published_or_final_version / Business Administration / Master / Master of Business Administration

published_or_final_version / Business Administration / Master / Master of Business Administration

Print newspapers in South Africa are the oldest formal mode of news and information dissemination but which has come under tremendous pressure with the advent and spread of technological innovation involving information communication infrastructure and processes, but specifically the internet. The main challenge facing print newspapers in terms of circulation growth of print and advertising revenue is speed to market. The internet has not only provided a new avenue for news and information dissemination but has the distinct advantage of tremendous speed to deliver news and information to readers. Meanwhile, print newspapers whose production is still almost entirely dependent on traditional structures, processes and physical mode of delivery are battling to stay afloat as the chase for readers' attention is gaining more ground on digital platforms. This new competition landscape has now cast focus fully on traditional print media‟s production processes competency levels as well as their suitability for the nature of competition posed by digital news platforms. The processes involved in the production of a print newspaper can be described as hybrid (Davis and Heineke. 2005: 220) in that they involve different types of processes at different stages to produce the final product. The focus of this study at Avusa Media (Port Elizabeth) was on the post production processes involving the printing and distribution of printed newspapers with the objective of gaining an understanding of the extent and impact of the information technology advancement in the post production phase of printed newspapers. v In pursuing the goal, the case study research followed a phenomenological paradigm involving exploratory and descriptive research processes as described by Yin (1994) in Collis and Hussey (2003: 69) and Clifford Geertz (1973) in Babbie and Mouton (2005: 272) The research found that the traditional business structure for printed newspapers is increasingly becoming unviable due to poverty of technological innovation in critical parts of the production value chain; namely post production processes that encompass printing and distribution of printed newspapers. The research established and revealed that while there are some technological innovations and advances in the print newspaper publishing industry value chain worldwide, they are not only severely limited and disjointed but are also seemingly moving apart rather than towards consolidation in terms of the speed to market need faced by print newspaper publishers.

The development of the tabloid press has stirred heated debate among media scholars. Critics have argued against the relevance of tabloids in society, often framing them as the ‘journalistic other’ deserving no place in ‘serious’ journalism. Much of this criticism, however, has not been based on a close interrogation of the phenomenon, or an examination of the reasons for their popularity amongst readers. It is against this background that this study investigates the reasons behind the popularity of the Zimbabwean state-controlled tabloid newspaper uMthunywa, among its Bulawayo readers. In particular, it explores the meanings obtained from the content of the paper and the relevance of this content to the readers’ everyday lives. In undertaking this investigation, the study draws primarily on qualitative research methods, particularly qualitative content analysis and in-depth interviews (both group and individual). As the study demonstrates, these methods uncover the complex manner in which Bulawayo readers are attracted to uMthunywa and how they appropriate its textual meanings to their lived realities. The study establishes that despite uMthunywa being state-controlled, it offers space through which the conventional ways of presenting reality are challenged, and the importance of the newspaper being written in isiNdebele. As the study indicates, the popularity of the newspaper is largely dependent on its excessive formulaic and sensational stories, which cover issues experienced by its readers in their lived circumstances. The study thus argues that the newspaper constitutes an alternative mediated public sphere that finds space in the deeper social conditions that have alienated the people of Bulawayo from the macropolitical life of the nation and the ‘power bloc’.

Thesis (MBA (Business Management))--University of Stellenbosch, 2009. / ENGLISH ABSTRACT: This research study presents an empirical quantitative research aimed primarily at establishing whether there is a need for a weekly professional and business women's newspaper. Due to the scope and costs of doing a national research, this research was narrowed to the Western Cape's Cape metropolitan region. This research is therefore a pilot study which is to provide foundations for a representative research project. A structured questionnaire-based survey was designed and used to gather data that would answer the research question. This survey was distributed amongst 200 professional women, business women and women aspiring to these positions and who are currently reading newspapers within the Cape Metropole. The questionnaire was divided into three sections. The first section was the screening section which was to ensure that all respondents are within the target group. This was followed by the demographic section which was to establish the backgrounds of respondents and the newspaper readership patterns section which aimed to understand women's readership patterns and also to answer the research questions. Findings from the survey revealed that there is a potential market for a weekly professional and business women's newspaper, as 82 percent of the 200 respondents indicated that they would be willing to buy a newspaper targeted at women. Results also revealed that these women mainly read newspapers on a Sunday. In addition the majority (65%) of the respondents indicated that they would prefer a women's newspaper to be a weekly publication. This implies that a weekly professional and business women's newspaper is a potentially viable business proposition. Although the results and literature supports the view that professional and business women are a growing market and that they are generally not satisfied with the current newspaper offerings in the market, this research is a pilot research study and should be followed by a larger scale research project to investigate this topic and better understand the needs of women. Moreover, future studies will establish more precisely the size of this market and establish whether it makes business sense to pursue this proposition. / AFRIKAANSE OPSOMMING: Hierdie navorsingstudie verteenwoordig 'n empiriese kwantitatiewe navorsingstuk primêr daarop gerig om te bepaal of daar 'n behoefte bestaan vir 'n weeklikse koerant vir professionele en sakevroue. As gevolg van die omvang en koste van 'n nasionale navorsingstudie, is hierdie navorsing net gerig op die Wes-Kaapse Kaapstadse metropolitaanse streek. Hierdie navorsing is daarom 'n proefstudie wat die grondslag bied vir 'n meer verteenwoordigende navorsingsprojek. 'n Gestruktureerde vraelys-gebaseerde opname is ontwerp en gebruik om data in te samel wat die navorsingsvraag sou beantwoord. Die vraelys is onder 200 professionele vroue, sakevroue en vroue wat tot hierdie posisies aspireer versprei wat tans lesers is van koerante binne die Kaapse Metropool. Die vraelys is in drie dele verdeel. Die eerste afdeling het siftingsvrae bevat om seker te maak dat die respondente deel uitgemaak het van die teikengroep. Dit is gevolg deur ‟n demografiese afdeling wat moes bepaal wat die agtergronde van respondente was en 'n afdeling oor koerantleespatrone wat daarop gemik was om vroue se leespatrone te verstaan en ook die navorsingsvrae te beantwoord. Bevindings van die opname het getoon dat daar 'n potensiële mark is vir 'n weeklikse koerant vir professionele en sakevroue aangesien 82 persent van die 200 respondente aangedui het dat hulle bereid sou wees om 'n koerant gerig op vroue te koop. Die resultate het ook getoon dat hierdie vroue hoofsaaklik op 'n Sondag koerant lees. Verder het die meerderheid (65%) van die respondente aangedui dat hulle sou verkies dat 'n vrouekoerant 'n weeklikse publikasie is. Dit impliseer dat 'n weeklikse koerant gerig op professionele en sakevroue 'n potensieel lewensvatbare besigheidsproposisie is. Alhoewel die resultate en die literatuur die standpunt ondersteun dat professionele en sakevroue 'n groeiende mark is en dat hulle oor die algemeen nie tevrede is met die huidige koerantaanbiedinge in die mark nie, is hierdie navorsing slegs 'n proefstudie en behoort dit opgevolg te word deur 'n veel groter navorsingsprojek om hierdie onderwerp te ondersoek en die behoeftes van vroue beter te verstaan. Verdere studies sal ook meer presies kan bepaal wat die grootte van hierdie mark is en bepaal of dit besigheidsin maak om hierdie proposisie verder te voer.

This research is premised on the understanding that alternative forms of media emerge to deal with specific ideological projects and, as such, must be seen as satisfying a specific need at a specific point in time. Using the case of a weekly newspaper, The Southern Star which was in circulation from January 2012 to June 2012, this study sought to understand the factors that led to the establishment of the newspaper, what it sought to achieve, how it went about putting that into practice, its message in relation to debates emanating from the ‘Matabeleland Question’ and also the factors that led to the its collapse. In order to address my research questions, I adopted a two stage research design qualitative content analysis and semi structured in depth interviews. In locating the study within the qualitative epistemic understanding of research, it was clear from the qualitative content analysis of 13 editions of the publication and in depth interviews held with 15 respondents that the newspaper was set up with the aim of serving a marginalised section of the population (in this instance the Ndebele) by providing them with a platform to articulate issues affecting them. It also sought to ‘speak’ the ‘unspoken’ within the mainstream media by focusing on Matabeleland identity politics. It achieved this by creating content around the Gukurahundi genocide, Matabeleland development, Matabeleland history and Matabeleland heroes. The newspaper also sought to emancipate the people from the South by advocated for social, cultural, economic and political justice as a resolution to the ‘Matabeleland Question’. However, the newspaper failed to sustain operations due to lack of advertising revenue. As a result of the constraining political environment in which the newspaper operated, potential advertisers were afraid of placing advertisements in the newspaper because of the nature of the content produced, which in view of Zimbabwe’s rival ethnic history, could easily be labelled ethnically divisive. Also, being a new player in the market worked to their disadvantage as prospective advertisers opted to place their adverts in “tried and tested” publications (Zimpapers and Alpha Media Holdings). Additionally, because of poor management, roles were not clearly defined and hence the newspaper failed to operate as a business enterprise. As noted during interviews with junior reporters, there was little or no experience at management level. The paper lacked a coordinated circulation strategy and from inception, was never officially launched, which resulted in the failure to reach significant audiences.