Title: Innovation and organisation in the UK magazine print publishing industry: a survey

Authors: Howard Cox, Simon Mowatt, Stuart Young

Addresses: Head, Graduate School, University College Worcester, Henwick Grove, Worcester WR2 6AJ, UK. ' Faculty of Business, Auckland University of Technology, Private Bag 92006, Auckland 1020, New Zealand. ' Applied Mathematics, Auckland University of Technology, Private Bag 92006, Auckland 1020, New Zealand

Abstract: This paper examines innovation within the UK magazine publishing industry. We find that publishers are able to engage with niche interest groups in order to supply a high value-added product. The paper attempts define the characteristics of the industry and to examine the drivers of innovation through a survey and an exploratory approach to data analysis. We suggest that the frequently employed simple output measures of innovation do not adequately capture the innovation process in this industry or the range of activities carried out by firms. We find that groups of firms engage different patterns of innovative behaviour depending on the drivers of innovation. Firms that are more responsive to consumer trends are more likely to engage in a wider range of associated activities in order to add value from their consumer knowledge.

Keywords: printing and publishing; industry surveys; information age; innovation; UK magazine publishing; consumer trends; organisational structure; ICT; information technology.

DOI: 10.1504/GBER.2005.006924

Global Business and Economics Review, 2005 Vol.7 No.1, pp.111 - 127

Published online: 25 Apr 2005 *

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