3704332-Communication Theory and Needs Assesment.edited
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The media can influence organizations in different ways. Notably, although the media is a
valuable source of information, it can cause problems for organizations that allow it to influence
its decisions too much. On this note, framing of issues by the media is one of the biggest
problems that organizations can face from the media because it can lead to loss of control over
the message and making decisions that do not align with the mission. However, the Uses and
Gratification Theory (UGT) can help to address these issues. Similarly, the complex needs
assessment can help to determine the recommendations necessary to eliminate framing problems
posed by the media to organizations.
The UGT and how it can help to address framing problems.
This theory proposes that people use the media to gratify their needs and wants. It asserts that
media users are active agents who have control over their media consumption (). On this note,
UGT can address framing problems that affect organizations and allow the media to influence its
decisions too much. Notably, framing causes bias that can drive organizations to make decisions
different from their missions and objectives. Framing can cause attitudinal effects because it
causes changes in opinions and attitudes. Therefore, if an organization allows the media to
influence how it makes decisions significantly, it is likely to deviate from its mission. Such
organizations will make their decisions depending on the attitudes they form from particular
news or messages as framed by the media. On this note, UGT can help to address this problem
because it asserts that media users have control over messages received from the media. This
means that organizations should be able to understand their missions and consume only those
messages that align with them.
Ideally, organizations should embrace UGT principles to control and interpret any content from
the media to avoid making biased decisions. For instance, instead of allowing the media to
influence their decisions heavily, organizations should adopt UGT principles, such as
understating that the media is goal-directed. It selects or frames messages it expects to satisfy the
specific needs and desires of the targeted audience. They also focus on enhancing social and
psychological interpretations among the consumers (). Moreover, the media competes with other
forms of communication to draw the audience’s attention, and sometimes, the messages are
biased. Therefore, organizations should keep the media from influencing their decisions
significantly because they may cause undesirable consequences. The failure to apply UGT
principles implies that such organizations will continue making decisions as influenced by the
media, even when the messages are biased to meet specific expectations. In contrast, UGT
emphasizes the power of individuals over the media, meaning that organizational decisions
should be driven by intended goals instead of media content.
Complex Needs Assessment.
This assessment helps to determine the gaps between the current and desired outcomes. It is
considered part of strategic planning because it helps to accomplish goals and improve the
process. At the same time, this assessment can be carried out using UGT to specify specific
problems that organizations should address. As explained above, organizations whose decisions
are heavily influenced by the media are prone to framing bias that does not align with their goals
and mission. Therefore, through the complex need assessment, these organizations will be able to
identify their strategic needs through:
Clearly defining their needs assessment objectives.
Being realistic about their resources and capacity.
Identifying the targeted audience and prioritizing their needs rather than depending on the
media.
Getting feedback from consumers to assess if their needs are met.
Taking actions to assess if any gaps still need addressing. For instance, if the organization
realizes that it still depends mainly on the media to make its decisions, it should consider
reviewing to reduce the effects of framing bias.
Further, UGT can help in conducting complex needs assessment and data collection. It can guide
the process of collecting data through several methods, such as:
Surveys:
These are quantitative approaches that will help to collect data regarding
organizations' media consumption habits, interpretations, and attitudes.
Interviews: When conducting a need assessment, UGT can guide organizations to collect
data on how they relate with the media and how it influences their decisions.
Focus groups: These efforts allow organizations to assess how stakeholders perceive their
engagement with the media and related effects. They can also help them to analyze trends
and patterns of media coverage.
Summarily, the media can have a notable influence on organizations, but it increases their
vulnerability to framing biases when it drives most of their decisions. On this note, UGT has
some principles that help organizations leverage how they allow the media to determine their
actions. These entities will understand that the media is competing with other sources of
information and may present biased messages to meet their expectations. Therefore, these
organizations should make their own choices instead of relying heavily on the media. Moreover,
carrying out a need assessment allows organizations to assess the needs and align them to their
goals and mission. Under the guidance of UGT, they can also collect data through surveys,
interviews, and focus groups to avoid the effects of framing issues from the media.
References
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Beratšová, A., Krchová, K., Gažová, N., & Jirásek, M. (2018). Framing and Bias: A Literature
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Central European Journal of Management
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https://doi.org/10.5817/cejm2016-2-2
Vinney, C. (2019, April 19).
What Is Uses and Gratifications Theory? Definition and Examples
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ThoughtCo.
https://www.thoughtco.com/uses-and-gratifications-theory-
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O’Donnell, E. (2023).Seven Steps for Conducting a Successful Needs Assessment.
NICHQ -
National Institute for Children’s Health Quality
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https://nichq.org/insight/seven-steps-
conducting-successful-needs-assessment#:~:text=A%20needs%20assessment%20helps
%20you