Updated curricula in four disciplines, renowned faculty mark prestigious program slated for July 21-25, 2002,  at Northwestern University. PARAMUS, N.J., April 24, 2002 - The National Association for Printing Leadership’s Management Institute, the graphic arts industry’s only program offering management certification in the areas of Financial Management, Production Management, Sales & Marketing Management, and Strategic Management, returns to the campus of Northwestern University, Evanston, Ill., Sunday, July 21, through Thursday, July 25, 2002. The program has played a key role in many of the printing industry’s most successful companies, with more than 900 people completing courses at NAPL’s Management Institute.  In keeping with its reputation as a world-class management program that provides participants with the most up-to-date industry insights, knowledge, and strategies, Management Institute boasts several key enhancements this year: * Course content in all four disciplines—completely industry-specific—has been updated and revised to reflect the critical issues and challenges printers face today.  * Lead instructors in each discipline will now play an even more pivotal role in the programs, spending more one-on-one time with participants to assess their companies’ specific needs and strategies.  * A new pre-institute seminar, Interviewing and Hiring: A Focused Approach, offered on Saturday, July 20, 1:00 p.m. – 5:00 p.m., will provide proven strategies for successful screening, interviewing, and hiring that participants in all four courses can put to use. NAPL’s Management Institute offers a hands-on educational experience in which classroom teaching by leading industry experts and world-renowned professors is supplemented by group interaction, case studies, class projects, and peer networking.  Attendees learn practical, results-oriented solutions to today’s most pressing business issues and leave with an action plan to enhance the performance of their companies.                                                            Management Institute is designed to benefit a range of printing company personnel, including department managers and supervisors seeking to enhance their personal development and advance the progress of their departments, individuals designated for leadership roles, senior executives, and company owners. Printing professionals seeking to earn highly-respected industry certification in their specific discipline may register for NAPL’s Management Institute by calling the association at (800) 642-6275, and selecting Option #3, or by going online to  www.napl.org/events/management_institute/default.htm.  Tuition: NAPL members, $2,495; non-members, $3,495. (Non-members are invited to call for information on attractive membership pricing.) Discounts available for multiple attendees from the same company.            COURSE SYNOPSES & FACULTY: Financial Management: Provides financial managers, senior executives and owners with the tools they need for broad-based, effective financial management in all areas of their company.  Specifics include: How to determine a company’s key financial indicators and use them effectively; when to use (and not use) hourly cost rates; when to apply activity-based costing; mastering the budgeting process; using break-even for proactive management; how cash flow and operations affect each other; and fixed vs. variable expenses.  Faculty. Lead instructors: Joe Becker, CPA, founding partner, Becker & Co., P.C., and Don Goldman, printing industry consultant.  Guest speakers: Tom Williams, GE Capital/Phoenixcor, and Kurt Knutson, industry consultant. Sales & Marketing Management: Strong focus on building and implementing an effective, integrated sales and marketing plan.  Specific areas addressed include: Identifying company strengths, opportunities, and competition; pricing strategically; tracking leads and building databases; evaluating compensation and appraisal systems; teaching relationship selling; and forecasting.  Faculty. Lead instructors: Clarke Caywood, Ph.D., professor and director, Department of Integrated Marketing Communications, Northwestern University, and Seth Tower, president, Pinkham Notch Advisors.  Instructors: Ron Jacobs, president, Jacobs and Clevenger; Frank Mulhern, Ph.D., department chair of Integrated Marketing Communications, Northwestern University.                                                             Production Management: Production managers gain insights into turning production management into positive customer value.  Course explores qualities of an effective production manager and team leader; forecasting production activity; purchasing procedures; inventory management; computers in production management; defining and developing production standards; scheduling systems; quality applications for color measurement; and identifying and resolving sales/production conflicts.  Faculty. Lead instructor: Greg D’Amico, Ph.D., director, New York University Department of Graphic Communications Management and Technology.  Instructors: Tim Fischer, plant manager, American Color Graphics; Don Goldman, independent industry consultant; Bruce Myers, corporate accounts manager, X-Rite, Inc.; and Prof. Frank Romano, chair, School of Printing Management & Sciences, Rochester Institute of Technology.  Strategic Management: Attendees learn how to lead their companies to industry-leader status using a proven process to create and implement a strategic plan.  Management teams are encouraged to attend so they can work together to create a customized plan for their company.  Topics explored include reviewing business options; setting long- and short-term goals; identifying competitive strategy; writing the strategic plan; getting buy-in from employees; and evaluating, monitoring, and updating the plan.  Faculty. Lead instructors: Wallace Stettinius, retired chairman, Cadmus Communications, and senior executive fellow, Virginia Commonwealth University; and William Mills, William Mills and Associates.  Instructors: Joe Becker, CPA, founding partner, Becker & Co., P.C.; Andrew Paparozzi, NAPL vice president and chief economist; and Prof. Frank Romano, chair, School of Printing Management & Sciences, Rochester Institute of Technology. July 21-25, 2002, National Association for Printing Leadership’s Management Institute, Northwestern University, Evanston, Ill.  The printing industry’s only program offering management certification in Financial Management, Production Management, Sales & Marketing Management and Strategic Management.  To register: Contact NAPL at (800) 642-6275, Option #3, or online at www.napl.org/events/management_institute/default.htm.