati (1995) states that hegemony operates culturally and ideologically through the institutions of civil society which characterize mature liberal-democratic, capitalist societies. These institutions include education, the family, the church, the mass media, popular culture and so forth. Furthermore, civil society is the way Gramsci locates the place culture and ideology within societies, and hegemony is the way he tries to understand how they work.
Curran (1997) further argues that the watchdog perspective is commended for assuming that democracies need informed and participant citizens to manage their common affairs and believes that public debate is more likely to produce rational and just outcomes if it takes account of different views and interest, in some form of active self determination, reasoned debate and social inclusion.
Conclusively, it can be argued that civil society’s plays a salient role in critical political economy of media as public sphere through which the masses can discuss the issues that can influence the way they are govern by the elite. Again Gramsci (1971) ,views civil societies as having the responsibility for production, reproduction, and transformation of hegemony, while the state in responsible for the use of coercion. In Zimbabwe clear example for civil society groups such as MISA, MMPZ, WOZA, Doctors without Boarders, Zimbabwe Crisis and Coalition, Zimbabwe Federation of Trade Unions ZFTU and so forth, fight along side with the masses for social change. While some civil society’s are media oriented others are for human rights and democracy and they play a pivotal role in critical political economy of mass communication. The civil society fight for democracy and to reinforce strong social relations in the society. According to Gramsci (1971) civil society locates the place of culture and ideology within societies
References
Dahlgren P (1995) Television and the Public Sphere. British. Sage
Char lick R (2003) “Institutional Dynamics in Contemporary Mali- A study of the context for the impact of citizen advocacy world Education report, January 2003.
Norberto B (1988) Gramsci and the concept of civil society in Keane (ed) Democracy and civil society, Verso. London.
Downing J.D.H et al (2004) the Sage handbook of media studies. Sage. London
Hill.D; Class, the crisis of neo-liberal Global Capital, and the role of education and knowledge Workers. Saturday 28 march 2009 PDF
Strinati D (1995) An Introduction to theories of popular culture. Rout ledge. London
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