Effects of Communication Information Technology Threat on Traditional Newspaper Industry in Zimbabwe with a Particular Reference to Zimpaper Group

Abstract

The study sought to examine the effects of information communication technology threat on the newspaper industry in Zimbabwe in a bid to determine how ICT can be adapted for use in the newspaper industry. The research used a case study of the Zimpaper goup where a sample size of 100 respondents were selected using a purposive sampling technique. The study used a combination of three instruments i.e. questionnaire guides, interviews and other records to reduce the disadvantage of using a single method. The study showed that the organisation had a healthy mix of young and old employees who were highly literate. This mix of young and aged workers was likely to be a perfect blend of experience and agility to adoption of ICTs. This implied that the organisation had the inherent potential to adopt ICT in its overall strategy based on the general understanding that a young workforce was likely to adopt ICT more easily compared to an aged workforce. On the hand, the aged workforce would provide useful insights into the existing newspaper products thereby complementing each other. Findings also revealed that while ICT caused serious threats to the traditional newspaper industry it had also the potential to create new business opportunities for the same industry. The study highlighted that the email was the oldest and yet the most prevalent form of communication in the organisation. This implied that the organisation had not yet adopted more robust and yet cost effective forms of communication like Facebook, Twitter, Skype, instant messaging platforms and video conferencing. The study recommended that the organisation should develop a clear change management and communication strategy to articulate its business direction and explain the importance of adopting ICT. This should be followed by extensive training of strategic personnel in ICT skills.