Problem Solution: Harrison-Keyes Inc.

Problem Solution: Harrison-Keyes Inc.

Harrison-Keyes, Inc. (HKI), a global publisher of print products in scientific, technical and business books and journals, professional and consumer books, textbooks and other educational materials, was founded in 1899 and has been a world leader in the publishing industry. HKI, with many years of solid experience in the industry, was quick to change its focus and strategies to meet the customer demands and implement innovative ideas throughout the years to maintain its leadership in the industry. But the technology advancement and rapid growth of the internet technology brought another set of challenges to the HKI leadership.

A careful analysis of the environment, the current trends in the industry, and customer demands forced HKI to venture into an e-publishing strategy, where the publications will be available over the internet for the customers to download as an electronic copy and read it at their leisure on their computers. The company has been working hard to pull research on the e-book market. The Board is unsure if e-book publishing is the way to go, but they are willing to move forward when enough research is there to support the decision. The research has shown that people are ready for the change. On average, e-book publishing has risen about 5% each month. This strategy could open up a new market for the company and create an opportunity to increase revenue. Though the research conducted by HKI proved the strategy very effective and promising, to achieve these goals, there were enormous obstacles to be tackled. Lack of communication from the leadership team, lack of leadership skills amongst the project management team, opposition from the authors, and hindrance from a few members of the leadership team were just a few hurdles facing HKI.

Describe the Situation

Issue and Opportunity Identification

HKI, with over a century of leadership in publishing business, is faced with challenges from the competitors...