Only Little Justification for Regulation in the Postal Sector

European postal markets are to be completely liberalized by the end of 2012 at the latest. At the same time national regulatory frameworks are being adapted to the new requirements. The extent to which the present monopoly suppliers will in future (continue to) be obliged to grant their competitors access to their network is also under discussion. In this respect the postal sector is often compared to the telecoms sector. However, the differences between the two industries are so great that regulation of telecommunications cannot be transferred to the mail sector. Obligations to provide network access and regulations on final prices in particular can scarcely be justified in the mail sector. The regulatory strategy that should therefore be pursued during the liberalization process is one that places the minimal requirements necessary to create the best possible conditions for effective competition, for example access to address lists and PO boxes.Postal economics, Postal regulation, Telecommunications regulation, Transferability

Maximizing Gains from Postal Service Market Liberalization

The upcoming full liberalization of postal service markets under the European regulatory framework offers the chance to further increase regulatory efficiency. Obstacles to competition and barriers to market entry should be systematically removed, and existing obligations for all companies reduced as much as possible. In this connection, universal service obligations should be modernized and flexibly designed. Competitively neutral financing for universal service burdens should also be put in place. Moreover, national or company-specific protectionism should be avoided to boost fair competition and the long-term development of the market.Postal market liberalization, Postal regulation, Barriers to competition, Level playing field

Raising Rivals' Fixed (Labor) Costs: The Deutsche Post Case

We analyze the bargaining problem of an incumbent firm and a union when the wage contract becomes generally binding. Our main application relates to competition among operators of mail delivery networks. We describe the Deutsche Post case which highlights the raising rivals' costs incentive and its consequences resulting from labor laws that make collective agreements generally binding. We show that minimum wages implemented by means of extension regulation are an effective deterrence instrument which frustrates both market entry as well as investments into the build-up of a mail delivery network.Minimum wages, postal services, collective bargaining, raising rivals' costs

HDTV in Germany: Lack of Innovation Management Leads to Market Failure

High definition television may now be poised for a breakthrough in Germany. Unfortunately, in the area of private free-TV, broadcasters and network operators are still blocking each other. Market participants hope to leverage encryption and digital rights management as sources of long-term profits. This, however, may come at the expense of television viewers. Despite the start of regular HDTV operations by public broadcasters, only a few consumers are currently in a position to actually receive high definition television. The government should facilitate a rapid resolution to the current standoff and ensure effective monitoring of competition by implementing new standards.HDTV, Innovation Management, Tragedy of the Anti-Commons

HDTV and DRM: A Need of Further Regulation?

In Germany, the TV broadcasting of the Winter Olympics 2010 marked the official start of high definition television (HDTV). However, the transition from standard to high definition television has been significantly hampered by inconsistent change management. While the large international movie and TV-series producers aim for increased (end-to-end) intellectual property rights protection on the one hand, the satellite and cable-TV network operators in coalition with the private commercial TV-broadcasters strive for advanced business models with increasingly differentiated pricing models on the other hand. The resulting technological requirements lead to rapid changes in technology, which in turn affects consumers and equipment manufacturers We analyze especially the related advancement of the systems and interface standards for encryption and copyright protection which are of central importance in this context, namely the so-called Common Interface (CI) and its enhancement to CI Plus as well as the HD+ satellite platform in order to identify critical issues for media regulators and competition authorities. Our analysis supposes that the German regulatory institutions' capabilities to deal with the issue of regulation against the background of efficient innovation management in a timely manner should be improved. This might also be an opportunity at the level of the European Community to set framework conditions based on principles similar to network neutrality to overcome the current deadlock in Germany and encourage regulatory reform. Especially consumer rights could be protected more effectively in a future regulatory framework for digital content distribution and in order to avoid a tragedy of the anti-commons being an impediment for the rapid transition to HDTV. Overall, our recommendations aim to contribute to achieve the goals of swift digitalization and transition to HDTV. --HDTV,Innovation Management,Tragedy of the Anti-Commons

Enhancing the cultural competence of women’s health nurses via online continuing education

By 2050, current minority groups will comprise almost half of the US population further challenging healthcare providers and nurses to deliver culturally competent care. Numerous organizations have published documents supporting cultural competence and its incorporation into nursing curricula has been encouraged since 1986. However, practicing nurses, specifically those providing care to childbearing women and families, continue to acknowledge their lack of cultural competence. This is concerning as large health disparities exist between culturally diverse women and cultural competence can lead to greater health equality and better client care. Studies have shown face-to-face education increases the cultural competence of healthcare providers; few studies have explored the impact of online education on cultural competence levels and no studies of online socially interactive continuing education (CE) have been conducted with nurses. Therefore, the purpose of this study was to evaluate the effect of two different online CE interventions on the cultural competence level of nurses who care for childbearing women and newborns in the US. The study also explored: the relationship between social desirability and self-reported level of cultural competence, the relationship between level of educational attainment and cultural competence level, and the relationship between having previous cultural diversity training and level of cultural competence. The framework for the study included two existing models: the 3-dimensional puzzle model of culturally congruent care and the instructional strategy framework for online learning environments. The study had an experimental pre- and post-test design using the Cultural Competence Assessment instrument. Three groups of RNs who care for childbearing women and newborns in the US were used: (a) control, (b) socially interactive online CE intervention, and (c) socially isolated online CE intervention. The study began with 249 registered participants, 190 completed the informed consent process, 132 completed the pre-test, and 93 completed the study. Data was analyzed with a RM-ANOVA with a between-groups variable, ANCOVA, and correlation statistics. Major findings indicated socially isolated online cultural competence CE is significantly more effective than not having online cultural competence CE. However, socially interactive online cultural competence CE is not more effective than socially isolated, nor is it significantly more effective than not having online cultural competence CE. Findings also indicated MCSDS scores and the number of previous types of cultural diversity training are positively correlated with CCA scores

Regulierung im Postsektor kaum gerechtfertigt

Die europäischen Postmärkte sollen bis spätestens Ende 2012 vollständig liberalisiert werden. Im Zuge dieser Entwicklung werden derzeit die nationalen Regulierungsrahmen den neuen Bedingungen angepasst, und es wird diskutiert, inwiefern die bisherigen Monopolanbieter (auch) zukünftig ihren Mitbewerbern Zugang zu ihren Netzen bieten müssen. Der Postsektor wird dabei häufig mit der Telekommunikationsbranche verglichen. Tatsächlich sind die Unterschiede zwischen beiden Industrien jedoch so erheblich, dass sich die Regulierung der Telekommunikation nicht auf den Postsektor übertragen lässt. Insbesondere Verpflichtungen zum Netzzugang und Endpreisregulierungen lassen sich im Postbereich kaum rechtfertigen. Im Zuge der Liberalisierung sollte daher eine Regulierungsstrategie verfolgt werden, die auf minimale Anforderungen, wie etwa den Zugang zu Adressverzeichnissen und Postfächern, setzt und so die bestmöglichen Voraussetzungen für effektiven Wettbewerb schafft.Postal economics, Postal regulation, Telecommunications regulation, Transferability

HDTV in Deutschland: fehlendes Innovationsmanagement führt zu Marktversagen

Fernsehen in hochauflösender Qualität könnte jetzt vor dem Durchbruch in Deutschland stehen. Leider blockieren sich derzeit im Bereich der privaten Free-TV Fernsehsender und der Netzbetreiber die Akteure gegenseitig. Dabei sollen Verschlüsselung und digitales Rechtemanagement die Basis langfristig ertragreicher Erlösquellen bilden. Dies geht potenziell zu Lasten der Fernsehzuschauer. Trotz Beginn des Regelbetriebs von HDTV bei den öffentlich-rechtlichen Sendern ist derzeit nur eine Minderheit der Zuschauer in der Lage, tatsächlich hochauflösendes Fernsehen zu empfangen. Der Staat sollte daher den derzeitigen Streit rasch beenden helfen und eine effektive Wettbewerbskontrolle bei dem Einsatz des neuen Standards sicherstellen.HDTV, Innovation Management, Tragedy of the Anti-Commons