The conceptualization of the performance elements of media organizations and the factors that influence their performance

Abstract

This study aims to examine the concept of media organizationsperformance and the factors that influence their level of performance. Mediaorganizations are often private profit-seeking enterprises but at the same timealso have a public side that realizes freedom of speech, which is a core value ofdemocracy. Therefore, a theory of media organizations organizational performanceneeds to reflect this duality. We divide media organizations organizationalperformance into two categories: economic-industrial and sociocultural.Economic-industrial performance can be defined as how media organizationsperform in the market. A typical indicator is how much sales revenue they bringin. In addition, because their revenue heavily depends on advertisements, newspapersubscriptions or television viewer ratings, which are directly connected toadvertisement revenue, can be used as performance indicators.Sociocultural performance refers to how media organizations perform withrespect to their content. A media organizations sociocultural performance primarilydepends on whether it has accomplished the goals indicated by relevantlaws. In addition, sociocultural performance depends on how the contents of amedia organization are received by its readers or viewers, which can be identifiedby media credibility measures that are conducted by many organizations.Factors that influence media organizations performance include independence,diversity and openness. The present study is a preliminary attempt to provide aconceptual analysis as groundwork for empirical research. We hope this preliminaryexamination builds a foundation for comparative studies of diverse publicorganizations such as public hospitals, universities, and public enterprises andcan contribute to further theoretical and conceptual discussions about organizationalperformance.