Title Assurance and Settlement Charges

The assurance that a seller of real estate has the right to transfer property free and clear of any encumbrances is important to potential purchasers and lenders. In the vast majority of cases in which real property is transferred, title insurance is used for this purpose. Consumer ignorance, coupled with a price structure based on the sales price of the property being insured, has led to an industry in which it is theoretically possible for the total charges by the primary supplier of the services to be indefinitely above a competitive level.     

At the receiving end of supply network intervention: The view from an automotive first tier supplier

As companies are increasingly responsible for all ingredients that make up their products, the requirement to increase visibility and exert control over the entire supply network has been identified as key imperatives. However, little research to date has examined the consequences of supply network control on the suppliers that are at the receiving end of it. This paper reports on research into the dynamics of supply network intervention and the effects on the companies that are subject to attempts to control a supply network, particularly in the context of new product development. The paper discusses the case of an automotive component supplier and its role in a specific vehicle development project. The case study shows how the supplier was a victim of its customer's attempt to ‘supply chain manage’ the project, giving the supplier little control over key activities such as the choice of suppliers of key components and little influence on commercial and technical agreements. The perspectives of both vehicle manufacturer and supplier are debated to reveal the drivers for and problems associated with supply network intervention. The paper discusses the theoretical and managerial implications of the study and concludes by raising some serious questions about the negative effects of intervention strategies.     

The windshield method of questionnaire distribution: A viable alternative

A variety of data collection methods are available for survey research. Basic distribution techniques differ in cost, administrative ease, and characteristics of returns. The authors discuss the relative advantages and disadvantages of distributing questionnaires by placing them on the windshields of patrons' automobiles. This method of distribution appears to be preferred for certain types of shopper surveys.     

Testing of the rational expectations and structural neutrality hypotheses

In this paper we examine the tests of the new classical rational expectations and structural neutrality hypotheses undertaken by Leiderman (1980) using a model of money growth and unemployment for the United States developed by Barro (1977). Employing the data used in the studies by Barro and Leiderman we are able to construct an alternative model of money growth and unemployment against which the Barro-Leiderman model is rejected along with the joint hypothesis of rational expectations and structural neutrality.     

Are Local TV Markets Separate Markets?

In sweeping revisions the US Telecommunications Act of 1996 relaxed rules respecting broadcast TV ownership regulations. In particular Congress directed the Federal Communication Commission (FCC) to conduct a rulemaking on whether the 'duopoly rules' preventing businesses from owning multiple broadcast stations in the same market should be relaxed, modified or eliminated. Naturally, this directive raises questions concerning competition. Specifically, would concentration and consolidation of local media firms have deleterious effects on advertising rates, output and consumer choice? In the present paper we examine, using own-price and cross-price elasticity demand estimates, the question of whether local TV markets constitute a separate market for advertising. Our structural tests, with appropriate caveats, reveal that local TV advertising is not, by itself, a distinct market - one relevant for antitrust action.     

Economics of Food Labeling

Federal intervention in food labeling is often proposed with the aim of achieving a social goal such as improving human health and safety, mitigating environmental hazards, averting international trade disputes, or supporting domestic agricultural and food manufacturing industries. Economic theory suggests, however, that mandatory food-labeling requirements are best suited to alleviating problems of asymmetric information and are rarely effective in redressing environmental or other spillovers associated with food production and consumption. Theory also suggests that the appropriate role for government in labeling depends on the type of information involved and the level and distribution of the costs and benefits of providing that information. This report traces the economic theory behind food labeling and presents three case studies in which the government has intervened in labeling and two examples in which government intervention has been proposed.