CHAPTER ONE

1.0 INTRODUCTION

Strategy is an art of planning in an organization. It is long term and wide ranging. It pervades and controls important organizational actions and is an important determinant of an organization’s success or failure over time.

Strategy, according to stoner and Wankle (1986: 11) defines strategy in two different perspectives. From the perspective of what an organization intends to do and also from what an organization eventually does from the first perspective, strategy is the broad programme for defining and achieving an organization’s objectives and also implements its mission.

The second perspective describes strategy as the pattern of the organization’s responses to its environment overtime.

Strategy” according to stoner and Wankle (1985: 11) defines strategy in two’ different perspectives. From the perspective of what an organization intends to do and also from what an organization eventually does. From the first perspective, strategy is the broad programme for defining and achieving an organization’s objectives and also implements its mission.

Our discussions of strategy will use both definitions but will emphasize the active role. The active formulation of strategy is known as strategic planning, which takes a broad and usually long-range focus.

Stoner and Wankel also stated that a strategy creates a unified direction for the organization in terms of its many objectives, and it guides the deployment of the resources used to move the organization towards the objectives.

When defining strategy, it will go along with planning and planning is the first and perhaps the most important function of management. The essence of planning is to prepare for and predict future events that are the reason strategy and planning go hand in hand. Planning involves the development of strategy and procedure required for effective realization of the active plan and it also entails determination of control, direction and methods of accomplishing the overall organizational objectives. Planning involves the establishment of objectives, strategies to achieve the objectives and a step – by – step determination of the activities and resources necessary to achieve them (Astion 1994).

Taking the two wards strategy and planning, it will make up strategic planning.

Strategic planning thus is defined as ‘the process of
selecting an organizations goals, determining the policies and programmes

BRIEF HISTORY OF AKWA IBOM BROADCASTING CORPORATION (AKBC), UYO.

1.1 BACKGROUND OF THE STUDY

Akwa Ibom Broadcasting Corporation (AKBC) is a public corporation set up by the government of Akwa Iborn State with the primary aim of gathering,’ processing and disseminating information to the public through the channel of Radio and Television. The corporation was established under the Akwa Ibom State edict of No.4 of 1988.

The Radio service of the ‘AKBC’ stated with the Aptitude modulation (AM) facility, which the state government inherited in 1987 from the sub-station of the former Cross River Radio Located at Abak. The facility was, however, improved upon by the state government whereby a 10 watt ‘AM’ station of the AKBC Radio service was formally commissioned on 27th September, 1988, by the then military Governor of the state, Colonel Godwin O. Abbe.

Again, history was made on Saturday, 27th July, 1991 when then military Administrator of Akwa Ibom State, wing Commander Idongesit Nkanga Commissioned the Broadcasting Corporation – Radio Akwa Ibom on the frequency modulation Band Christened” The voice of promise,” the station carne alive with an installed 30 – kilo watt transmitting power.

Both the AM/FM station broadcasts 18112hours (i.e. S. 30arm -12 midnight) daily. The FM station covers the entire Akwa Ibom and Cross River State with spill over to part of Imo, Abia, River, Anambra, Enugu, Edo, Delta, and Benue states including Cameroon Republic.

Equally, the television Authority arm of the AKBC started off with the facility of the erstwhile Cross River television Authority of which the state government improved upon it to give a wider coverage. The station transmits in colons on channel 45 UHF with an estimated power of 30- kilo watt.

The programme policy of both the Radio and television arms of the AKBC has the people at the center (i.e people oriented) and gives exposure to regional outturn task and characteristics while at the same time, educating, informing and entertaining the masses.

The designed programmes of the Radio and Television meet the taste of numerous listeners and viewers respectively thereby providing receptive atmosphere for effective marketing and communication.

Structurally, the AKBC has a Board of Directors, which makes policy for the corporation. This is followed by the general manager who is the chief Executive and accounting officer of the corporation charged with the day to day running of others are the Heads and other workers of various designations and responsibilities down the line.

The major departments in both the Radio and television services are commercial, administration, programmes, News and current affairs, F. M. Service and engineering departments.

There are other smaller functional units such as the
accounts, presentation, internal Audit, Monitoring and Credit
Control. The Radio and the television services of the AKBC currently have the staff strength of 305 and 213 respectively.

1.2   STATEMENT OF THE PROBLEM

The failure of most businesses today is caused by the
way the organization is manager. It is not that the labour is unproductive, or the product is not marketable, or that reasonable profit is not made, but due to 19.ck of strategic planning and effective management tools. It has been noticed that public organizations are suffering from poor management and most firms in the public sector have not lived up to expectation, this hinders the development of our, economy. Some of this management problem includes.

1.    Lack of ability to use the tools, procedures and techniques
of a specialized field.

2.    Lack of ability to work with, understand, and motivate
other people either as individuals or as groups.

iii.      Lack of mental ability to coordinate and integrate all the organizations interests and activities. This involves the manager’s ability to see the organization as a whole and to understand how its parts depend on each other. Necessary to achieve specifics objectives to the goals and establishing the methods necessary to assure that the policies and strategic programmes are achieved

1.    iv. Lack of government support or care. This extends to neglect its supervisory role on the activities of both the board and management and indeed, the entire corporation.

This has attracted a lot of attention and general comments in several quarters, both from the elites and non-elites, the government and the governed, the private sector and the public sector itself. Hence, there seems to be a general disenchantment against our public corporations.

This study will find out possible or strategic solutions for effective management of government parasites in order to enhance economic development.

1.3     SCOPE OF THE STUDY

The study, however covers the origin of the Nigeria government parastatals: The   basic          problems     with government owned enterprises in Nigeria and the problems associated specifically with the management/administration of broadcasting media in Nigeria having decided for convenience sake, to use a broadcast media enterprise owned by government as a case study and that is the Akwa Ibom Broadcasting Corporation (AKBC) Uyo in which much emphasis would be laid.

1.4    LIMITATION OF THE STUDY

1.    Financial Constraint: Due to the present economic constraint, which has made our currency a scarce commodity, Tile researcher finds it difficult to meet up with all the financial obligations in a research project.

2.    Time Factor: The greatest among these limitations is the problem of time. Nigeria government parastatals are 50 many that one cannot have enough time to carry out study on the assumed poor management ‘on them. And it should be noted that all organizations, which are established or financed by any of the three tiers of government are all in this study regarded as government owned enterprises and their experiences.