In order to introduce the reader to the subject of investigation, this report first explores in depth the nature of business models, the meaning and the importance of innovation, and the characteristics of newspaper and electronic businesses. Then, the results of a study of Ifra member publishers and top newspaper company executives from the most important news-papers in countries around the world are presented.
The results of this study reveal that, in general, newspaper publishing companies are still focused on the traditional printing business. Cost saving is in their focus. In order to create value, it will be useful for them to develop parallel business models based on business op-portunities offered by new technologies and to find ways to exploit network relations and speed up their capability to react to and anticipate changes. Newspaper publishing compa-nies, however, are often too anchored to their traditional business and late in recognising and exploiting new opportunities. This is seen in the fact that experimentation is considered to be the least important force playing a role in investment decision making at a time when the dynamism of the media industry requires an entrepreneurial spirit.