Content Focus. Task 1. Hand in your reports, questionnaires and market research written as a home assignment after the last class on Unit 3 to your teacher for checking andTask 1. Hand in your reports, questionnaires and market research written as a home assignment after the last class on Unit 3 to your teacher for checking and grading. Your teacher will hand out the reports, questionnaires and market research written by you as a home assignment at the beginning of the next class, checked and commented on. Now your teacher will hand out the reports and advertisements written by you as a home assignment for the previous time, checked and commented on by him/her. After you look through the comments on your reports, questionnaires and market researches, ask your teacher questions if you do not quite understand or have doubts about some comments. Task 2. Definition of the distribution. There exist a lot of definitions of the term “distribution”. Read three of them given below and answer the following questions: · Which of the following definitions do you consider to be the most appropriate one? · Which one is better structured? · Which one includes a lot of explanations? · Which one names all the destination points of distribution? Make up your own definition of distribution in the publishing sphere. (You have 10 minutes for this task).
b) It is a customer service offering that starts when the job is scheduled. Efficient distribution involves the use of market expertise to negotiate freight rate and logistics services, routing, and overall compilation or management and organization of products and distribution. Other aspects of distribution include: warehousing, shipping, inventory management, fulfilment and kit packing” (Cummings &LeMaire, 2005).
c)Fulfilment is a value added service that can be defined as “the receipt, storage, assembly, and shipment of product and /or data to a third party.” (Vincenzino&Paparozzi, 2003) Task 2. Process of the distribution. Now you are going to read the text about the process of distribution. Before reading, fill in the first two columns of the following KWL Chart. You have to write what you know about the distribution process (the column “What I Know”) and what you want to find out about it (the column “What I Want to Know”). The third column should not be filled in right now. (You have 10 minutes for writing your answers and discussing them).
Task 3. Before reading the text, look at the underlined words and explain their meaning. (You have 10 minutes for this task). Distribution The final stage in publication is making the product available to the public, usually by offering it for sale. In previous centuries, an author was frequently also his own editor, printer, and bookseller, but these functions are usually separated now. Once a book, newspaper, or other publication is printed, the publisher may use a variety of channels to distribute it. Books are most commonly sold through booksellers and other retailers. Newspapers and magazines are typically sold directly by the publisher to subscribers, and then distributed either through the postal system or by newspaper carriers. Periodicals are also frequently sold through newsagents and vending machines. Within the book industry, some copies of the finished book are often flown to publishers as sample copies to aid sales or to be sent for pre-release reviews. The remaining books often travel from the printing facility via sea freight. As such, the delay between the approval of the pre-press proof and the arrival of books in warehouse, much less in a retail store, can be some months. For books that are tied into movie release dates (particularly children's films), publishers will arrange books to arrive in store up to two months prior to the movie release to build interest in the movie. (The text is borrowed and modified from http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Publishing: as of 23 September 2011)
Task 4. Look through the text again and answer the following questions (You have 5 minutes for this task). 1) What is the final stage in publication? 2) Which channels are used to distribute a book/newspaper/other publication? 3) According to the text books are most commonly sold through on-line shops, aren’t they? 4) How newspapers and magazines are typically sold? 5) How periodicals are sold? 6) What are samples copies? 7) How long is the delay between the approval of the pre-press proof and the arrival of books in warehouse?
Task 5. Say whether the statements from the text are TRUE or FALSE (You have 5 minutes for this task).
Task 6. Find synonyms for these words in the text, and then make up your own sentences using them (You have 5 minutes for this task till 5 minutes brake). phase, citizens, role, diversity, help, postponement, often.
Task 7. After the text analysis let’s go back to the KWL Chart. Now we are going to fill in the third column “ What I Leaned”. After filling in the first column let’s have a look at your second column and see whether there are all the answers to your questions in the text; if everything what you wanted to know about is now familiar to you. If not, find the answers to your questions in the Internet at home (You have 3 minutes for this task).
Task 8. Distribution workflow. Distribution workflow is a rather complicated process. Below there is the information about the publishing company’s distribution workflow, whose steps are given in the wrong order; put all the steps in the correct order (You have 7 minutes for this task). 1. The package’s weight is recorded. 2. In some cases reports are created by the carrier, in order to track the progress of the shipment. 3. The finished printed material enters the shipping area from the bindery department, the pressroom, or from an external source. 4. The material is packaged, which can include banding, wrapping, boxing, etc. 5. The carrier that was previously scheduled to pick up the shipment arrives and picks it up. 6. Bills of lading (BOLs) and packing slips are produced using computer-generated software and affixed onto the package.
Task 9. Work in groups of two or three. At Figure 1 the distribution workflow of a small digital printer is outlined. Figure 2 illustrates the print distribution workflow for a mid-size commercial printer that has its own fulfilment operation. Make up a description of the print distribution workflow that is outlined at Figure 2; present it in front of the class. You can use the description of Figure 1 as in the example (You have 15 minutes for this task).
Figure 1. Distribution workflow 1
Figure 2. Distribution workflow 2
Task 10. The finished products are shipped from the plant to one of the following locations: a) Kitting centre, b) Customer distribution centre, c) Customer mailing centre, d) Subcontractor, e) End user. · Can you name any other locations? Explain the functions of each location listed above. · Imagine that you are the director of a publishing company; which of these locations would you choose? Give your reasons? · Which of these locations are more convenient for the customer and for the company? Which way is more profitable for the company? (You have 10 minutes for this task). Task 11. Distribution Challenge. Distribution process has its own challenges. Which of the following issues can you identify as distribution challenges? Explain why. Which approaches can be taken to resolve these problems? (You have 5 minutes for this task). · Storage and warehousing, · Profitability, · Customer information flow, · Fuel surcharges, · Postage, · Trucking, · Automation, · Customer service, · Timing and scheduling, · Employment. Task 12. Match the distribution problems with the pictures below. (You have 5 minutes for this task).
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Description. The distribution workflow outlined in Figure 1 is that of a small digital printer that establishes the requirements for distribution before the print process begins. Upon completion of the finishing process, products are sent directly to clients or to the end-users themselves (i.e., the clients’ clients). The company uses UPS and the USPS to mail products to a single location or multiple locations, based on customer requests.
