Abstract
M.Comm.
Privacy evolved from a social rights issue of the seventies to a consumer rights issue
in the late nineties, brought about by the advent of the Internet, inter-connectivity and
e-commerce. Constant technological and global development as well as a lack of the
understanding of privacy issues is seen as a constant threat to privacy protection,
necessitating legal regulation and technical compliance to security standards. The
loss of privacy can result in financial loss or victimisation for the individual. This presents immense management challenges that must be met by organisations to protect privacy. This study investigates the management approach that will enable a company to meet these challenges by developing and implementing a net privacy policy. This management approach employs the four basic management functions as its basis where the planning and organising functions constitute the development phase and the leading and controlling functions makes up the implementation phase.