CHAPTER 1 INTRODUCTION

Introduction
The press, as a technological invention or as a political medium, plays a major role in the definition of the reality for the individual as well as for a nation. The newspaper press rises to a powerful institution in the development of civilization; it is the medium for exchange of ideas and it facilitates the time-and space-binding activities of the society. The first printing press was imported into Bombay as early as 1670 by the Parsi business man, Bhimjee Parikh; it was more than a 100 years before the first newspaper was printed. India has emerged as the second largest market for newspapers in the world with a daily circulation of 88.9 million copies. Kerala has a rate of newspaper readership that is among the highest in the world and plenty of never-ending political arguments. In Kerala, there are approximately 1576 newspapers in circulation! Among these, only a few newspapers are widely circulated with a good number of readers. The major newspapers in Kerala include Malayala Manorama, Mathrubhumi, Kerala Kaumudi, Madhyamam, and Deshabhimani This organization study is intended to analyze comprehensively and understand thoroughly the various departments, services and functions of MADHYAMAM DAILY, Thiruvananthapuram in order to gain more knowledge regarding all aspects of business. The study was conducted in MADHYAMAM DAILY, Thiruvananthapuram.

1.1 Objectives of the Study

To gain practical knowledge. To study the structure and functions of various departments. To familiarize with the organizational environment. To understand the organizational structure.

 To find out the strengths, weaknesses, opportunities and threats of the organization. To study its financial position, HR policies, process and training involved in the organization.

1.2 Methodology
Methodology of the study involves the collection of primary data as well as secondary data. Primary Data Primary data involves direct interviews with the managers, office staffs and workers. Secondary Data Secondary data includes internal records which comprise company records, newspaper articles, and all other reference materials available during the period of study.

1.3 Scope of the Study

The study is mainly based on the details collected from each department. It provides a better understanding in each department i.e. production, marketing, finance and human resource management. Each and every activity of the company are carefully with the data available. Apart from that, I gained knowledge of the functioning of different departments and their interrelationship with each other. To familiarize with the industrial and organizational environment. To understand the actual working condition.

1.4 Limitations
The time was limited for an in depth study of the organization. The departmental personnel were busy with their jobs; it was difficult to collect information from all of them at the required time. There may be errors due to the bias of the respondents. However efforts are made to minimize the bias.

1.5 Chapterisation
CHAPTER I: gives an introduction to the study. This chapter includes statement of the problem, scope and objectives of the study, research methodology and limitations of the study. CHAPTER II: deals with the profile of news paper industry. CHAPTER III: deals with the history and profile of Madhyamam-where this work has been carried out and the product line of the company. CHAPTER IV: it gives an outline of the organization structure and overall administration and departmental details of Madhyamam. This chapter discusses the structure, Duties and responsibilities of each department of Madhyamam. The purpose of this chapter is to give a good picture of the company bureaucracy. CHAPTER V: it gives an objective wise analysis of the company. It gives the SWOT (Strength-Weaknesses-Opportunities-Threat) analysis, PESTLE analysis and Porters Five Forces Model of the company. CHAPTER VI: deals with the Findings, Conclusion and suggestions of the study.

CHAPTER 2 INDUSTRY PROFILE

Newspaper
A serial publication, which contains news on concurrent events of special or general interest. The individual parts are listed chronologically or numerically and appear usually at least once a week. Newspapers usually have a master head rather than a cover and are normally larger than A3 (297mm*420mm) in size.(International Organization for standardization). Its a Brave New World for the publishing industry as it attempts to keep pace with the arrival of digital age. An industry that began in the 15th century Germany with Johannes Gutenbergs printing of the Bible is now grappling with electronic book imprints, digital article achieves, and online versions of publications. The worlds one trillion industry includes publishers and printers of newspapers, books, magazines and other materials. Newspapers remain the biggest segment of the publishing world, accounting for nearly 40 percent of the industrys revenue. Traditional newspapers, like all traditional publications, are entering a new era. Most conventional newspapers boast online content on their own websites or those of partners. Thats undercut their core products. Why someone subscribe to a newspaper when the articles are easily accessible online yet some insiders even foresee personalized news services in which customers will subscribe to writings by particular journalists. In some ways the publishing and journalism landscape is strangely unchanged. A free press remains the backbone of our government. Books, newspapers, and periodicals continue to entertain, educate and bring to us the news we need to be informed as citizens. They are an outlet for critical thinking-informed and otherwise. Daily newspaper circulation has been decreasing for about a decade. At the root of troubles, people like pictures and sound better than newsprint. In an era of short attention spans, why slog through a newspaper article, magazines, or heaven forbid, a

book when you can get your news and entertainment from TV, radio or the internet with the press of a button. Mass-market book publishing resides in a decreasing number of corporations; some of them part of giant worldwide entertainment conglomerates. Each of them publishes under many imprints, the publishing worlds term for brands. Publishing houses connected to universities perform academic and scholarly publishing. There is also a huge market for technical books for almost all occupations, from bricklayers to software engineers. The history of newspaper is an often-dramatic chapter of the human experience going back some centuries. In Renaissance Europe handwritten newsletters circulated privately among merchants. Passing along information about everything from wars and economic conditions to social customs and human interest features. The first printed forerunners of the newspaper appeared in Germany during the late 1400s in the form of the newspapers or broadsides, often highly sensationalized in content. Some of the most famous of these report the atrocities against the Germans in Transylvania perpetrated by a sadist Veovod named Vlad Tsepes Drakul, who became the Count Dracula of later folklore. In the English-speaking world, the earliest predecessors of the newspaper were curator, small news pamphlets produced only when some event worthy of notice occurred. The first successfully published title was the Weekly News of 1622. It was followed in the 1640s and 1650s by a plethora of different titles in the similar news book format. The first true newspaper was the London Gazette of 1666. For a generation it was the only officially sanctioned newspaper though many periodical titles were in print by the centurys end. The newspaper as we know today is a product borne of necessity invention the middle class democracy free enterprise and professional standards. Choose your historical marker to begin the history of newspapers. Pre-history newspapers were one-to-one in nature. The earliest variation on a newspaper was a daily sheet published in 59 BC in Rome called Acta Diurnal (Daily Events), which Julius Caesar ordered posted throughout the city. The earliest known 7

printed newspaper was in Beijing in 748. In 1451, Johannes Gutenberg used a press to print an old German poem and two years later prints a 42-line bible, the significance being the mass production of print products ushering in an era of newspapers magazines and books. By 1500, the genesis of postal system can be seen in France while book publishing becomes popular throughout Europe and the first paper mill can be found (England). Zeitung (newspaper) is a news report published in Germany in 1502, while Trewe Encounter becomes the earliest known English-language newssheet in 1513. Germanys Avisa Relation order Zeitung in 1609, is the first regularly published newspaper in Europe. Forty-four years after the first newspaper in England the Oxford Gazette is published, utilizing double column for the first time; the Oxford/London Gazette is considered as the first true newspaper. The first North America newspaper public occurrence both foreign and domestic was published in 1690 in Boston. The 1700s was a century in which market elements were created that encouraged the development of daily newspapers; rising literacy, the formation of nation-states a developing postal system, the proliferation of urban centers a rising literacy and philosophical tradition emphasizing democratic involvement in government and technologies that supported newspaper production. In short, it was a great news century. The first daily newspaper was the daily courant in London, 1702. In 1754 the daily advertiser in London uses the first four column format. Frances first daily newspaper appears in 1777, journal de Paris while the first United States daily was the Pennsylvania packet in 174. The rise of the middle class transformed newspapers in the 1800s. A penny (USD 0.01) buys a New York newspaper in 1833, opening up he first mass market for newspapers. In 1847, the telegraph is used a business tool transforming far away stories. In1873, an illustrated daily newspaper can be seen in New York. In 1878 the first full-page newspaper advertisements appear, and 1880 the first photographs are seen in newspapers using halftones. With basic technical Groundwork for the modern newspaper in place by the late 19th century, the story of the newspaper in 20th century was about professional development and adaptation to changing consumer and media markets. The story also involved an evolving business model that rode an ever-growing wave of mass-market advertising, increased profitability and higher revenues attracted publicly owned corporations interested in buying newspapers from descendants of company founders, while simultaneously exposing newspapers to the whims of cash and profit8

hungry stock markets. By 2000, newspapers were juggling priorities; fragmentation of news consumption, fragmentation of advertisement investments, the advantages and disadvantages of being a mass medium balancing the wants of the marketplace with the Companys duty to provide the needs of the marketplace, a journalistic backlash against industry changes the sheer physicality if ink-on-paper production and distribution versus digital distribution increasing profit pressure surrounding the core print products and extending of the companys core brand into other profit centers.

Journalism As circulation numbers become increasingly important in todays tight market, even the most prestigious news publications are being accused of pandering to popular taste. Breaking from the legendary editorial tradition of choosing worthwhile topics in spite of general appeal, online journals and print publications alike are differing to the number in setting layout, content and tone standards like easy-to-swallow strategy. Peppered with brightly colored photos and information in graph form, and sold in coin boxes designed to look like TV sets, etc. The Holy Grail of journalism is objectivity. But achieving that Holy Grail doesnt win readers. These days, many organizations are opting for a more confrontational style of journalism. Pseudo-journalists spin the news to support their political agendas-not to mention engaging in vicious name-calling. Even ostensibly higher-minded sources of journalism seem to be loosing the struggle to maintain their objectivity. Many top news sources are subsidiaries of giant companies with all sorts of other subsidiary businesses they did like to protect from negative publicity. These days many consider news sources such as Fox news to be mouthpieces for the federal governments agenda. Some stagy sources of journalism like the Washington post are being called out for publishing editorials that come practically word-for-word from the mouth of presidential representatives like Hillary Clinton. Between pop journalism and proto-propaganda, there may be less room than ever in the industry for journalists who objectively go after hard-news stories.

Job Prospects 9

Publishing is one of the bright and shining career options for humanities majors and people who love to read, think, and discuss their ideas, but it will continue to be one of the most difficult professions to break into. An internship or apprenticeship is often the best idea for recent grads. Seasoned reporters concede that whatever ones education, on-the-job experience is where most skills are cultivated. The diversification of the media giants has had interesting repercussions on the job market, as recently as 16 years ago. If we began life as a print reporter, we did not generally end up in TV or book publishing. If we covered hard news stories, we did not moonlight in PR and other promotional copy. The mix is much more fluid now. And although a few old school journalists decry these developments, they make your job prospectus more interesting than they once would have been. Massive mergers, consolidations, decreased circulation and lower advertising revenues have marked publishing recently. Those going to work at newspapers and magazines will find the job opportunities rising and falling with advertising revenues. And increasingly newspapers and magazines are managing costs by hiring reporters, writers and editors on a freelance basis. Magazines and Books This is a multi-billion dollar industry that expands each year, with top publishers. Niche publications focusing on health, nutrition, travel, golf and such are a growing presence; too they have been thriving for the past 20 years and are salted for even more impressive growth. The major difference between newspapers and periodicals on one hand and books on the other is that advertising supports the former. That means that their content and their production are influenced by interests of big advertisers, though editorial staffs wage a ceaseless war for independence from the dictates of advertising departments with publishers playing arbiters. Book publishing is a little different. Sales do not mean bringing in advertisers; it means securing deals with distributors like Ingram, with huge chains and web merchandisers like Amazon.com. Profit margins in the book business are extremely tight. In recent decades, publishers response to this fact was to focus on developing and then marketing the heck out of 10

books they considered best sellers. Thus the spate of books by celebrities and the rapidfire publication of books by established best-selling authors. In more recent times, more and more in the book business have been diversifying their operations to broaden their sources of revenue and protect themselves from down turns in their core business. Book publishers are moving into book distribution and printing. Printers are moving into book publishing. So booksellers are indeed, Barnes & Noble, a behemoth bookseller, purchased sterling publishing and then began publishing and selling books under its own imprints & wasnt the first in the book business to make this kind of move, and it wont be the last. Online Information This is an ever-expanding universe. A quick browse on web will produce a spectrum of publications, including encyclopedias, political web logs, interactive newspapers, and even novels. The rapid dissemination rate global reach of this medium exceed those of traditional medias with the added benefit that websites can be easily updated. But revenues generated by advertisements, subscriptions, and e-commerce partnerships, long-term profitability is yet to be determined. The biggest players are well-established publications that support an online presence, such as the wall street journal interactive edition and focused content-based sites such as CNET. Web Logs and Journalism Web logs, blogs, for short are kind of online diary, in which the author or logger writes regular postings about what ever interests him or her, often including hyperlinks to other web pages with information about the topic at hand. Web logs have changed journalism. They have broken a number of major stories because of their looser standards about attributing information than reputable print and other media require. Theyve kept other stories on the front runner that might have fizzles out for lack of attention. A number of top columnists are keeping bogs; in addition to writing regular articles. Theres no doubt that blogs get the news in front of readers in a hurry and are proliferating. Consolidation

11

At the same time as the Web is making it easier for unique journalistic voices to be heard, the companies at the top of the heap in the industry are getting ever larger. Often this M&A activity is accompanied by a lowering of costs (read: layoffs) so be aware that in publishing, as in most any other industry these days, there are very few jobs whose future is 100 percent secure. The Future of Newspaper The research project Online-the future of newspapers? examined the producers, their products and users of German online newspapers. The study on online editorial boards was carried out in the form of standardized mail surveys of all 81 daily newspapers with a www presence in May 1997 (return Quote:78%). A questionnaire for the users was placed in the web, where it could be accessed via links to the homepage of 27 online papers (2624 respondents). IN addition five individual websites of newspapers were examined (semi-structured interviews with the heads of the editorial boards) almost half of the staff in online editorial board have journalistic duties: Technical duties are of growing importance. The majority of online editorial boards surveyed depend on the editorial decision of print editors. The news section in online papers consists mainly of duplicates of the printed parent paper. Articles for the online versions are rarely edited. Very few external links and no graphic or sound effect were added. About twothirds of users would have chosen the print newspaper and just under a third would have preferred the online version if only one of the versions had been available. The case studies show that online use or design their product accordingly. The new information and communication technologies have been discussed as both and opportunity and a risk from the point of view of the traditional established media. As a form of computer-aided communication, the World Wide Web (www) is equally ambivalent for the print media. Its technical greatly surpasses that of the printed newspapers in a number of ways. www has the advantage of being interactive, multimedia of providing internal and external networks and offering selection functions, the possibility of regular updates access to archives a rapid access to a large number of newspapers, and being paperless, thus creating no problems of waste disposal. One advantage left to newsprint is that reading does not require any sophisticated cumbersome technical equipment. This offers the reader a high level of 12

flexibility newsprint can basically be read in any place at any time, the readers can absorb the information offered at this own pace. Even act that the reader can touch and feel the printed paper while turning the pages may be of some importance. On the one hand, www presents a threat to the traditional distribution system; on the other hand it gives publishing houses the opportunity to offer up-to-date information, advertisement and additional services via a further communication channel. Historical Background of Newspapers in India Indian journalism on modern lives began in 1780 at Calcutta with the publication of Bengal Gazette by J.A. Hicky in England. This was followed by a number of periodicals in English; mostly for the benefit of English people in India. Vernacular journalism was slow on the uptake. Nevertheless, a number of periodicals, most of them short lived appeared in India, during the latter half of 19th century. Most of the vernacular journals owned their origin to the national consciousness awakened by the revolution of 1857 against British rule in India. Naturally the tone and the temper displaced the British administration. The result was Vernacular Press Act, 1878 which strictly controlled Indian papers. With the growth of national movement, drastic press legislation followed one another such as the Newspaper Incitement Indian State Act, 1922, Official Secrets Act, 1923 and Indian States Protection Act, 1934 .During the Second World War, when administrators wanted the cooperation of Indian people, a gentlemans agreement was concluded between the government and the press, which resulted in the Press Advisory Committee at the entire states. This gave press a consultative status. Before partition, Lahore was the hub of print media and almost all the newspapers of the United Punjab were published from there. After the holocaust partition, the press shifted to Jalander and stated afresh with limited means. When India became independent, there was no longer any antagonism between the government and the people. The press was free to play an entirely new role. In March 1947, the government appointed a Press Laws Enquiry Committee as a result of which the urbanism provision of cooperation between the government and the press was inaugurated. Newspaper was published from all the states and Union territories except from Arunachal Pradesh and Lakshadweep. UP, claimed the top position with 3879 newspaper/ periodicals published from the states. 13

The Indian print media consists of 36 centenarians. Newspapers were brought out in 93 languages and dialects. Apart from the sixteen principle languages, the highest circulated newspaper Yomini Shim bun founded in 1874 of Japan attained a figure of 14474573 on April 1, 1988. This has been achieved by totaling the figures of editors published in various centers with a morning circulation of 5017984. The bulkiest or the largest newspaper is the New York Times. Sunday edition dates in 1965 which had around 946 pages. Newspapers in 1990 are an interesting thing to watch. It is filled with information that ranges from cryogenic to cattle feeding, biotechnology to ladies fashion to suit people in all walks of life. Newspapers have played an important role in public affairs throughout the world, whether it is in USA or in India or anywhere. Newspapers help citizen of these countries to know what is going on in their country and in rest of the world as well. The growing electronic media is catching the importance of newspaper. With the advent of satellite televisions the world has contracted to our fingertips. Even then the newspapers role will not be much changed. It will continue as a societys primary instrument for mass communication. In India, newspapers are published in about 100 regional languages and dialects other than Hindi and English. Over the years, the number of dailies has steadily increased. Their number increased to 5638 in 2001 from 5364 in the previous year, i.e. by 5.11 per cent. The total circulation of daily newspaper was 5, 78, 44,236 in 2001. In 2001, The Hindu, an English daily, published from Chennai became the largest circulated single edition daily with claimed circulation of 9,37,222 followed by Hindustan times, English Daily, published from Delhi with a circulation of 9,09,278. Anand Bazar Patrika, a Bengali daily, came third, whereas The Times of India, English daily, was fourth. With such a huge number of newspapers and such enormous circulation, the supply chain model for the newspaper industry is a challenge in itself. Moreover, due to the perishable nature of the product, its distribution needs all the more importance.

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A newspaper industry consists of five major functional areas namely editorial, advertising, production, administration, and circulation. Editorial supplies the raw material, which is transformed to the finished product through printing. The marketing function is performed by advertising and management is done by administration. The key area of sales of the product is dealt by circulation. The distribution channel plays an important role in newspaper industry. Newspapers are those goods which are perishable to both the manufacturer and the customer. Newspaper companies cannot print the news sections of the newspaper in advance because of the requirement that news be timely. Additionally, with the increase in commuting times, especially in the large, metropolitan markets, later delivery is also not entertained. Therefore, newspaper production or distribution is the problem of distributing highly perishable products under severe time constraints. The newspaper industry is becoming very competitive with the national players competing with the regional players. Newspaper is a perishable commodity and in order to cater to needs of the customer in various geographical locations, a newspaper has to publish from various locations. This helps in achieving a strategic fit between the supply chain and customer needs. The consumers are primarily looking for a national newspaper giving regional news as well. Consumers also demand faster response because of the perishable nature of the product. In order to economize on the costs of the supply chain, the newspaper needs to have regional publication units with both national and regional news varieties in the same newspaper. As has been shown by various studies, newspaper readers do not want to spend more on reading a newspaper. Thus an economy of scale is very important factor for a newspaper. Newspaper should achieve a critical mass of customers to achieve economies of scale. The main drivers of supply chain are inventory, transportation facilities, and information. Newspapers are very important in many ways. They give us lots of information about various matters at various levels that are available anywhere. Though magazines and 15

books also give lots of information, the scope of the news there is limited to a few selected topics. Television and internet connections while provide news faster than the newspapers, it cannot have the width, breadth and depth of the newspapers and do not provide the comfort of the repeated references at our leisure and comfort apart from harming our eyes because of the glare and being the source of health hazards because of radiations. Indian Press, Current Scenario Since independence many favorable factors have contributed to the growth of the Indian Press propitious circumstances have put the newspaper on a firm footing and given birth to more newspapers to cater to the needs of and ever increasing reading public. The annual report of the registration of newspapers for India 1965 revealed a total number of newspapers and periodicals as 8161, there were 514 dailies and 7647 other periodicals, which includes weeklies and monthlies. The Indian language newspapers vary greatly in resources make-up and circulation and range from half demy sheets to 8 pages dailies. The English language press in India is still very influential, but the Indian language papers are steadily gaining ground and the long term out look is in their favour. The Indian press depends heavily upon the news agencies as source for foreign news. Only the large paper have foreign correspondents, the most striking feature of the Indian press in short is the very high proportion of foreign it contains as average of 2.5% of all non advertising space for Indian language newspapers and 22% of English language papers. The press was thus is in a; unique position, probably in no other country is foreign news given such an importance to national and local coverage. This tendency is slowly changing. Newspaper Business in Kerala

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Kerala has a rate of newspaper readership that is among the highest in the world. In Kerala, there are approximately 1576 newspapers in circulation! Among these, only a few newspapers are widely circulated with a good number of readers. Other Important Malayalam Newspapers Malayala Manorama: First appeared on 14th March 1890, as a weekly, currently has a readership of over 15 million, with a circulation base of over 7.4 million copies.Manorama is Kerala's largest selling and most widely read newspaper. Mathrubhumi: The first copy of Mathrubhumi went to press on 18th of March 1923. Mathrubhumi

today is the second most circulated newspaper in Kerala. It is published from Calicut, Thiruvananthapuram, Kottayam, Ernakulam, Thrissur, Kannur, Palakkad, Malappuram and Kollam besides from Chennai, Bangalore, Mumbai and New Delhi It has a circulation of over 13 lakhs and its readership is around 75 lakhs. Deshabhimani: A Malayalam newspaper run by the Communist Party of India (Marxist). Started as a weekly in 1942 and converted to a daily in 1946. Deshabhimani now has six different editions: Kozhikode, Kochi, Thiruvananthapuram, Kannur, Kottayam and Trichur.

Kerala Kaumudi:

17

popular

Malayalam

newspaper,

founded

in

1911.

Published

from

Thiruvananthapuram, Kollam, Alappuzha, Kochi, Kozhikode, Kannur in Kerala and Bangalore, Kerala Kaumudi is the fourth most circulated Malayalam daily. The paper has online editions in Malayalam and English that are updated twice daily. Deepika: One of the oldest newspapers published in India. The first issue came out on 1887 April 15. Deepika publishes editions from Kottayam, Kochi, Kannur, Thrissur, Thiruvananthapuram and Kozhikode.

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CHAPTER 3 COMPANY PROFILE

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3.1 History of Madhyamam

Madhyamam began its journey in June 1st 1987, at silver hills near Calicut. Mr. Kuldip Nair, veteran Indian journalist, inaugurated it. Vaikom Muhammad Basheer, the doyen of modern Malayalam literature, saw in it the birth of a silver star. A prophecy, that lends substance to the evolution of the paper. Luminaries like K.C Abdulla, P.K.Balakrishnan and K.A. Kodungallur led the paper in its infancy. The opening of the paper was a landmark in Malayalam journalism. Madhyamam set new trends in news content, advertisements, visuals and social commitment. Sixteen years down the line, it can boast of achievements that are not small. It was with a lot of hope and greater apprehension that Madhyamam set out on a course that appeared too ambitious to scale. Hope, because a need for value-based journalism was keenly felt in Kerala, and there were a great number of readers who wanted something more than the incomplete and prejudiced half-truths that normally get touted as news in much of the mainstream media and apprehension, because the challenges and the competition were forbidding. Madhyamam has in its own small way molded the reading habits of the discerning Malayali readers, setting the agenda for serious debates through its editorials, features and its weekly. Madhyamam may not have made a revolution in this field, but it has proved that ethics are not only possible in journalism, but are viable too. While growing into a number of editions in record time, it has also kept within the limits of journalistic discipline both in editorial content and advertisements. The society certainly needs a paper that will, as Madhyamam has endeavored to do, stand up to the evils in the society even at the cost of crores of rupees in advertisement revenue. In a highly competitive environment Madhyamam has dared to reject every month advertisements worth lakhs of rupees, because they do not seek to promote fraudulent financial practices or to present women in undignified ways, or publicize evils like alcoholic drinks, cigarettes, money chains, gambling and speculation, usurious blade companies, goat farm frauds and the like. This is possible on the one hand because Madhyamam is run by a Trust that need not make profit, and also because of the support it has received from the reading public. People are ready to back a venture like Madhyamam because they feel it is necessary.

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Major Landmarks of Madhyamam 1987-Starting of Madhyamam daily newspaper form Calicut. 1993-Madhyamam Cochin edition started. 1996-Thriuvananthapuram editions started. 1998-Madhyamam weekly published. 1998-Gulf Madhyamam started at Bahrain. 1999-Started its 5th edition at Kannur. 2001-Bangalor edition started. 2002-Malapuram editions started. 2003-Madhyamam online editions started. 2003-Madhyamam Mangalore editions started. 2005-Kottayam edition started. Nature of Business Carried News Publications: They are providing various kinds of news publications. Following are some of the relevant items: Daily Newspaper. Madhyamam Weekly. Info Madhyamam. Sports Madhyamam. Magazine for children. Kudumba Madhayamam Vision, Mission and Quality Policy Journalism is beset with the vices it faces elsewhere too. The press is rapidly getting commercialized; the papers cater to vested interests, shameful tendencies and an all-out dependence on advertisements that become more vicious by the day. But Madhyamam has been able to prove that a paper can be financially viable, that it can flourish without

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sentimental sob stuff or the lure of profit cards or insurance schemes or encroachments on womens hours. Marketing strategies like these presume that readers are an easy target and can be manipulated. What Madhyamam offered to the readers is none of these, but the sheer value of unbiased news, the credibility of its contents and the integrity of its stand. Their overindulgence in power politics makes them vulnerable to vicious influences. When they mix news with views the educated readers have reason to distrust the entire news industry. A profit-driven media culture vitiates both itself and the society. Vision: Madhyamam means the medium and the medium is the message itself. Madhyamam daily started as the voice of minority. They started with the following visions. To be recognized as a leader in quality and value and as a critical component of corporate strategy, to be loved by our clients and staff, and to be showered in accolades and bonus checks. A path laden with the corporate policy of value-based journalism. Ethics is the parameter used in selecting the editorial as well as advertisement. The self imposed restrictions have limited volume of advertisements, helping us to provide every single release the prominence it deserves we have never carried any false of fake advertisement. We will not publish any advertisement that misleads the readers, evil habits, demeaning women, encouraging gabling, smoking or alcoholic cosumption. Mission: Madhyamam daily has started with the following missions: We are the voice of minority. We are bold enough to admit that we take sides.

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 We side with truth always. Madhyamam aims at providing non-partisan sand value based journalistic service beyond considerations of profit and demeaning compulsions of the market. Its policy emphasizes the need for the media to rise above sectarianism and market-driven profiteering pressures. Madhyamam daily has only 18 years of experience, but they successfully grew in these few years. They started 11 editions in these 18 years, including Gulf countries. Committed employees are one of the plus points on the success of Madhyamam daily. Quality Policy: There is an all round realization at every level that quality production of international standard is the watchword for survival now. Consequently, the processors, small or big have started taking steps to improve quality right from the selection of raw materials and that of the ingredients. The companys quality policy is to improve quality of the product and also improve the skills of the employees.

3.2 Strategic Intent

Strategy means making clear-cut choices about how to compete. You cannot be everything to everybody, no matter what the size of your business or how deep its pockets. Strategy refers to the systematic action and allocation of research to achieve the companys aim. The integrated vision and direction of the company as well as the manner, in which it drives, articulates, communicates and implements that vision and direction. It can also be defined as the choice of direction and action that the company adopts to achieve its objectives in a; competitive situation. Here Madhyamam has adopted some strategies. Following are two successfully strategies that has been implemented by Madhyamam. Madhyamam Velicham This one of the successful strategy of Madhyamam daily, which they have been implementing educational institutions. By this strategy they are making tie up with

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other business organization, especially service oriented and issuing daily newspaper in educational institutions at free of cost. Following are some of the main impacts of Madhyamam Velicham: It provides educational assistance for students. It will capture minds of society. Increase the circulation of the newspaper. Increase the goodwill and reputation. Font Changing It was a successful one strategy which Madhyamam had adopted in their life period. The main impacts of font changing are: Increased the standard and quality of newspaper. Convenience to read. Increase the attraction.

3.3 Products
Madhyamam is having following types of product and services: Madhyamam Daily-Daily newspaper. Madhyamam Weekly-Weekly Malayalam periodical. Madhyamam Annuals-Yearly magazine of Malayalam. Malarvadi-Magazine for children. Kudumba Madhyamam-Weekly family supplement. Info Madhyamam-Weekly supplement about information Technology. Sports Madhyamam-Weekly sports report. Toehold Madhyamam-Employment/Career details of Madhyamam. Business Madhyamam-Latest trends in Business from Madhyamam. Diary Madhyamam-Annual diary of Madhyamam. Calendar.

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Area of Operation: Global Madhyamam daily have been developing their area of operation from regional to global. During the first decade their operation was only regional, after that they have started to develop their area in to the gulf countries as well. Now they have units in foreign countries like the U. A. E, Bahrain, Qatar and Kuwait. Ownership Pattern Madhyamam daily is private limited company under the ownership of Ideal Publication Trust. Ideal Publication Trust will have a trust chairman, under that they will have a managing committee and secretary. Competitors Information In the fast moving world like all other industries newspaper industry also is suffering a severe competition. Here, the main competitors of Madhyamam are Malayalam Newspaper (Malayalamanorama, Mathrubhumi) as well as English newspapers (Hindu, Indian Express) Infrastructure Facilities Madhyamam determines, provides and maintains the infrastructure needed to achieve conformity to product requirement. Proper building, workspace, and associated utilities for this purpose have been provided apart from process equipment for printing and supporting services. And also Madhyamam use their own transportation facilities to provide timely delivery of newspapers and other products. More over they have facilities like canteen, conference hall and pray hall. Madhaymam has head office at Calicut and it has several subsidiaries in various localities: Bangalore Cochin Thiruvananthapuram Thrissur Kannur

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 Kottayam Mangalore U.A.E Qatar Kuwait Bahrain

Achievements/Awards Madhyamam achieved a lot of awards in various levels: Humanist National Award. International award by Asian development institute. Photography award by gulf readers forum, U.A.E. Aijes-best war report. Farm journalism award by Indian veterinary association. Safety award by National Safety Council. Annual journalism award by Kerala Government.

Correspondents or area reporters are collecting reports from public or any other information source and giving to Editorial Section. The Editorial Section will send these to the DTP section for compressing after edition. After compressing they will go back to the editorial section for page setup and layout, then to the printing department for plate making then will go press for printing. After packing and dispatch the circulation of newspaper to public is made possible through various agencies. Future Growth and Prospectus Now-a-days people are living in educated and standardized era. It is necessary to move forward for those who want to survive in the competitive world. Madhyamam have taken some plans to initiate or introduce something in future like English weekly or other subsidiary product. Moreover Madhyamam is planning to launch their units in some more places where they did not reach yet. 26

The Style of Madhyamam Madhyamam is following a top down management style in decision flow. Always decisions are flowing from top level to the bottom level. In a week every Wednesday Madhyamam will be conducting managing committee meetings. In that meeting they will analyze all the matters and will make final decision relating to the respective matters. After that all the decision taken by managing committee will be passing to the various departments. Madhyamam use to follow a participative approach in management. This is one of the strengths of the Madhyamam that they are making all employees very close to them in all activities. This will help them to get committed and satisfied workers. One of the parameters used while taking decision is welfare of the society. A decision that is taken by Madhyamam is to start the MADHYAMAM HEALTH CARE PROGRAM. The main motto of the program is: By the grace of the Almighty, we give our share, our might for the cause and care of economically backward patients suffering from grave diseases.

System System refer to the formal process and procedure used to manage the organization, including the management control system, performance measurement system, reward system, planning, budgeting,, resource allocation systems, information system and distribution system. Formal and informal procedures that govern everyday activity, covering everything from management information systems, through to the systems at the point of contact with te customers (retail systems, call centre etc.). System does not refer to hard copy reports and procedures but also to informal mechanism such as meetings and conflict management routines. It is important that systems emphasis key themes, but at the same time it should permit discretion and expectation. System has a powerful influence on behaviour. 27

The company adheres to an effective and efficient operational system underlying a strong desire to achieve its organizational fabric of well-codified plans, practices and procedures. Encompassing formal and informal approach to system evolution and implementation, the system-matrix in the company, in a large way, reflects the management philosophy of Quality for Value and Value for Money. The system-matrix comprises the following: A dynamic management information system. Compensation cum reward system. A unique customer satisfaction system. Financial management system. A just in time based materials management system. Planning and production monitoring system. Merit Rating System Merit rating system is a system, which rates the employees in accordance with their performance. In Madhyamam they used to follow 360degree appraisal system to evaluate the employees performance. In this system from top-level managers, including GM as well as medium level and bottom level employees, including watchman are supposed to be evaluated by they and together. Here all the employees are getting rates according to their merits. Staffs The success of every company depends on the ability of its staff. To have the right person at the right job, a proper selection has to carried out. Training and development programs are very much essential to improve the competitiveness of the existing staff. All staff of Madhyamam are appointed by proper selection and training. The organization has to look into its people, their background and competencies. A staff also includes the organizations approaches to recruitment, selection and socialization.

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The staffing pattern in the organization is one, which is a result of a clear organization goal in the facet of human resource management. A well-defined career plan combined with a codified qualification-experience-emolument matrix has ensure that the employee base is adequately qualified, experienced and skilled. A training calendar evolved by the HR Department in the beginning of every financial year ensures that every employee is exposed to the appropriate training schedule to hone their respective skills. On the job training is a continuous process and the skill matrix of the employees base is updated every quarter after due evaluation by the concerned heads. The interactions between the employees are informal yet within the limits of office decorum. Staffs means the company has hired able people, trained them well and assigned them to the right job. Selection, training, reward and recognition, retention, motivation and assignment to appropriate work are all key issues. Madhyamam Staffs The organization work is a group effort. Though individuals should contribute significantly to any task, in the final analysis it is the total effort of all the employees, which will be a matter for achieving success. All the employees in Madhyamam are helping each other to perform their job. Employees learn uniformity and develop a sense of belongingness to the organization each individual has contributed as a link in a chain for achievement of final result. Duties & responsibilities of various groups of staff are: Technical Staffs: These are the staffs that are responsible for the work related to technical aspects. In this company they are appointing well-qualified and experienced persons as technical staffs. So these staffs will have good knowledge about the working environment.

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Supervisory Staffs: These are the persons who are in charge with supervising the other employees in the organization. In this company they are employing experienced staff as supervisor. So they can observe the fellow workers and guide them as per the companies need. The experienced supervisors are one of the key assets of this company.

Clerical Staffs: These staffs are responsible for the office work. These people are the backbone of the company. They work well; it will be an asset to the company. In this company they are employed well & qualified employees for office work. Madhyamam works with integrity, fairness and financial prudence in all their dealings keeping the interest of customers and associates paramount. Shared Values Values are Ethics, Trust, Customer Focus, Teamwork, Initiative, and Motherhood. Value is just behavior-specific, nitty-gritty, and so descriptive they leave little to the imagination. People must be able to use them as marching orders because they are the how of the mission, the means to the end winning. It refers to the core of fundamental values that are widely shared in the organization and serve as guiding principle that are important. These values have great meaning because they focus attention and provide a broader sense of purpose. Values are things that you would strive for even if they were demonstrably not profitable. Values act as an organizations conscience, providing guidance in time of crisis. We believe we should incorporate them as anchor points in every decision we make. Our core values provide us with a means of not only guiding but also evaluating our operations, our planning, and our vision for the future. The values and beliefs of the company, ultimately guide employees toward valued behavior. The employees irrespective of profitability practice these values. These values are not formal set of objective. These values determine the image of the organization in the society.

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Madhyamams Guiding Principles It leads through innovation to offer good quality news for subscribers. It builds long term relationship with their subscribers by providing good quality news, experience through operational excellence and the innovative use of technology. It is committed to creating high performance by creating an environment that allows each one of their associates to perform at their peak. As a result they will be also recognized as an employer of choice. Madhyamam work with integrity, fairness and financial prudence in all their dealings keeping the interest of customers and associates paramount.

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CHAPTER 4 ORGANISATIONAL STRUCTURE

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CHAIRMAN

SECRETARY GENERAL MANEGER

CHI

MARKATING

ADMINISTRATION

ED

ADVERTI SEMENT.

CIRCUL ATION

HR

GEN.A DMIN

FIN&A /C

PRODU CTION

NEWS DESK

RESIDENT MANAGER UNIT IN CHARGE

NEWS EDITOR

UNIT DESK

PROOF SECTION

SUB BU

UNIT PURC HDEPT:

UNIT PRODUCT DEPT:

UNIT ADMIN DEPT:

UNIT CIRCUL DEPT:

PRINTING

DTP

MAINTENANCE

FIELD SUPRV ISOR

CIRCULAION OFFICE STAFFS

ADVT OFFICE STAFF

FIELD ORGANIZERS FIELD STAFFS 33

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Ideal Publication Trust Madhyamam is running under the ideal Publications Trust, which aims at providing non-partisan and value-based journalistic service beyond considerations of profit and the demeaning compulsions of the market. Its policy emphasizes the need for the media to rise above sectarianism and market-driven profiteering pressures that have beset the post-independence Indian journalism. It calls for lending voice to the voiceless majority in the society. The main functions of the Trust are: Decision making. Act as an advisory board. Giving approval for new product.

General Manager The main functions of the G. M. are: To take various decision. To appoint top level managers. Taking new plans and policies. To act as an intermediary with organization and outsiders.

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CHAPTER 5 ANALYSIS

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Fig. No 4(2) Production Department Structure

PRODUCTON MANAGER

PRINTING

MAINTENANCE

PRINTING SUPERVISOR

MAINTENANCE SUPERVSOR

PRINTING STAFFS

ELECTRONIC

ELECTRICAL

MECHANICAL

Duties and Responsibilities The mechanical wing deals with the repair maintenance, preventive maintenance and shut down maintenance for machines. The mechanical supervisor maintains the press in good condition. The electrical and electronic section deals with repairing all electrical equipments, maintenance of motors in order to avoid any breakdown during production. The main function of production manager is to regulate the production of newspaper in a well organized manner.

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Following are some of the other prominent functions: To regulate the production activities of newspaper. To make sure that all the machines are ready to operate. Ensure the availability of raw material. He has to make good communication with the G.M. He has to maintain a sound contact with suppliers of raw material.

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Fig. No. 4(3) Marketing Department Structure

MARKETING DEPARTMENT

CIRCULATION DEPARTMENT

ADVERTSING DEPARTMENT

MARKETING MANGER (CIRCULATON)

MARKETING MANAGER (ADVERTISEMENT)

UNIT CIRCULATION MANAGER

UNIT ADVERTISING MANAGER

CLERICAL STAFFS

FIELD SUPERVISORS

BUSINESS EXECUTIVES

OFFICE STAFFS

PAKING AND DISTRIBUTION

FIELD ORGANIZERS

DISTRIBUTION AGENT

FIELD WORKERS

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Marketing Manager Marketing is the craft of linking the procedures of a product or service with customers; both existing and potential. Marketing techniques are also applied in politics, regions of personal affairs and many other aspects of life. In marketing management area, Madhyamam has been maintaining two departments, such as marketing manager for advertising and marketing manager for circulation. Marketing is a comprehensive term, which includes all resources and a set of activities necessary to direct and facilitate the flow of goods from producer to customer in the process of distribution. It is to satisfy customers demands. It is the creation and delivery standard of living to society. The company first determining customer wants and the figure out how to make the deliver of the product to satisfy those wants. Human efforts, finance and management are tools for marketing. 1. Marketing Manager for Advertising Advertising is one of the very important marketing functions, the central theme, motif, or idea of an advertisement which tells the potential customer what the advertised product or service offers and why it should be purchased. It aims at communicating to the customers about the availability of the products. He will manage all the functions relating to the advertisement area of Madhyamam. Following are some of his functions: Attenders; Dispatch, filling of other newspapers and all other filling process. Some part of matrimonial section done by him. Canvassing agent; canvassing, cheque/D.D entering (bills formation), and transferred in to accounts department. To maintain public relation.

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 To fix charges for advertisement. To select different types of advertisement. To scheduling different types of advertisement in different pages of newspaper. 2. Marketing Manager for Circulation He is the person who has to look after a lot of functions and duties. Following are some of his functions: New scheme creation, distribution, and collection of D.Ds from Madhyamam agencies and checking. New agency creation, cheque/D.D collection, entering (billing), forward to account department. Canvassing, bureau formation procedures, sales promotion activities. Collect details of change in demand of newspapers form different agencies. The combined data transferring to production department to regulate production. Dispatch, labeling about agencies, creation of root sheet for vehicles. To keep good touch with public. He should be well aware about the quantity of the circulation, i.e., whether increasing or decreasing. If it is decreasing he has to take remedial measures.

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Fig. No 4(4) Human Resource Department Structure

HR DEPARTMENT

PERSONNEL MANAGER

LEGAL DEPARTMENT

P.R MANAGER

PERSONNEL OFFICER

LEGAL MANAGER

P.R.OFFICER

CLERICAL STAFFS

CLERICAL STAFFS

CLERICAL STAFFS

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Human Resource Manager Managing people is one of the most critical aspects of organizational management in the 21st Century. No matter an organization is a non-profit, start-up enterprise, or mature business employees are crucial to achieving objectives, delivering results and being successful. Personal department generally takes care of employee welfare and maintains discipline within the organization and maintains relation with other industries. Also responsible for issue and protocol maintenance with in the organization. HRD is on of the major departments in Madhyamam. His functions are as follows: To identify the man power requirements inside the organization and plan requirements accordingly. To provide efficient training. To appoint bottom level employees. To maintain an overall idea about all the employees in Madhyamam. To deal with employees salary, wages, fringes, leaves and attention. To make an arrangement for settling problems among employees. To conduct periodical analysis of employees performance and prepare individual appraisals reports and suggest appropriate rewards. Human Resource Planning HRP is understood as the process of forecasting and organizations future demand for the supply of right type of people in right number. It is only after this that the HRM department can initiate a recruitment and selection process. Recruitment

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In Madhyamam the recruitment is very limited and simple. Here first stage is to identify the vacancy, and then giving advertisement for qualified candidates and experienced are invited through Newspaper, notice boards in the company. Applications received are scrutinized and selected candidates among them are interviewed and accordingly the eligible candidate is finally selected for lower posts direct appointment is done, unlike for higher posts, The call ratio will be 1:5 for the professional post, ratio is not fixed. Those who have selected should report to duty within 10 days of receiving the appointment letter. Training and Development Training is given because a person carefully selected is not molded to specifications and rarely meets the demands of the job adequately. A fresh candidate is also given training for particular period depending upon the job. For students of engineering and management streams the company offers real-time projects. Remuneration It is compensation an employee receives in return for his contribution to the organization. A good compensation plan well administered ahs a statutory effect on the entire organization. It attracts and retains the service of desirable. Employees are paid according to the importance and difficulty of their jobs, rewards them according to their merit & ability, which raises employees morale and thus productivity of the organization. Madhyamam has reasonably good wage and salary policies. At Asian Powers this is divided into three categories viz; high-level management, executive level and low-level staff. Skill Skills refer to the fact that employees have the skills needed to carry out the companys strategy. Training and development-ensuring people know how to do their jobs and stay up to date with the latest techniques. Skills include the distinctive competencies that reside in the organization. These can be distinctive competencies of people, management practices, systems, and technology. 44

The capabilities and competencies are those which exists within the company. These are the qualities or characteristics of the individuals. The skill can be acquired by learning, observation and experience. The employees of Madhyamam should have the following skills: In communication and advertising department employees should have good technical skills and knowledge to the work. Recruitment in Madhyamam publication is done on the basis of the skills. The company has fully automated machines, so the employees should have minimum skills to handle the work. Various training programs that Madhyamam offers to their employees: 1.On the job Training One month induction program for newly appointed employees. Conducting classes by the well known journalists. 2.Demonstration training Conducting group discussion for improving the employees communication skills.

3.Off the job training Madhyamam has been providing opportunities for their employees to participate in RIID training program in New Delhi. Giving training for employees through defence academy training program conducted by the Press Academy of India. Giving opportunity to participate the annual training program by Association for Journalists India (A. S. I).

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4.P.R.O (Public Relations Officer) The main and vital function of P.R.O. is to deal with the public. He has to act as an agent of Madhyamam while dealing with the public. The public opinions are studied by these public relations officers for the better circulation of their newspaper. The subscribers demand for the newspaper is checked by the P.R.Os and correct report is given to the management.

Fig. No. 4(5) Finance Department Structure

FINANCE MANAGER

CHIEF ACCOUNTANT

INTERAL AUDIT DPARTMENT

ACCOUNTING ASSISTANT

UNIT AUDIT DPARTMENT

UNIT FINANCE DEPARTMENT

A/C CLERKS

CASHIER

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Finance Manager For the successful running of an organization, the money handling has to proper and wise and that is the importance of finance department. So finance is the lifeblood of every organization. Basic requirement for an organization for existence and survival is fund or finance. Financial management is concerned with the managerial decisions that result in the acquisition and financing long term and short term assets for the firm. It deals with the acquisition of specific assets the selection of specific liability as well as size and growth of an enterprise. Finance department is concerned with the essential finance activity for the organization to carry out other activities in an effective way. This helps the organization to achieve soundness in working and dealing with others. Finance is required from the beginning of the organization and further for successive stages. Following are some of the functions of the Finance department: Cash receiving and payment. Bills receiving and payment. Bills receiving from circulation department. Bills to be transferred to cash. Entering the transactions. Cheque/D.D transferring into bank. To prepare the financial accounts of Madhyamam. To assist the top level managers in financial matters. Financial Performance The company is maintaining proper records showing full particulars including quantitative detail and situation of fixed assets. The management at reasonable intervals has physically verified the fixed assets. The primary objectives of financial reporting are to provide information to present a potential investors credit and decisions.

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Effective decision making requires evaluation of past performance of the company and assessment of the tool and techniques that are intended to provide relevant information to decision makers. The purpose of financial statement analysis is to access a companys financial help and performance. There are adequate internal control procedures, commensurate with the size of the business for the purchase of stores, raw material including paper, ink, machineries, equipments and other assets an for the sale of goods. The company does not accept any deposit from public. The company is regular in depositing employees state insurance and employee provident fund dues with appropriate authorities. Information above financial performance of an enterprise, in particular its profitability, is required in order to asses potential change in the future.

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CHAPTER 6 SWOT & PESTLE

ANALYSIS

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5.2 PESTLE Analysis

PESTLE is an acronym for political, Economical, social, Technological, Legal & Environmental factors. Which are used to assess the market for a business or organization unit? The PESTLE analysis heading are a framework for reviewing situation and also be asses to review a strategy or position direction of a company marketing or idea Political: Political factor or how and to what degree the government intervenes in the economy specifically potential factors& include the areas such as tax policy, labor laws, environmental laws, trade restrictions, tariffs and political stability. Political factors may also include goods and services which the government wants to provide or to be provided and those that the government doesnt want to be provide. The government have more influence on the health, education and infrastructure of a nation. Economic: Economic factors include economic growth, interest rate, exchange rate and the inflation rate. These factors have the great influence on how business operate and make decision For egg interest rate affects a firms cost of capital and therefore to what extent

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business grows and expand exchange rate affects the cost of exporting goods and supply and price of imported goods in a economy Economic factors affect the purchasing power of potential customers and the firms cost of capital. The following are example of factors in the macro economy: Economic growth Interest rates Exchange rates Inflation rate

Social: Social factors include the cultural aspects and include health consciousness population growth rate, age distribution, career attitudes and emphasis on safety. Trends in social factors affect the demand for a companys products and how that company operates for. Furthermore comparison may change various management strategies to adopt their social trends. Some social factors include: Health consciousness Population growth Age distribution Career attitudes Emphasis on safety Technology: Technological factors include ecological and environmental aspects. Such as R&D activity, automation, technology incentives and the rate of technological change. Furthermore technological change can affect cost quality and lead to innovation. Some technological factors include:

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 R&D activity Automation Technology incentives

Legal: Legal factors include discrimination law, consumer law, employment law & health & safety law. These factors can affect how a company operates its cost and demand for its product. Environmental: Environmental factors include weather; climate and climatic change especially affect the industries such as tourism, farming, and insurance. Furthermore growing awareness to climatic change is affecting how a company operates and the products they offer it is both creating new markets and diminishing or destroying existing ones.

PESTLE Analysis of Madhyamam

Political: Tax policy The company is liable to all taxes imposed by Government and to the Kerala VAT. It is a source of income for our Govt. Employee Laws Environment regulations Trade restrictions and tariffs Political stability Newspapers are commonly known as the fourth branch of government. They are considered as the watchdog branch of government. However political factors wont affect media much. Madhyamam is not facing any problems related to political factors.

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Economic: Newspaper or media is one of the few industries which will not get affected by recession, global financial crisis and the like. Globally, due to the entrance of the new electronic media, the circulation of the printed newspaper is decreasing, But in India, the industry shows a booming trend for the past few years. From the circulation data of Madhyamam , it is clear that the circulation of Madhyamam has a positive trend. Social: As a media, Madhyamam has a lot of social responsibilities. They perform these responsibilities in an appreciable manner. The unbiased writing style of Madhyamam attracts a lot of people towards it. In the present business world, the advertisements and promotion techniques plays a major role in the success of business. In Madhyamam, there is some problem regarding this field. This is mainly due to the strong policies followed by the Madhyamam management. Lack of advertisements is having a negative impact on the growth rate of the newspaper. However it does have a strong brand image. Technological: In the field of newspaper production and circulation, there are a lot of technological changes that are taking place.Nowadays newspapers are printed in the offset presses. Madhyamam also uses offset technology for the production purpose. All the units of Madhyamam are computerized. Moreover they have started online edition also. Legal: Legal factors should be considered. As far as Madhyamam is considered, no legal factors have affected them. Environmental: Environmental factors also affect the circulation of newspapers as far as the procurement of raw materials is concerned.

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5.3 SWOT Analysis

The SWOT analysis is one of the most common strategic management models. According to Mintzberg, the SWOT originates from the so-called Design-School, which seeks to establish a fit between an organizations strengths and weaknesses with the opportunities and threats in its external environment. The SWOT compiles the most important results from the analysis of external drivers and the analysis internal competences of an organization. The objective of the SWOT is to determine to what degree the actual strategy is suitable and appropriate to meet the challenges and changes in the organizations environment. The SW-Part comprises internal factors-the strengths and weaknesses of the organization. These are competences and resources that the organization possesses and that are under its control. Strengths and weaknesses can relate to a variety of aspects and may depend on the actual situation. The OT-Part of the SWOT identifies the Opportunities and Threats that the organizations face from the ever changing trends and changes in its environment. These external factors are not under the control or influence of the organization. For example, a high customer loyalty is an (internal) strength of the organization, since it has to satisfy its customers again and again in order to keep them loyal. If, however, the industry faces a new trend that customers become less loyal to any organization, this is an external threat that might undermine the companys competitive advantage.

SWOT Analysis of Madhyamam

Strength:

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Madhyamam daily has only 21 years of experience, but they have made a appreciable growth in these few years. They have started its editions in different places including gulf countries. Following are some of the strengths possessed by Madhyamam: Values: One of the main and important strength of Madhyamam is their value itself, is; they always try to keep some strong values. Committed employees: committed employees are one of the plus points on the success of Madhyamam daily. Character of Vision: Madhyamam is not a profit-oriented business. Hence profit of the business does not be a matter for the successful running of the business. Madhyamam is located in an industrial area with good transportation facility and has all the infrastructure facilities that require quick movement of raw materials and finished products. Weaknesses: Financial Problems: Trust does not have much financial background. Hence they cannot assist Madhyamam daily in their financial deficiency. Language problems: Madhyamam is a Malayalam newspaper, so it cannot influence in any states other than Kerala. There are a lot of regional areas in Kerala where Madhyamam did not reach yet. Lack of highly qualified employees. Absence of a main department like R&D. Weak societal marketing. Opportunities: The changing educational system and positive attitude of Kerala people. There are lots of regional areas still Madhyamam has to reach. Successful launching of Gulf Madhyamam. Hence it is a golden opportunity of Madhyamam to spread in other gulf countries also.

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 Diversification of business into news channel. Lot of untapped area like children, youngsters and women.

Threats: Increased competency in newspaper industry. Increasing number of Malayalam newspapers. In the initial stage of Madhyamam, there were not much Malayalam newspapers. But now the situation has changed. Hence, the increased number of newspapers will automatically decrease the circulation of newspaper. Growing tendency towards English medium educational system. It is a new tendency in Kerala that is a shift from mother tongue to English in school level education which will also automatically decrease the subscribers of Malayalam newspaper. Competitors strong sales and marketing strategies. Fast changing printing technologies.

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CHAPTER 7 FINDINGS, CONCLUSIONS AND SUGGESTIONS

57

Findings
1. Madhyamam is the third most popular daily in Malayalam, and the first international Indian daily. 2. It is published from eight centres in India, most of them in Kerala, and from seven centres in the Middle East-in fact. 3. It is the first international publication among all Indian dailies. 4. Its main feature is that it offers to the reader the sheer value of unbiased news, the credibility of its contents and the integrity of its stand. 5. Madhyamam has exposed several financial swindles, manipulative trade practices, state excesses, political scams and the undue power wielded by predatory corporates. 6. It has uncovered the travails of the downtrodden and the dispossessed, dalits, adivasis, minorities and women. 7. It has stood in the forefront of environmental causes, and has ruthlessly exposed polluters and sleazy capital. 58

8. It has rigorously withstood attempts to offend women's dignity be it in sensationalized news stories or in advertisements; indeed, the advertisement policy of the paper is categorical in rejecting such material. 9. From day one Madhyamam set down the norms and principles that should guide its editorial and business functions. 10. Madyamam won as many as five major awards. 11. Madhyamam has openly and unequivocally opposed communal or sectarian forces of all hues, and terrorist tendencies that destabilize the country, at the same time resisting the anti-democratic tendencies within the government. 12. Madhyamam has ensured that its business policy too is transparent and ethically sound. 13. It is run by a Trust, rather than a company, so that it is not constrained by statutory market compulsions of a business concern. 14. Both in editorial content and advertisement it has kept within the limits of journalistic discipline. 15. In a highly competitive environment Madhyamam dares to reject substantial advertisements merely because they seek to promote fraudulent financial practices, or present women in undignified ways, or publicize evils like alcoholic drinks, cigarettes, money chains, gambling and speculation and usurious 'blade' companies. 16. The Madhyamam team has always been oriented towards observance of ethical principles in journalism. 17. So far, it has bagged nearly ninety awards including Best Editorial Awards (four times), Ramnath Goenke Award, Statesman Award, UNICEF Award, PUCL Award,

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Harivansh Rai Bachan Journalism Award, Asian Development Institute Award, National Media award of UNDP, and Pravasi Journalism Award. 18. Its major contribution to the media scene, it feels, is to have proved that ethics are not only possible in journalism, but viable too. 19. Madhyamam is published by the Ideal Publications Trust, a no-profit body that aims at providing non-partisan and value-based journalistic services in the interest of an egalitarian, just and intellectually vibrant society, and against the demeaning compulsions of free market. 20. The Chairman of the IPT is T Arif Ali; its Secretary is P A Abdul Hakeem. O Abdurahman is the editor of Madhyamam. 21. Madhyamam seeks to lend voice to the marginalized classes, to women who suffer widespread neglect, and to those victimized by state policies, fascist and extremist trends and discrimination.

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Suggestions
1. The trust should extend its activities to other areas as well, for example starting a television news channel so as to add revenue and utilize funds for further developing Madhyamam. 2. Madhyamam should extend its area of circulation, so as to gain more popularity among people in Kerala itself. 3. Should try to include highly qualified employees as well. 4. It has to improve competency with other newspapers, still maintaining its uniqueness and quality.

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Conclusion
Regional newspapers used to be too localized to deal with international issues seriously. Madhyamam for the first time in Malayalam devoted an entire page to international affairs. Today there is greater and more balanced awareness of global happenings in the reading public, and many papers have daily quota of international news. Madhyamam was the only Malayalam paper which had a correspondent reporting the Iraq war from the battlefront. Far from sensationalizing issues, it aims at taking up issues and debating them; Madhyamam Weekly, which started in 1998, virtually leads informed debates within the society. It is one of the most influential periodicals in Kerala, providing in-depth reports and analyses of significant social issues. It has brought into focus many political, cultural and literary issues. The unearthing of the grim truth behind the murder of an Engineering student, Varghese, was one of its early achievements. In an explosive expos, it brought to light what could be one of the first "fake encounter killings" in India-the Adivasi leader "Naxal Verghese" had been brutally shot by the state police during the Emergency, as the penitent policeman himself revealed in a letter handed over to Madhyamam. Madhyamam Weekly has reshaped the reading habits of the Malayali by highlighting real issues as against sensational sob-stuff and soft porn. Varadya Madhyamam, the Sunday special, is a mix of culture, arts, literature and health. Kudumba Madhyamam is a regular pullout for the family. Veliccham is a weekly pullout, a treasure of knowledge and information, exclusively for the student community. Madhyamam Annual is a veritable cultural event for the Malayali. The

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comprehensive reference and source book on higher education, Vidya, is brought out annually, and is an acknowledged hit. Veliccham Programme is a unique initiative that provides for a creative interface of the newspaper and the academic community. Under its banner, counseling and motivation classes are organized in schools. Competitions, seminars and exhibitions are also held. Under the Madhyamam Computer Club, platform is provided for the exchange of views; it is a global forum for IT-related activities, the first of its kind. It oversees the weekly feature titled 'Info- Madhyamam'. This is a favorite haunt of computer-savvy youngsters. Seminars, workshops, technical classes, exhibitions and study tours are organized. Madhyamam Computer Club also educates people about IT and e-ethics. It services a mailing group with an average of 1200 active members. The Club is live, online and offline. Madhyamam Health Care, inaugurated by Sri A K Antony, Chief Minister of Kerala in 2001, has provided the soothing touch to thousands of patients in need of treatment and surgery. With the partial withdrawal of the state from services including health care, treatment has become expensive. Our programme mobilizes resources to provide for better prevention of diseases, greater awareness about health and health care and affordable treatment and surgery where necessary. The programme has a panel of 200odd doctors offering advice and services; Madhyamam has also signed MoUs with nearly 300 super-specialty hospitals to provide affordable services to the needy. Over three crores of rupees have been spent so far, benefiting many thousands of patients. Madhyamam believes that journalism, like any other human endeavour, must distinguish between right and wrong. A newspaper must also give generous space to dissenting voices, and hold aloft the model of value-based journalism. God willing, it will continue to tread the same path. It has in its own small way proved a turning point in Malayalam journalism. It has to survive as the voice of the voiceless. So far it has braved several odds. Our appeal to you is-be with us, support us, correct us, so that true journalism and truth journalism will not die out.

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BIBLIOGRAPHY Business Environment Text and Cases-Justin Paul Economic Environment of Business-S.K Mishra, V.K. Puri www.google.com www.madhyamamonline.com www.hinduonline.com www.indianpressacademy.com

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