Comments on: Pearson – Full Steam Ahead

By: KirstenWinkler

KirstenWinkler — Wed, 23 Sep 2009 02:26:00 +0000

That's of course a good point, Nagarajan.

But for many people the time you have to wait for the certificate is important, too.

By: Nagarajan

Nagarajan — Tue, 22 Sep 2009 16:18:20 +0000

It's great! But Trinity College London Graded Examination in Spoken English (GESE) Grade 1-12, the one-to-one examination is a better option. It the real world you meet people and not computers for getting job or entry in college.

By: vickidhiman

vickidhiman — Wed, 16 Sep 2009 15:05:32 +0000

One thing that could work is that if this becomes big – every year the text books will surely change. Most professors would add a chapter, revise a few or add some exercises. So, I might not be able to keep the second hand book.

By: KirstenWinkler

KirstenWinkler — Wed, 16 Sep 2009 15:01:23 +0000

As far as I see it, Pearson has those editors already . This move might save the “classic” part of the business whereas other publishers are struggling to sell new books.
The used textbook market is huge in the US because students cannot / don't want to buy a book for about $100 they won't use completely anyway. So they buy used ones. This means publishers sell less, have to lay off editors etc.
If I buy a custom textbook, I will use completely during the year plus it is cheaper than a used one, I probably won't sell it afterwards but keep it and work on it later on. So Pearson can sell a full set of books to the “next generation” on the campus and so on.
Pearson is one of the biggest publishers worldwide, so they definitely have the man power and this way, they maybe can keep a lot of their editors in the company.

By: vickidhiman

vickidhiman — Wed, 16 Sep 2009 14:54:23 +0000

Yes, but the model requires hiring editors That is the problem working offline. The moment you have 10 editors you need a head editor on their head and then moment you have 10 head editors, one on top of them and so on.

By: KirstenWinkler

KirstenWinkler — Wed, 16 Sep 2009 14:50:23 +0000

I think this idea has two clever parts: Pearson only sells what the teachers / students need but charge full price (just for the parts you buy, of course).
Secondly, like WiZiQ, Pearson binds the people with the long term relationships to its product: the teachers. I mean they send you an editor, just for you and your courses. That's quite awesome.

By: vickidhiman

vickidhiman — Wed, 16 Sep 2009 14:43:43 +0000

I think this is great. Eventually, I see Pearson moving online too. It is hard to offer customized service without jacking up the prices significantly, while not being online. Of course, it is not impossible – if they can utilize crowd sourcing – but that could mean giving the community a share of the revenues

By: Jason Renshaw

Jason Renshaw — Wed, 16 Sep 2009 07:05:02 +0000

RT @KirstenWinkler: New Blog Post: Pearson – Nevertheless, it does move http://bit.ly/79GvF

By: Myngle

Myngle — Wed, 16 Sep 2009 06:56:52 +0000

RT @GrahamSk: RT @KirstenWinkler New Blog Post: Pearson – Nevertheless, it does move http://bit.ly/79GvF

By: Graham Sk

Graham Sk — Tue, 15 Sep 2009 18:57:28 +0000

RT @KirstenWinkler New Blog Post: Pearson – Nevertheless, it does move http://bit.ly/79GvF