Management of Information, Communications and Media

One element of strength of the Columbia Business School relative to peer institutions is its activity in the media and communications field. The curricular activity is through an innovative MBA concentration in the Management of Information, Communications and Media. This is supplemented by the active research programs of the Columbia Institute for Tele-Information.

The concentration is aimed primarily at serving students interested in careers in media, telecommunications, arts and entertainment management, computers, the internet, electronic commerce, and the emerging large corporate information management departments. It creates a business school approach, with a strong international orientation, to information production and distribution and to information as a key resource.

It has become commonplace to note the advent of the information economy, the information society and the information age. The information sector- media, computer systems, telecommunications, R&D, advertising etc.- together account for over one-third of the American GNP. Almost one half of all new capital investment in America is in the area of information technology. The globalization of business is accomplished by far-flung networks that permit control, coordination and rapid transactions. Much of what managers do is produce, disseminate, digest, route and manage information. The management of information resources is becoming a critical managerial skill for both generalists and information specialists.

The central trend of the information sector is the merging of its components- media, communication and computers, etc. Telecommunications and television are no longer separate. Similarly, the computer-based internet system is becoming a mass-market oriented medium and a commercial marketplace. Televisions sets are becoming smart and computer-like. The Columbia concentration provides students with the inter-media orientation necessary for tomorrow’s information based environment.

A second element of the concentration is its inter-disciplinary character. An inter-disciplinary concentration is not based on a single paradigm or method but bridges concepts from one discipline to another. For example, the fundamental operational decisions of television networks- the optimization of program choice- links the marketing literature with a body of economic literature. Another example is the question of how to optimize office automation, a question whose answer requires contributions from organizational theory, accounting, finance, management science and economics.

A third distinguishing aspect of the concentration is its New York location. New York is the most significant business, information and media center in the world. It is the headquarters of a large number of major media firms and home to the heaviest users of communication and information services, including banks, insurance companies, advertising agencies, publishers, public relations, accounting, consulting and law firms. New York is also the premier point of contact in the United States with the rest of the world. Most foreign media and information organizations and large international firms are located in New York. Almost 45 percent of all US international telephone calls originate or terminate in New York.

Students must take B8210 Management of Information, Communication and Media Resources as well as three other classes as specified by the concentration. With the permission of the concentration advisor and subject to cross registration rules, students can also take courses at other Columbia schools including Arts, Engineering, International and Public Affairs, Journalism and Law.

 

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Tentative Course Listing: Spring 1999

Last update: 6-30-98