TABLE OF CONTENTSSr.NoTitlePage No

Executive Summary2

1.0Allied Book Company3

1.1Introduction3

1.2Products3

1.3Internship Department 6

2.0Industry and Organizational Analysis7

2.1Industry Analysis7

2.2Organizational Analysis8

2.2.1SWOT Analysis9

3.0Internship Details11

3.1Internship at Allied Book Company11

3.2Marketing Project12

3.3Internship Learning13

4.0Conclusion15

References16

EXECUTIVE SUMMARYThis report deals with the internship undertaken at Allied Book Company (ABC) from 16th of July till 31st August 2015. The main objective of ABC is in contributing to the Nations development through providing Education Institutions and individual scholars with quality reading material that caters to their needs. Through its numerous contacts and quality service of over three decades, it has risen to become a leading professional bookseller in Pakistan that also provides both international and local publications at customers behest and their doorsteps.

1.0 ALLIED BOOK COMPANY1.1 INTRODUCTIONAllied Book Company (ABC) started their journey on 1st March 1984. The company has been mainly focused on contributing to the development of the Nation by providing the schools, universities and scholars with good quality books and materials for reading such as journals. ABC has arisen as one of the leading professional booksellers of Pakistan in a span of 30 years. They are also renowned amongst the worlds leading academic publishers. Their services include importing with free air freight, free delivery of books at the customers doorstep, free courier services against advance payments and subscription services to research journals both printed and online journals.1.2 PRODUCTSABC offers a variety of books under the following categories: Agriculture with subcategories of Agriculture consisting of 135 books, Fishery consisting of 28 books, Food Technology consisting of 67 books and Nutrition consisting of 49 various books. Arts and Architecture with subcategories of Architecture consisting of 228 various books and Fine Arts consisting of 190 various books. Biotechnology. This category contains 28 books. Computer Science. This category consists of 946 various books. Dentistry. This category consists of 254 different books covering the field of dentistry. Engineering with subcategories of Chemical Engineering consisting of 182 books, Civil Engineering consisting of 407 books, Electrical Engineering consisting of 340 books, Electronics consisting of 364 books, Energy consisting of 51 books, Industrial Engineering consisting of 161 books, Mechanical Engineering consisting of 596 books, Mechatronics & Control Engineering consisting of 82 books, Metallurgy & Materials Science consisting of 99 books, Telecommunication Engineering consisting of 295 books, Textile & Fashion consisting of 57 books, Total Quality Management consisting of 3 books, Transportation Engineering consisting of 48 books and Urban Planning consisting of 33 books. Life Sciences with subcategories of Botany consisting of 144 books, Environment consisting of 187 books and Zoology/Biology consisting of 213 books. Management Sciences with subcategories of Accounting consisting of 88 books, Banking & Finance consisting of 171 books, Business Studies consisting of 268 books, Management Studies consisting of 553 books, Marketing consisting of 174 books and Public Administration & Public Policy consisting of 94 books. Mathematics. This category consists of 460 books. Media Studies. This category consists of 159 books. Medical Sciences with subcategories of Anatomy consisting of 114 books, Anesthesia consisting of 64 books, Biochemistry consisting of 76 books, Cancer consisting of 124 books, Cardiology consisting of 165 books, Community Medicine consisting of 162 books, Dermatology consisting of 60 books, ENT consisting of 55 books, Forensic Medicine consisting of 82 books, Gastroenterology consisting of 38 books, GYNY & OBS consisting of 138 books, Hematology consisting of 45 books, Medical Education consisting of 39 books, Medicine consisting of 212 books, Microbiology & Genetics consisting of 197 books, Neurology & Neurosurgery consisting of 66 books, Nursing consisting of 177 books, Ophthalmology consisting of 66 books, Orthopedics consisting of 104 books, Pediatrics consisting of 158 books , Pharmacology consisting of 89 books, Physiology consisting of 107 books, Physiotherapy consisting of 55 books, Psychiatry consisting of 54 books, Radiology consisting of 123 books, Respiratory Disease consisting of 39 books, Surgery consisting of 121 books and Urology & Nephrology consisting of 47 books. Pediatric Surgery. This category consists of one book. Pharmacy. This category consists of 202 books. Physical Education. This category consists of 158 books. Physical Sciences with subcategories Chemistry consisting of 319 books, Geology consisting of 82 books and Physics consisting of 82 books. Reference. This category consists of 190 books. Social Sciences with subcategories Economics consisting of 367 books, Education consisting of 438 books, English Language consisting of 290 books, English Literature consisting of 274 books, Geography consisting of 91 books, History consisting of 328 books, Home Economics consisting of 22 books, Islamic Studies consisting of 232 books, Law consisting of 75 books, Library Science consisting of 76 books, Pakistan Studies consisting of 87 books, Philosophy consisting of 46 books, Political Sciences consisting of 451 books, Psychology consisting of 383 books, Research Methodology consisting of 121 books, Sociology & Social work consisting of 265 books, Special Education consisting of 81 books, Statistics consisting of 285 books and Women Studies consisting of 51 books. Veterinary Science. This category consists of 114 books. Whole Sale Titles. This category consists of 486 books. 1.3 INTERNSHIP DEPARTMENTThe department in which I worked as an internee at ABC was its sales and marketing department. The internship was focused on the duties of proofreading catalogs and promotional materials, providing help in managing the website, sorting of the mailing list, to research and build a new mailing list for specific promotions of books, helping the marketing department with other projects, seeking new group of readers, building lasting relationships with consumers, analyzing the marketing and sales data and providing support to social media efforts. I reported to the General Manager, Mr.Saif Ullah.

2.0 INDUSTRY AND ORGANIZATIONAL ANALYSIS2.1 INDUSTRY ANALYSIS Increase in the online sales of books and consolidation trends have recently characterized the business of bookstores e.g. Book superstores that sell books along with other merchandise and the introduction of eBooks. The industry has been rapidly changing and these changes are not good for the bookstores as introduction of online sellers and e-readers have caused the physical bookstores to suffer. Bookstores have continued to fight to gain market share and to implement new technology. In order to keep up with the economic changes, the bookstore industry of Pakistan has continued to revive itself to gain and retain customers. Bookstores in the past varied from those of today. They were simple in design and layout and their only mission was to sell books. The changing marketplace has exerted pressure on independent stores and chains to implement new tactics in order to sell their products. Costumers prefer shopping at book superstores which carry both books and other merchandises or eBooks that they gain access from the comforts of their home. Smaller bookstores have been forced to close down and take to the internet to gain exposure. However there are still some consumers that prefer the walk in browsing method from visiting the stores. Book industry in Pakistan has been plagued by the piracy of books. Piracy at both large-scale photocopy and print, have made it difficult for the publishing houses to maintain their businesses. Piracy of books occurs in all of the genres of books from novels to academics. The pirated versions of books which cost very less serves as a huge temptation for book lovers who in majority of the cases might not have been able to afford these books. It has overtaken specially the academic market where the piracy of books at university level playing the major part as usually one or more student will purchase an academic title and then arrange to photocopy for the whole class or lend them to others for the same purpose as buying expensive academic titles are a financial burden on students.

2.2 ORGANIZATIONAL ANALYSISAllied Book Company (ABC) was established in 1983 and it began its journey on 1st March 1984. Their main objective is contribution in developing the Nation by the provision of customized services to universities and independent scholars with high quality books and reading materials. They are renowned as one of the leading professional booksellers and leading academic publishers. ABC has a dedicated team that is always striving to satisfy the consumers and welcome the consumers supports and suggestions for continuous improvement. They take pride in the publication and distribution of distinguished scholars of the Nation. In keeping up with the current technology and economic, they have established a separate counter for e-books and strive to provide less expensive books for their readers. They have an inventory of approximately 25000 titles which have been classified by subjects for the convenience of the consumers. They offer their services in importing books and reading materials and bearing the Air Freight expenses.

2.2.1 SWOT ANALYSISStrengths: Renowned for their publishing and bookselling. A large inventory database which covers approximately 19 various educational fields from agriculture to medical to engineering to general knowledge. Offer eBooks to their customers. Bear Air Freight Expenses. Provide free delivery of books to institutional customers at their doorsteps. Provide subscription services for international journals. Provide free courier service for customers against advance payments anywhere within the country.Weaknesses: No vision and mission statement defined. The website is not regularly updated and is bland it does nothing to make itself memorable. Their social media page was last updated in 2013. Their marketing strategy is largely based on word of mouth and the participation in the Lahore International Book Fair annually. Business is focused on publishing and importing books. Low market share.Opportunities: Utilization of the social media marketing. Have local authors provide lectures and book signings. Start a membership program that will help customers attain points and earn special discounts. Threats: Competitors such as Ferozsons and Liberty Books offer a lively bookstore both physically and virtually and different genres of books from novels to academics. New entrants such as opening of Book and Beans in Lahore. Piracy of books.

3.0 INTERNSHIP DETAILS3.1 INTERNSHIP AT ALLIED BOOK COMPANYThe internship at Allied Book Company was for six weeks and involved working at the sales and marketing department. There was an introductory session which dealt with what was exactly required of me and what duties had to be undertaken to complete the internship. First week dealt with promotional description of the book store, exactly what products are being offered and to familiarize myself with them so that I could better educate and entertain the customers queries. Second and third week dealt with the target audience which included description and details of existing customers and how to retain them through offering memberships and discounts and researching the market to attract new customers. Based on the research outcomes mailing list database of potential customers was created and newsletters were sent out to them and calls were made to their sales department detailing the products and discounts that were on offer and if the customer required some specific products from international publishers that could be arranged at a reasonable price. Week four and five dealt with the regularly updating both the Facebook page and website and insuring that all the reading material is readily available on the main website. Designing eye catching labels and page outlines for the newsletters and assisting with any future events that the company had planned to exhibit. Also help was provided to change the basic outlook of the bookshop to make it more compelling, attractive and welcoming to potential and non-potential customers. Week six dealt with stock count of the existing books and also informing the procurement and acquisition department that what books were required immediately and were not in stock according to the customer feedback and in the end a social media strategy was developed that identified the goals of the business, setting the S-M-A-R-T objectives, what tools and channels had to be utilized to retain existing customers and attract new customers and expand the business. The duties involved were: Proofreading catalogs and promotional materials. Help in managing the website. Sorting the mailing list. Researching and build a new mailing list. Help the marketing department with other projects such as developing a new promotional plan. Seeking new groups of readers by doing a market research. Building lasting relationships with customers. Analyzing sales and marketing data. Providing support to social media efforts. In addition to these duties, I was also required to edit a manuscript, answer customer queries and photocopy documents.3.2 MARKETING PROJECTSThe marketing projects that I helped with are: Promotional description of the bookstore: Details about the various offerings of the bookstore, the various book categories, what is the competitive advantage and whether the book store offers any other items apart from the books such as CDs, gifts and special services such as book orders and deliveries. Target audience: Description of the existing customers and researching the market to attract new customers based on the offerings of the bookstore. Tools employed were social media websites and telephonic conversations and analyzing the customers buying behavior. Mailing lists and Memberships: Offering paid memberships e.g. 10% discount on purchase of all books, developing a mailing list database by taking down the details of the customers this was done through specific customer forms that including noting down their personal information and book interests, create new mailing lists by gathering information about educational institutes. Providing Online material: Regularly update both the Facebook page and the website, and make the newsletters eye-catching and detail oriented and details about various discounts, promotions and major events such as the Lahore International Book Fair should be sent to the mailing lists. Changing the ambience and physical outlook of the basic bookshop to make it more welcoming to the customers that would attract people to visit even if it is just to do a physical browsing. Developing a Social Media Marketing strategy: Identification of the goals of the business, Setting S-M-A-R-T objectives, identification of the ideal customers, researching the market e.g. listing main competitors, analyzing their strategies and their products and services, Choosing the communication channels and tools by utilizing the information obtained by researching the potential customers, create a content strategy based on the social media chosen i.e. the type of content (texts only, images and videos), time and frequency of posting, allocating appropriate budget and assigning roles to each worker.3.3 INTERNSHIP LEARNING This internship helped me learn the following: Becoming customer oriented by close customer contact. Inter-departmental communication. Self-management. Punctuality. How to market products. Effective use of communication channels and tools to maintain competitive advantage in the market. Creative thinking. How the organization prepares for big events. Understanding the organizational culture, their working environment, their norms and values. Balancing the various jobs assigned. Conducting market research. Utilizing the communication skills learned in the Business Communication course taught in Semester 1 while interacting the existing customers. Utilizing the marketing tactics learned in both Semester 1 and 2 by conducting market research and developing promotional plan. Analyzing marketing and sales data and providing recommendations. Maintaining good relationship with customers. Identification and analysis of a target market. Practical experience of the working of an organization. Devotion to work.

4.0 CONCLUSIONThe internship at ABC proved to be quite useful as it helped me apply the knowledge and skills gained in the classroom in a practical environment, gain an insight into how an organization operates, manage various tasks, be punctual and it also helped me overcome my weakness of not being able to communicate properly as I had to deal with customers on a daily basis.

References: http://www.alliedbook.com/index.php?main_page=page&id=4

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