-
Recent Posts
Latest Tweets
- @GrantFitzner A belated thanks for your retweet and welcoming message the other week! 5 days ago
- Flexible labour markets: what do SMEs actually want?: smf.co.uk/marketsquare/n… 1 week ago
-
Top Posts
Tag Archives: competition
Banking on biases
Today, UK consumer group Which? highlighted how much money consumers are losing out on due to a practice that has infuriated me for some time – although admittedly the fury has given way to resignation and procrastination. Hey, I’m only … Continue reading
Posted in Comment on the news
Tagged banks, behavioural economics, competition, savings
Leave a comment
What?! Businesses like making profits?!
Against a background of Government spending cuts and a disgruntled public, Vince Cable, the UK business secretary, today gave a speech that was roundly condemned by UK businesses. I provide a selection of the more excitable and indignant retorts: “He’s the business … Continue reading
Posted in Comment on the news
Tagged competition, David Buik, monopoly, politics, Vince Cable
Leave a comment
Soap, bubble and shop
Why do firms in some markets engage in apparently pointless and costly activities? And why doesn’t vigorous competition drive out inefficient practices? The other day, a friend came over for dinner, kindly offered to wash up, and was overwhelmed by the … Continue reading
Posted in Thoughtbox, Uncategorized
Tagged competition, efficiency, environment, marketing, soap
Leave a comment
Markets where the drugs don’t work
Yesterday I found a good excuse to post a quote from Frasier in discussing how high price increases the placebo effect – because people use it as a signal of high quality in choosing particular health treatments. The problem is that price … Continue reading
Nutty monopolies
The market for teachers is an odd one. This week, the UK’s National Union of Teachers (NUT) was up in arms, this time dramatically declaring that schools are breaking the law by using classroom assistants to fill in for teachers. … Continue reading
Occupy London should demand greater competition
The Occupy London protests are still going strong with the protesters having seized an empty building belonging to UBS to create an “Ideas Bank”. Nice idea. The Occupy protests do have an important message, so it is unfortunate that so far, its … Continue reading →