But there are still plenty of inefficiencies in the supply chain for conventional books that firms such as Amazon and Apple can exploit.

ECONOMIST: The future of publishing: E-publish or perish | The

Another finding concerns the insufficient supply of reading and mathematics textbooks which obliges pupils to share books.

UNESCO: MEDIA SERVICES

By requiring the new version, you are able to greatly tighten up supply, cutting many existing dead tree books out of circulation.

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"The key factors are an increase in output, productivity and order books due to increased demand, " said Melinda Johnson of the Chartered Institute of Purchasing and Supply, which carried out the survey.

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