While we are in demand of textbooks for our courses, the closest option for us with the greatest supply just so happens to be the bookstore
In contrast to Borders Group, Barnes & Noble which is a leading bookstore in the US recorded an 11% increase in their share value in the past year with the introduction of their e-book reader “Nook”. It is clear that Barnes & Noble were not “Myopic” in their approach and were able to retain and even grow their customers as well as profits by embracing a new product.
The bookstore chain has been decreasing in profit in the US over the past 20 years. Most of the books retailers are shutting down their operations and only a few are still operating in the country. Barnes and Noble has become the largest bookseller in the book retailers industry. The firm has integrated its business philosophy into web presence though eBook marketplace. This business strategy assisted the firm to be able to reach a large scale customers and remain as a strongest competitor in the book retailing market.
Strategic planning is a critical element of an organization’s annual business plan. A strategic plan consists of a number of components. In addition to analyzing a company’s strengths and weaknesses, a strategic plan also includes implementation and control techniques. While this may seem easy enough, implementing a strategic plan into an organization can be challenging. Barnes and Noble, like a number of corporations are seeking ways to improve productivity and profitability. This essay will identify business alternatives for the bookseller which will enable them to diversify their product offerings.
* Evaluate the influences of changing economic, political, social, cultural, and technological forces on business and society.
Many educators are embracing the use of electronic textbooks for a variety of reasons. Ken White, an instructor at Everett Community College, points out that some older students may have a hard time transitioning to e-textbooks but younger generations of students will be much more successful at making the conversion (Moving towards virtual textbooks). The trend seems to be that electronic devices of all sorts are becoming more and more popular. As these devices continue to permeate our culture, integrating them as soon and as frequently as possible into the classroom will help students adjust to using them now and in the future. White even uses the new textbook format because, “[Electronic textbooks] make me really look at my teaching” (Moving towards virtual textbooks). As a teacher, he is adopting the trend of going digital. By re-evaluating his teaching method, he will be able to approach his subject from a different angle that might be more
Suppose you are a textbook publisher with a mandate to reduce the weight of the books you put out. Research has shown that your books break backs, and the legislature has spoken: your books will not be adopted (and you will, therefore, lose much of your business) unless you clear strict weight limits.
In what ways are the ideas and/or issues presented in the article related to the textbook reading? In what ways are they similar? In what ways are they different?
Ethan Senack, a higher education associate at U.S. PIRG (Public Interest Research Group), wrote in his article titled, “Fixing The Broken Textbook Market: How Students Respond To High Textbook Cost And Demand Alternatives.” Whereas, he suggest that the problems associated with high pricing on textbooks, has nothing to do with the student. However, he feels that the students would be the most effective in seeking lower prices for textbooks. He gave several examples of colleges that are overcoming this barrier. One successful example he used was Maryland Open-Source Textbook (MOST). The university staff, professors and students worked together to generate ideas to reduce the cost of textbooks, using the use of open textbooks (16).
Barnes and Nobles is one of the biggest bookstores that has a brick-and-mortal store concept. In the past they were know as a “big bully” that drove small book stores to close down because of their aggressive tactics to have competetetive advantage over them. Nonetheless, with the evolving circle of technology they have had a hard time in keeping up with the E-book era. In 2014 E-books increased its reader subscription by 28% compared to 23% in 2013. This number will continue increasing because 50% off American’s have access to devices that are either an e-reader or a tablet. B&N changed its business model to adjust to this new setting before it suffered a
There is strong rivalry in each of the SBUs, there are many big brands including supermarkets and specialists as well as independent retailers and online retailers. There have been in the recent year's considerable price wars on books in an attempt to maintain market share in an increasingly cramped market.
Fletcher, Geoffery H. "Making the Big Shift." T H E Journal 38.6 (2011): 16-18. Education Research Complete. Web. 17 Oct. 2013.
Better World Books (BWB) was founded in 2002 as a B corporation, meaning it targets successful performance in three fundamental areas: financial, social, and environmental endeavors. BWB has grown successfully since its creation as a small, socially motivated firm to one of the larger, more successful corporations of its kind. Despite the impressive and inspiring performance and growth through creative expansions, BWB acknowledges the changing conditions of the used book marketplace and is pleased to outline a brief review of current strategy and recommendations for supporting operations moving forward.
Today, schools are being pressured more and more to improve the technology they use and teach in the classrooms. Parents are placing this pressure on schools so that their students have the skills needed to compete in the real world job market. Students are placing pressure on the schools to improve technology by having more knowledge of
Some may think that the only customers of textbooks are the students but that is not the case. There are a variety of customers that buy the textbook before it even reaches the student, someone has to decide what textbook the students are going to be using for which particular course. Business school curricula is changing and therefore their textbooks needs are changing, they want textbooks that cover a variety of information and data in one single, easy to transport textbook. Some school that were moving the modular course structures wanted books that were easy to cover in a course that lasts sometimes as short as a week long. And now, more and