Ok… who else is super-tiny-mini-micro blogging on twitter?
http://twitter.com/olganicoara

I have been thinking: if tipping is a good deal for both the tipper and the tipped, benefiting both; does this make scalping (reselling tickets at a price above their face value) a form of tipping?

Think about it; tipping is a transaction initiated by the buyer who is willing to pay a premium so as to benefit from the kind of service that he desires. The latter is not known by the the seller; who cannot be aware of every customer’s particular preferences without undertaking huge additional transaction costs. The premium’s role on a market is to signal that there is a demand for a preferential type of service. The transaction is made at lower costs, both parties are better off - markets clear.

With scalping being a form of tipping is not as intuitive. Why? I think it’s because this time, it’s the seller who “opens the new market” offering a service that would lower buyer’s otherwise high transaction costs (buying a ticket at the face price for a person with a very high value of time proves to be very costly). The premium charged by the scalper is comparable with the premium paid by the tipper, both are spontaneous market solutions for the problem of transaction costs too high to be formally internalized.

Unfortunately, people’s attitude toward scalpers is generally negative, whereas to tippers people are, at most, indifferent; never heard anyone complaining about tippers…

I used to watch “Nu pogodi” ( “Wait ’till I get you” in En.) cartoons almost every day of my life spent in the Soviet Union. The usual ration was of one series per week-day and two or three per weekend-days and holidays. The sad thing was that they (the soviet #1 tv channel) would roll the same series all over again; cartoon production was very limited. Actually, if I remember correctly, new series showed up only shortly after the collapse of USSR. That first “new-era” cartoon, the 17th series, captures a bit of Russian economy’s dramatic transition from centrally planed to market-driven production.

Notice the AMT firm that is introduced at the beginning… Yes, an actual private entity sponsored Russian studio in 1993! I think “sponsorship” may not be precipitated when referring to that kind of deal taking into consideration the political circumstances, but “rent-seeking”, on the other hand, seem to be more likely the drive for interest groups to influence highly corruptible government owned industries as Soyuzmultfilm (as broke as it was). That obviously explains the intrusive NOKIA product placement at minute 6:40 although the quality of the movie is worse then that of previous, unsponsored soviet episodes.

Faced with free competition on the global level, the animation of zayats and volk stopped; more then a decade no new series were ever issued. Finally, private investor (Christmas Films studio) took over and released brand new “Nu pogodi” series in 2005. This is the 19th episode that I could find posted on YouTube:

Notice the difference: better quality, the story is still captivating, but for a restrained audience as I could see (the target age is much lower). Another thing is less use of aggressive punishments on volk in their version of the film as compared to the original, still popular episodes from the soviet era which would always make me feel sorry and feel all the pain that volk went through. Just look at all the violence that this film unintentionally promotes:

even the sounds of violent impacts are so loud and marking, but who has ever interviewed little kids for a change? Oh, I forget this was mass production and it didn’t really matter if you were an adult or underage since this was all that you could ever get. It it just me?

If I were to describe myself as a customer, I would say that I am the passive type. The passive customer I define never complains to the seller about a product’s integrity ex-post buying it, but sees the situation as a rather unfortunate one – a bad choice made at the time of purchase – and takes full responsibility of his action rather then seeing it as an attack to his wallet. After all, no one forces us to buy or do anything; we do things because we want to and “No one needs anything, we simply want one thing or another” as my Microeconomics Professor Russ Roberts always says.

One moth ago, however, it was different; I ordered four of my textbooks advertised by different independent sellers on Amazon.com. I was very content when I received two of them in just a week after placing my order, but my excitement dropped as three more weeks passed and I was still missing the other two books, classes were already going on, etc. They were never delivered to me to the present day although the maximum delivery time was established at at most two week. I consider this a theft – an aggressive crime that cost me my time and so many other options that would have been available to me were not my money stolen (I could even gain interest on it!).

Today, I am one very angry customer; I want my money back as soon as possible and want the two unlawful sellers punished. Unfortunately, I have no personal information of the sellers except for their email addresses, which, as you must have guessed, are of no use to me since none of them bothers to reply. Fortunately, there exists a so-called “Amazon A-to-z Guarantee Program” a customer protection service that allowed be to submit claims on my missing orders which cover my reimbursement and give the company full right to “chase” the sellers on my behalf. Now all I have to do is wait for wire-back in one or two weeks.

My first experience with Amazon services and already a thumbs down. What’s wrong with these people? Are they not aware of the consequences or… are they dead?

I just realized that since the beginning of all this mess fight for territory in Georgia I have been trying to make up my mind… All this time, while reading about it from (clearly biased) American and Russian newspapers, my focus was to pick one side: the Russian or the Georgian version of the story instead of stating a clear personal judgment in this respect. Ok, now I think I’m done, but I’ll favor no side. All I have to say is that if people of South Ossetia and Abkhazia, Transnistria, Nagorno-Karabakh or other separatist entities in this world want their political independence then let them be, but don’t start a war. War should not be an option in solving any conflict, but peacefull cooperation and communication. What must be of such a major importance for the people behind this scene as to engage vehemently in violence, destruction and death is still a big question on my mind…

As I promised: some pictures* from the Pre-departure Orientation Sessions organized by the Fulbright Commission in Romania on Thursday, 10 July.

Welcome Address opened by Mr. Mark Taplin, Charge d’Affaires a.i., U.S. Embassy

Romanian participants. Again, many independent students.

Session: Living in the United States

Coffee break: Getting practical advice from experienced Romanian students

Session: Independent study programs in U.S. - Q&A

Final group pictures at the reception hosted by the U.S. Cultural Affairs Officer in Bucharest

* Source: The Fulbright Educational Advising Center (FEAC)

A one-month countdown begun for me today. In exactly one month I will be heading for the United States of America to pursue a two-years long MA Program in Economics at George Mason University, DC.

I am not going through some kind of pre-departure distress, but I must say that a part of me is somewhat reticent about entering an unknown environment, by myself, with family and friends left behind for such a long period of time, etc. The other part keeps telling me “Yeah, yeah, why is this a big deal? Chill, it’s the internet era where you have lots of easy and cheap communication means with people back home; there is Skype, MSN, YM, Gtalk, and that’s already enough for your daily psychic comfort, just focus on your goals set to achieve in that place and the rest will solve much easily, still important, but secondary.”

Four days ago, my worries related to this issue were much stronger. Now, however, I am much more confident and eager about starting a new phase of my studies on American grounds. This is partly because I have a lot of support from my family and friends here in Bucharest, but mostly thanks to a wonderful event - A Pre-departure Orientation Day - organized by the Fulbright Commission in Romania on Thursday, the 10th, to celebrate Romanian students (both fulbrighters and independent students) enrolled in academic programs in the USA starting this Fall.

The Fulbright pre-departure Orientation session was an excellent networking opportunity for so many Romanians sharing the same hopes and concerns about leaving for U.S. I was amazed by the numerous independent students attending the event who implicitly were accepted in an American university in this academic year. Brandeis University, Louisiana State University, Penn State University, Duke University, Syracuse University, Tuck School of Business, Pace University, Michigan State University, Temple University, University of Pennsylvania, Fordham University, but also: Yale, Princeton, Stanford, NYU and Columbia University are only a part of all the American Universities that offered grants and are interested in having Romanian students for academic formation.

I will get back with pictures and more impressions on this as soon as I can. Meanwhile, I am enjoying my summer vacation ( the little that is left of it in my home country, Romania.

De ce persista politicile de Corporate Social Resposability (CSR), cand:

• efectele lor sunt foarte greu sau chiar imposibil de masurat.
• obligand, astfel, stakeholderii sa faca acte de caritate si voluntariat.
• altfel spus, ii obliga sa suporte costuri transferate de la alte industrii, scutite prin CSR-ul primilor de partea lor de responsabilitate.
• de exemplu, de ce sprijina A&D Pharma educatia si nu-si concentreaza banii spre a-si imbunatati pretul/calitate al produselor farmaceutice pe care le marketeaza?

Un raspuns pro-CSR ar fi ca firmele nu sunt responsabile social, iar drept dovada a neglijentei lor sunt poluarea crescuta, gradul mic de alfabetizare, bolnavi, violenta, wildlife in disparitie, foamete etc.

Asa e oare? Ma intreb… doar firmele nu fac altceva decat sa satisfaca preferintele oamenilor/consumatorilor cu produse sau servicii specifice industriei din care fac parte. Si atunci, nu se creaza o contradictie?

Sa luam un X care vrea masina, dar vrea si aer curat, iarba verde si ursi panda si asa vor poate multi ca el. Pai foarte bine, si eu mi-as dori la fel. Cine ne serveste? Politicile CSR ale companiilor de automobile? Poate, dar sunt o pacaleala. Pe o piata cu concurenta libera, fiecare concurrent va incerca sa-si cucereasca publicul depasindu-si competitorii. Cum? Adaptandu-si produsul dupa cerintele pietei: producatorii de masini, in cazul nostru, vor investi in mecanisme din ce in ce mai putin poluante. Efortul lor e responsabilitate sociala intrinseca unui mediu competitiv, fara a fi nevoie a-l numi CSR. Chiar nu este nevoie. Prin CSR firmele nu fac decat sa amageasca publicul pe termen scurt, atragandu-l sub un fals pretext in loc sa se concentreze asupra ameliorarii competitivitatii produselor lor pe piata.

Probleme apar in sectoarele in care concurenta nu e libera; e restrictionata sau e doar publica. Educatia publica, de exemplu, este deficitara, cine isi asuma responsabilitatea? Aparent, A&D Pharma si multi ca ei. Cine ar trebui tras la raspundere? Se pare ca aici lipsa responsabilitatii are o scuza… sistemul/statul e de vina!

Mda, ok, sistemul, dar mai mult decat atat sunt reponsabili cei care incurajeaza, promoveaza sau chiar numai trec cu vederea reglementari si practice menite sa inhibe concurenta libera/piata libera (restrictiile comerciale, taxele, impozitele, subventiile, aranjamentele preferentiale, coruptia, birocratia, injustitia la un loc).

O atitudine sanatoasa la adresa responsabilitatii sociale ar trebui sa existe, asadar, in primul rand, in fiecare dintre noi. Sa spunem nu interventiei statului in economie.

Well aren’t I good?

De cateva saptamani incoace, in Bucuresti mai mult ploua, si ploua, si ploua… apa peste tot, inverzesc parcurile, padurile, prolifereaza natura, etc. Blocati in casa, pana cand?

Pana Mish a descoperit pe www un joc de aventura numai bun drept pretext de iesit la plimbare chiar si pe ploaie! Asadar, echipati cu umbrele si GPS, am pornit in cautarea comorii plasate in parcul Al. Ioan Cuza (mai bine cunoscut I.O.R. ).

Detalii, detalii, detalii…

In sfarsit, comoara n-am gasit-o, inca (we’ll definitely resume our geosearching on a sunny day)… dar am dat de altceva: melci, melci peste tot, o multime/mii de melci. Pe trotuar, pe frunze, pe iarba, copaci, garduri si borduri - o armata de melci; am surprins cativa in galeria de mai jos (melci@photo session:):

Topaind (cu grija) printre pentru a nu-i calca, ma intrebam unde au disparut “vanatorii” de melci? ca doar sunt comestibili si chiar o delicatesa culinara pe la noi ( vezi in restaurante, portiile semipreparate cu melci in hypermarket-uri, sau seria Cooking snails de pe You Tube).

Btw, n-am mai incercat melci, dar sunt fan fructe de mare. Asa ca, daca va pricepeti careva sa-i gatiti, next time, invite me over! ma ofer sa-i prind pe cei din portia mea :))