This too shall pass: A study of strategic turnarounds in the Swedish Media Industry

Sammanfattning: This study examines strategic turnarounds in the Swedish media industry, with a focus on external stakeholder relations. The industry has been going through a structural change, with new technologies leading to a shift in consumption behavior. In response to this, many media companies need to conduct strategic turnarounds in order to regain or remain their competitive advantage and relevance for the market. The purpose is to identify the key factors in turnaround processes and contribute to the theoretical body on the topic and as well as providing managerial implications.The study examines the strategic turnarounds of Kanal5, Stampen, TV11, DI and Aftonbladet in a qualitative multi-case study. The findings are analyzed and summarized into three propositions: -Media companies that successfully manage a strategic turnaround are selective when choosing what specific stakeholders group to center their strategy around. -Media companies that successfully manage a strategic turnaround cement their market position through a content-driven refinement of brand and market offering.-Media companies that successfully manage a strategic turnaround do so through an increased and systematic business focus.