Letters, feedback, get if off your chest: 29 July 2009

James Cryer’s call for a return to the good old days continues to strike a chord with readers, while the talk of removing the 30-day rule gets one reader thinking. Why not let us know your thoughts.

Re: Fight continues to keep 30-day rule

I tend to agree with this article that we should keep book printing within Australia. Having just recently travelled to the UK, books are equally expensive over there. Assuming, of course, that they import rather than print locally. However, as a general observation, I have found books to be a similar price in many countries around the world so have never felt in anyway disadvantaged.

Carol Streeter

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Re: Bring back the branding iron: Print 21 magazine article

Great critique by James Cryer. His commentary was both accurate and refreshing. Although, I’m a little offended with his reference “a classroom of kids” as I suspect I’d be classified as one who’s a little overweight and (at times) unruly.

Seriously, the issues raised in the article adds weight to my current view that with so many of our great industry entrepreneurs gone many of those that have replaced them appear to lack a focus that goes much beyond volume, silly margins and spin.

Yes, I understand marketing, technology and efficiency is important but an organisation’s legitimate brand will only be enhance if the innovated solutions and relationships promoted by them are actually delivered by the organisation’s workers.

It’s imperative that more of our current industry leaders adopt an entrepreneurial spirit and have the courage to empower, rather than restrain, their individual employees from the ground up. The newly formed print management conglomerates must find innovative ways to unleash their employees’ full potential so that they themselves (the workers) are empowered not just to identify opportunities but also turn them into tangible benefits for the organisation’s brand and its stakeholders.

Alec Doran