Inattentive Consumers in Markets for Services

In an experiment on markets for services, we find that consumers are likely to stick to default tariffs and achieve suboptimal outcomes. We find that inattention to the task of choosing a better tariff is likely to be a substantial problem in addition to any task and tariff complexity effect. The institutional setup on which we primarily model our experiment is the UK electricity and gas markets, and our conclusion is that the new measures by the UK regulator Ofgem to improve consumer outcomes are likely to be of limited impact

Oftel's race equality scheme Consultation document issued by the Director General of Telecommunications, 15 October 2002

SIGLEAvailable from British Library Document Supply Centre- DSC:m03/12602 / BLDSC - British Library Document Supply CentreGBUnited Kingdo

Public payphones A statement issued by the Director General of Telecommunications, 20 December 2002

SIGLEAvailable from British Library Document Supply Centre- DSC:m03/12597 / BLDSC - British Library Document Supply CentreGBUnited Kingdo

The Third Issue of the Numbering Conventions and the First Issue of the Numbering Code A statement issued by the Director General of Telecommunications, 30 November 2001

SIGLEAvailable from British Library Document Supply Centre- DSC:m03/12599 / BLDSC - British Library Document Supply CentreGBUnited Kingdo

The Oftel Price Assurance Standard The new accreditation scheme giving consumers confidence in websites providing price comparisons of telecoms services : a statement issued by the Director General of Telecommunications, 30 September 2002

SIGLEAvailable from British Library Document Supply Centre- DSC:m03/12601 / BLDSC - British Library Document Supply CentreGBUnited Kingdo

The future of the independent travel agent: the need for strategic choice

This paper provides a contemporary example of the disruptive impact of new technology upon industry structure, through investigation into the ongoing viability of retail travel agents in an industry where technology is a key driver of change. The Internet has provided opportunities for major travel suppliers to target customers direct, potentially circumventing the traditional distribution channel through the travel agent.The data has been obtained from questionnaires, telephone interviews and personal experience of managing a tour operator and a travel agency, plus material from trade organizations such as ABTA. The objective was to identify potential opportunities for independent travel agents to respond to the challenges of disintermediation. The respondents provided a variety of perspectives as they included sales staff at the customer interface right through to key industry leaders.The paper concludes from the data analysis that the independent travel agent has a future provided it makes appropriate investment in technology, works closely with niche tour operators and creates competitive differentiation by focusing on specialist markets where core assets such as staff expertise can add value to the buying process and prevent the customer from going it alone.The research indicates that the Internet is complementing rather than replacing existing business priorities in the travel industry. While sales of dynamically packaged products through Internet technology are growing at the expense of more traditional holidays, the latter still represents a significant aspect of the overall travel business. Travel agents can potentially add value in both of these business areas

Wholesale line rental A consultation document issued by the Director General of Telecommunications, 14 November 2002

SIGLEAvailable from British Library Document Supply Centre- DSC:m03/12598 / BLDSC - British Library Document Supply CentreGBUnited Kingdo

Draft Oftel management plan 2003-04 A consultation document issued by the Director General of Telecommunications, 18 December 2002

Closing date for comments: 31 January 2003Available from British Library Document Supply Centre- DSC:m03/12596 / BLDSC - British Library Document Supply CentreSIGLEGBUnited Kingdo