The management and economics of cross-border media communication. A study of the transnational relations between market structures and media management

• Applicant: Professor Dr. Klaus-Dieter Altmeppen
• Subject Area: Communication Sciences
• Term: from 2015 to 2019
• Project identifier: Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft (DFG) - Project number 265446483

The proposed project deals with economics and management aspects of cross-border media communication. The focus is on structural modalities of cross-border economic activities in terms of market structures and the management strategies of media companies. The analysis is based on a model integrating media markets and media companies.Structural relations between the procurement and distribution of media products and between management structures and the media organizations will be analyzed from an international comparative perspective. Three analysis will be combined: In a market analysis (1) we will measure the import and export of media products. An organizational analysis (2) will uncover the structures of media companies, while a management analysis (3) will focus on their strategies and operations. The country sample includes the U.S., the UK, Spain, Germany, Switzerland, the Netherlands and Austria, as well as one emerging market (Brazil, India, or China).We assume recursive relationships between market structures and management strategies. Thus, in a first step we will analyze the volumes of cross -border trade in media products in the procurement and the sales markets of information and entertainment. Based on this data we will, in a second step, analyze how media companies pan (strategy) and execute (structure) their cross-border transactions. In doing so common patterns of cross-border transactions should emerge.The project investigates different products (information vs. entertainment) on different markets (proximity vs. distance both economically and culturally) and different cross-border activities (inter -, trans- , multi- national, global activities). This allows us to answer the following questions: What is the volume and intensity of cross-border transactions in the sampled countries? Which market structures enable or constrain these transactions between countries? What are the preferred strategies of media companies in this context? How do they shape their cross-border activities in terms of strategies and objectives? How do media companies respond to structural changes in this context? Why do the companies engage in cross-border activities? And, what is the role of the media manager in these processes?

• DFG Programme: Research Grants
• International Connection: Austria, Switzerland
• Partner Organisation: Fonds zur Förderung der wissenschaftlichen Forschung (FWF); Schweizerischer Nationalfonds (SNF)
• Co-Investigators: Professor Dr. Matthias Karmasin; Professor Dr. M. Bjørn von Rimscha