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French newspapers: The revolution at Le Monde
WHEN the managers of Le Monde introduced computers to the paper's print works in the early 1990s, they hoped for greater efficiency and lower costs. But this was not the priority of the Syndicat Général du Livre et de la Communication Ecrite, a trade union which controls the printing of French national newspapers. It demanded that for each new computer, Le Monde should pay for one print worker to type on the keyboard and another simultaneously to watch the screen. It got its way. French papers are as badly bullied by print unions as British papers were until Rupert Murdoch, a media baron who has recently had other troubles, helped to break their power in the 1980s.
The books business: Great digital expectations
The offline experience TO SEE how profoundly the book business is changing, watch the shelves. Next month IKEA will introduce a new, deeper version of its ubiquitous “BILLY” bookcase.
Australia - Economist Report