About Jack W. Plunkett and Plunkett Research, Ltd.: 713.932.0000, www.plunkettresearch.com, information@plunkettresearch.comFollow Jack W. Plunkett and Plunkett Research Ltd. on:FacebookTwitterYouTubeJack W. Plunkett is CEO & Publisher of Plunkett Research, Ltd., a Houston-based provider of award-winning market research and industry information in printed and electronic formats since 1985. Jack Plunkett describes himself as a lifetime fan of books who always knew he would be involved in writing and publishing. He says:"When I was a very small boy, I would go on weekly family trips to the local branch library in Dallas where I would check out huge piles of books and plow through them as quickly as I could. Later, when I was a bit older, I would take the public transit on my own to the big downtown main library and spend hours roaming the stacks of reference books, magazines and out-of-town newspapers. I was completely hooked on data of all types by the time I was 13." The Plunkett Research team focuses on industry trends and statistics analysis, and produces over 30,000 pages of proprietary market research each year. Plunkett says:"The focus of much of our work is to look for synergies among business trends and see how those trends are going to change the world in the near future. This research empowers strategists at top consultancies, professors at the world's leading schools of business, venture capitalists and financial leaders, as well as executives at the world's top corporations." Jack Plunkett is the author and editor of more than 30 books, including Plunkett's Retail Industry Almanac, Plunkett's Entertainment & Media Industry Almanac, Plunkett's Advertising & Branding Industry Almanac, and Plunkett's E-Commerce & Internet Business Almanac. A life-long entrepreneur, he has won numerous awards and was recognized as a finalist in the "Entrepreneur of the Year" competition sponsored by Ernst & Young.Punkett's The Next Boom, a departure from his standard line of market research books, won a gold medal in the annual Axiom Business Book of the Year Awards.Plunkett's client list includes 10,000 leading corporations, universities and government agencies worldwide. Long-term university clients include the University of Chicago, Yale University, and Rice University. Government agencies include the Hong Kong Trade Council, the Canadian Ministry of Trade and the U.S. Department of Commerce. Additionally, such corporations as 3M and PriceWaterhouseCoopers are also long-term Plunkett clients.Plunkett's research products are distributed in the U.S. and around the globe by such firms as ThomsonReuters and Marketresearch.com, as well as major data agencies in China, Turkey, Japan, Singapore and Australia.Plunkett is a frequent public speaker and lecturer on university campuses and business events, having recently made speeches in Singapore and New Delhi during extensive tours of Asia. He has recently been a featured speaker at the Wharton School of Business, Purdue University and at Microsoft's main campus. His work has been widely covered by hundreds of magazines, newspapers and broadcast stations, including stories in USA Today and Inc. Magazine. Plunkett is frequently interviewed as an expert source by publications such as Time, Newsweek, The Wall Street Journal, The New York Times and Investor's Business Daily; media outlets such as NPR's Marketplace, ABC News and CBS Marketwatch, as well as local and regional newspapers and national columnists. Jack Plunkett is a resident of Houston, Texas.Q&A with Jack Plunkett:Tell me about Plunkett Research."Our business model is easy to understand. We provide in-depth reports and market surveys on nearly 40 different broad industry sectors, ranging from health care to biotech, infotech, renewable energy, outsourcing and telecom. However, when I started this business in 1985, my goal was to make market research both affordable and easy to access. There were already plenty of firms selling reports for $4,000 and up. Our role is to provide reports in the $350 to $2,000 range. Consequently, our reports show up in places ranging from financial institutions to bizschools to the bookshelves of startups. Our people are focused on providing information that is accurate, timely, innovative---and affordable."What are some typical uses for your content? "Plunkett Research was developed from the ground up with the following core thought: to make it easy for users to readily access and understand the most vital trends creating change within given industries--even if the reader has no current expertise in that industry. A good example of a user of Plunkett data would be a new bizschool grad now working in a private equity firm who is asked to look into a play in biotechnology. This person probably doesn't know anything about biotech, but a few hours spent reading our report on that industry will get him off to a great start. He would then be able to put together an executive summary on the business aspects of biotechnology. So, uses like consulting and industry analysis are near the top of the list. Creation of business plans is a frequent use. Other typical uses for Plunkett data include business development research, product strategy research, economic development, competitive intelligence and prospect list creation. Also, marketing execs like Plunkett data for the development of vertical industry sales plans, sales guides and industry-specific marketing tools."How has your business changed in recent years? What changes do you expect in the coming years? "Our biggest change is the recent release of a new line of research reports called Plunkett Analytics. These reports provide very in-depth financial comparisons, projections and detailed analysis of nearly 500 industries. They are already being used by many of the world's leading universities.""Another big change for the near term is a big effort in the Asia/Pacific region. We're doing more research on Asian industries. And, we now have marketing reps on the ground in 22 nations in that area, from India to Japan to Australia. Martha Plunkett and I just came back from two long trips to the other side of the world. The first trip was to India. I made a keynote speech at a conference in Delhi in November and had the opportunity to visit with and train our new people there. India is a terrific place full of wonderful people. A few weeks ago we were in Singapore and Thailand--fascinating countries. I made a speech at Singapore Management University. We can't wait to go back."What sorts of interesting or unexpected uses of your books have you seen? "The late Sir John Templeton, the famous founder of Templeton Mutual Funds and an amazing man, ordered our report on nanotechnology when he was very advanced in years--nothing was too new for him to study. We always find it interesting to receive purchase orders from government agencies ranging from the CIA to the Asian Development Bank. Several branches of the military use our data, as does the Post Office. The Library of Congress uses our data to support research for legislative activity. We once had a request out of the blue from the American Library in Paris for a donation of our reports--and we were happy to help them."What makes your content unique? "No other firm does exactly what Plunkett Research Ltd. does. We help you understand how industries work today and where they will be tomorrow. Our philosophy is that several core sets of data should be presented in one comprehensive tool to give the reader the best total picture of an industry. That data must be user-friendly: easy-to-access, easy-to-understand, easy-to-use. That data must be affordable and represent extremely high value for the buyer. The foundation of these data sets is our well-regarded analysis of industry trends, including finances, markets, technologies, deregulation, research/development and globalization. We empower the reader to better utilize knowledge of these trends by adding our industry statistics, profiles of leading companies, glossaries and a database of industry associations to the trends analysis. We aren't big into quantitative analysis. Instead, we give our readers the big picture of an industry.""We never assume that the reader is an expert. Instead, we are careful to use language and explanations that are easy to understand--yet actionable and extremely useful. At the same time, we provide comprehensive information to give a broad, accurate and innovative picture of an industry and its players. We understand that there is intense competition in the business information marketplace. We try hard to be better. One of our key phrases at Plunkett Research is: better data, better user tools, better interface and better prices."What do customers like best about Plunkett Research? "Our customers like our thoroughness and reliability. Through the years, Plunkett Research has evolved a research methodology based on strict guidelines used to build and maintain the content of five proprietary business and industry databases. Plunkett analysts are trained to follow research formulas and methodology in building and maintaining this data. Our reports are pulled from these databases on a regular basis. Our analysts use company-approved sources in their work, and post their findings daily to Plunkett's proprietary databases. All research results go through multi-step editing processes. If you buy several Plunkett reports, you will find the same structure and format used in each one. That makes our products extremely easy to use for repeat customers."Benefits you will receive with every Plunkett Research Industry Almanac:* Glossary* Industry overview and trends analysis* Segment by segment analysis* Statistics, charts and tables* Technology and regulatory environment analysis* Industry contacts and associations* Finances* Profiles of hundreds of leading companies* Thorough indexes and cross-indexesRead more about this authorRead less about this author