MAJORITY OF BUSINESS TRAVELERS SEEK MORE EFFICIENT MEANS OF MANAGING INFORMATION OVERLOAD
In New Yankelovich/NetLibrary Study, Business
Travelers Say They Can't Maintain Current Pace with Current Tools
BOULDER, COLO.-9 NOV. 1999-For the majority of American business travelers,
the Technology Age may prove more cumbersome than helpful when obtaining
information needed for the job, according to a new
Yankelovich Partners survey released
today by NetLibrary, provider of the most comprehensive online collection of
trade, reference, scholarly and professional eBooks.
More than half of survey respondents say they are overwhelmed with the glut
of information resources available and admit that they struggle to stay ahead
of trends. A majority (57 percent) desires a faster, more efficient means of
obtaining information and looks for ways to save time in the midst of rapid
industry and technological change.
"While advancements in information technology have made it easier for
Road Warriors to stay current, until now information resources have lagged
behind," said NetLibrary President and Chief Executive Officer Timothy R.
Schiewe. "netLibary has made it possible for business travelers to quickly
download full-text eBooks from a number of top publishers and use those
materials to increase their professional knowledge."
Two-thirds surveyed (67 percent) believe that staying current with business
books increases their professional value. However, based on survey responses,
most Road Warriors (54 percent) would rather not spend time researching and shopping
for paper books before an important business trip, nor are they interested in adding
weight to their luggage. Fifty-four percent say they leave books behind when traveling
due to the lack of baggage space.
The majority of business travelers recognize the value and future importance of
eBooks. Three quarters (75 percent) agree that eBooks will provide faster
information access compared to paper books. A similar proportion (70 percent)
agrees that access to electronic books will grow in importance.
"Business travel creates a certain amount of captive time that is perfect for
catching up on professional reading," said Renee Zacoor, Yankelovich Partners.
"Our survey results indicate that Road Warriors are interested in using that time
wisely through more efficient methods of acquiring and scanning written materials.
eBooks present a logical and increasingly popular solution."
Business travelers who qualified for this study had taken six or more business
trips in the past year and stayed in hotels 10 or more nights. According to the
study, frequent business travelers typically spend one-third of their time (34)
percent on the road and more than two-fifths of their work time (41 percent)
outside the office. As a result of time away, business travelers rely heavily on
alternate means of communication to stay in touch with their offices, such as voice
mail (77 percent), e-mail (74 percent) and mobile phones (69 percent).
Three quarters (74 percent) of frequent business travelers carry a laptop or
notebook computer on their business trips, most often for work (96 percent),
e-mail (90 percent) or accessing the Internet (80 percent).
"The vast majority of business travelers have the hardware tools they need
to stay in touch and increase their knowledge," said Schiewe. "Now NetLibrary
helps to provide the other half of the equation: eBooks."
NetLibrary has harnessed the power of the Internet to provide convenient,
anytime/anywhere access to more than 8,000 eBooks, 600 of which are business
titles. NetLibrary members can download several eBooks to their laptop computers
and read them on planes, in hotel rooms, or just about anywhere. NetLibrary eBooks
are full-text searchable and can be highlighted and annotated digitally. More than
80 publishers offer eBooks to readers through NetLibrary. NetLibrary's publisher
partners include AMACOM Books, Harvard Business School Press, Houghton Mifflin,
McGraw-Hill, and O'Reilly & Associates.
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