Predicting the future and embedding a strategic vision: fundamental requirements for today’s e-manager?
There’s a memorable anecdote in Pamela Williams’ Killing Fairfax. As the story goes, the Fairfax Board of Directors were being briefed on how the internet would affect the company’s strategic positioning in the early naughties.

Board member Roger Corbett was said to have remarked something along the lines of “oh the internet is just a fad, it will blow away.” Such an approach, in hindsight, shows a level of hubris and naivety, for a platform which continues to influence and enhance and transform the way the world does business.

However, the line highlights an ongoing issue for company leaders: how do you plan for digital disruption and market dynamics at a time when consumer tastes and demands are constantly changing?

Having said that, there are a number of situational factors all business leaders need to be cognisant of when planning and managing online portals.
These principally include:
· Audience trends and forecasts;
· Cyber security; and
· Profit margins and input costs.
A business leaders’ ability to foresee risks and opportunities is fundamental to their success. An online presence is no different in this regard, though the pace of change of the online marketplace means it is very difficult to predict market trends five years or more in advance.