A market analysis for a weekly women's newspaper in South Africa
Nxumalo, Lerato (2009-12)
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.
Please refer to this item in SUNScholar by using the following persistent URL: http://hdl.handle.net/10019.1/933