--- Forwarded Message from Samantha Earp <[log in to unmask]> ---

>Date: Thu, 14 Sep 2000 06:32:13 -0700 (PDT)
>From: Samantha Earp <[log in to unmask]>
>Subject: Re: #5694 Cheng-Tsui Pricing
>To: Language Learning and Technology International Information Forum    <[log in to unmask]>

------------------
Read,

When I was at UNC Charlotte, I had a similar shock
when dealing with Cheng & Tsui.  Our situtation turned
out to be a little bit different, though. The
department purchased a set of tapes for the lab, and
then the students each had to pay a $15 licensing fee
for a set of 7 tapes (the students also provided us
with the blank tapes).  While still very expensive
compared to the arrangements in other
languages/courses,this was much less expensive than if
the students had bought the full set themselves.  

My experience with this in general is that for-profit
publishers of LCTL materials often have less
advantageous licensing arrangements.  In this
particular case, the sales rep at that time told me
that they consider their entire library of
supplementary audio materials and the like to be
separate, marketable products and not simply
ancillaries to the texts (in part due to the smaller
market for Chinese language materials than, say,
Spanish or French).

Samantha

----------------
Samantha Earp
Duke University



--- LLTI-Editor <[log in to unmask]> wrote:
> --- Forwarded Message from "Read Gilgen"
> <[log in to unmask]> ---
> 
> >Date: Wed, 13 Sep 2000 09:56:45 -0500
> >From: "Read Gilgen" <[log in to unmask]>
> >To: <[log in to unmask]>
> >Subject: Cheng-Tsui Pricing
> 
> ------------------
> Has anyone had dealings with Cheng-Tsui?  We have a
> new Chinese prof who needs the tapes to accompany
> his text book ("Integrated Chinese" from
> Cheng-Tsui).  We think the prices are outrageous. 
> For just the first semester, the student cost for
> the four (4!) cassette tapes is $53.  Second
> semester is only three tapes for $43.  And second
> year (two semesters) is $83.  In other words, over
> two years of Chinese a student would be asked to pay
> nearly $170 just for the tapes.
> 
> OK, so we go to the language lab model and buy a set
> to be copied for students.  They now want to charge
> a different language lab fee of $440 for the same
> sets.
> 
> This seems quite out of step with other publishers. 
> We don't charge student lab fees, so these costs hit
> us hard.  I can imagine it would be worse at smaller
> schools with correspondingly smaller budgets.  And
> if we were forced to do this with all of the
> languages we teach (nearly 50 any given semester)...
> well I think you can see the problem. 
> 
> Unfortunately this prof didn't speak with us first
> to explore alternatives, so we'll be forced to go
> along.  (Also, unfortunately, he's here only a year
> until the regular prof returns to use his own
> materials.)  But I just wanted to get reactions from
> others of you.
> 
> Read Gilgen
> University of Wisconsin


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