Media Company Placement - Case Study Example

Media company placement Name Institution Course Instructor Date Diary Posting Entry 1 Chinese Media Company is an organization situated in Sydney, Australia. It’s a small media company whose main objective is to advertise restaurants, beauty shops, business services, health centres and travel agencies mostly to the Chinese people living in Australia. This company aims at linking the Chinese people to various places where they can meet their needs. On this particular period, introductions were made to the company’s management and other staff. I was also directed on how the company carried out its operations on a daily basis. Lessons on how to post advertisement material and responding to the many customers were also provided. This marked my first day at the Chinese Media Company. Entry 2 Having worked for this company for a period of two weeks, I had ample skills on advertisement of various restaurants, health centres and travel agencies. I particularly introduced a new Chinese restaurant being opened at Sydney. This restaurant prepared Chinese traditional meals only. Many customers found this restaurant appealing as it met almost all their specifications. However, I faced challenges at some point when customers asked about food prices in this hotel which I had no idea about. I had to either hold them on line as I enquired or ask them to call or write to us later. Customers are the most important stakeholders in any organization and putting their interests above everything else is very vital (Prideaux, Moscardo, & Laws, 2006, p.29) Most of these customers felt not catered and only a small percentage of them called back to enquire. Entry 3 During this period, I joined the research group in collecting information about travel agencies. The customers wanted to know the safest, fastest and the most cost effective method of travelling around Australia and other parts. As part of the research team, I called all these travel agencies and enquired on their time schedule, cost and the routes they took. This information was posted on the company’s website and customers actually found it helpful especially those who were new in Australia. Customers always want to ensure that their money is put into good use and this is what staff at Chinese Media Company always strives to achieve. These staff goes an extra mile to a point of asking customers what they really want and ensure that is what they deliver. Entry 4 On my placement this week, I attended a conference hosted by company to train staff and other interested members of the public on the importance of a good media and media laws. It was discussed that one ought to choose a good media that meets all his or her needs. Since the opening of Chinese Media Company, the number of people subscribing to its newsletter and those responding on their website has increased tremendously. This is a positive sign that this company knows its customers, their needs and what has to be done to meet these needs. Media laws are rules or guidelines set aside by the media corporation to safeguard the rights of the media houses and of the public. According to Keller (2009, p. 38), the public has to be protected as these are the people who provide vital information on various advertisement topics. Their identity ought to be kept secret unless those individuals state otherwise. Entry 5 During this week, quite a number of female customers wanted to be directed the best beauty skincare shops. I therefore posted these advertisements on the company’s website. I observed that, most of these female were suffering from different skin ailments and I decided to study these ailments and their causes. My research concluded that these customers used certain skin products that reacted with their skin. Some of them had little or no knowledge on the type of their skin and what beauty products to use. They therefore purchased these products from vendors who also could not advise them since they lacked knowledge too. After my well analyzed research I decided to post articles on some beauty products and their side effects. I also encouraged our readers to visit physicians and have their skin type analyzed to determine the skin products to purchase. This was an added knowledge besides my course work and I was glad that Chinese Media Company provided this learning platform. Entry 6 During this week, I collected current local News around Sydney which was to be posted on our website. This included News about the local government, new businesses being opened and job opportunities. The number of people visiting our website was large and this served as a good channel of passing information on local trends. News all the way from China was also shared on this web site. My placement at this company had taught me great skills on research and problem solving. I addressed issues being raised by the people without necessarily pushing it to the management. Our customers were satisfied on how well I handled issues without having to hold them on line as was the case before. Since the organization had only six people working there, I trained myself to undertake research activities alone while the rest of the staff did other jobs. My research was always satisfactory and very detailed. Entry 7 This being the last week of my placement, I spent it finalizing everything. I finished up with some data collection I was undertaking on a new restaurant and forwarded this information to the editorial team. I also crossed-check all the activities I had been doing during my placement to ensure that they were in line with my course work. I realized that I had actually done more than what the placement required. My communication skills were way better than when I joined Chinese Media Company. I was in a position to address customers and other clients appropriately, handle them with respect and actually calm down the angry ones. Not every customer who read our web site or who called our offices was happy, however the company had undertaken training on its staff on how to handle such customers. Working at Chinese Media Company was a good decision I made as it gave me an opportunity to perfect on my media skills as well as life skills. Part 2 The industrial placement is an essential part of the student’s learning. It provides a chance to many students who wish to gain more practical experience to supplement their course at the university. My placement was at the Chinese Media Company. This is company situated in Sydney and its main role is to provide the Chinese people with information ranging from local News, business services, beauty products to sharing travel experiences to Chinese. Skills and knowledge acquired During my placement, I was involved in activities that shaped both my discipline and knowledge skills. I worked under minimum supervision and brought positive findings on time. With dedication to the work and love for the media job, I was also in a position to meet sharp deadlines. My schoolwork was a theoretical form of what was happening in the real world and my placement ensured that I incorporated my schoolwork in what the company entrusted mi to do. Research and problem solving are also skills that one going through the company must learn. I took advantage of the act that the company had less staff to do activities on my own. The supervisor assigned me my daily activities which I undertook alone. Problem solving is also a skill that every individual ought to learn as it helps maintain peace at the workplace (Taylor, Lashman & Helling, 1994, p. 4) The way we react when faced with challenges or difficult issues says more than enough about us. Chinese Media Company had already realized this ad it undertook to train its employees on methods of handling challenges. Rude customers who visited the company’s web site were also handled appropriately without making them feel that they were actually on the wrong side. For business entity to succeed, then it must be in a position to communicate well with all the stakeholders involved. Customers need to be talked to nicely and with utmost respect. Responses to their enquiries should also be done immediately. This is a sure way of ensuring that loyal customers are kept and maintained. My placement taught me how to be friendly to customers, send response emails to them immediately and to post any relevant information to them. This ensured that all customers were satisfied by meeting all their needs. I also learnt how to communicate well with my fellow staff and work together for the success of the company. According to Williams (1997, p. 9), for effective communication the parties involved should take turns in communicating. With good communication skills, we are able to interact with all people both at the working places and in our private social lives. The media provides a platform for the company to connect with the public in person. When collecting information, journalists engage themselves with the people’s lives. They have to ensure that the public entrusts them with vital information. They also have to keep the person’s identity unknown unless stated otherwise by the individual (Keller, 2009, p. 38). To do this, they have to be part of the public, do what they do and engage in the activities they undertake. Chinese Media Company enhanced this by inviting the public to attend their conferences on certain trainings. The company also participated in social developments around Sydney as a way of showing social responsibility to the community. Challenges faced Working at the media hose poses many challenges. For instance, Chinese Media Company is a small company with very few employees. This increased the workload as an individual had to undertake different tasks to ensure that all activities were carried out at the end of the day. Though working alone on a project enhanced development of personal skills, to some point this was a challenge when one completed a task only to start another one immediately. With the increasing number of clients visiting the company’s web site, some of them could not be catered for as the limited number of staff was busy. Lack of adequate information was also another challenge. Clients posting on the company’s website needed information some of which I lacked knowledge of. For instance, some customers needed to know of the best restaurant in town which prepared a specific meal and being new at the company I was not in a position to answer such customers. My attempts to enquire from fellow employees always failed because most of them were busy and none was actually available for consultations. Collecting information from the public was also a challenge as some people treat journalist with great suspicion. Though some people deliver information after persuasion, some of them decide not to talk at all. Journalists also have to travel from place to place but with inadequate capital they cannot do this effectively (Tekwani, 2008, p. 2). Methodology To identify myself with the activities and operations of the company, I used the following methods to learn. a) Participation With this method, I acquired knowledge on the new Chinese restaurants around Sydney. Through participation, I was also in a position to share my travel experiences with other staff who posted this information on their web site. b) Observation Observation is another method I used to study the company. This method was used to study some of the activities going on at the editorial office. This is the group that collected data from the staff and edited this information ready for posting. c) Discussion This method involved holding small discussions in the company to handle any challenge we faced at the company or in the field. During these discussions we also shared our experiences in the field and our achievements too. Possible measures were also discussed to curb the challenges we faced. Conclusion In conclusion, it is evident that undertaking placement in organizations is very healthy to a student. Through these placements, students gain more knowledge and practical skills which cannot be taught in schools. Students are also taught on ways of handling challenges at the work place. All this is done with the sole purpose of exposing the student to the corporate world while at the same time preparing these students for their future jobs. Universities should encourage all students to undergo these placements. References Keller, P, (2009), Liberal democracy and the new media, Oxford, Oxford University Press. Prideaux, B, Moscardo, G, & Laws, E, (2006), Managing Tourism and Hospitality Services Theory and International Applications, Wallingford, CAB International. Taylor, J, C, Lashman, R, & Helling, P, (1994), Practical problem-solving skills in the workplace, New York, American Management Association. Tekwani, S. (2008). Media & conflict reporting in Asia. Singapore, Asian Media Information and Communication Centre (AMIC). Williams, D, (1997), Communication skills in practice: a practical guide for health professionals.,London, J, Kingsley Publishers Read More

Their identity ought to be kept secret unless those individuals state otherwise. Entry 5 During this week, quite a number of female customers wanted to be directed the best beauty skincare shops. I therefore posted these advertisements on the company’s website. I observed that, most of these female were suffering from different skin ailments and I decided to study these ailments and their causes. My research concluded that these customers used certain skin products that reacted with their skin.

Some of them had little or no knowledge on the type of their skin and what beauty products to use. They therefore purchased these products from vendors who also could not advise them since they lacked knowledge too. After my well analyzed research I decided to post articles on some beauty products and their side effects. I also encouraged our readers to visit physicians and have their skin type analyzed to determine the skin products to purchase. This was an added knowledge besides my course work and I was glad that Chinese Media Company provided this learning platform.

Entry 6 During this week, I collected current local News around Sydney which was to be posted on our website. This included News about the local government, new businesses being opened and job opportunities. The number of people visiting our website was large and this served as a good channel of passing information on local trends. News all the way from China was also shared on this web site. My placement at this company had taught me great skills on research and problem solving. I addressed issues being raised by the people without necessarily pushing it to the management.

Our customers were satisfied on how well I handled issues without having to hold them on line as was the case before. Since the organization had only six people working there, I trained myself to undertake research activities alone while the rest of the staff did other jobs. My research was always satisfactory and very detailed. Entry 7 This being the last week of my placement, I spent it finalizing everything. I finished up with some data collection I was undertaking on a new restaurant and forwarded this information to the editorial team.

I also crossed-check all the activities I had been doing during my placement to ensure that they were in line with my course work. I realized that I had actually done more than what the placement required. My communication skills were way better than when I joined Chinese Media Company. I was in a position to address customers and other clients appropriately, handle them with respect and actually calm down the angry ones. Not every customer who read our web site or who called our offices was happy, however the company had undertaken training on its staff on how to handle such customers.

Working at Chinese Media Company was a good decision I made as it gave me an opportunity to perfect on my media skills as well as life skills. Part 2 The industrial placement is an essential part of the student’s learning. It provides a chance to many students who wish to gain more practical experience to supplement their course at the university. My placement was at the Chinese Media Company. This is company situated in Sydney and its main role is to provide the Chinese people with information ranging from local News, business services, beauty products to sharing travel experiences to Chinese.

Skills and knowledge acquired During my placement, I was involved in activities that shaped both my discipline and knowledge skills. I worked under minimum supervision and brought positive findings on time. With dedication to the work and love for the media job, I was also in a position to meet sharp deadlines. My schoolwork was a theoretical form of what was happening in the real world and my placement ensured that I incorporated my schoolwork in what the company entrusted mi to do. Research and problem solving are also skills that one going through the company must learn.

I took advantage of the act that the company had less staff to do activities on my own.

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