COM3702 Assignment 3 (Portfolio) Semester 2 Memo | Due 27 October 2025

, PLEASE USE THIS DOCUMENT AS A GUIDE TO ANSWER YOUR ASSIGNMENT

TABLE OF CONTENT
1 INTRODUCTION Page 3
2 STRATEGIC MEDIA MANAGEMENT Page 3
3 REPRESENTATION AND IDENTITY Page 7
4 MEDIA, VIOLENCE AND SOCIETY Page 12
5 MEDIA AND THE ENVIRONMENT Page 16
6 MEDIA AND VIOLENCE Page 21
7 CONCLUSION Page 23
REFERENCES Page 24

, 1. INTRODUCTION

This assignment covers a range of critical topics related to the role and influence of media in South
African society, with a particular focus on its impact on public perception and societal issues.
Section 2 explores strategic media management, examining how media organizations handle the
complexities of managing content in a fast-evolving landscape. Section 3 critically discusses the
representation of identity in South African media, reflecting on how issues of race, gender, and class
are portrayed in various media forms. Section 4 delves into the relationship between media and
violence, analyzing how violent incidents are represented and whether such representations
normalize or challenge violent behavior in society. In Section 5, the essay examines media coverage
of environmental issues, particularly focusing on how South African media report on ecological
crises and their impact on public awareness. Finally, Section 6 offers a critical essay on how violence
is represented in South African media, discussing the media's role in either condemning, glamorizing,
or normalizing violent acts. This assignment aims to provide a holistic view of the complex
relationship between media, society, and the various issues affecting the South African context.

2. STRATEGIC MEDIA MANAGEMENT

2.1.1. When doing an environmental analysis as part of strategic media management, of
EcoTrend must do an internal and external assessment of the organisation. Explain the
differences between an internal and external assessment.

To conduct an environmental analysis as part of strategic media management, EcoTrend must
perform both an internal and external assessment. These two components, when combined in a
SWOT analysis, help identify the organization's strengths, weaknesses, opportunities, and threats. A
successful strategy ensures a competitive advantage by aligning the organization's internal
capabilities with external conditions (COM3702, 2020).

Internal Assessment (Strengths and Weaknesses)
An internal assessment examines the organization’s internal resources and capabilities. This focuses
on the microenvironment within the company, including areas such as production, product
development, marketing, personnel, finance, and management. The primary goal is to identify the
internal strengths (capabilities the organization can leverage) and weaknesses (areas where
improvements are needed). These aspects are typically under the control of management, allowing
the organization to make adjustments based on its existing resources and processes. The internal
assessment provides a strategic overview of the organization’s current position in terms of
capabilities and limitations (Fourie, 2018).

External Assessment (Opportunities and Threats)
In contrast, an external assessment evaluates the factors outside the organization that may impact its
media strategy. This focuses on both the market (task) environment and the macro-environment. The
market environment includes competition, supplier power, customer behavior, and the threat of
substitutes. The macro-environment examines broader external factors such as technological
advancements, demographic shifts, economic trends, and cultural or political changes. Unlike the
internal assessment, the external assessment identifies opportunities (external factors that could
benefit the organization) and threats (external challenges), which the organization must adapt to but
cannot control directly (COM3702, 2020).