Avoiding false economies

There's a national debate right now about the when and to what extent government should cut spending. Huge cuts now could prove economically damaging, but there are those who argue that we simply can't afford to wait.

A similar problem affects many businesses, including publishers. Everyone is looking for cost savings these days. And full-time staff are often the biggest and most tempting target on the balance sheet. Training also tends to suffer in a recession.

But we should beware false economies. It's often the better paid, better qualified full-time staff who are first to go. That will certainly make a bigger dent in expenditure in the short term. However, inexperienced, junior staff may be left to pick up the pieces. They may lack the necessary training and, if the training budget has been cut, may not get that training any time soon.

This leads to mistakes. And mistakes cost money. There may be obvious direct costs, such as the need to reprint a book (or even a brochure) because of an error that was not picked up in proofing. Or there may be slightly more subtle damaging effects. For example, if the quality of editing in an academic journal suddenly starts to fall, its reputation will suffer, and academics will start to look elsewhere.

So, if it's necessary to cut back, let's hope that those holding the purse strings are able to make whatever savings are necessary without damaging their business. That's not to say that the onus should be entirely on them. Those that provide services (including training) to the industry should also be looking for ways to do so more efficiently.