Innovation & Information Consultants, Inc. provides economic and management support to a wide variety of clients on diverse issues. While the topics covered are sometimes the subject of litigation and not able to be disclosed freely, others provide an innovative look at cutting-edge topics in the fields of economics, tax analysis, and others. Our research has informed policy makers and legislators, or has formed the basis of mediated settlements for litigious proceedings. A sample of some of our current research is provided through the following links.

	Investigation into the Current Run-Up in Gasoline Prices.  Between mid-December and mid-March, U.S. gasoline prices rose to historically high levels.  Our review of the events shows that crude oil costs were a factor, but that more than half of the increase was caused by a widening of the spread between retail gasoline pump prices and underlying crude oil cost. [Read more]
	The Arctic National Wildlife Refuge: A Contribution to the U.S. The Arctic Wildlife Refuge: A Contribution to the U.S. Energy Security? Opening the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge (ANWR) was considered a distinct possibility during the fall and winter of 2001–2002. A White House plan, adopted by the U.S. House of Representatives, would have opened ANWR for oil drilling and was promoted as a means of reducing U.S. dependence on foreign oil imports. The plan was defeated by a 54–46 vote in the U.S. Senate in April, and will now be negotiated by a joint conference committee. How much energy security would drilling in ANWR really provide to the United States? [Read more]
	Display Your Windows Application Results in Excel Using C#. Developers of software applications focus their efforts on how the end-user client will ultimately use the results produced.  What is vitally important for clients is how the results are displayed, especially those clients that primarily focus their efforts and resources in using Excel or other spreadsheet applications.  We have successfully developed a means to use the functionality of ADO .NET and display the results in Excel workbooks, providing our clients with a powerful application and the familiar use of spreadsheets. [Read more]
	Projecting School-Age Enrollment: Use of the Cohort Survival Technique. Rapid growth in school age populations as a result of the maturation of the baby-boomer generation has had far-reaching effects on school budgets, curriculum decisions, space issues, and school construction plans. In Massachusetts, school age enrollment has increased markedly in many communities in the last decade, prompting a flurry of new school construction proposals as well as decisions relating to services for children with special needs and children who are learning English as a second language. [Read more]
	Recent Volatility in Gasoline Prices: Is It the Market or the Marketers? In May–June 2000 and then again a year later, gasoline prices in the Midwest and other parts of the country skyrocketed, exceeding $2.00 per gallon in various cities in the Midwest. So-called gasoline price "spikes" have become increasingly common in the United States, and such volatility has prompted inquiry and study from government regulators, Congress, and many states' Attorneys General. [Read more]
	Intangible Asset Valuation. A common question in business valuation and tax policy today is: What are intangible assets and what are some of the reasons we value intangible assets? The reasons for valuing intangible assets are varied, but the purpose of the intangible asset valuation is often to understand not only what the intangible asset is (and does) but also how it affects the bottom line. [Read more]
	Heating Oil Price Gouging?  As the winter heating season is now fully upon us, prices seem to be rising as quickly as the temperature is falling.  The key question, however, is whether these price increases are being driven by competitive market mechanisms -- supply and demand -- or by some other means of control? [Read more]