WESTERN MICHIGAN UNIVERSITY



Telecommunications Management - Com. 4480

Richard A. Gershon, Ph.D.

School of Communication

Western Michigan University

1903 West Michigan Ave.

Kalamazoo, MI 49008

Tel. (269) 387-3182 (Office)

Email: Richard.Gershon@wmich.edu

Web Site:

Telecommunications Management 4480: Course Description

The fields of media and telecommunications are at an historic crossroads in their evolution and development. Changes in technology, most notably the Internet and digital media arts, are changing many of our basic assumptions regarding information, news and entertainment content. This class examines the business strategy and management principles involving five sectors of the media and telecommunications field, including: Broadcast Television, Cable Television, Telephony, Satellite and Wireless Communication and the Internet & Electronic Commerce. The second part of this course examines a number of management and planning issues that are essential to the training of today's media and telecommunications professional. They include: 1) Strategic Planning, 2) Finance and Budgeting,

3) Marketing, 4) Leadership and 5) Innovation & Technology Management.

An important goal of this course is to understand the relationship and convergence patterns between

the broadcast, cable, telephone and Internet communication industries. It is incumbent upon today's manager to understand both the program software as well as the different delivery platforms. In my view, today’s student of telecommunications management needs to be equally conversant whether its negotiating intellectual property rights, understanding the technical parameters of Voice Over Internet Protocol or recognizing the business implications of satellite delivered radio and what it means to the principles of localism. This same student needs to understand that a communication satellite that transmits voice, data and video communication is equal to the task whether its televising the Olympic games from Beijing, China, facilitating an MP3 music file transfer via the Internet, or engaging in an electronic funds transfer on the London stock market. The main driving force behind such convergence is the digitalization of media and information technology. The 21st century promises a very different

set of industry players than was the case in past years. The future will allow for the full integration of voice data and video services and give new meaning to the term "programming."

Required Reading & Materials

• Richard A. Gershon, Telecommunications & Business Strategy (Taylor & Francis, New York: 2008)

• Jim Collins, Good to Great, (New York, NY: 2001, Harper-Collins).

• A complete set of Power Point slides covering weekly presentations will be available for purchase at

the university bookstore.

COURSE OUTLINE

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Class Meeting Times Reading Assignments

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Week 1. TELECOMMUNICATIONS ECONOMICS I.

Principles of Market Structure, Supply and Pricing

Gershon, Ch. 1. The Telecommunications Industry Structure

Elements of Market Structure

1. Seller Concentration

2. Product Differentiation

3. Barriers to Entry

4. Buyer Concentration

5. Demand Growth

Principles of Supply and Pricing

Three Factors that can Influence Supply

Time Management – Discussion

Week 2. TELECOMMUNICATIONS & STRATEGIC PLANNING I.

Gershon, Ch. 2.

What is Strategic Planning?

Environmental Scanning

SWOT Model

External Factors

Internal Factors

Understanding Core Competency

Organizational Culture

Total Quality Management and Six Sigma

Case Study: The Walt Disney Company

Professionalism in the Workplace I. – Discussion

Week 3. TELECOMMUNICATIONS & STRATEGIC PLANNING II.

Collins, Ch. 1

Strategy Formulation

Corporate Growth Strategies

Competitive Business Strategies

Mergers & Acquisitions Strategy

Strategy Implementation

Principles of Change Management

Reengineering Process

Evaluation and Control

Case Study: the AOL-Time Warner Merger

Professionalism in the Workplace II. – Discussion

WestCom Project Assignment – Project Instructions

End of Unit I.

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Week 4 EXAM I.

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Week 4. BROADCAST TELEVISION I.

Gershon, Ch. 3.

The Business of Broadcasting Collins, Ch. 2.

Demographic Considerations

The Broadcast Industry Structure Television Networks

Program Distributors

Network Affiliates

Independent Television Stations

Public Broadcasting

The Advertisers

Week 5. BROADCAST TELEVISION II.

Gershon, Ch. 11.

Broadcast Station Organization Collins, Ch. 3.

Sales

Programming

News Department

Engineering

Business

Responsibilities of the General Manager

Broadcast Program Strategies

Syndication

Audience Research

Broadcast Marketing and Sales

Case Study: Fox Television

Research Strategies – Discussion

Week 6. CABLE TELEVISION I. Gershon, Ch. 4.

Collins, Ch. 4.

The Cable Television Industry Structure

Cable Operator

Program Distributor

Cable Television Distribution Network

Hybrid-Fiber Coaxial (HFC) Network

Principle of Cable Networking

Cable Television Impact on Broadcast Television

Cable Television Franchise

The Franchise Renewal Process

What is Management – Discussion?

Week 7. CABLE TELEVISION II.

Gershon, Ch. 12.

Cable System Management Collins, Ch. 5.

Cable Television Programming

Basic and Expanded Cable

Marketing Cable and Enhanced Services

Pay Per View Television

High Speed Internet Access

High Definition Television

Cable Telephony

Case Studies: HBO and MTV

Customer Service

Finance and Budgeting – Discussion

End of Unit II.

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Week 8. EXAM II.

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Week 8. TELECOMMUNICATIONS ECONOMICS II.

Principles of Public Utilities Common Carriers and Information Carriage

Gershon, Ch. 5.

Public Utilities

Natural Monopolies

Cyclical Patterns of Services

Essential Services

Public Utilities: Rights and Responsibilities

Principle of Common Carrier Telephone Services

Telephone Communication and Competition

Telecommunications and Deregulation

Deregulation Paradox

Case Study: WorldCom

Management Ethics – Discussion

Week 9. TELEPHONY

Gershon, Ch. 6. & 13.

The Divestiture of AT&T Collins, Ch. 6.

The Telephone Industry Structure

Local Exchange Carriers

Telephony and Intelligent Networking

Basic v. Enhanced Information Services

Voice, DSL, VOIP and IPTV Services

Case Study: Verizon

Marketing – Discussion

Week 10 SATELLITE AND WIRELESS COMMUNICATION

Gershon, Ch. 7 & 8.

Satellite and Wireless Communication Carriers

General Categories of Service Requests

Billing and Customer Service Issues

Telephone Maintenance and Repair

Request for Small Business Consulting

Competitive Challenges in the Telephone Market

Telecommunications and Small Business Consulting

Case Study: Intelsat

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Week 10 WESTCom PROJECT ASSIGNMENTS DUE

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Week 10. THE INTERNET AND ELECTRONIC COMMERCE

Gershon, Ch. 9.

Electronic Commerce Collins, Ch. 7.

Business-to-Consumer

Providing Information (I-commerce )

Advertising and Marketing

Customer Support Services

Business-to-Business

Supply Chain Management.

Just-in-Time Manufacturing

Global Inventory Management

Enterprise Resource Planning

Case Study: Google

Decision-making and Risk – Discussion

Week 11. TRANSNATIONAL MEDIA & TELECOMMUNICATIONS

Gershon, Ch. 10.

What makes a Global Corporation Global? Collins, Ch. 8.

The Transnational Media Corporation

Five Reasons for Engaging in Foreign Direct Investment

Risks Associated with Foreign Direct Investment

Global Competition Issues

Global Outsourcing

Case Study: News Corp. Ltd.

Week 12. INNOVATION & TECHNOLOGY MANAGEMENT

Gershon, Ch. 15.

Three Kinds of Innovation Collins, Ch. 9.

Innovation and Product Life Cycle

The Innovator’s Dilemma

Innovation and Change Management

Case Studies: Apple Computer

Change Management – Discussion

End of Unit III.

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Week 13 EXAM III.

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