Volume 2, ISSUE2/2011 - Review of Applied Socio-Economic ...

Pag׀ 129 ISSN: 2247-6172ISSN-L: 2247-6172Review of Applied Socio- Economic Research(Issue 2/ 2011)URL: http://www.reaser.eue-mail: editors@reaser.euResearch on opinions and attitudes of bookseller and increasing retail sales in the salesof books, through staff trainingHristina Mihaleva 1 1 PhD, Prof. Dr. Assen Zlatarov UniversityAbstract. During the economic crisis, retail sales in the book sales dropped sharply. Businesses are not manyoptions. Costs must be reduced quickly, due to reduced turnover. Very often this means the release of personnel andcost reduction benefits and salary. This analysis aims to explore attitudes, professional competence and motivationof staff and to provide evidence of the need to further their educationKeywords: increasing retail sales, sales of books, staff trainingJEL Codes: M 311. IntroductionAn enquiry has been performed within the period, as from 01.02. up to 30.03.2011, addressed to HavelCompany staff. It is an organization which mainly deals with bookselling, disposing of bookshops in almost all ofthe large cities in Bulgaria. The real denomination of the above mentioned Company has been substituted byother one, due its Governing Body unwillingness to communicate some concrete facts concerning the function andthe activity of this economic organization. The number of the enquired people have run up to 43, from 12commercial retail units in Bulgaria. Some of the bookshops are located in the same town or city, - generally, in thelarge residential areas, - while in the smaller towns or localities there is a single commercial unit only to function.The enquiry has been conducted during the meetings held with Company staff, through filling in of aquestionnaire. This questionnaire consists of 9 questions structured into 3 (three) main blocks: Block A –Demographic; Block B – Self-assessment of professional competencies; Block C – Factors of motivation.This study has been assigned by the Governing Body of Havel Company. Its performing has been inspired bythe aspiration on the part of the Manager Team to go on in search of additional potential in the person of theCompany staff, through a profiled training, with the objective to increase the volume of the bookselling.This study has been provoked by the necessity of looking for proves in pros or cons the affirmation saying thatbooksellers miss such a professional preparation which could enable them to fulfill successfully, at a maximum,their obligations, of finding and examining the factors of a determining role for the achievement of a significantlyimproved quality of supply and sale of the product. Subsequently, it is provided, on the basis of the presentedresults, the application of specific methods for booksellers` training in selling books and other affined products (asmusical disks, entertaining games, geographic maps, electronic dictionaries and encyclopedias are, as well as othersimilar ones, generally offered by the bookshops), in case the results arising from that enquiry evidence a need ofa further profiled training. Along with what afore said, taking into consideration those trends which could beoutlined in staff inclination and motivation, some eventual improvements would be proposed in the organization,to begin with an extra stimulation to be offered to the booksellers, thus making possible an increase of salesintensity and volume.+Corresponding author. Tel.: (+35956858144)E-mail address: (ch.michaleva@abv.bg).