| Summary: | In recent years, a number of changes characterised the business management
environment nationally and internationally. These include global expansion of
business activities, business alliances and expanding business interests across
industries. Related changes also characterise the media environment. These
comprise (amongst others) technological changes; globalised business interests and
activities; increasing numbers of news events to be covered and increasing
competition to do so. South African media enterprises have not escaped these
changes. In fact, they face an additional challenge to adjust to changing political,
economic and social landscapes that characterise South Africa post-1 994.
Business owners and managers thus increasingly realise that people are among their
most important assets and resources, and that they should manage these resources
properly. However, traditional management approaches (also in the media) often
neglected this aspect, as management styles were autocratic and top-down.
Businesses are therefore now required to fit human resources management into a
paradigm that benefits both staff and the enterprise.
To achieve this, managers need expertise in six managerial competencies rooted in
general management theory. These are communication, planning and administration,
strategic action, teamwork, global awareness, and self-management. This study
aimed to measure the importance attached to and current implementation of these
competencies by first-line news managers in South Africa's mainstream media. This
was done among first-line news managers and reporters from a representative
sample of South African mainstream media titles.
Effect size analyses identified gaps between the importance and implementation for
all six competencies. In many cases, qualitative data from interviewees on higher
management levels of media enterprises confirmed these gaps. This implies that
human resources management in South Africa's mainstream media newsrooms is
currently neither effective nor efficient. The study concludes with a proposed newsroom management framework based on
the six managerial competencies measured. It is argued that implementation thereof
could improve human resources management in newsrooms. This, in turn, could
enable South African media enterprises to produce and distribute more professional
news products to the benefit of internal and external stakeholders. === Thesis (Ph.D. (Business Management))--North-West University, Potchefstroom Campus, 2006.
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