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Donald Lichtenstein, professor of marketing in the University of Colorado at Boulder's Leeds School of Business, is an expert on how consumers perceive prices. Consumers are reacting with negative emotions to the recent spike in gas prices and are looking for targets to blame, he said. Psychological biases exist that influence people to look at entities other than themselves (after all, the consumer could have purchased a more gas-efficient vehicle). Oil companies provide a ready-made target for blame. While politicians suggest that "price gouging" may be at work and media report of large, "excessive" profits made by oil companies, Lichtenstein questions whether the oil companies are to blame. Contact him at (303) 492-8206.
Margaret Campbell, associate professor of marketing in the Leeds School of Business, also researches consumers' perceptions of prices. She can comment on perceptions about whether prices are fair or unfair and the factors that increase consumer perceptions that prices are unfair. Contact her at (303) 735-6305.
Patrick Long, professor of tourism management in the Leeds School of Business, studies business issues related to sustainability, the environment, tourism and recreation. He is faculty director of the Center for Sustainable Tourism in the Leeds School, a faculty member in the environmental studies program and president of the American Leisure Academy. He can comment on the impact that steep energy prices have on tourism and recreation. Contact him at (303) 492-2381.
Lakhsham D. Guruswamy is the Nicholas Domain Professor of International Environmental Law at the CU-Boulder School of Law and director of the Energy Environmental Security Initiative at CU. He can address global energy demands and the future of sustainable energy on a global scale. At present levels of investment, the world will run out of oil before new energy sources are developed, said Guruswamy. Renewable and sustainable alternative fuels are possible, but more money needs to be invested in research, he said. The Energy Environmental Security Initiative seeks to find renewable energy solutions for the United States and the developing countries of the world. He can be reached at (303) 735-0181.