Overview

This compilation of original essays by an international cast of economists, regulators and industry practitioners analyzes some of the major issues now facing postal and delivery services throughout the world as competition from information and communication technologies (ICT) has increased. Competition has become increasingly important in the postal sector for some time in the form of alternative entrants providing mail delivery. However, the competition from ICT in the form of email and instant messaging, the Internet, Facebook and other forms of social networking and portable wireless devices such as the iPad and Kindle may be even more significant. Mail volumes are falling and the economies of scale that have made possible daily deliveries to every address are being eroded. This book assesses volume these declines resulting from this so-called `eSubstituion' and looks at the ways the postal sector can adapt to the rapid changes resulting from ICT. The impact of electronic invoicing on transactions mail, and the impact on bulk mail of electronic forms of advertising are examined. Strategies, including pricing and access policies, are discussed in the context of the increasing impact of ICT. A rethinking of the role of mail in an electronic age is taking place and this book provides the cutting-edge of this rethinking and the attempts of POs to reinvent themselves while continuing to meet the public's expectation of continuing ubiquitous daily deliveries of traditional mail products. Undergraduate and postgraduate students and researchers in regulation, competition law, innovation and public sector economics along with institutional libraries and industry professionals will find this volume informative and useful.

Full Product Details

Author:   Michael A. Crew ,  Paul R. Kleindorfer
Publisher:   Edward Elgar Publishing Ltd
Imprint:   Edward Elgar Publishing Ltd
ISBN:  

9781849803601

ISBN 10:   1849803609
Pages:   392
Publication Date:   31 January 2011
Audience:   Professional and scholarly ,  Professional & Vocational
Format:   Hardback
Publisher's Status:   Active
Availability:   In Print  
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Table of Contents

Contents: Preface 1. Competitive Strategies under FMO and Intermodal Competition Michael A. Crew and Paul R. Kleindorfer 2. Invoicing in 16 European Countries Kari Elkela 3. Does the Level of Price Elasticity Change with the Progression of Substitution? Heikki Nikali 4. Understanding the Impact of E-Substitution on Letter Mail Volumes: A Multi-Country Panel Study Meloria Meschi, Matthew Cherry, Carla Pace and Milena Petrova 5. The Future of the Portuguese Postal Sector and the Role of CTT Alberto Pimenta and Antonio Manuel Amaral 6. Optimal Pricing for Mail and Welfare Implications in a Communications Market Philippe De Donder, Helmuth Cremer, Paul Dudley and Frank Rodriguez 7. UK Letter Mail Demand: A Content-based Time-series Analysis Using Overlapping Market Survey Statistical Techniques Catherine Cazals, Jean-Pierre Florens, Leticia Veruete-McKay, Frank Rodriguez and Soterios Soteri 8. Postal Markets and Electronic Substitution: Implications for Regulatory Practices and Institutions in Europe Martin Maegli, Christian Jaag, Martin Koller and Urs Trinkner 9. How Many Outlets if the USP Does Not Face Any USO? A Cross-country Comparison Claire Borsenberger, Denis Joram and Bernard Roy 10. Costing the Universal Service: Evaluating the Demand Response Isabelle Carslake, George Houpis and Christian Strobel 11. State Funding and Cost Sharing of the USO Under the 2008 EU Postal Services Directive Richard Eccles 12. Econometric Models and the Evolution of the French Post Office Network Francois Boldron, Frederique Feve, Jean-Pierre Florens, Clemence Panet-Amaro and Christophe Valognes 13. Evaluating the Demand Effects of Reductions in the Frequency of Delivery Service Edward S. Pearsall and Charles L. Trozzo 14. The UK Service Obligation: What Do the Public Think and How Do They Value It? Rob Sheldon and Alison Lawrence 15. Assessing Anti-Competitive Behavior in a Postal Market Mary Davies 16. Price Discrimination in the Postal Sector and Competition Law Damien Geradin 17. Price Discrimination and Price Differentiation Within Direct Mail Felipe Florez Duncan, Dawn Longman, Leonardo Mautino and Paul Dudley 18. The Economics of Postal Payment Channels and EU Postal VAT Tim Walsh 19. Impact of VAT Exemptions in the Postal Sector on Competition and Welfare Helmut Dietl, Christian Jaag, Markus Lang, Martin Lutzenberger and Urs Trinkner 20. Competition and Regulation in the Italian Postal Market Vincenzo Visco Comandini and Francesca Mazzarella 21. Strategic Responses to Recession: A Comparison of the United States Postal Service to Leading Companies Norma Nieto, Keith Strange and William Takis 22. The United States Postal Service Business Model: Lessons from the American Railroad Industry? David M. Levy and Matthew D. Field 23. Financial Inclusion and Postal Banking: Is the Survival of Posts Also There? Jose Anson and Jo lle Toledano 24. The Dual Trend Towards Operational Efficiencies and Social Regulation in European Postal Services Dominique Bailly and Margaux Meidinger 25. Sustainable Growth and the Postal Sector: Universal Service versus Environmental Protection Francois Boldron, Claire Borsenberger, Helmuth Cremer, Philippe De Donder, Denis Joram and Bernard Roy 26. Offering Sensor Network Services Using the Postal Delivery Vehicle Fleet Michael J. Ravnitzky

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Edited by the late Michael A. Crew, formerly CRRI Professor of Regulatory Economics and Director, Center for Research in Regulated Industries (CRRI), Rutgers Business School, Rutgers, The State University of New Jersey, Newark, US and the late Paul R. Kleindorfer, former Paul Dubrule Professor of Sustainable Development, INSEAD, France and Anheuser-Busch Professor Emeritus of Management Science, Wharton School, University of Pennsylvania, US

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