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Peek
No : 12
October 9, 2003 |
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Hello!
Our previous issue of Marketspeek received rave reviews from readers.
Thank you everybody! We maintain our stand that true learning
is a laurel won for a lifetime. Nothing can be as exciting as
running a newsletter that is read by the right minds.
So, what's up this week?
"Knowing I lov'd my books, he furnish'd me
From
mine own library with volumes that
I prize above my dukedom."
William Shakespeare, "The Tempest", Act 1 Scene 2
Well, that is what Shakespeare had to write about books. No prizes
for guessing this week's topic - Books. As a knowledge-seeking
nation, we have a mature publishing industry. This week, Marketspeek
takes pride in presenting a delightful peek into the world of
books.
As always, our feature on economy first.
Industrial production:
The production index increased 0.1% in the month of August. Automobile
manufacturing output decreased by 2.6% in August. This is in contrast
to the healthy increase of 3.4% in July. On a year-over-year basis,
production stays low by 1% from the August 2002 level.
Consumer Price Index:
The CPI of August increased by 0.3%. A 2.7% rise in energy prices
contributed to this growth. However, no significant changes, barring
energy prices, were witnessed during the period. The year-over-year
growth of core CPI increased by a marginal 1.3% in August.
Existing home sales:
Existing home sales increased by 5.5% in August. The supply in
terms of months remains 4.6 months. The inventories increased
by 4.2%. This is a unique trend, since demand has also increased
simultaneously.
Happy Peeking!
Editorial
Team
Marketspeek
Executive
Editor - Dr. Sharon Livingston
Editor - Vijay |
| Week's Peek |
Book
Industry – America
- The
total sales of books during the last year was $26.87 billion.
This is a 5.5% increase over the sales witnessed in the
previous year.
AH - Adult hardbound
AP - Adult paperbound
JH - Juvenile hardbound
JP - Juvenile paperbound
- Sale
of books for elementary and high school was down by 5
%, totaling $4.07 billion.
- On
the other hand, sale of books for higher education increased
by 12.4 %, touching $3.90 billion.
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Vital Statistics - Book
- Sales
have dropped in the following categories:
University
press
Mail order publications
Religious books
Subscription references |
- The
only comforting aspect is all these drops have been found
to be restricted between 3 to 6%.
- A
comparison of sales value of books in early months of
2003 with prior year shows decline in sales of books.
Period |
2002
Final (Millions of Dollars) |
2003
(Millions of Dollars) |
| January |
2,188 |
2,094 |
| February |
1,117 |
1,005 |
| March |
1,126 |
929 |
| April |
1,043 |
984 |
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Analysis
- Book
- The publishing
industry is fighting hard with substitutes like the Internet
and other Interactive media. It is the onus of the industry
to bank on core competencies like portability and convenience
to retain its edge in the market.
-
The success of specific titles should sound an alarm to the
industry. It is time to experiment and tide over the rough patch.
Experimentation might envisage areas such as the layouts of
books, the packaging and the contents. New themes and fresh
authors could also pave the way for a favorable change in the
sector.
- The habit
of gifting books should be promoted in a serious manner. Themes
with longer shelf life, coupled with an inherent emotional appeal
can be factors that could develop the habit of gifting a book.
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| Wish I were |
The
story began one day in the exclusive St. Anthony's Club in San
Antonio, Texas. One man picked up a cocktail napkin and drew a
triangle on it. He wrote "Dallas", "Houston"
and "San Antonio" on its corners. The other closed his
eyes briefly and shouted: "You are crazy! Let's do it!".
And Southwest Airlines was born.
The first man was Rollin King and the other was his lawyer Herb
Kelleher. And this route network, by which the airline would not
come under the regulation of the Texan Civil Aeronautics Board
(CBA), offered great opportunity for profits, given the booming
economy of Texas. Finally, on 18 June 1971, everything was set:
With three Boeing 737-200, 90 per cent of which was financed by
the Seattle aircraft constructor, the newcomer started his business.
Today Herb Kelleher remembers, "We had to make people talk
about us, because we did not have enough money for advertising.
We wanted to be known as an incredible fun company from the start".
1,200 women applied for the 40 posts of stewardesses. Those who
were successful were put into uniforms: Extremely short hot pants
in bright orange and knee high go-go-girl boots and wide belts
for emphazising the shapely bodies. The target group of the new
company were businessmen, who were most of all promised "love".
The first ads announced, "There is someone up there, who
loves you". The cocktails on board were called "love
potions", staff served "love bites", i.e. peanuts.
From the beginning Southwest tariffs were structured simply and
very low - during the day a one-way ticket cost initially $20,
later $26. During the evenings and nights the one hour lasting
flights within the Texan city triangle cost $10, later $13. Southwest
also achieved records in turn around time and were soon in the
black - in their second full year of business. Half a million
passengers were being transported with only three aircraft.
Today, 26 years later, the niche-company has developed into one
of the most successful airlines in the USA. Imitators all over
the world have tried to copy Southwest's extraordinary strategy.
The fifth largest in the USA, Southwest owns the biggest Boeing
737 fleet in the world. And ranks at the very top among the desired
job opportunities for many Americans because of its brilliant
working atmosphere.
"We are convinced that we can contribute something positive
to the community", a manager summarizes the credo behind
the success. "We hope that our work really makes a difference
for the world. We honestly believe in this".
For
further reading:
http://www.flug-revue.rotor.com/FRheft/FRH9907/FR9907g.htm
http://www.corpstory.com/articles/southwest.htm
http://www.tibco.com/customers/southwest.jsp |
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| BrandFact |
| Northern
Electric and Manufacturing Company Ltd (Nortel) was incorporated
in 1895 to make telephones, wind-up gramophones, and street call
boxes for police and fire departments. |
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| This Week that Age |
October 7th, 1806 - Carbon paper was patented
in London by inventor Ralph Wedgewood.
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| Insight |
| Our
greatest glory is not in never failing, but in
rising up every time we fail. |
-
-Ralph Waldo Emerson |
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you are looking to subscribe to our Executive Editor - Dr.
Sharon Livingston’s newsletter on primary research
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Disclaimer
The information
presented in this Newsletter is not based on any primary research
undertaken exclusively for this purpose; it is based on secondary
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