Articles
Competitive Effects of Bundling in Telecommunications
This is the third and final installment in the Fair Trading Commission’s series on bundling services in the telecommunications sector. We live in a global village where individuals are constantly faced with various challenges associated with, among other things, communicating with each other. Up until recently, the challenges arose because communicating face-to-face was not feasible […]
Read MoreConsumer Benefit and Detriment from Bundling in Telecommunications
This is the second installment of the Fair Trading Commission’s series on bundling in the telecommunications sector. We live in a global village where individuals are constantly faced with various challenges associated with communicating with others far removed from their immediate environs; the telecommunications (‘telecoms’) sector has evolved to resolve this and other challenges spanning […]
Read MoreBundling in Telecommunications – Provider Incentives
This is the first of three articles on the Fair Trading Commission’s series on bundling in the telecommunications sector. We live in a global village where individuals are constantly faced with various challenges associated with communicating with others far removed from their immediate environs; the telecommunications (‘telecoms’) sector has evolved to resolve these and other […]
Read MoreCompetition will drive value in gaming
Reference is made to the article ‘WINNING TICKET – Third Lottery Licence Issued to Mahoe Gaming as Court Fight With BGLC Continues’, published in The Gleaner on Monday, July 27, 2020. The article describes an ongoing legal matter between Prime Sports, a subsidiary of Supreme Ventures Limited (SVL), and the Betting, Gaming and Lotteries Commission […]
Read MoreCompetition in the Gasoline Market – the Merger Effect
It is without a doubt that the COVID-19 pandemic has impacted Jamaica’s economy in several respects, and the reality is that we have yet to experience the full brunt. Over the past month, world oil prices, specifically the West Texas Intermediate (WTI), have been trending downwards steadily, reducing by approximately 55%. It is left to […]
Read MoreNWC’s Proposed Entry in Bottled Water Market: Enhancing or Distorting Competition
The response from some members of the private sector to the National Water Commission’s (NWC’s) announcement that it intends to enter the bottled water market may be right on point in the allusion to its mandate to pursue public welfare: the response, in the main, being it should confine itself to providing efficient service in […]
Read MoreCompetition should be favoured over Regulation in the Banking Sector
Recently, Member of Parliament Fitz Jackson piloted a Private Member’s Bill to tighten regulations governing the banking sector. The Bill to Amend the Banking Services Act covers three broad areas: (i) regulation of information to consumers; (ii) regulations of customer service standards; and (iii) regulation of fees charged for ancillary services. The motivation behind the Bill is to […]
Read MoreConsumer Choice Cultivates Competition
Consumer choice cultivates competition. This fundamental principle is demonstrated by recent developments in the electricity market. Electricity is important to residential consumers and business consumers (“consumers”) alike. It touches almost all aspects of Jamaican lives. Simple household chores would become mammoth tasks without the aid of washing machines, electric irons and vacuum cleaners. Appliances such […]
Read MoreStore-branded Goods or Branded Goods: the Choice of Christmas Past
As we enter the peak of the Yuletide season, an ever present phenomenon is the impromptu disregarding of “common cents” by consumers. The giving of gifts and the consumption of tons of food are two of the most symbolic and anticipated activities epitomized by the season. The forced tightening of belts induced by the economic […]
Read MoreConsumers are being Framed. What are you doing about it?
Have you ever bought a product because of the “awesome bargain” that you thought you were getting, then after a moment or two regretted your purchase and wondered what you were thinking? It may have been shoes, grocery items, etc. If you have, you may have been FRAMED. Framing theory suggests that the way in […]
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