Any student enrolled in Mumbai University’s three year holiday course with a degree certificate (also known to some as BMM), will be quite aware of the fact that a considerable portion of their marks depends on their projects. And projects are probably the factor that set undergraduate courses apart from the ‘memorize and vomit’ format to which students were hitherto accustomed. In other words, any student wishing to begin or continue a streak of good scores after taking up BMM needs to do more than just learning prescribed answers to stereotyped questions by heart (as is quite commonly the norm in CBSE schools). Therefore a list detailing some of the common errors made by earlier batches while executing their BMM projects has been compiled for the benefit of such students (and also of the indifferent majority comprising other varieties).

*Please do note that the list has been provided so that the errors can be avoided rather than repeated.

1. DO NOT PROCRASTINATE!

Start work from Day 1

Many have wondered about the best time to begin work on their projects in BMM. In such a situation it is wise to assume that the professor probably had a reason for assigning the projects so far in advance of the submission date (rather than imagining that these dates were decided through an elaborate process involving a calendar and darts) viz. that the project requires a considerable amount of research and therefore, considering that there’ll be other activities to keep students busy, it would be best to start it as soon as possible.

*Note: If not too busy flirting/daydreaming, it would be advisable to write down the project brief as the professor explains it.

2. YOU’RE NOT SUPERMAN/WONDER WOMAN!

In other words – don’t jump out of the window believing you can fly or believe that you’re capable enough to do the project without the help of your teammates.

Anyone who believes that the phrase ‘one-man team’ makes sense needs to re-appear for their Math and English papers before continuing the course. No matter how skilled an individual may be, a project by his/her so-called ‘inferiors’ who worked together as a group would, 9 times out of 10, be superior to a project done individually by him/her simply because of the value of brainstorming and pooling together the group’s collective experiences and strengths. Make sure the entire group is involved in EVERY aspect of a group project and meets regularly to evaluate progress.
*Remember: Too many chefs spoil the broth, but the chef alone can’t manage the entire kitchen.

3. DO NOT WAGE WAR!

Words many wish George W. Bush (among others) had paid heed to a few years ago.

However, in a more relevant context, do not believe your peers to be your enemies. It’s possible that there will be those who try to rise up by pulling others down, but there’s no reason to categorize all your peers that way. Be open, friendly and don’t hesitate to exchange information about your projects fearing they’ll steal your ideas. You may learn a lot from each others’ mistakes and your professors aren’t dumb that they won’t recognize a copy when they see one.

*Remember: One who needs to copy is one who is ill prepared. And a well prepared original is much better than a shoddily prepared copy (which is probably why nobody’s ready to pay $1 million for my version of the Mona Lisa).

4. DO NOT JUMP IN WITH GUNS BLAZING!

Max Payne could do that, but he had bullet time.

Before starting on a project, it is recommended that one view similar projects by the previous batches to see how things are done and more importantly, to get an idea of how the end product of their hard work (well… not always) turns out. It’s also important to chalk out a step by step strategy for the execution of the project. This makes it easy to keep working and to monitor one’s progress. Play devil’s advocate with your group members. Question each choice so that you’re ready with answers when others do.

5. DO NOT MAKE IT AN EGO BATTLE!

Just because your idea wasn’t selected for the project doesn’t mean you haven’t contributed anything to it.

One very often brings their ego into the equation while working on a project. If such is the case, then it is advisable to slap oneself on the face and remember that the project is more important. It is quite demoralizing when one’s ideas are not accepted/do not meet with approval. However, that’s no reason to squabble with one’s teammates.

*Remember: Professors don’t give you marks based on how many of your ideas made it to the hard copy. It’s not a call centre.

6. DO NOT MAKE A GROCERY LIST; DO NOT WRITE A 200 PAGE NOVEL!

Your marks do not depend on the weight of your hard copy. They depend on what’s within.

Your project hard copy needs to explain not only what you’ve accomplished in the course of the project, but also the thought process behind it. So make sure it contains all the information required, but don’t drown it a sea of words making it hard for the examiner to FIND the info.

7. DO NOT COPY+PASTE/CTRL+C, CTRL+V!

Wikipedia (and Google too) is great. We all know that. But chances are that if YOU could find it on Wikipedia, so can your professors.

While there’s no problem using Wikipedia as a source of information, do not make it the ONLY source of information, and DEFINITELY do not copy the content directly onto your soft copy. Learn to paraphrase the information. Understand it and write it down in your own words. Your project isn’t a means for your professor to unravel the mysteries of the world. It’s a way for YOU to learn more about the topic. Whenever you copy directly from a source, (not more than a 50-word paragraph… and that too occasionally) make sure you give them the credit for the information.

8. DO NOT UNDERESTIMATE THE POWER OF PRESENTATION!

A picture’s worth a thousand words, but don’t turn your hard copy into a graphic novel.

A well formatted, well presented copy will (and rightly so) always by awarded more marks than a less appealing project of the same merit. Spend some time making some snazzy visuals in Photoshop and learning to format your document in word.

9. DO NOT FUDGE FACTS!

Neither the American government (Mission Apollo) nor the head honchos at Satyam could get away with it. So the likelihood that you will isn’t very promising.

The term ‘fudging facts’ includes but is not limited to surveys where the college dog, your imaginary friend and the President of Czechoslovakia graciously agreed to fill in your questionnaire. You get half the day off (unlike engineering students) to give you ample time to work on your projects. So make sure you’ve actually done the work you claim to have done in your project.

Note: If you’re good at cooking stuff up, organize a charity bake sale and put it to some good use.

10. DO NOT STRATIFY YOUR TEAM!

Division of labor is smart; lack of communication between divisions is stupid.

While it’s necessary for the work in the project to be divided amongst the members based on their aptitude, every team member must still be well informed of what that others are up to. Just because someone does one job well doesn’t mean he/she’s completely useless elsewhere. Be open to inputs from other members but try not to step on their toes while providing feedback.

Remember: The professor can ask any of you about any segment of the project. He knows nothing of how the work was divided. (Also for an example on the consequences of a lack of communication between departments, examine any government in the world) 😉

Afterthought: -Probabilities of power cuts, printer failures, hard disk crashes, dogs/cows chewing up homework etc. tend to increase on the day before project submission. Make sure you have everything ready two days in advance. Professors tend to get cynical at times.

– Raghav Rao

One of the largest and most frequent stumbling blocks in a BMM student’s life is the perfidious, treacherous project presentation, which quite often ends up making one’s meticulously planned and executed (yeah right!! 😉 ) project look lackluster. Therefore, as an answer to the prayers of every BMM student who asked for a meteor shower on his/her college on the night before a presentation, a less destructive alternative solution has been made available.

The following article is a collation of SOME ways to boost your presentation skills and add pizzazz. (Last minute workers please note: If you’re reading this on the night before your presentation hoping it has some magic formula to help you ace tomorrow’s presentation, you’re better off praying for a meteor shower)

1. SEX! FREE!

Include an opening that grabs all eyeballs.

While it’s not always necessary to pander to the baser passions of people in choosing an opening statement for your presentation, it is necessary to make sure that the efficiently disbursed attention and dissipated energies of the entire audience are diverted to you at the start of the presentation.

Do remember, if you don’t get them to listen to you at the start of the presentation, they’re not very likely to listen to you at any other point either. Choose a relevant ice breaker like a simple levity, a quote from a famous personality (Confucius; he says, “When attribute words to wise man, nobody bothers much about meaning”), some pictures etc. to help the audience get acquainted with you.

2. BMM audience is…literate.

Don’t read out what’s on the slides to the audience. They don’t need you to do that. They need you to give them information that’s NOT on the slide.

Reading out the contents of the slideshow happens to be one of the major faux pas in presentations. Each slide should not contain more than five sentences divided among five bullet points. Each sentence should sum up a topic/sub topic in the sentence. The audience knows what you’re talking about when they see the topic on the slide. The rest of the information is supposed to come from the grey matter encased in your skull (so DON’T memorize the content…UNDERSTAND it!).

3. Whatever you do… DON’T look into the gorgon’s eyes!

Making eye contact with an acquaintance or a heckling member of the audience can often disconcert the presenter.

Non-verbal communication with people in the audience (even if only for an instant) is more than enough to break the presenter’s train of thought and make them fumble (giving a heckler from another group an excellent opportunity to score over you).

For those who aren’t very confident of coping with such distractive elements, there’s a simple way to go around it. While presenting, simply identify four members from each quadrant of the room and keep looking at the head of each one in turn (either clockwise or anti-clockwise). This way, it appears that you’re confidently making eye contact with the audience without actually having to do so. (The person whose head you’re staring at thinks you’re looking at the person behind them and this person in turn thinks you’re looking at the person in front ;-))

4. Like…uhhh… don’t…like… mess up the words dude!

Fillers are a no-no in any form of speech, leave alone presentations. Surrender the task of corrupting the language to the pros (Americans).

Most people are sure to have observed others using fillers (words/phrases like ‘like,’ ‘you know,’ ‘umm,’ ‘uhhh,’ ‘er,’ etc.) with astounding ease to wreck their presentations. The most common reason for this is because he/she’s talking faster than they can form the words in their brain. While this is not a problem that can be dealt with overnight, it’s not insuperable either.

One way to do this is to practice speaking with the fingers and thumb of one hand thrust into one’s mouth (make sure you wash the hand first… urghhh!). The impediment will help train your mouth to move slower while also improving your enunciation. (Please note that while presenting, one need not or rather, SHOULD NOT stuff anything into one’s mouth. That’s just for the training! Also… make sure you have some privacy while performing the exercise lest your parents summon the guys in white coats). Make a conscious effort to improve your vocabulary so that you can better express yourself.

5. Presentations are like a lady’s attire!

They’re appreciated if they’re short and tasteful instead of designer full length.

It would serve one well to remember that theirs isn’t the ONLY presentation that the lecturer/examiner has to evaluate. Therefore, the longer it is, the more likely you are to bore him/her into giving you a lower score than deserved. Don’t make your presentation exceed 10 slides (including the ‘goodbye’ and introduction slides) and adhere to the time limit at ALL costs. Don’t clutter the presentation with extra information or pictures/flashy effects. It is always advisable to include a few special effects and illustrations… but they’re only meant to enhance the quality of the presentation. Your knowledge about the topic being presented and your ability to present it outweigh them by far.

6. Speech is spelt S-P-E-E-C-H; Presentation is spelt P-R-E-S-E-N-T-A-T-I-O-N!
Another difference between the two is that a presentation is interactive.

It is extremely important to involve your audience while delivering a presentation. It helps them feel more significant than the brick wall you COULD have been addressing. Also, it revives your audience’s attention momentarily. Prepare some short and simple closed ended/trick questions for the audience to answer (that are relevant to the topic of the presentation). Illustrate your point with examples and anecdotes if possible.

7. Move your body on the dance floor; stay put at the podium

Body language is one of the most important aspects of a presentation.

A word to the wise – if given a choice between using a podium and NOT using one… choose the latter. It displays confidence. And while one might do an awesome tap dance at parties, it’s not too appealing during a presentation. Shuffling/shifting from one foot to another, wringing one’s hands, scrunching up one’s eyes, and so on are dead giveaways of nervousness. It is recommended that one ask their friends to point out body language flaws or find out for themselves by practicing in front of a mirror.

You can’t fool anyone into believing you’re confident if you don’t LOOK the part. (Take for example UN’s pathetic attempt to convince people that the Himalayan glaciers would melt by 2010). The movements you make should be limited to the odd gesture to emphasize certain points.

8. School is over, but do your homework!

All the above points are of no use to anyone who doesn’t really know much about the topic.

There’s not much use in adding pizzazz to your presentation if you aren’t well versed with the matter of the project. The professor/evaluator isn’t going to be impressed by pedestrian theatrics if the content is mediocre. Make sure you understand the topic well and are also aware of the latest relevant developments (they’re sure to crop up in the Q&A session).

Miscellaneous Tips

• Make sure that your attire is appropriate for the presentation (Tube tops, 3/4ths, Pajamas and the like are NOT usually considered appropriate).
• Don’t be afraid to innovate. Break the bonds of convention. Lend a theme to your presentation or bring a pre-existing theme to life through props/role playing, and so on (but make sure you have the professor’s permission first).
• Practice as many times as possible. Have the slides ready at least 48 hours in advance. We’re serious!
• BE ON TIME! Set a hundred alarms if you have to… but make sure that you’re at the venue well in time to make a good impression or to avoid making a bad one (whatever works for you).

– Raghav Rao

If you are new to BMM (or if you just want to see if you’re on the right track in terms of subjects!), then Gyan helps you know what exactly BMM has for you. We take you through the semester-wise syllabus of the three year course and provide some information on colleges that offer the course. Also, get set for exams by checking out the list of reference books!

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S.Y.B.M.M Semester IV

1. MASS MEDIA RESEARCH

• Introduction to Research Concepts
  • Scientific research and its basic principles, empiricism, verifiability, generalization
    • Quantitative vs. qualitative idea
  • Role of research in the media
    • Commercial vs. academic research
    • Administrative v. cultural research
    • Research related to media institutions, media message and media audiences
  • Research Approaches or designs
    • Experiment
    • Survey
    • Case study
    • Comparison
    • Longitudinal research
    • Observational study
    • Content analysis
  • Data collection techniques
    • Questionnaire
    • Interview
    • Schedule
    • Different types of observation techniques
  • Sampling techniques
  • Measurement and scaling
  • Basic statistical technique – deviation, correlation analysis
• Introduction to Mass Media Research
  • Research in media messages – content analysis and semiotic analysis
• Content Analysis
  • Definition and uses
  • Quantitative and qualitative approach
  • Steps in content analysis
  • Devising means of a quantification system
  • Limitations of content analysis
• Introduction to Semiology
• Research in media audience and the ‘effects’ debate
  • Magic bullet to limited effects
  • Users and gratification model
  • Cultivation analysis
  • Audience reception

2. UNDERSTANDING CINEMA

• A discussion of early narrative cinema
• A discussion of Soviet cinema
• Lecture with clips on Hollywood studio system
• Discussion and screening of early Indian cinema and the development of studio system in India
• A discussion of Italian neorealism
• A discussion of parallel cinema movement
• A discussion of Hate’s films
• A discussion of Japanese cinema
• A screening of Kurosawa’s films
• A discussion of classical narrative technique
• A discussion of East
• European comic-political cinema
• A discussion on the Star system and the Hindi formula film
• A discussion on independent film-making in Hollywood
• A discussion of Indian global cinema
• Screening of Mohsen makhmalbaf or Abbas Kiarostamis recent films along with the discussion of contemporary cinema
• A visit to a shoot in film city
• Lecture demonstration on technical aspects of the film

3. ORGANISATIONAL BEHAVIOUR

• The Organizational Environment Model
  • Organization environments
  • Organization as systems
  • Formal organization : design and structure
  • Division of labor and task independence
  • Specialization of work
  • Distribution of authority
• Organizational Culture
  • Sources of organizational culture
  • Types of organizational culture
  • Manifestation of organizational culture
  • Managing organization culture
  • Organizational sub-culture
• Organizational Socialization
  • Learning how to adapt to work
  • Early socialization influences
  • Preliminary work socialization
  • Organizational socialization
  • Work force diversity, gender, ethnic, and community issues
• Motivation

a) Motivation results model

b) Theories of motivation

• • Need theories
    • Two factor theory
    • Job design approach
    • Achievement power theory
  • Process theories
    • Reinforcement theory
    • Expectancy theory
    • Equity theory
    • Goal setting theory
• Application of motivation theories
  • Job enrichment
  • Self directed work group
  • Job rotation and cross training
  • Learner management structures
  • Total quality management
  • Positive reinforcement programme
  • Productivity gain sharing approaches
• Groups in Organization and Group Dynamics
  • Issues of conformity, social facilitation
  • Risky shift and polarization
  • Group cohesion and consequences
  • Cooperation and competition
  • Conditions fostering cooperation and competition
• Decision making
  • Characteristics of decision making process
  • Ideal vs. actual decision making
  • Advantages and disadvantages
  • Group thinking
  • Decision making in networked organization
• Concept of team work and its effectiveness
• Stress
  • Sources of stress; work and non work factors
  • Stress and coping
    • Objective environment
    • Psychological environment
    • Individual differences
    • Stress manifestations coping strategies

4. RADIO AND TELEVISION

Radio:

A)

• Radio Language
• Script writing for news
• Documentary, feature, drama, speech, skit, soap opera
• Special audience programmes
• Voice presentations
• Announcing
• Compeering
• Adlibbing
• Interviewing
• Narrating
• Conversation
• News reading

• Programme policies and services
• Critical analysis of radio programme
• Radio forums and clubs
• Audience research

B)

• Radio programme production techniques
• Sound studios and transmission facilities
• Reverberation and echo
• Various types of microphones
• Tape recorders and playback machines
• Recording
• Sound mixing
• Editing

Television:

• Scripting for various kinds of programmes on television
  • Documentaries and features
  • Entertainment programmes
  • Online programmes
  • Educational programmes
• Models of presentations
• Programme research
• Planning
• Budgeting and scheduling
• Indoor and outdoor shooting
• Video production
  • Introduction to video camera techniques
  • Audio techniques
  • Television studio operations
  • Lighting
  • Live programme production
  • Role and functions of studio personnel
  • Graphics
  • Special effects
  • Editing
• Programme evaluation
• Identifying and researching topics
• Writing programme proposals
• Marketing

5. ADVANCED COMPUTERS

• Desktop publishing
• Advanced desktop publishing
• Computer animation
• Web Page designing

6. PHOTOGRAPHY AND PRINT PRODUCTION

• Basic Principles of Photography
  • Properties of light, electromagnetic spectrum, reflection, transmission, refraction and polarization of light. Different type of light sources and their properties
  • Controlling light, pinhole camera, concave and convex lenses and mirrors, real and virtual image formation
  • Photosensitive material, Image formation, latent image development as fixing
• Camera
  • Mechanism of aperture, shutter, camera body, view finder, lenses, transport
  • Classification of camera and their relative comparison
  • Camera operation, exposure light tables
• Basic Photography
  • Various parts of the camera
  • Loading and shooting on black and white film
  • Effect of aperture
  • Effect of shutter speed
  • Using flash light
  • Use of camera accessories
  • Care and maintenance of camera equipment
• Colour Photography
  • Introduction to colour film
  • Chemistry of colour development and enlargement
  • Contact and projection printing
  • Colour and light, basic principles of colour sensitivity, colour temperature, colour reversal film, colour negative film
  • Light and lighting, outdoor, night and indoor lighting
  • Colour development
• Print Production
  • Major landmarks in history and development of print technology
  • Basic print process
  • Print machines and image carriers, letter press, offset, silk screen, digital print
  • DTP
  • Future trends in print technology
  • Exercise for handling typical jobs

T.Y.B.M.M. ADVERTISING Semester VI

1. 1. ADVERTISING AND MARKETING RESEARCH

• Fundamental Marketing Research Skills:
  • Research techniques
  • Sampling methods
  • Research Design
  • Steps in the Research Process
  • Questionnaire Development
  • Report writing
  • Data analysis
• Product research
  • New product research
  • Product specifications
  • Branding research
  • Pricing research
  • Packaging research
  • Product testing
  • Comparison tests
  • Analysis of trends, competition
  • Searching for and analyzing the competitive advantages
  • Advertising Content Analysis
• Copy research
  • Objectives and product appeals
  • Creative strategy research
  • Message element selection
  • Consumer attitude and usage studies
  • Concept testing
  • Name testing
  • Slogan testing
• Copy testing – different measures and methods
  • Few association tests
  • Direct questioning
  • Direct mail tests
  • Statement – comparison tests
  • Qualitative interviews
  • Focus groups moderating
  • Motivational research
  • Rating Scales
  • Steps
  • Importance
• The strengths and weaknesses of different qualitative methods used to help inspire ideas
• Criteria of validity sensitivity, stability, reproducibility, predictability.
• Test results as aid to creative judgment
• Pretesting
  • Pretesting objectives
  • Variables evaluated markets, consumers’ motives, messages, media
• Print Pretesting
• Broadcast Pretesting
  • Trailer tests
  • Theatre tests
  • Live telecast tests
  • Clutter tests
  • Television storyboard Pretesting
  • Radio commercial pretesting
• Projective techniques
  • Consumer jury
  • Matched samples
  • Word Association
  • Completion
  • Consultation
• Challenges to pretesting e.g. The Halo Effect
• Data interpretation and presentations
• Physiological rating scales
  • Pupil metric devices
  • Eye-movement camera
  • Galvanometer
  • Voice pitch analysis
  • Brain pattern analysis
• Post testing
  • Measuring advertising effectiveness
  • Attitude change
  • Recognition test
  • Aided recall
  • Unaided recall
  • Sales tests
  • Inquiry tests
  • Measurements of perception, communication, influence
  • Customer satisfaction research
  • Using qualitative research in advertising

2. LEGAL ENVIRONMENT AND ADVERTISING ETHICS

• Advertising and the law
  • Need for self regulation
  • Introduction to MRTP act
  • Introduction to ASCI and AAAI code of conduct
  • The standard contract between the agency and the advertiser
  • Self regulation by individual agencies
  • Drug and cosmetics act
  • Drugs and magic remedies (objectionable advertisement) act
  • Copyright act
  • Pharmacy act
  • Prize and competition act
  • Emblems and names (prevention of improper use) act
  • Obscenity act
• Ethical Issues in advertising
  • Puffery
  • Taste in advertising general guidelines
  • Advertising directed at cultural and religious minorities
  • Advertising to children
  • Use of women in advertising
  • Portraying minorities and women in ‘traditional’ roles and occupations
  • Depiction of old people
  • Stereotyping ethnic and racial
  • Advertising controversial products; alcohol. Tobacco, contraceptives
  • Manipulation of research in advertising
• Deceptive and Unfair trade Practices
  • False promises
  • Incomplete description
  • False comparisons
  • Misleading comparisons
  • Bait-and-switch offers
  • Visual distortions
  • False testimonials
  • Partial disclosures
  • Small print clarification
• Case studies of select ads that violate legal and ethical concerns
• Consumer guidance and concerns
  • Consumer protection act 1986
  • Essential commodity act
  • Standard of weights and measures act
  • Packaged commodities act
  • Prevention of food adulteration act
  • AGMARK, ISI
  • Role of PDS and consumer co-operatives
• Consumer forums
  • CGSI, CFBP, CERC, Grahak Panchayats
• Social criticism of advertising
  • Increasing the prevalence of materialism
  • Creating artificial needs
  • Idealizing the ‘good life’ stressing conformity with others
  • Encouraging instant gratification and a throwaway society
  • Promoting the good of the individual over the good of the society
  • Creating unrealistic ‘ideal’ characterizations
  • Using appeals that prey on feelings of inadequacy
• Social responsibilities of Advertising

Advertising as a molder of thought, opinion and values

• Critique of advertising
  • A study of Vance Packard
  • A study of Jean Kilbourne

3. FINANCIAL MANAGEMENT FOR MARKETING AND ADVERTIZING

• Costing of decision making
  • Costing classification and allocation
  • Nature of cost
  • Historical and future costs
  • Cost classification in manufacturing firms
  • Cost concepts for planning and control (relevant costs)
• Cost-volume profit analysis and operating leverage
  • Break-even analysis
  • Operative leverage
  • Use of cost-volume-profit for decision-making
• Profit Planning: A Budgetary approach
  • Meaning and purpose of budgeting
• Financial Management
  • Financial management and goals
  • Objectives
  • Functions and scope
  • Evolution
  • Interface with other functional area
• Time value of money
  • Why money has time value
  • Basic concepts
  • Risk and returns
• Fundamentals of capital budgeting
  • The capital budgeting process
  • Evaluation techniques
  • Net present value
  • Internal rate of return
• Financial statement analysis
  • P/L, A/c, B/s, vertical analysis
  • Radio analysis
  • Time series analysis
• Estimation of working capital needs
  • Objectives of working capital needs
  • Factors offering composition of working capital
  • Operating cycle approach to working capital
• Sources of long term finance
  • Equity capital
  • Preference capital
  • Debenture capital
  • Term loans
  • Deferred credit
  • Government subsidies
  • Leasing and hire purchases

4. AGENCY MANAGEMENT

• Objectives:
• To expose students to the business of advertising.
• To familiarize students with the different aspects of running an ad agency.
  • 1. Account management : Structure of an ad agency, functions of different departments, types of ad agency
  • Role of account planning
  • Account planning systems
  • Attributes of a good Account Planner
• 2. Client servicing
  • Characteristics of services
  • 7 P’s of services
  • Gap Model
  • Stages in client-agency relationship
  • Issues in client servicing
  • Understanding the clients business, key success factors, business mode
  • Key success factors
  • Business model
  • Understanding client behavior
  • Understanding communication tasks
  • Conflict resolution accountability
  • Negotiation process
• 3. Marketing plan of the client
  • Understanding client’s marketing strategy
  • Outlining Marketing problem/opportunity
  • Marketing objectives as stated by the client
    • Profit objective
    • Sales and market share objective
    • Setting advertising objective
  • STP
  • Constraints on strategy formulation and implementation
  • Setting evaluation criteria
• 4. Agency Finances
  • Sources of income
  • Expenditure heads of an agency
  • Modern systems of financial planning followed by leading agency
• Setting objectives
  • Profit objectives
  • Sales and market share objectives
  • Setting the overall advertising and promotion budget
  • Setting evaluation criteria
• 5. Client’s evaluation of the agency
• Areas of evaluation
  • Expertise
  • Objectivity
  • Dedication
  • Staffing and Management
• 6. Setting up an Agency
  • Nature of agency business
  • Stages in setting up a new business
    • Concept development
    • Environmental scanning
    • Market feasibility
    • Financial feasibility
    • Making a business plan
  • 7. Growing the Agency
    • Agency Business Management
    • New Business Development
      • CRM ( Customer relationship management)
      • Digital advertising
    • Growth with existing clients
    • Growth with new clients
    • Speculative Pitches
  • 8. Sales Promotion Management
    • Importance and role in marketing
    • Promotional objectives
    • Profit objectives
    • Market share objectives
    • Trade, retail and consumer promotion
    • Consumer Franchise-building versus Non franchise-Building Promotion
    • Consumer Sales Promotion tools
      • POP materials
      • Samples
      • Coupons
      • Trade promotions
      • Rebates
      • Premiums
      • Combination offers
      • Contests
      • Sweepstakes
      • games
    • Trade Sales Promotion tools
      • POP
      • Trade Allowances
      • Sales training program
      • Sales shows
      • Sponsorships and Event Marketing
    • Measuring the effectiveness of Promotional Tools

    5. THE PRINCIPLES AND PRACTICE OF DIRECT MARKETING

    • Definition and importance of direct marketing
    • Economics of direct marketing
    • Increasingly important role in IMC mix
    • Understanding the DM business
      • Database marketing
      • Relationship marketing
      • Interactive marketing
      • How does marketing vary from other form of marketing
      • Strengths of direct marketing
      • Weakness of direct marketing
      • Stand-alone marketing channel or part of a multi-media strategy
      • Relationship to the total marketing mix
    • Direct marketing strategies
      • Customer level databases and lists and how they are used to profile, segment and prospect (for new) customers
      • Sources and uses of/for ‘electronic’ data
      • Database marketing on the internet
      • Setting up a database for database marketing
      • Steps in developing a database
      • Managing the database
      • Creating for DM making the message personnel
    • Direct marketing concepts
      • Lifetime value of the customer (LVC)
      • List selection, prospecting
      • Market segmentation
      • Mail order, lead generation, circulation, relationship/loyalty programs, store traffic/site traffic generations
      • Fund raising, pre-selling (cross selling as well as selling-up) and post selling
    • Various direct marketing methods and media
      • Person to person selling
      • Group selling
      • Direct mail
      • Direct response television
      • Direct response print advertising
      • Catalogs
      • Internet
      • Telemarketing
      • Inserts
      • Videos
      • E-mail
      • Trade shows
      • How traditional media support direct marketing efforts
      • Public relations
    • Future of direct marketing
      • Global direct marketing: the current state and future
      • Barriers preventing more extensive use of database marketing, ethical in DM
    • Consumer’s relationship management
      • The importance of CRM
      • Studying the customer mix and managing the key customers

    6. CONTEMPORARY ISSUES

    • Environmental issues
      • World without borders
      • Global warming, economic and environmental impact
      • Resource use and sustainability
      • Environmental degradation, ozone depletion, pollution, deforestation
    • Universal human Rights- Universal Declaration(1949);Declaration of the right to development(1986);Examining the concept of ‘universal’ human rights and the individual context
    • Self-determination- Issues of secession; issues of state and antistate violence
    • Population, consumption and sustainability
    • Emancipatory movements
      • Trade union
      • Peasants movements (with global vision)
      • Environmental movements Chipko; Rachel Carson’s silent spirit; `72-UN summit on environment
      • Women’s movement
      • Homosexual rights
      • The development debate, anti large dam movements, rehabilitation, development choices, people’s involvement
      • Tribal movements
    • State of Polity
      • Decline of law
      • Corruption
      • Nexus between crime and politics
      • Political apathy
      • Authoritarianism by democratic governments
    • Positive discriminations and reservations
    • Communalism
    • Issues of accountability
      • Corporate Bhopal gas tragedy
      • Government accountability

T.Y.B.M.M. JOURNALISM semester VI

1. PRESS LAWS AND ETHICS

• Introduction to Law
  • Constitutional law
  • Statutory law
  • Judgment law
  • Substantial and adjectival law
• The Press as the forth estate
• The role of law in regulating journalism-the debate of a libertarian and socially responsible press.
• Need for an autonomous regulatory body
  • Press Council of India – the rationale and vision behind the establishment of the PCI
  • Its structure, functions, history
  • Powers – the debate over punitive powers
  • Dual role in ensuring freedom of the press and regulating it
  • PCI code of conduct for journalists
  • Major cases handled by the PCI
  • Pertinent research reports of the PCI for example on monopoly etc.
• Laws related to freedom of the Press – 19 (1) (a), ‘reasonable restrictions’ 19 (2) and other constraints:
  • Defamation
  • Public order
  • Contempt of court
  • Contempt of parliament
  • Sedition
  • Obscenity, indecent representation of women act
• Laws related to information access
  • Right to information
  • Examining the right to know vs. the right to privacy
• Censorship-the Press during the Emergency and Publication of Objectionable Matters Act.
• Indirect means of censorship Press and Page Act; targeting the Press through the tax laws and other laws, Monopolies and Restrictive Trade Practices Act.
• Official Secrets Act
• Indian Evidence Act – real, oral, documentary, primary and secondary evidence
• Confidentiality of sources – the absence of a shield law in India; discussion of the American law
• Laws related to journalism as a business
  • Working journalists act
  • Press and registration of books act
• Copyright
• Ethics
  • Examining the differences between ethics, morals and code of conduct
  • Institutional PR ethics; practitioner and personal ethics
  • Search for standards – guiding principles, situational ethics
• Issue of balance on reporting Crime, Disasters, Conflict, – communal riots or other violence
• Advertiser influence
• Objectivity
• Conflict of interest
• Ownership
• Frankery and fabricating news
• Deception, misrepresentation
• Using shock value in visuals and language
• Seduction-Freebies, perks, travel and stay accommodations
• Ethics in Investigative Journalism
  • Checkbook journalism
  • Confidentiality of sources
  • Issues of consent, using ‘off the record’ material
  • Repercussions of the story on sources’ lives and on the publication itself

2. NICHE JOURNALISM

• Financial Journalism

• • Basic knowledge of the finance system in India; gathering, distribution and allocation of revenue vis-à-vis the central and state governments; finance and planning commission
  • Central and state budgets; budget-making exercise, how to read a budget, concept of zero-budget, importance of public accounts committee
  • Introduction to tax laws, FERA, Industrial Relations Acts, Companies act
  • Sources of news of business, finance and industry governments, chambers of commerce and industries, corporate, trading and industrial executives, share markets, commodities markets, money market
  • Analysis of decisions, company reports and statements, AGMs
  • Satellite network and new trends in business journalism; new information technology; commercial database, ethics in business reporting, business journalism, servant or watchdog; concept of social audit
  • Introduction to major industries, electronics heavy engineering, chemical, steel, cement, power, bio-technology, agro-industries, service and agriculture; their role in the economy
  • Covering stock markets, commodity markets, company meetings, industrial production, exports, imports, financial companies, foreign capital investment, investigating the innumerable tie-up agreements with foreign countries, poor infrastructure development bureaucracy and business tie ups

• Environment

• • Print and broadcast media dealing with the issue
  • How environment is covered in the mainstream press
  • The need for specialize reporting on the are

• Cultural Journalism

• • An introduction to the developments and current trends in:
    • Visual arts
    • Dance
    • Drama
    • Music

• Magazines for women

• • Writing for women’s magazines. A diverse market
  • The difference between ‘serious’ and other women’s magazines
  • Manushi case study
  • What mainstream ‘women’s magazines’ cover and their projection of women

3. BROADCAST AND JOURNALISM

• History of the development of radio journalism; BBC as a case study; radio boom to current decline; current developments with FM and independent radio channels; the underdevelopment if radio with the coming of TV
• The potential of radio as a broadcast medium internationally and nationally; examining radio audiences in the region (AIR’s reach and popularity) and in the nation.
• Radio and news formats-the spot, the report, feature, documentary, docudrama, talk show, interview
• Writing for the radio
• Skills of speaking over the radio as a reporter, presenter, interviewing, narration, conversation; Outside broadcasts and radio conferencing
• Principles of sound and production techniques in radio journalism
• History and development of TV journalism internationally and in India
• TV journalism-local, regional national and international; exploring the potential of the local cable news network; studying CNN as a case study.
• TV news in regional languages- reach, popularity, special coverage
• TV journalism formats; evolution and popularity of new forms in TV; the long feature or documentary, the panel discussion and its functions, the news talk show.
• Scripting news for TV
• Principles of video camera use
• Skills of anchoring or presenting- voicing and delivery, on camera delivery
• Videotape editing
• Examining Broadcast journalism and allegations of ‘dumping down’ of news as a whole; impact on print journalism
• Understanding the power of the image and therefore the ethical considerations of broadcast coverage in times of conflict and disaster stories

4. NEWS MEDIA MANAGEMENT

• News media as a business enterprise
  • Types of ownership
  • Proprietary concerns
• Organizational structure
  • Hierarchy
  • Decision making
  • Inter-relationship between departments
• Financial Management
  • Cost and profitability
    • Costing classification and allocation
    • Nature of cost
    • Factors affecting cost
    • Fixed and variable costs
  • Financial statement analysis
    • P/L,A/s, B/s (vertical analysis)
• Resource and supply chain
  • Newsprint
  • Technology
  • Production process
• Managing resource
  • Advertising revenue building and maintenance
  • Circulation revenue
  • Ways to cut cost and boost revenue
• Marking techniques
  • Brand building
  • Public relations
    • Newspaper’s relation to its community
    • Understanding the target audience
    • Building goodwill
    • Promoting the newspaper’s/site’s services
    • Sales promotional activities
  • Role of research and readership surveys
  • Sales of forecasting and planning
  • Advertising the newspaper/website/channel
• Human Resource Development
• Newspaper management and challenges of liberalization
  • FDI
  • Foreign media entry
• Legal aspects of launching a publication/ site/ channel
  • Press and registration of books act
  • Relevant aspects of company law
• Case studies of successful news media- their proprietors, organizational structure, factors for success

5. INTERNET AND ISSUES IN THE GLOBAL MEDIA

• Global journalism
  • Agents of global journalism – internet, international news agencies, international broadcasting
• Internet journalism
  • Journalism in ‘real time’
  • Interactivity
  • Global problem of global audiences
  • Democrasting communication vertical to horizontal communication
• Reporting and editing for the net
  • Difference between newspaper writing and writing for the net
  • Brevity and providing appropriate links
  • Special interest writing on the net
• Developing your own website
  • Target audience
  • Content and services developing
• Internet design
• Issues of authenticity, propaganda and regressive communication on the net; lack/failure of regulatory laws
• Access to primary documents of government and international agencies; global platform for activist groups
• International news flow
  • The global news agencies
  • Growing global monopolies and their impact on news
  • NWICO, Mac Bridge report
  • Non-aligned news agencies and their downfall
• Politics of representation of the ‘third world’ in international press
  • Political or ideological bias
  • Cultural bias
• International reporting
• Reporting international politics, international relations
  • International conflict Bosnia
  • Disasters
  • Poverty Ethiopian Famine
  • Reporting national events internationally
• Challenges to international journalism
  • Problems of ‘parachute journalism’
  • The need for depth research
  • Operating in hostile conditions
• International law and the role of western media in defining human rights, and rethinking the concepts of human rights from a third world media perspective
• Asian region and the need for greater connectivity
  • Focus on agencies in Asia
  • Case study of Japan which has the greatest rate of news diffusion world wide
  • China and state control of news
  • India – mixed pattern

6. CONTEMPORARY ISSUES

• Environmental issues
  • World without borders
  • Global warming, economic and environmental impact
  • Resource use and sustainability
  • Environmental degradation, ozone depletion, pollution, deforestation
• Universal human Rights- Universal Declaration(1949);Declaration of the right to development(1986);Examining the concept of ‘universal’ human rights and the individual context
• Self-determination- Issues of secession; issues of state and anti state violence
• Population, consumption and sustainability
• Emancipatory movements
  • Trade union
  • Peasants movements (with global vision)
  • Environmental movements Chipko; Rachel Carson’s silent spirit; `72-UN summit on environment
  • Women’s movement
  • Homosexual rights
  • The development debate, anti large dam movements, rehabilitation, development choices, people’s involvement
  • Tribal movements
• State of Polity
  • Decline of law
  • Corruption
  • Nexus between crime and politics
  • Political apathy
  • Authoritarianism by democratic governments
• Positive discriminations and reservations
• Communalism
• Issues of accountability
  • Corporate Bhopal gas tragedy
  • Government accountability

CampusBoxer – The Power-charged BMMBox College Ambassador

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Okay, I’m ready, what next?

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Select the year and semester (and specialization for 3rd year) to get a peek on the list of reference books!

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