Market Information Services Research Articles

Interactive Voice Technology Applications

Voice, data, and video information can be delivered to our homes or businesses using today's technology. But the U.S. market for multimedia information services is in its infancy, and interactive-voice services are merely the first step on the evolutionary path. Applications that use interactive voice fall into four categories: information delivery, entertainment, voice messaging, and transactions. All share a common trait — a person interacts with a machine over telephone lines by sending Touch-Tone signals in response to stored voice messages. AT&T's interactive-voice service offerings are based on a common network platform — the Enhanced Services Complex (ESC). An ESC is a collection of switching, speech processing, and computer equipment networked together to provide enhanced voice and data services over the public switched telecommunications network. Currently, these services enable callers to interact with and manipulate stored audio information. Soon, the ESC will include capabilities for speaker verification, speech recognition, and facsimile transmission.

Council decision of July 26, 1988

concerning the establishment of a plan of action for setting up an information services market (88/524/EEC)

EC commission communication on establishing an information services market

The following is an excerpt from the communciation sent by the European Commission to the Council of Ministers explaining the rationale for an internal information services market. It is followed by the Counicl's formal decision and budget allocation totalling $36 million.

The European community and information technology

La communaute europeenne se dirige vers un marche commun gouverne par des regles qui peuvent amener a un protocole industriel influant sur l'industrie mondiale de l'information

Sustainable Commercial Vegetable Production with Minimal Use of Synthetic Fertilizers and Pesticides

Sustainable production systems are characterized as systems that can be physically and biologically maintained in perpetuity, can avoid adverse environmental and health problems, and can be economically profitable. Organic vegetable production systems are one example of sustainable farming enterprises. In California, organic production and postharvest handling techniques are closely defined by legislation. Of the several grower groups representing organic farmers in the state, the California Certified Organic Farmers is the largest, representing 382 growers that farmed a total area of 10,375 ha in 1988. Of these, 200 growers are vegetable producers. Another organization active among organic growers in California, as well as Mexico, Central American countries, and the Caribbean, is the Organic Crop Improvement Association. Marketing organizations such as the Nutri-Clean Program, which tests produce for pesticide residues and certifies specific residue standards, and the Organic Market News and Information Service facilitate the sale of organic produce in California. Cultural practice information for organic vegetable production is difficult to find, particularly techniques that would allow a grower to switch from conventional to organic production. University researchers and extension workers have so far been of little help, although the Univ. of California Sustainability Program at Davis is beginning research and education activities. Funding for these activities is inadequate, and the program is understaffed. There is need for long-term, interdisciplinary, on-farm studies to study organic production techniques in a realistic setting. At present, the reward system in place in land-grant institutions offers little encouragement to researchers to engage in this kind of work. There are formidable obstacles to increasing the use of organic materials for crop fertilization. The nutrient content of the state's manure and organic waste supplies is probably insufficient to meet the fertility needs of California's crops. In addition, since the majority of land currently producing vegetable crops in California is leased, long-term soil fertility investments are a risky undertaking.

Sustainable Commercial Vegetable Production with Minimal Use of Synthetic Fertilizers and Pesticides: A Postlude

Sustainable production systems are characterized as systems that can be physically and biologically main- tained in perpetuity, can avoid adverse environmental and health problems, and can be economically profitable. Organic vegetable production systems are one example of sustainable farming enterprises. In California, organic production and postharvest handling techniques are closely defined by legislation. Of the several grower groups representing organic farmers in the state, the California Certified Organic Farmers is the largest, representing 382 growers that farmed a total area of 10,375 ha in 1988. Of these, 200 growers are vegetable producers. Another organization active among organic growers in California, as well as Mexico, Central American countries, and the Caribbean, is the Organic Crop Improvement Association. Marketing organizations such as the Nutri-Clean Program, which tests produce for pesticide residues and certifies specific residue standards, and the Organic Market News and Information Service facilitate the sale of organic produce in California. Cultural practice information for organic vegetable production is difficult to find, particularly techniques that would allow a grower to switch from conventional to organic production. University researchers and extension workers have so far been of little help, although the Univ. of California Sus- tainability Program at Davis is beginning research and education activities. Funding for these activities is inadequate, and the program is understaffed. There is need for long-term, interdisciplinary, on-farm studies to study organic production techniques in a realistic setting. At present, the reward system in place in land-grant institutions offers little encouragement to researchers to engage in this kind of work. There are formidable obstacles to increasing the use of organic materials for crop fertilization. The nutrient content of the state's manure and organic waste supplies is probably insufficient to meet the fertility needs of California's crops. In addition, since the majority of land currently producing vegetable crops in California is leased, long-term soil fertility investments are a risky undertaking.

The European Online Information Survey 1988

By the end of 1992 the countries of Europe will work as one market; this means that whatever barriers to trading exist now — legal, fiscal, linguistic or economic — should then be removed. By 1992 too, the European Commission DG X111 will establish a European internal information services market. The effects of this unification are not easily perceived, perhaps chiefly because it is difficult to view the current European information industry as a whole, spread as it is between large numbers of information vendors and information providers in a range of countries. The same databases are available from different vendors and comparison is made difficult by the various pricing structures and the variety of access routes, software facilities and contractual limitations which different hosts affect.

MARKETING IN THE AUSTRALIAN FOOD INDUSTRY: THE INFORMATION BASE

Marketing staff in Australian food manufacturing firms were questioned on use of and expenditure on advertising and marketing information services, on the sources from which they derive new ideas, and on favoured strategies for different aspects of their work. The thirty replies are presented in the framework of marketing theory and of Australian food marketing practice. Some clear contrasts arise between high and low information users though the sample is too small to reveal systematic variations according to size of firm, type of industry, etc. The most striking findings are the high value placed by the marketers on product movement data, the difficulty in getting expenditure data, and the lack of use of formal external information sources, especially the online databases, whether those specialising in marketing data or those with demographic and general economic data of relevance.

Technology, deregulation, and the public interest: preserving universal telephone service

The intertwining influences on the telecommunications industry of regulatory initiatives and technological advancement are discussed. It is argued that the combined effect of this simultaneous change has been to undermine the traditional support structure enforcing an important social goal of telecommunications policy. By focusing on this particular goal-universal telephone service-one can better understand the complex and often unappreciated impacts of technology on society. However, although technological progress has undermined the traditional method for supporting low local rates, it has provided an opportunity to maximize subscription to telephone service. The author's suggestion is to use the new market for information services, which has resulted from numerous innovations, to support universal service. Thus, while still part of the problem, technology can simultaneously be part of the solution.< <ETX xmlns:mml="http://www.w3.org/1998/Math/MathML" xmlns:xlink="http://www.w3.org/1999/xlink">&gt;</ETX>

Resident Age and Housing Search: Evidence From Hedonic Residuals

Elderly people are likely to have higher housing market search costs than the population as a whole. Costly search increases the price paid by older persons for housing relative to its characteristics, and also increases the range of prices paid. To test this latter hypothesis, hedonic equations are estimated for six SMSAs using data from the Annual Housing Survey. The residuals of these hedonics represent variation in prices not explained by housing characteristics. It is found that the absolute variation of these residuals is positively related to resident age, which is evidence supporting the hypothesis that the elderly pay higher housing prices due to higher search costs. A possible policy response to this problem is to create a housing market information service directed at reducing the search costs of the elderly.

Research

Community profiling several recent research studies (eg see NLW, June) have emphasised the need for more effective marketing of library and information services. A new CRUS publication is intended to help librarians set about the task of gathering the necessary information to do this properly. Community profiling in the library context aims to define a community in a way which is relevant to the planning and evaluation of library services, but different types of community require different approaches. Christina Beal has now written a comprehensive report covering the different methods possible. Community profiling for librarians (CRUS Occasional Paper 12) costs £17.50 from Consultancy and Research Unit, Department of Information Studies, University of Sheffield, Sheffield S10 2TN (Tel: 0742‐738608).

A BILLION £s' WORTH OF CUPPAS

The hot beverage market, made up of tea, ground and instant coffee, cocoa and drinking chocolate, and malted food drinks, exceeded £1 billion in 1984. Tea and coffee are worth about the same, just under £500m each, but tea is still the nation's most popular drink. Each Briton consumes six cups of hot drinks a day and just under four cups are tea. Tea outranks coffee in cups drunk by over 2 to 1, and 215,000 tons of tea are imbibed each year. ‘Hot Beverages in the UK’ is the second in the Drink Market Updates series by the Market Information Service at the Leatherhead Food Research Association. This report gives information on market shares, market sizes, consumption patterns and future trends in instant and ground coffee, packet tea and tea bags, and food drinks. The hot beverage market is expanding only in a few specialised areas, in particular, ground coffee, premium instant coffee and speciality teas. Currently worth only £168m between them, they are unlikely to make a great impact on the total market for some time.

Ontario Tourism Statistical Handbook 1983. Tourism Marketing Information Services, Ontario Ministry of Tourism and Recreation, Hearst Block, 900 Bay Street, Toronto, Ontario, Canada M7A 2E5. November 1983. 83p

Ontario Tourism Statistical Handbook 1983. Tourism Marketing Information Services, Ontario Ministry of Tourism and Recreation, Hearst Block, 900 Bay Street, Toronto, Ontario, Canada M7A 2E5. November 1983. 83p

1982 Ontario/Canada Accommodations Guide Survey. Tourism Marketing Information Services Section, Ministry of Tourism and Recreation, Hearst Block, 3rd Floor, 900 Bay Street, Toronto, Canada M7A 2E5. September 1982. 60p plus appendices

1982 Ontario/Canada Accommodations Guide Survey. Tourism Marketing Information Services Section, Ministry of Tourism and Recreation, Hearst Block, 3rd Floor, 900 Bay Street, Toronto, Canada M7A 2E5. September 1982. 60p plus appendices

Sarnia Advisory Radio Survey. Tourism Marketing Information Services Section, Ministry of Tourism and Recreation, Hearst Block, 3rd Floor, 900 Bay Street, Toronto, Ontario, Canada M7A 2E5. August 1982. 13p plus appendices

Sarnia Advisory Radio Survey. Tourism Marketing Information Services Section, Ministry of Tourism and Recreation, Hearst Block, 3rd Floor, 900 Bay Street, Toronto, Ontario, Canada M7A 2E5. August 1982. 13p plus appendices

Marketing for Non-Market Transactions: Problems and Issues for Librarians

In the 1980s there has been considerable interest in the relevance of marketing for library and information services. A number of articles have appeared advocating the benefits of marketing techniques for improving library services. A regional workshop sponsored by the Library Association of Australia was held in Canberra as recently as December 1983 on marketing of information services. Scant attention has been given to the meaning of marketing and to the problems and issues involved in transposing it to the non-profit sector. This paper presents the arguments for and against the validity of extending marketing beyond the business sector. It considers the reasons for the success of marketing in business and discusses the consequences of using it in the non-profit enterprise.

Degreeism: Disease or cure?

Drawing upon recent literature on educational inflation, overeducation, and the diploma disese, this paper examines analytically both the positive and negative aspects of degreeism in developed as well as in developing nations. Some of the positive effects of degreeism found are, for example, (1) a positive employment effect, (2) a proxy information effect, and (3) ritualistic effects. Among the major negative effects of degreeism discussed are (1) economic waste, (2) imbalance between job expectations and labor market realities, and (3) consumer deceit. Finally, alternative policy suggestions are presented for addressing the problem of degreeism. Some of the policies discussed are the degree tax, incomes policy, improved labor market information services, and modified civil service procedures. The major implication of such policies is to direct attention to the real issue of competency, not diplomas.

Local Market Information Services in the Strategy of Agricultural Development

The general economic functions of market information are familiar and can be logically related to the concepts of workable competition and the perfect market in space, form, and time. However, the importance of a formal market news service to the efficiency of performance of markets must be viewed within the context of the particular situation and the manner in which present information systems function. Wherever there is a market, an information network exists, even though (in some cases), slow, inaccurate, discriminatory in its availability to market participants or limited in the scope of information collected and diffused. Therefore, in assessing the need for introducing or expanding formal market news services, the adequacy of the present system, the cost of effecting improvements and the consequences that may be derived from them must be determined and evaluated.

Feasibility of Adoption of Structured Grain Trading System in Ogun State, Nigeria

The study examined the feasibility of adoption of the structured grain trading system (SGTS) in Ogun State, Nigeria. It investigated the current grain trading system in the study area, identified policy and structural changes that needs review for successful adoption of structured grain trading system, investigated the perception of the people involved in the grain value chain, and identified the bottlenecks that may restrict efficiency of structured grain trading system. The population of the study covers mainly rice farmers, and other stake holders involved in rice value chain in Ogun State, who were selected using snowball technique. Questionnaires were used to obtain data from the respondents. Results from the study shows that the majority of the benefits derivable from using the structured grain trading system were not found in the present system of grain marketing; such as the use of warehousing receipt as collateral for loans. Conclusion drawn based on the perception of the stake-holders involved in rice value chain was that the structured grain trading system is highly preferred. The system can be implemented only if the infrastructures such as: roads, electricity, market information services, and standard storage structures are put in place.Key words: Adoption, grains trading system, Nigeria.

The electronic commerce legal regulation features within the European Union

Considering that improving access to digital goods and services, creating an environment where digital networks and services can thrive, positioning of digitalization as the driving force of everything new, it becomes clear that an e-commerce legal platform of EU business entities activity will soon be subject to review in the EU and in connection with this fact, the study of the features of modern legal regulation of electronic commerce within the EU becomes both theoretical and practical relevance and significance.&#x0D; The article deals with the peculiarities of legal regulation of electronic commerce within the European Union. The author of the article has analyzed in detail the legal framework and the legal norms that regulate the implementation of e-commerce in the EU and which have the greatest impact on the implementation of foreign economic activity. These norms were grouped in three directions: 1) norms that set the country of origin principle; 2) rules that recognize the legal force of electronic contracts and regulate the procedure for their conclusion; 3) rules that limit the liability of third party content providers. For this research, an analysis of secondary law of the European Union governing the conduct of electronic commerce within the Union has been carried out. Particular attention is paid to the study of the provisions of Directive 2000/31/EC of the European Parliament and of the Council of 8 June 2000 on certain legal aspects of information services, in particular e-commerce, in the internal market, namely, on the internal market, aimed at promoting the development of the EU information services market in the EU, on the principles of the conclusion of electronic agreements in the EU, a list of the minimum information that the information society service provider must give to the customer in the EU, as well as the provisions minimizing the Internet intermediaries liability for the actions of third parties related to the implementation of electronic commerce.