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The Development of Media Management as an Academic Field: Tracing the Contents and Impact of Its Three Leading Journals

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Managing Media Firms and Industries

Part of the book series: Media Business and Innovation ((MEDIA))

Abstract

This chapter takes stock of the development of media management as an academic field. We draw on Bird et al. (Family Business Review 15(4): 337–350, 2002) to assess how these fields measure up on three criteria that determine maturity as a discipline. While the existence of professional associations is evident in media management and career opportunities for media managers and scholars alike indicate that two prerequisites have been fulfilled, systematic theory is less evident and that is problematic. The authors reach this conclusion based on review of the most-cited articles published in the three leading journals of the field (Journal of Media Economics, International Journal on Media Management and Journal of Media Business Studies). Drawing on Whetten (Academy of Management Review 14(4): 490–495, 1989), the chapter observes that while considerable progress has been made in identifying the what (i.e. factors relevant to understand empirical phenomena related to media management) and quite a bit of less to how these factors are related, the why (i.e. the underlying dynamics explaining the characteristics of the field) and the who, where and when (as boundary conditions placing limitations on the theory or model) are in need of substantial work in order for a systematic body of theory about media management to develop.

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Notes

  1. 1.

    Several other regional or national academic associations support sections gathering scholars in media management. There is also a biennial World Media Economics and Management Conference that is an informal network, but not a formal association.

  2. 2.

    As measured by the software ‘Publish or Perish’, accessed in March and April 2013.

  3. 3.

    Information retrieved from the journal’s webpage.

  4. 4.

    Full list of the editorial board members http://www.tandfonline.com/action/journalInformation?show=editorialBoard&journalCode=HMEC20#.U8YJuqie_uU

  5. 5.

    All according to data from Thomson Reuters for 2012 versus 2013 and from Journal Citation Reports 2011 versus 2012, as stated on the journal’s website in March 2013 and compared with June 2014.

  6. 6.

    Information retrieved from the journal’s website as well as one of its editors.

  7. 7.

    Full list of the editorial board members http://www.tandfonline.com/action/journalInformation?show=editorialBoard&journalCode=hijm20#.U8YKz6ie_uU

  8. 8.

    Full list of the editorial board members: http://center.hj.se/mmtc/jombs/editorial-board.html

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Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Media Management and Transformation Centre, Jönköping International Business School, Jönköping, Sweden

    Leona Achtenhagen

  2. School of Business, Fordham University, New York, NY, USA

    Bozena Mierzejewska

Authors
  1. Leona Achtenhagen
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  2. Bozena Mierzejewska
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Corresponding author

Correspondence to Leona Achtenhagen .

Editor information

Editors and Affiliations

  1. Media and Theatre, University of Tampere (UTA) School of Communication,, Tampere, Finland

    Gregory Ferrell Lowe

  2. The University of Westminster Faculty of Media, Arts and Design, Northwick Park, United Kingdom

    Charles Brown

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Achtenhagen, L., Mierzejewska, B. (2016). The Development of Media Management as an Academic Field: Tracing the Contents and Impact of Its Three Leading Journals. In: Lowe, G., Brown, C. (eds) Managing Media Firms and Industries. Media Business and Innovation. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-08515-9_2

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