Reporter 2/8/02: Annual Report of the Press Syndicate for the year 2001

Annual Report of the Press Syndicate for the year 2001

The PRESS SYNDICATE beg leave to report to the Council as follows:

During the academical year 2000-01 the Syndicate met eighteen times, the main business of these meetings as usual being to consider all new proposals for publication, whether of individual books, series, journals, electronic products, or other items, and to have regular reviews of the Press's principal activities.

The Executive Summary from the Report follows. The full Report and Accounts will be posted on the Press website at http://uk.cambridge.org/information/annualreport/, and will be distributed to all subscribers to the Reporter.

EXECUTIVE SUMMARY

• Worldwide revenue rose 9.1% to £133 million, a strong performance under adverse economic conditions, which ultimately served to drive the Press into deficit.

• Cambridge Printing returned to surplus, after four years of restructuring and reinvestment.

• SecurePrint had a very successful first year of trading, fully justifying the initial investment in new digital technologies.

• Financial management across the Press worldwide was further strengthened by the appointment of financial managers in all the Branches and with the institution of an annual Finance Conference.

• The printing and publishing businesses were formally integrated under the management of a single Executive Board.

• 2,394 new publication units were issued from the publishing centres in Cambridge (1,380), North America (541), Australia (178), Africa (221), and Iberia (74).

• Education Publishing enjoyed a record year with growth of 20% and increased market share in both the primary and secondary sectors in the United Kingdom.

• English Language Teaching enjoyed growth of 12%, the outstanding publication of the year being the Cambridge Learner's Dictionary, published in print and in an innovative CD-ROM version as a single package.

• Academic publishing recorded mixed results, with slow demand for monographs, but a buoyant performance from journals.

• Fifteen new journals were added to Cambridge Journals Online, and the enhancements made to the service were widely welcomed by the library community.

• The introduction of a digital production programme enabled the Press to continue to make available many titles that would traditionally have gone out of print, and to put in hand the re-issue of a substantial list of Academic titles in paperback editions.

• The Iberian Branch launched the Press's first publications in Spanish as a Foreign Language. The Press's first Russian-language title was also published.

• The Press Bookshop enjoyed its best year's performance to date, with a new discount programme receiving strong support from resident members of the University.

• The Australian Branch moved to a new office and distribution centre in Port Melbourne, with improved facilities for both staff and customers.

• Among many awards and prizes, the Press received the American Meteorological Society award for outstanding services to meteorology by a corporation, and a number of works were included in the selection of Outstanding Professional and Scholarly titles by the Professional/Scholarly Publishing Division of the Association of American Publishers.

MEETING WITH THE FINANCE COMMITTEE

During the course of the year, a sub-group of the Finance Committee of the Council held their annual meeting, chaired by the Vice-Chancellor, with the Chairman of the Press Syndicate and senior officers of the Press to consider the accounts of the Press. They expressed themselves satisfied with the underlying financial strength of the Press and with its plans for future developments.

G. JOHNSON (Chairman)	P. E. EASTERLING	J. S. MORRILL
H. AHMED	D. F. FORD	S. C. OGILVIE
D. M. BROOM	G. P. HAWTHORN	O. O'NEILL
W. A. BROWN	A. B. HOLMES	E. S. PAYKEL
T. M. COX	T. W. KöRNER	R. N. PERHAM
J. R. CRAWFORD	D. J. MCKITTERICK	J. M. WOMACK
C. I. E. DONALDSON

Table of Contents

•	Worldwide revenue rose 9.1% to £133 million, a strong performance under adverse economic conditions, which ultimately served to drive the Press into deficit.
•	Cambridge Printing returned to surplus, after four years of restructuring and reinvestment.
•	SecurePrint had a very successful first year of trading, fully justifying the initial investment in new digital technologies.
•	Financial management across the Press worldwide was further strengthened by the appointment of financial managers in all the Branches and with the institution of an annual Finance Conference.
•	The printing and publishing businesses were formally integrated under the management of a single Executive Board.
•	2,394 new publication units were issued from the publishing centres in Cambridge (1,380), North America (541), Australia (178), Africa (221), and Iberia (74).
•	Education Publishing enjoyed a record year with growth of 20% and increased market share in both the primary and secondary sectors in the United Kingdom.
•	English Language Teaching enjoyed growth of 12%, the outstanding publication of the year being the Cambridge Learner's Dictionary, published in print and in an innovative CD-ROM version as a single package.
•	Academic publishing recorded mixed results, with slow demand for monographs, but a buoyant performance from journals.
•	Fifteen new journals were added to Cambridge Journals Online, and the enhancements made to the service were widely welcomed by the library community.
•	The introduction of a digital production programme enabled the Press to continue to make available many titles that would traditionally have gone out of print, and to put in hand the re-issue of a substantial list of Academic titles in paperback editions.
•	The Iberian Branch launched the Press's first publications in Spanish as a Foreign Language. The Press's first Russian-language title was also published.
•	The Press Bookshop enjoyed its best year's performance to date, with a new discount programme receiving strong support from resident members of the University.
•	The Australian Branch moved to a new office and distribution centre in Port Melbourne, with improved facilities for both staff and customers.
•	Among many awards and prizes, the Press received the American Meteorological Society award for outstanding services to meteorology by a corporation, and a number of works were included in the selection of Outstanding Professional and Scholarly titles by the Professional/Scholarly Publishing Division of the Association of American Publishers.