A comparative analysis of the electricity and telecommunications regulations of the UK and Germany - cross country and cross sectoral lessons

The lack of complete harmonization at EU level during the electricity and telecommunications reforms allowed for regulatory competition between the Member States. The aim of the thesis is to explore what regulatory lessons can be learnt out of the comparison of the different regulations of the UK and Germany. The major differences between these regulations concern: 1) unbundling, 2) regulatory authorities and 3) Significant Market Power (SMP) regulation. Chapter 1 gives a general basis, through the analysis of the specific regulatory outcomes (prices, market shares and consumer satisfaction) then a more qualitative analysis of the separate legal issues above is carried out in Chapters 2, 3 and 4. Chapter 2 focuses primarily on past regulatory differences in vertical separation of the network: in general a more separationist approach in telecommunications than in electricity. We found that this difference is justified since stronger separation correlated with more companies challenging the incumbent in the electricity sector, while we found no evidence for this in the telecommunications sector. Chapter 3 assesses whether the UK could benefit from the creation of a super-regulator similar to Germany’s Bundesnetzagentur, by merging Ofgem (the energy regulator) and Ofcom (telecommunications regulator). We found that since there is no visible convergence yet between the energy and telecommunications sectors, it would only make sense to merge the UK regulators if this would lead to enhanced cost-effectiveness. Chapter 4 assesses the difference between the electricity and the telecommunications regulation in terms of the use of SMP regulation. SMP regulation is an integral part of the telecommunications regulation, but the concept is not applied in the electricity regulations. We assess whether SMP regulation could benefit the electricity regulations. The conclusion is that the introduction of an SMP-style regulation could be a practical, politically feasible and potentially beneficial alternative solution

Management of Social Media Usage by Microenterprises in Rural Trinidad and Tobago

Microenterprise owners in developing countries may be uncertain although aware of how to use technologies, such as social media, to advance their economic interests. The purpose of this qualitative single case study was to determine how microenterprise owners in Trinidad and Tobago (T&T) can benefit from social media usage in their business operations. The conceptual framework was Rogers\u27s innovation decision process. The overarching research question for this study was how microenterprise owners in rural T&T could overcome the uncertainty of using social media for business growth and competitiveness. Data collection involved the administration of a business demographic survey and semistructured interviews with 14 microenterprise owners in rural T&T. Descriptive coding, chunking, and identification of themes comprised of data analysis. The seven emerging themes were that participants (a) expanded on awareness knowledge, (b) leveraged business acumen to manage social media usage, (c) implemented social media strategies competently, (d) treated drawbacks as negative ideas and not as formidable threats, (e) projected confidence in using business acumen to curtail drawbacks, (f) anticipated favorable outcomes from benefits, and (g) confidently relied on business acumen to leverage benefits. Study findings may contribute to positive social change by illuminating the innovative ways that T&T microenterprise owners can use social media to counter the impact of business constraints and enhance their business growth and competitive position. Social media training initiatives by owners, change agents, and government officials may positively impact economic growth for T&T microenterprise owners and others at local and national levels

Exploring the factors that determine the success of global venture capital investing in the emerging markets of South East Asia using a grounded theory and case studies approach

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