Make or Buy? A Qualitative Analysis of the Organisational Handling of Digital Innovations in the German Book Publishing Sector

Klamet, Anna

Abstract

Traditional media have been changing in response to digitisation processes and the spread of the internet. This article looks at the consequences of technological change for the organisational structures of publishing houses in Germany, most of which are small to medium sized enterprises (SMEs). Following any decision to produce digital content, new tasks emerge which need to be fulfilled and publishing houses have to re-allocate appropriate responsibilities. The context of the preference for in-house or for external production is explored as is the precise identification of the managerial and technical skills demanded by a switch to digital publishing. The findings suggest the important role of strategic partnerships with service providers as well as with other publishing houses, especially for larger projects beyond the capabilities of SMEs.

Citation

Klamet, A. (2017). Make or Buy? A Qualitative Analysis of the Organisational Handling of Digital Innovations in the German Book Publishing Sector. Publishing Research Quarterly, 33(1), 41-55. https://doi.org/10.1007/s12109-016-9493-0

• Journal Article Type: Article
• Online Publication Date: Dec 22, 2016
• Publication Date: 2017-03
• Deposit Date: Jul 22, 2019
• Publicly Available Date: Jul 22, 2019
• Journal: Publishing Research Quarterly
• Print ISSN: 1053-8801
• Electronic ISSN: 1936-4792
• Publisher: Springer
• Peer Reviewed: Peer Reviewed
• Volume: 33
• Issue: 1
• Pages: 41-55
• DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s12109-016-9493-0
• Keywords: digital publishing; process change; managerial change; sector transformation; skills needs; Germany
• Public URL: http://researchrepository.napier.ac.uk/Output/1986324