Re: Photographers
Dear Alex, I am (semi-)married (divorce looming) to a photographer. Actually, he is a "public information officer" (propagandist -- see why we're getting divorced? I am unsupportive) who uses his talents as a photographer and graphic artist in his work. I have forwarded your message on to him for reply, as your offer to pay extra and receive the negatives seems completely fair to me. Truly, Terri "A good deal of tyranny goes by the name of protection." - Crystal Eastman (activist/author; 1881-1928)
RE: Photographers
Good photographers keep their negatives because they predict that satisfied customers are more likely to come back for reprints, while unsatisfied customers would only throw away the negatives or not use them anyway if they were able to buy them. Less proficient photographers sell their negatives because they don't expect to make any money on reprinting mediocre pictures. Selling the negatives helps make up for the loss incurred when customers don't come back. A photographer's willingness to sell the negatives or to provide bargain reprints is a signal of the poor quality of the pictures he takes. Similarly, a customer's desire to buy the negatives could be a signal to photographers that the customer doesn't value the photos being taken enough to pay a premium for reprints, and thus may be less likely to buy lots of prints in the first place. Another explantion could be that the customer who wants to buy negatives is like the person who buys things on layaway--he wants the good, but prefers for some reason to put a little down now and pay the rest later. So he pays for the sitting and the negatives (lower profit items for the photographer), and takes the negatives to the drug store next month to by prints. The unwillingness to sell negatives and the practice of charging high prices for reprints could be a way for photographers to weed out the cheap-skates who might otherwise eat into their profit margins by not buying many prints or not returning for reprints. Sadly, my own experience with my wedding photographer provides anecdotal evidence for Mark Steckbeck's theory that photographers who sell their negatives might do so to compensate for the inferior quality of their photographs compared to photographers who won't sell their negatives. Eric M. McDaniel University of Tulsa [EMAIL PROTECTED] > -Original Message- > From: [EMAIL PROTECTED] [mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED]] > On Behalf Of John-charles Bradbury > Sent: Thursday, January 24, 2002 12:11 PM > To: [EMAIL PROTECTED] > Subject: Re: Photographers > > > > How about asking some photographers? > > > > Armchair economics is not a contact sport. > > JC > _ > John-Charles Bradbury, Ph.D. > Department of Economics > The University of the South > 735 University Ave. > Sewanee, TN 37383 -1000 > Phone: (931) 598-1721 > Fax: (931) 598-1145 > E-mail: [EMAIL PROTECTED] > > > > > >
Re: Photographers
> How about asking some photographers? > Armchair economics is not a contact sport. JC _ John-Charles Bradbury, Ph.D. Department of Economics The University of the South 735 University Ave. Sewanee, TN 37383 -1000 Phone: (931) 598-1721 Fax: (931) 598-1145 E-mail: [EMAIL PROTECTED]
[Fwd: Photographers]
>From Mark Steckbeck: -- Prof. Bryan Caplan Department of Economics George Mason University http://www.bcaplan.com [EMAIL PROTECTED] "He was thinking that Prince Andrei was in error and did not see the true light, and that he, Pierre, ought to come to his aid, to enlighten and uplift him. But no sooner had he thought out what he should say and how to say it than he foresaw that Prince Andrei, with one word, a single argument, would discredit all his teachings, and he was afraid to begin, afraid to expose to possible ridicule what he cherished and held sacred." Leo Tolstoy, *War and Peace* --- Begin Message --- Bryan, I am not at home where I have access to my email account related to the Armchair list. Can you post this for me. Thanks, Mark Alex's question does not pertain to individuals taking film from their own personal cameras to be developed. What his question pertains to is the hiring of a professional photographer who, for example, comes to your business (or home) to photograph scenes for an annual report (or a family portrait). It is customary for photographers to provide you with a set number of copies of specific prints and to retain the negatives. Alex poses two questions: Is a two-part tariff efficient and, if not, 2) why doesn't entry into the market change it. First, I presume that the two-part pricing scheme is efficient from a price discrimination point of view. There is little probability that the median consumer of photography services will purchase reprints from existing negatives. Those who do obviously have a more inelastic demand curve. (I once did a shoot for the Metropolitan Washington, DC Baptist Church. I provided them with however many copies they requested and kept the negatives. Only one person contacted me later for reprints and, considering the desperation in her voice, I believe I could easily have charged her say $20 or $30 per reprint). Second, I do know of photographers who will sell the rights to the negatives (i.e., their rights, property rights to negatives belong the the photographer) but they are generally either newcomers to the profession or failing photographers with high time preferences relative to better photographers (i.e., they need cash now). I presume therefore, that either Alex's search costs are too high to find one of them, or his demand for quality precludes him from considering hiring their services. Similarly, anyone seeking to purchase rights to the negatives signals to a prospective photographer their expected future demand curve for reprints. Mark Steckbeck --- End Message ---
RE: Credit scoring and insurance premiums
It makes sense to me that someone with credit problems would be willing to take more risks and thus be more of an insurance risk. The behavior that got them to be a credit risk is probably correlated to behavior that would make them an insurance risk. You drink to much and lost your job or did not get promotedwell you drink to much and drive! jdd John Driessnack, Lt Col, USAFProfessor, System Program ManagementDefense Systems Management CollegeBldg 205, Rm 115BPhone 703-805-4655 Admin Office 3670>>> [EMAIL PROTECTED] 01/24/02 09:13AM >>>(Still not finished with year end work at work ...)Recently finished Prof. Caplan's fine "Stigler-Becker vs Myers-Briggs"paper.I believe strongly in MBTI (MB Type Indicator) (I'm an NTP, E/I). I like theFiveFactor Model addition, but not name, of "Neurotic", and don't like the namesof the other 2 FFM that are different. However, the "Conscientiousness" category (more J, not P) of personalitytraits might be at work here -- other things seemingly equal, low scorersmight be worse credit risks AND have higher losses.I strongly favor freedom (oppose restrictions) on categories insurancecompanies can use, ESPECIALLY those somewhat behaviourist: it's not yourfault if you're a man instead of a woman under 25 -- it IS your fault thatyou didn't pay your credit card.Or missed a payment and paid later. etc.Tom Grey
Re: Photographers
I just got my graduation pics for college. And I am really pissed off with they way these photographers keep the negatives and charge an enormous price for reprints. Anyway, would it be because of Adverse Selection. When you fix yourselves for a photo shoot for graduation, you literally fix yourselves up. And when you see that you like what you look like when you see the proofs, you would order another set; if you look bad, there is a higher probability that you won't. So the photographers, knowing that it would take you another fix to look at least as good as you do in the first shoot, could charge a higher price. The people who would order for extra copies are the ones who think that their shoot that time was good. Is my understanding of the situation right? Or is there a better way to view it? At 08:56 AM 1/23/2002 -0800, you wrote: >Whenever I get a professional photograph I am always infuriated that >the photographers keep the negatives and then charge me every time I >want a print. This wouldn't be so bad but the system is inefficient >since I move around a lot and can lose track of who holds the negatives >to photographs that I had taken 10 years ago. I have tried several >times to arrange an alternative deal - paying more up front in return >for the negatives - but the photographers always react with horror to >this suggestion and refuse. > I have a two part question. First, why do photographers want the >system this way. (Note that obviously the photographers have a monopoly >over the prints once the prints are taken but that this does not really >answer the question - see Landsburgh's discussion of the popcorn problem >in The Armchair Economist.) Second and relatedly why don't entrants >offer an alternative system? > >Alex >-- >Dr. Alexander Tabarrok >Vice President and Director of Research >The Independent Institute >100 Swan Way >Oakland, CA, 94621-1428 >Tel. 510-632-1366, FAX: 510-568-6040 >Email: [EMAIL PROTECTED] > > >--- >Incoming mail is certified Virus Free. >Checked by AVG anti-virus system (http://www.grisoft.com). >Version: 6.0.295 / Virus Database: 159 - Release Date: 11/1/2001 --- Outgoing mail is certified Virus Free. Checked by AVG anti-virus system (http://www.grisoft.com). Version: 6.0.295 / Virus Database: 159 - Release Date: 11/1/2001
RE: Credit scoring and insurance premiums
(Still not finished with year end work at work ...) Recently finished Prof. Caplan's fine "Stigler-Becker vs Myers-Briggs" paper. I believe strongly in MBTI (MB Type Indicator) (I'm an NTP, E/I). I like the Five Factor Model addition, but not name, of "Neurotic", and don't like the names of the other 2 FFM that are different. However, the "Conscientiousness" category (more J, not P) of personality traits might be at work here -- other things seemingly equal, low scorers might be worse credit risks AND have higher losses. I strongly favor freedom (oppose restrictions) on categories insurance companies can use, ESPECIALLY those somewhat behaviourist: it's not your fault if you're a man instead of a woman under 25 -- it IS your fault that you didn't pay your credit card. Or missed a payment and paid later. etc. Tom Grey
Re: Credit scoring and insurance premiums
I don't have particular expertise in this topic, but it has been a matter of some controversy within the insurance industry for at least 5 years. The general line of argument from industry supporters is that poor credit scores are correlated with high insurance losses, even after classifying people for other variables that should predict insured losses (like their age and sex for auto insurance). The counter coming from consumer advocates and regulators is that i) it's unfair to penalize people on insurance rates just because they have a bad credit history, and ii) there's no obvious causal mechanism at work, and so it's not right to charge more. I'll remain agnostic on the issue of whether or not there is a correlation, because I haven't studied the data. I might point out, though, that when you have a large number of insurers, with lots of money at stake, all claiming to have checked the data, and finding that there are correlations, that there's probably something there. It seems to me that if there is a correlation, the market would pretty quickly start using credit scores as a variable, and those companies that chose not to use it would be adversely selected against in getting customers. If there isn't a correlation, then there would be no strong movement in the market towards using it as a variable. Of course, the problem is that markets aren't allowed to work too well in property/casualty insurance in the US. Each state regulates insurance, ranging from fairly light regulation (you have to tell the regulators what rates you'll charge and how you'll classify people) to virtually total price control, with little ability to turn away risks you don't like. There's an actuarial paper on credit scoring (which I haven't read, so can't vouch for quality) at www.casact.org/pubs/forum/00wforum/00wf079.pdf and a powerpoint slide version of a talk based on the paper at http://www.casact.org/coneduc/ratesem/rate2000/handouts/cpp49monaghan.ppt Gary Blumsohn - Original Message - From: "James Haney" <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> To: <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> Sent: Wednesday, January 23, 2002 10:08 PM Subject: Credit scoring and insurance premiums > I just saw an article in Business Week discussing the growing use of > credit scores over the past couple years to determine auto and > homeowners' insurance premiums. This practice has become controversial > because it has sometimes meant hefty premium increases for people who > don't seem to be particularly bad insurance risks. > > Does anyone on this list have info/opinions on this issue? > > Many thanks, > James Haney > >
Re: Accounting and Economics LO27687
Well, the issues outlined below are being dealt with in a globally diffuse way. I am in contact with Mike Nickerson in Canada who's organisation is attempting (seemingly successfully) to switch attitudes away from dodgy economic accounting to that of measuring the well-being of individuals and the community. Here's the email I received today: "Dear Friends of Sustainability: Just before Christmas I sent notice of the resolution passed by the City of Ottawa in support of the "Canada Well-Being Measurement Act". It was a busy time so I'm repeating the notice here in case some of you who were preoccupied then might be interested in following up now that we are safely into the New Year. Municipal endorsement could be very persuasive. In one motion, Jean Chrétian, Paul Martin and local MPs all received word that Bill C-268 was a matter of interest. In addition, it provided a hook that could make news on any media in the area. The Ottawa resolution went like this: "That the City of Ottawa support the goals and principles contained in Bill C-268, "The Canada Well-Being Measurement Act" and that this be communicated to the Prime Minister, the Finance Minister, all area MPs and to Mr. Joe Jordan, MP, Leeds-Grenville." Change the name of the Municipality and this wording could be used anywhere. Ken Billings conceived the tactic. He asked at the City Office who on Council might be interested in well-being measurement. He didn't get the right person at first and had to follow the run around through several contacts before finding a Councilor who would bring the information to Council. A one page summary was provided and a copy of "Measuring Well-Being" (available from us). We were then asked to send enough copies for distribution to each Councilor and the staff involved. Some time later, the issue came up at the appropriate Committee, a resolution was proposed, unanimously agreed to and sent to the Council as a whole where it was adopted. We would be pleased to send you literature for raising this issue with your Council. Imagine if we had a couple dozen municipalities or more expressing support for the Act. A half dozen of you asked for literature toward this end, even during the pre-Christmas rush. Who else would like to try and get their Council involved? An added perk for your Municipality: In addition to introducing the proposal for national measures, you can tell the local Council that the Federation of Canadian Municipalities has a program to help set up local well-being measurement programs. Information on this is available at: http://www.fcm.ca under: "Quality of Life in Canadian Communities" Details are available from: Marni Cappe, (613) 241-5221, ext. 247 E-mail: [EMAIL PROTECTED]" Brenda Rosser [Who is also working with groups of local citizens for similar change in Tasmania] - Original Message - From: "chris macrae" <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> To: <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> Sent: Wednesday, January 23, 2002 2:17 AM Subject: Re: Accounting and Economics LO27687 > - Original Message - > From: <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> > To: <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> > Sent: 16 January 2002 20:56 PM > Subject: Accounting and Economics LO27687 > > > > Dear Learners, > > > > I have a few questions. I have a few statements. > > > > Where does the 'buck stop' in modern organizational life? > > > > Who is accountable as a 'leader' -whether as CEO or supervisor? > > > > Is the net result of 'corporate' corruption reversible? > > > > Is someone who drives ordinary and faithful followers to the brink of > > total ruin and maybe even suicide a terrorist by another name? > > > > When will those with enough talent and cleverness to manipulate so many > > systems of privilege to their own advantage create enough intelligence > > within themselves to realise that the time they say they never had enough > > of doesn't exist? > > > > Why has no-one (so far as I know in the public domain here) 'picked up' > > the tab I offered on the Enron scandal posting I wrote? Is it not a worthy > > enough as an issue to have a dialogue on then;-) now, in the near > > future...;-) > > > > Tom Johnson the famous ex-accountant, when asked what was 'wrong' with the > > system of 'corporate business' said there was 'not enough virtue'. He said > > that '70%' of what 'is wrong' is to do with virtue. Was he a twit? What is > > virtue worth to corporate life. > > > > As life becomes more transparent a new form of democracy will arise. I can > > see it arising. All such emergences have lashing tails, vortices. There is > > pain in abundance at attending such birthings. It will be like a kind of > > madness. Can anyone here sense it upon the far horizon? > > > > Shall we keep on doing what is familiar and plentiful toward our 'limited > > case' mortgages, becoming 'clinically obese' to the point of epidemic > > proportions, our children going 'quietly mad' ( one in five children in > > 'developed countries' sic. show signs of clinical depression)
