Re: FTE-based pricing and usage-based pricing

[Vivian Stieda <vstieda@ucalgary.ca>]

Sally, The water and electricity user-based model is, in part, 
driven by environmental concerns. The hope is that by 
implementing a use-based model, use diminishes. Unlike what we 
hope for in our libraries, diminished use is a desirable outcome.

As for phones, if you lived in Australia, I think you would find 
your land line use greatly diminish after you saw your first 
use-based telephone bill - even if you had a teenager (just 
threaten to dock the cost from their allowance...)

With all due respect, I don't think the e-publishing and 
utilities sectors are comparable in this case.

Vivian Stieda, General Manager
Health Knowledge Network
1492 Health Sciences Centre
3330 Hospital Drive NW
Calgary, AB  T2N 4N1
phone:  403-220-8250 / fax: 403-282-7992
email:    vstieda@ucalgary.ca
URL: www.hkn.ca


Sally Morris (Chief Executive) wrote:

> Usage-based pricing only discourages use at a certain level.
>
> Do we refrain from using telephones?  Electricity?  Water?  Yet many
> of us pay for these, at least in part, on a usage basis. It's all a
> matter of pricing level, isn't it?
>
> The trick would be to work out a pricing model which, in total,
> produced the same amount of money (give or take) to producers, but
> distributed its payment more fairly among users.  Of course, heavy
> users who paid more would hate it - low users who paid less would love
> it.  And that may, in fact, be the main obstacle!
>
> Sally Morris, Chief Executive
> Association of Learned and Professional Society Publishers
> Email: sally.morris@alpsp.org
> Website:  www.alpsp.org