Outside the realm of interpersonal communication exists another form of communication, which involves communication with mass audiences

and hence the name mass communication; and the channels through which this kind of communication takes place are referred to as mass media. Both mass communication and mass media are generally considered synonymous for the sake of convenience. Mass communication is unique and different from interpersonal communication as evident from the following definition. Any mechanical device that multiplies messages and takes it to a large number of people simultaneously is called mass communication. The media through which messages are being transmitted include radio, TV, newspapers, magazines, films, records, tape recorders, video cassette recorders, etc and require large organizations and electronic devices to put across the message.

It is clear from the definition that mass communication is a special kind of communication in which the nature of the audience and the feedback is different from that of interpersonal communication. An examination of these components will help in understanding the nature of mass communication itself. Audience Whosoever is the recipient of mass media content constitutes its audience. For instance, individuals reading newspapers, watching a film in a theatre, listening to radio or watching television, are situations where audience is large, heterogeneous, and anonymous in character and physically separated from the communicator both in terms of space and time. A large audience means that the receivers are masses of people not assembled at a single place. It may come in different sizes depending upon the media through which the message is sent. For TV network programmes, for example, there could be millions of viewers, but only a few thousand readers for a book or a journal. By anonymous, we mean that the receivers of the messages tend to be strangers to one another and to the source of those messages. So with respect to the communicator, the message is addressed to whom it may concern. Also, the audience tends to be heterogeneous rather than homogeneous in the sense that messages are sent to people in all walks of life and person with unique characteristics.

Feedback As compared to interpersonal communication, feedback in mass media is slow and weak. It is not instantaneous or direct as in face-to-face exchange and is invariably delayed. Feedback in mass media is rather a cumulative response, which the source gets after a considerable gap of time. It is often expressed in quantitative terms: like circulation figures of newspapers and magazines, the popularity of a movie at box office, success of a book on the basis of its sales, or the findings of public opinion polls and on the basis of other feedback devices which are used to determine what is acceptable or unacceptable to different audiences. In all such cases, considerable time and money are required to process the feedback received from the audience. Therefore, delayed and expensive feedback is ingrained in mass media. Gate keeping This is again a characteristic unique to mass communication. The enormous scope of mass communication demands some control over the selection and editing of the messages that are constantly transmitted to the mass audience. Both individuals and organizations do gate keeping. Whether done by individuals or organizations, gate keeping involves setting certain standards and limitations that serve as guidelines for both content development and delivery of a mass communication message. Functions of Mass Communication: Mass communication has three basic functions:

To inform To entertain and To persuade

Additionally it also educates and helps in transmission of culture. To Inform: Dissemination of information is the primary function of the news media. Newspapers, radio and TV provide us news from around the world and keep us informed. Over the years the concept of news has changed. News media do not tell it like it is anymore. From mere describing the events, news media have come to include human interest, analysis and factorized treatment to news. Journalists are not just reporters now. They have become news analysts who discuss the implications of important news stories. Also more soft stories are filed these days. In addition to dissemination of information news media provide us information and also helps understand the news events, ideas, policy changes, etc. To Entertain:

The most common function of mass communication is entertainment. Radio, television and films are basically entertainment media. Even newspapers provide entertainment through comics, cartoons, features, cross word puzzles, word jumbles, etc. entertainment through radio consists of mainly music. Radio also provides entertainment through drama, talk shows, comedy, etc. Television has become primarily an entertainment medium. Even highly specialized channels like news channels, nature and wildlife channels also have a lot of humorous and comic content. Among all media, films are perhaps the only medium concentrating on entertainment. Except documentaries, educational films and art movies, all films are made to provide three hour of escape, fantasy and entertainment. To Persuade Most of mass media are used as vehicles of promotion and persuasion. Goods, services, ideas, persons, places, events-the range of things that are advertised through mass media is endless. Different media have different features and reach. Advertisers and advertising agencies analyze these features and depending upon the nature of the message and the target audience, choose where (in which media) and how (with what frequency) the message should be placed.

PR
In todays volatile market having a good public relations plan is more important than ever before. Todays consumers are more intelligent than ever but theyre also more skeptical of new advertising campaigns, products, and approaches. Its pretty safe to say that the average consumer has been burnt by an illegitimate company on some level at least once even if only insignificantly. People dont forget bad experiences. Public relations focus less on advertising and more on giving valuable information to the public usually without including a sales pitch. Its often much easier to educate an individual so that they recognise their own wants or needs rather than attempting to directly sell a product. In order for your public relations campaign to be successful you have to maintain a high level of credibility. This means either reaching out to the public on your own or partnering with a trusted third-party. You may want to make friends with a local news reporter willing to write articles or simply have your own marketing department write press releases. Other companies host public events either fun days or informational. All

of these things help to bring their name into the spotlight without actually advertising a specific product or service. Now, you cant launch a public relations campaign and then sit back to see what works and what doesnt. You have to carefully monitor every single aspect from events to simple clippings to find out which are drawing attention towards your organisation and which are not. Of the ones that are, youll want to determine if the attention is positive or negative and then take action to either enhance or correct the image you are portraying to the public. Public relations can be difficult, but it can also be fun. Theres nothing more rewarding than knowing that the people you reach are walking away with valuable information whether they choose to take immediate action or not. Youve left an imprint in their minds and theyll eventually react!

Advertisement
Answering what is advertising looks at the characteristics of this sales and marketing activity along with advantages and disadvantages as well as current trends that are changing how we advertise. To answer what is advertising can be done quite simply as follows: advertising is any activity which seeks to make others aware of something, i.e to publicize it. Outside of sales and marketing, the term advertise means to say or display any given fact to one or many others. For instance, a peacock will advertise its male prowess using its plumes and we advertise we are married by wearing rings. In its most basic form, advertising is simply to make a certain fact known and it does not have to be a promotional effort, although this is what the term has become synonymous withIn the world of organizational communications, advertising may be persuasive or informational and so the goal, once again, is not necessarily to convince others to act on the information you are providing. That being said, this is the aspect of advertising that I will focus on - this being a sales and marketing website! - and I will look at what is advertising in terms of its defining characteristics and goals as well as the advantages and disadvantages of advertising. I will also talk about trends in marketing and answer the question of whether advertising is really a dying form of communication. My goal in this discussion is to get you thinking about your own advertising strategy while keeping in mind the golden rule which is that a successful advertisement is one that captures your customer's attention!

TQM
The concept of quality has existed for many years, though its meaning has changed and evolved over time. In the early twentieth century, quality management meant inspecting products to ensure that they met specifications. In the 1940s, during World War II, quality became more statistical in nature. Statistical sampling techniques were used to evaluate quality, and quality control charts were used to monitor the production process. In the 1960s, with the help of so-called quality gurus, the concept took on a broader meaning. Quality began to be viewed as something that encompassed the entire organization, not only the production process. Since all functions were responsible for product quality and all shared the costs of poor quality, quality was seen as a concept that affected the entire organization. The meaning of quality for businesses changed dramatically in the late 1970s. Before then quality was still viewed as something that needed to be inspected and corrected. However, in the 1970s and 1980s many U.S. industries lost market share to foreign competition. In the auto industry, manufacturers such as Toyota and Honda became major players. In the consumer goods market, companies such as Toshiba and Sony led the way. These foreign competitors were producing lower-priced products with considerably higher quality. To survive, companies had to make major changes in their quality programs.Many hired consultants and instituted quality training programs for their employees. A new concept of quality was emerging. One result is that quality began to have a strategic meaning. Today, successful companies understand that quality provides a competitive advantage. They put the customer first and define quality as meeting or exceeding customer expectations. Since the 1970s, competition based on quality has grown in importance and has generated tremendous interest, concern, and enthusiasm. Companies in every line of business are focusing on improving quality in order to be more competitive. In many industries quality excellence has become a standard for doing business. Companies that do not meet this standard simply will not survive. As you will see later in the chapter, the importance of quality is demonstrated by national quality awards and quality certifications that are coveted by businesses. The term used for todays new concept of quality is total quality management or TQM. Figure 5-3 presents a timeline of the old and new concepts of quality. You can see that the old concept is reactive, designed to correct quality problems after they occur. The new concept is proactive, designed to build quality into the product and process design. Next, we look at the individuals who have shaped our understanding of quality.