信息化时代下传统媒体的商业模式创新探究——以 21 世纪传媒为例

Chapter 1 INTRODUCTION

1.1 Research Background

From the perspective of the development of human communication activities, therevolution of media is always under an accelerating process, and is demonstrating atrend of geometrical progression. It takes human beings 1.4 million years to evolvefrom communicating with body languages to exchanging ideas and expressingthoughts with language. And after 4000 years, human beings realized mass printing,which took place of hand-written papers. And the upgrade from printing to electronicmedia takes 1200 years, while it takes humans only 120 years to develop fromelectronic communication to the light speed sharing of the internet.According tothe recursive relation, the communicative activities of human beings have promotedthe progress and development of social civilization. In accordance with theirdevelopment process, the development zone of communicative media can besegmented into three phases – the oral communication media, the written media andelectronic media. The replacement of each phase is the very dawning of socialcivilization progress, which signifies vitality and development, rather than the endingof the previous civilization.

As the “Big Data Era” quietly comes, the informatization of media has become anirresistible history trend. The new media represents the newest tool and vehicle of thedevelopment of the times. It transforms the communicative mode from “a singlesupply type” to “a two-way mutual type”; it also transforms the communicative ideafrom “self-centered” to “audience-centered”; and the business mode is developedfrom “the war of the individual” to conglomerated operation, diversification and scaledevelopment, which have shown a strong capability of resources integration andpopularization. (Figure 1-1)

..........................

1.2 Purpose and Significance

1.2.1 Main Purpose

(1) The paper is to empirical research, and to provide basis for the transformation ofbusiness mode of traditional media. The topic is approached from the overall mediaindustry, the changes of revenue of the related traditional financial media industry inthe recent years, and the adjustment of its business mode. Taking 21st Media as theresearch target, the paper aims to analyze the new business mode of traditional media,so as to collect the related research data, and make essential data preparations forlaying down policies and measures.

(2) The paper is to bring up innovative business mode, and to put forward strategiesfor the glorious transformation of traditional media. Based on the reform andadjustment of traditional financial media, the paper attempts to seek out experiencethat can be drawn from for the traditional media to transform and upgrade its businessmode, under the impact of newly emerged media. Meanwhile, the paper also bringsup the measures for avoiding or controlling the risk.

(3) The paper will research on the development mode, and the mechanism that is inaccordance with market rules. After the 18th Party Congress, China has brought upthe guideline that “to give full play to the decisive role of market in resourceallocation”. But the original development space and audience of traditional media hasundergone changes. So it is vital to find out the fundamental market rules and set up acorresponding operation model.

.........................

Chapter 2 LITERATURE REVIEW

2.1 The Research of the Status Quo of Traditional Media Industry

For the development of traditional media, the era of information is both anopportunity and a challenge. It is a process of transformation and upgrading in termsof operational ideas and business mode. In the year 2014, several listed traditionalindustry companies, such as Xiangeqing, Panda Fireworks, Zhongnan Heavy Industry,made cross-border acquisition of film and television companies. There are altogether46 cultural media that are acquired by other companies, involving as much as 50billion yuan, which shows that the media industry based on information technologieshas become the integration focus of all sorts of resources. But for the traditionalmedia industry, its current situation is not optimistic.

Firstly, it has a relatively backward business idea. The traditional media industry,after dozens of years’ development, relies heavily on its old sales mode both in termsof its brand and its development.With the rapid development of the Internet, thenew media is daily becoming the new favor of the public. Subject to a limitedperspective, the traditional media companies, in general, would not undergotremendous changes, and would not take initiative to cater for new reforms. Secondly,the propagation mode is relatively limited. From the business mode of traditionalcompanies, they are still pursuing the “passive selling method”, that is, first they makeproducts and then expect to sell at a high price, so that leave no choice for the public.This kind of “selling-after-investment” operational mode has clearly gone out of themarket rules. Thirdly, the fund is barely adequate. The main reason is that thetraditional media enterprises refuse to make progress and reform themselves. They areadopting a single enterprise form, and are hardly to obtain the cycling chain of capitalas large-sized company groups, leading to a relatively weak capability of tiding overrisks. They are extremely sensitive to the turbulence and fluctuations in the marketand are difficult to recover. Fourthly, it lacks joint innovation. According to thecharacteristics of traditional media enterprises, their framework and ideas are difficultto be transformed, with most of them have already formed their own characteristicbrands. To resolve the current crisis by creating new brands wouldbe a challenge forthem to stage a comeback. If traditional media companies join the internet terminal,their technologies, ideas and business mode would undergo immense transformations,and would also pose a great challenge for these companies.

.......................

2.2 The Research of the Innovative Business Model

The traditional Chinese media industry, faced with the development in the informationera, has come up with different responding strategies, including expanding theconnected media products, diversifying the capital operation, making businessinstitutional innovation and integrating products’ framework, to overcome the impactbrought up by the information era. Each model is equipped with a certain degree ofadvantages, but due to the uniqueness of different development phases of each mediaand different qualities of each media, we can only draw reference from these models,rather than completely imitate. Drucker (2004),the American psychologist, was thevery first person who came up with the theory that resembles Business Theory.Timmers (2003),through his research, holds that the concept of business model is acompound concept. On the one hand, it should be a detailed description of businessresource; and on the other, it is a specific description of potential interests of involvedbusiness personnel. In addition, it should provide an explanation to the structure ofproducts, information and service system. Applegate (2000)’s researchholds that thecurrent business model can simplify the complex business. It can further come upwith the relationship among different elements involved in the business activities andmake a comprehensive analysis of the responses from the actual practices.

Rappa (2003)’s research sheds light on the idea that the very essence of businessmode is also the method of conducting businesses. It can increase the enterprise’srevenue and maintain the current operation status. He also analyzes how the enterprisegains revenue under the influence of the value chain. The research concludes with theidea that business models comprise a great number of contents. It is a concretetransformation of operational model for traditional media company, which shows thevery missions of media companies, which are to deliver values and create values.Therefore, to conduct a related survey on the business model requires an in-depthreflection on the content of the topic.

.....................

Chapter 3 CASE DESCRIPTION................ 16

3.1 The Development Situation of 21st Company........... 16

3.1.1 Main Services..............16

3.1.2 Operation Strategies..................... 17

3.2 The Mission of 21st Company...............18

Chapter 4 CASEANALYSIS...............23

4.1 The Analysis of the Advantages and Disadvantages of the CurrentInnovative Business Mode.......23

4.1.1 Strength.............23

4.1.2 Weakness........................ 23

Chapter 5 THE SUGGESTIONS ON THE OPTIMIZATION OF 21stMEDIA’S INNOVATIVE MODEL............30

5.1Amoeba-Capitalization Mode of 21stMedia............. 30

5.2 The Suggestions on the Optimization ofAmoeba-Capitalization Mode.........30

5.2.1 To Conduct New Business Merger and Acquisition.............31

Chapter 5 THE SUGGESTIONS ON THE OPTIMIZATION OF21stMEDIA’S INNOVATIVE MODEL

5.1Amoeba-Capitalization Mode of 21stMedia

“Amoeba-Capitalization” mode comes from “amebic protozoa”. It refers to the ideathat traditional media enterprises, in order to survive in the highly competitive market,must live like amoeba, who can adapt to any hostile environment. Amoeba is a kind ofunicellular organism, which is constituted of only one cell without fixed form, andcan change its form according to the changes of environment. That is why thedominant dinosaurs have long extinct, while amoeba has survived till now.The 21stCentury Co. Limited has a similar living condition as amoeba. Due to its diversifiedoperational mode, it can split itself and reorganize at any time according to the needof subsidies so as to enhance the adaptability of the company. Within the amoebaoperational mode, the enterprise boasts the ability to split itself, and has a strongvitality. It can share its information, and has a flexibility motivation, and full of teamspirits. And by adding capitalization into this mode enables the flexible business modeto be equipped with a developed and complete value chain, thus it can take an upperhand under any circumstances.

But there are certain disadvantages within the “Amoeba-Capitalization” mode, whichneed to be improved. For example, its responses to the market changes are so flexiblethat parent company may easily lose control of its subsidies. In addition, there is toomuch short-run investment, which will easily influence the long-run development ofthe company. Thirdly, the mode lays too much emphasis on capitalization, easilyignoring the grip on the internal rules of media enterprises. Everything is centered oninterests, which may lead to the trust crisis of media companies. Therefore, we muststrengthen the analysis and forecast of market laws and rules of media companies, andestablish a positive market response mechanism. Remain calm and patient, andalways keep an eye on the demand to create marketing, can ensure us remaininvincible.

.......................

Chapter 6 CONCLUSION AND PROSPECT

As a conclusion, the present thesis aims to analyze and research the status quo,characteristics and new situation faced by the traditional media industry. The paperuses the case of 21stCompany as its main target, and conducts analysis on itsinnovative business mode. The paper also brings out the ideas of establishing astandardized incentive mechanism, introducing external capitals and the strategies ofopening up the evaluation mechanism, in an attempt to resolve all types of problemsexisting in traditional media in a comprehensive perspective. Although I havecollected and searched a great deal of references before beginning to write the thesis,due to the limitation of my abilities and educational background, there are stillproblems in this paper. The analysis is not thorough enough; the elaboration is not fullclear and my understanding is not adequate, especially in terms of the establishmentof concrete strategies, my research is still on a theoretical level without paying muchattention to the market rules. And I failed to set up a corresponding dynamic model toevaluation and forecast. All of these have provided directions for my research in thenext phase.

reference(omitted)