Historians of social science will benefit from the detailed examination of how economics expanded into new areas like the environment. Environmental historians will benefit from an understanding of how economics claimed to be 'on the side' of the environment. Environmental economists will benefit from the contextualization of their field.
This study traces the emergence of changing attitudes about the child, at once economically "useless" and emotionally "priceless", from the late 1800s to the 1930s. It describes how turn-of-the-century America discovered new, sentimental ways to determine a child's monetary worth.
As clinical as it sounds to express the value of human lives, health, or the environment in cold dollars and cents, cost-benefit analysis requires it. More disturbingly, this approach is being embraced by a growing number of politicians and conservative pundits as the most reasonable way to make many policy decisions regarding public health and the environment. By systematically refuting the economic algorithms and illogical assumptions that cost-benefit analysts flaunt as fact, Priceless tells a ''gripping story about how solid science has been shoved to the backburner by bean counters with ideological blinders'' (In These Times). Ackerman and Heinzerling argue that decisions about health and safety should be made ''to reflect not economists' numbers, but democratic values, chosen on moral grounds. This is a vividly written book, punctuated by striking analogies, a good deal of outrage, and a nice dose of humor'' (Cass Sunstein, The New Republic). Essential reading for anyone concerned with the future of human health and environmental protection, Priceless ''shines a bright light on obstacles that stand in the way of good government decisions''.
Prada stores carry a few obscenely expensive items in order to boost sales for everything else (which look like bargains in comparison). People used to download music for free, then Steve Jobs convinced them to pay. How? By charging 99 cents. That price has a hypnotic effect: the profit margin of the 99 Cents Only store is twice that of Wal-Mart. Why do text messages cost money, while e-mails are free? Why do jars of peanut butter keep getting smaller in order to keep the price the "same"? The answer is simple: prices are a collective hallucination. In Priceless, the bestselling author William Poundstone reveals the hidden psychology of value. In psychological experiments, people are unable to estimate "fair" prices accurately and are strongly influenced by the unconscious, irrational, and politically incorrect. It hasn't taken long for marketers to apply these findings. "Price consultants" advise retailers on how to convince consumers to pay more for less, and negotiation coaches offer similar advice for businesspeople cutting deals. The new psychology of price dictates the design of price tags, menus, rebates, "sale" ads, cell phone plans, supermarket aisles, real estate offers, wage packages, tort demands, and corporate buyouts. Prices are the most pervasive hidden persuaders of all. Rooted in the emerging field of behavioral decision theory, Priceless should prove indispensable to anyone who negotiates.
In this long-awaited updated edition of his groundbreaking work Priceless: Curing the Healthcare Crisis, renowned healthcare economist John Goodman ("father" of Health Savings Accounts) analyzes America's ongoing healthcare fiasco—including, for this edition, the failed promises of Obamacare. Goodman then provides what many critics of our healthcare system neglect: solutions. And not a moment too soon. Americans are entangled in a system with perverse incentives that raise costs, reduce quality, and make care less accessible. It's not just patients that need liberation from this labyrinth of confusion—it's doctors, businessmen, and institutions as well. Read this new work and discover: why no one sees a real price for anything: no patient, no doctor, no employer, no employee; how Obamacare's perverse incentives cause insurance companies to seek to attract the healthy and avoid the sick; why having a preexisting condition is actually WORSE under Obamacare than it was before—despite rosy political promises to the contrary; why emergency-room traffic and long waits for care have actually increased under Obamacare; how Medicaid expansion spends new money insuring healthy, single adults, while doing nothing for the developmentally disabled who languish on waiting lists and children who aren't getting the pediatric care they need; how the market for medical care COULD be as efficient and consumer-friendly as the market for cell phone repair... and what it would take to make that happen; how to create centers of medical excellence, which compete to meet the needs of the chronically ill; and much, much more... Thoroughly researched, clearly written, and decidedly humane in its concern for the health of all Americans, John Goodman has written the healthcare book to read to understand today's healthcare crisis. His proposed solutions are bold, crucial, and most importantly, caring. Healthcare is complex. But this book isn't. It's clear, it's satisfying, and it's refreshingly human. If you read even one book about healthcare policy in America, this is the one to read.
In one compact volume, here are the innovative tactics business leaders need to attain maximum financial performance for their companies. Whether they're selling beer or land, this book is one book managers can't afford to ignore
AM I PRICING RIGHT? Every business owner is haunted by this fundamental question. Expert pricing strategist Mark Stiving draws upon more than 15 years of experience in profitable pricing and delivers a practical plan to help you confidently answer. Price—it’s most powerful marketing tool you have— and the least understood. Zeroing in on the areas where your efforts will generate the greatest impact, Stiving breaks down critical pricing concepts and provides the blueprint to integrate proven pricing strategies into your growth plans. Be empowered to strengthen your pricing structure to withstand any conditions, dramatically elevating your company performance, position, and profits for long-term success. Learn how to: Set prices that drive your market position Correctly use costs to make profitable pricing decisions Implement value-based pricing to charge what customers are willing to pay Use price segmentation to leverage value and capture new business Cash-in on complementary products and product versions with portfolio pricing Prepare for changing conditions pricing strategically now Following in the footsteps of sited examples including Apple, BMW, McDonalds, Mercedes, and other market leaders, learn how to create a powerful price strategy that does more than cover costs.
Sociologist Ashley Mears takes us behind the brightly lit runways and glossy advertisements of the fashion industry in this insider’s study of the world of modeling. Mears, who worked as a model in New York and London, draws on observations as well as extensive interviews with male and female models, agents, clients, photographers, stylists, and others, to explore the economics and politics—and the arbitrariness— behind the business of glamour. Exploring a largely hidden arena of cultural production, she shows how the right "look" is discovered, developed, and packaged to become a prized commodity. She examines how models sell themselves, how agents promote them, and how clients decide to hire them. An original contribution to the sociology of work in the new cultural economy, Pricing Beauty offers rich, accessible analysis of the invisible ways in which gender, race, and class shape worth in the marketplace.
$136 million for a Klimt, $71.7 million for an Andy Warhol...It's not that art is expensive, but rather that money has become cheap for certain collectors--Russian oligarchs, Chinese, and American hedge-fund managers. Collections are being redistributed to new fortunes around the world. Sophisticated marketing campaigns, the most luxurious parties, a new wealthy elite passionate about art cross paths to compete for paintings now considered trophies. At present, details like "who's selling what" and "which auction house is organizing the sale" play an important role in sums fetched. The goal is paradoxical: always pay more. Worth of Art (2) offers an inside and outside view on an art world nourished by excess. AUTHOR After studying international law and political science, journalist Judith Benhamou-Huet became an expert in the art market. She pens the weekly column on the subject at Échos and at Le Point, as well as a monthly column for ArtPress. She has compiled several large reports on art for Art & Auction, the Swiss daily Neue Zurcher Zeitung, the magazine Beaux-Arts and Vogue France. She has organized many symposiums on the art market, most recently in Shangai, addressing business men as art collectors.The editor of Elle Accessories, Kelly Killoren Bensimon is also the author of American Style and In the Spirit of the Hamptons at Assouline Publishing. ILLUSTRATIONS 150 illustrations
How to Use Price to Increase Demand, Profit and Customer Satisfaction HOW SMART IS YOUR PRICING? For any business, deciding how much to charge for a product or service is crucial. By gaining an insight into the way consumers think and purchase, you can generate more demand, more customer value – and more profit. MAXIMISE REVENUE • How do unwanted products Influence what customers expect to pay? • How does offering extras for free dramatically increases Perceived Value? • Why does changing the timing of a payment make people pay 50% More? TRIED AND TESTED TECHNIQUES Written by the founder of Inon, a leading pricing consultancy, whose clients range from the BBC and Grant’s Whisky to Alzheimer’s Disease International and HM Treasury, The Psychology of Price provides an insight into the strategies used by multinational corporations. Leigh Caldwell is a pricing expert and leading researcher in behavioural economics, writing the UK’s most popular behavioural blog (www.knowingandmaking.com) and appearing as a frequent guest on BBC News. By background a mathematician and economist, he is the founder and chief executive of Inon, the UK’s leading pricing consultancy.
