business essay

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Business Essay: Assessing the effectiveness of a fighting style is quite straightforward: fighting boils down to a tradeoff between protecting oneself, and attacking the opponent. A fighter with a mind set on dealing as much damage as possible cannot hope to escape any encounter unscathed. A fighter relying entirely on defensive tactics on the other hand, may well come out of a fight unharmed, but will not have dealt so much as a scratch to the opponent, and can therefore not claim to be a fighter at all. Fighting well is to compromise; balancing attack and defense to maximize harm while remaining safe. If Ole Jakob Sunde, the Schibsted publishing group’s chairman, is to be believed, News organizations, much like fighters, are engaged in an existential balancing act. They must contend with two imperatives: pursuing profits, and fulfilling their mission to provide information that raises society’s level of understanding of the world. For a newspaper, striking a balance between the two would mean remaining profitable while still providing the public with essential information. Ever since the Internet entered the arena that is the news market, drawing away readers from newspapers, it has become all but impossible to achieve this balance. Publications committed to public service struggle to remain afloat, while free services such as Google News and papers such as 20 Minutes and Metro, poor in original content, rich in advertising revenue, are—like fighters who do not fight—barely news organizations at all. This problem, phrased by Mr. Sunde as the “Cathedral” vs. Market conundrum, has a simple but costly solution, which the Schibsted group have demonstrated most effectively. When your fighter is outmatched, the easiest way to prevail is to send in two or three extra fighters to compensate for your single fighter’s vulnerability. By ensuring that the

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Business Essay:Assessing the efectiveness of a fghting style is quite straightforward: fghting boils down to a tradeof between protecting oneself, and attacking the opponent. A fghter with a ind set on dealing as uch daage as possible cannot hope to escape any encounter unscathed. A fghter relying entirely on defensive tactics on the other hand, ay well coe out of afght unhared, but will not have dealt so uch as a scratch to the opponent, and can therefore not clai to be a fghter at all.!ighting well is to coproise" balancing attack and defense to a#ii$e harwhile reaining safe. %f &le 'akob (unde, the (chibsted publishing group)s chairan, is to be believed, *ews organi$ations, uch like fghters, are engaged in an e#istential balancing act. +hey ust contend with two iperatives: pursuing profts, and fulflling their ission to provide inforation that raises society)s level of understanding of the world.!or a newspaper, striking a balance between the two would ean reaining proftable while still providing the public with essential inforation. Ever since the %nternet entered the arena that is the news arket, drawing away readers fro newspapers, it has becoe all but ipossible to achieve this balance. ,ublications coitted to public service struggle to reain a-oat, while free services such as .oogle *ews and papers such as /0 1inutes and 1etro, poor in original content, rich in advertising revenue, are2like fghters who do not fght2barely news organi$ations at all.+his proble, phrased by 1r. (unde as the 34athedral5 vs. 1arket conundru, has a siple but costly solution, which the (chibsted group have deonstrated ost efectively. 6hen your fghter is outatched, the easiest way to prevail is to send in two or three e#tra fghters to copensate for your single fghter)s vulnerability. By ensuring that the (chibsted group as whole could fll its fnancial gaps thanks to the considerable profts it reaped fro its other edia ventures, the group has ensured they have the resources to pay the high aintenance costs of their 34athedrals)5. 6hile efective, this strategy fails to address what is, in y opinion, thefundaental challenge facing newspapers today. %n order for the to survive, a radical transforation fro a business founded upon on news itself to a business that sells sound analytical thought. 6hile it is ipossible for anything printed on paper to copete with the speed anease of access of online news, there is no replaceent for quality analysis of the news, a service for which deand will always be high. 7ntil 34athedrals5 are rebuilt and arketed as the provider of this service, it will be e#treely di8cult for &ld guard *ewspapers to stand without outside support, whether it coes fro classifed websites, &il oney, or rich patrons.