The advent of globalisation and technology has had a profound effect on the business environment. This has changed both the manner and speed with which business is conducted globally. Technology has facilitated the expediency and closure of major business deals at the click of a mouse, to comply with the shift in consumer tastes, values and preferences. This paper will focus specifically on the impact that the World Wide Web, the Internet has had on the print media, the latter being narrowed down to newspapers generally and that specifically published by the Independent Newspaper Holdings stable. The literature review will expound the debates of various acclaimed academics. The works of Michael Porter on competitive advantage, Hamel and Prahalad on core competence, issues of leadership and change management by Kotter will be reviewed and the data collected by way of interviews and surveys will be evaluated in support of the findings. Strategic management tools (SWOT, PEST and Porter's Five Forces) will used to examine the strategic and operational environments in which Independent Newspapers is operating. This will be supported by the research findings, which will attempt to make recommendations of the strategies that must be implemented for the sustainability of the Group. Furthermore, since 1994, South Africa has experienced a change in government and its laws have changed causing global and local competition to intensify. Businesses also have to contend with a service quality revolution between consumers and service providers. Following the introduction of new labour laws, the workplace has become diverse in its composition and culture, resulting in workers, shareholders and customers demanding to be included in the decision - making process. Ethics is another key factor, which pervades almost every aspect of business. This code of ethics evolves with changing societal values. This is a primary dimension, which must be taken into account in charting the way forward. The existing code of ethics must be revisited, given the changes that have taken place. It is imperative that this framework be continuously evaluated. Management of all types of organisations has to rethink their approach with regard to their operations, human resources, marketing and the physical environment. This paradigm shift is causing new organisations to emerge, which are more responsive to both their internal and external environments. (Kasirnoglu 2000).

Thesis (MBA)- University of Kwazulu-Natal, 2004.