| Director of Marketing and Product Development |
Outlook for this company is good, since good educational products are
always in demand, and schools are really under the gun to perform more
effectively. However, the downside of the industry is that with a poor
economy, there are cuts being made in educational funding.
The "No Child Left Behind" legislation means that some products and
programs will be mandated by the government, and Ballard & Tighe is in
the enviable position of being one of the producers of some of the
mandated programs. But legislation can change directions quickly, so
Ballard & Tighe needs ot diversify its product line sufficiently to not
depend as much on sales of the mandated items.
Distribution channels are almost exclusively to school districts, and
Ballard & Tighe should consider other channels. For example, one trend
in education is the tremendous expansion of home schooling, and there is
an opportunity for sales to this market if a distribution plan can be
developed.
One of the challenges Ballard & Tighe faces vis a vis competition is
that there are several larger publishers that spend much more money on
advertising and promotion (and in giving sample books away to school
districts, which is standard practice) but Ballard & Tighe does not or
cannot make that investment. They are also small enough to react
quickly to market needs and changes, but their size makes it risky to
invest in a direction without some empirical evedence that the decision
will be profitable. The company has some excellent new products that
are very exciting (social studies programs that are targeted to below
grade level readers) for which there is a tremendous need.
I would say that employee moral is generally positive, but the turn over
is a concern for many, and should also be a major concern for anyone
considering Ballard & Tighe as an employer. The company has tremendous
untapped potential, but as long as the current owner is so very
controlling of all aspects of the business, it would no doubt be a
frustrating experience for an agressive manager who seeks to move the
company forward quickly. This may not be unique to Ballard & Tighe, and
in fact, the educational industry is quite conservative regarding
changes, something to consider by anyone who is interviewing with an
education related company.
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