High Degree Of Product Differentiation Research Articles

Comment on “Higher Education in the United States: Laissez‐Faire, Differentiation, and Research”

Comment on “Higher Education in the United States: Laissez‐Faire, Differentiation, and Research”

Vertical cross‐ownership, input price discrimination, and social welfare

AbstractIn this paper, we analyze the impact of vertical cross‐ownership with input price discrimination on social welfare. A higher degree of product differentiation will raise industry profit, consumer surplus, and social welfare; under forward cross‐ownership, a higher degree of cross‐ownership has the same effect, in addition, it will reduce rival firm's profit and increase upstream firm's profit; however, under backward cross‐ownership, a higher degree of cross‐ownership has an opposite effect. Furthermore, under Cournot and Bertrand competition, forward cross‐ownership will incentivize downstream firms to produce more via a lower input price, achieving the above effect.

Do generous trade credit terms provide a competitive edge?

PurposeThe authors document a persistent negative link between contemporaneous trade credit provision and subsequent firm-level operating performance.Design/methodology/approachTextual analysis of firms' profile descriptions is used to study the role of market segmentation and product differentiation in intermediating the nexus between trade credit and corporate performance. The paper relies on dynamic panel regression modeling to investigate the postulated empirical relationships. This approach allows to address endogeneity issues and to test a number of different model specifications.FindingsDespite fueling short-term sales growth, the more generous trade credit terms are found to be associated with lower post hoc margins and declining overall business profitability. The market share is not affected by firms' proclivity to provide trade credit suggesting that the latter may not be effectively used as a long-term growth enhancement strategy. Firms' similarity to their competitors is found to play a salient role in altering the magnitude of the discovered negative relationship.Originality/valueThe authors find that the intensity of intra-industry competition measured by firms' similarity to their competitors magnifies the discovered negative trade credit-performance nexus. Therefore, generous trade credit may play a more important role in solidifying client–supplier relationships on the more segmented markets with a higher degree of product differentiation.

Research on a Cournot–Bertrand Game Model with Relative Profit Maximization

This paper considers a Cournot–Bertrand game model based on the relative profit maximization with bounded rational players. The existence and stability of the Nash equilibrium of the dynamic model are investigated. The influence of product differentiation degree and the adjustment speed on the stability of the dynamic system is discussed. Furthermore, some complex properties and global stability of the dynamic system are explored. The results find that the higher degree of product differentiation enlarges the stable range of the dynamic system, while the higher unit product cost decreases the stable range of price adjustment and increases the one of output adjustment; period cycles and aperiodic oscillation (quasi-period and chaos) occur via period-doubling or Neimark–Sacker bifurcation, and the attraction domain shrinks with the increase of adjustment speed values. By selecting appropriate control parameters, the chaotic system can return to the stable state. The research of this paper is of great significance to the decision-makers’ price decision and quantity decision.

Yogurt's flexible image during its rise in popularity in post-war Belgium

The consumption of yogurt in Western countries has risen for over a century, first slowly, then more rapidly. The purpose of the present study was to investigate this prolonged phase of growth, by examining the popularity and the projected image of yogurt. A particular focus was on the way these aspects were reflected in consumption patterns and media representations. The data showed how during its period of rapid popularization, yogurt's visibility in the media greatly increased. It was concluded that the product's image was highly flexible in post-war decades, evidenced by the multi-pronged approach taken by marketers. Yogurt was not only advertised as both tasty and healthy, but also as natural and convenient, a strategy that appears to have been informed by consumers' preferences and existing cultural values. This demonstrates how a high degree of product differentiation and diversification during a product's growth stage can result in a heterogeneous image, allowing for a broad range of marketing strategies.

Input Prices and Product Differentiation

Abstract In this paper, we study how input prices affect product differentiation in network industries. In particular, we study whether the principle of vertical differentiation (Choi and Shin 1992, “A Comment on a Model of Vertical Product Differentiation.” The Journal of Industrial Economics 40 (2):229–31; Wauthy 1996, “Quality Choice in Models of Vertical Differentiation.” The Journal of Industrial Economics 44 (3):345–53) remains valid when an entrant purchases an essential input from an incumbent at a regulated price. We find that the higher quality firm always chooses the best available quality, whereas the lower quality firm chooses an intermediate quality, which increases with the input price. If the higher quality firm is the incumbent, a cost-oriented input price maximizes welfare, but comes at the cost of a lower average quality, a higher degree of product differentiation, and therefore stronger downstream market power.

Nonlinear dynamics of a Cournot duopoly game with differentiated products

In this paper we investigate the dynamics of a Cournot duopoly game with differentiated goods in which boundedly rational firms apply a gradient adjustment mechanism to update the quantity produced in each period. As in Ahmed et al. (2015), the demand functions are derived from an underlying CES utility function. The present analysis reveals that a higher degree of product differentiation may destabilize the Nash equilibrium. Through local analysis we provide conditions for the stability of the market equilibrium and through global analysis we investigate some bifurcations which cause qualitative changes in the structure of the attractors and of their basins as some parameters are allowed to vary. Since a higher degree of product differentiation tends to reduce competition and may generate undesirable fluctuations, an implication of our findings is that a stronger competition could help in stabilizing the unique Nash equilibrium.

Scenario-Based Determination of Alternative Product Architecture Designs

Today many producing companies face two major challenges: they have to maintain a high degree of product differentiation whilst reducing costs through economies of scale. One way to face these challenges is the development of modular product architectures that allow to produce a number of product variants and product generations using one single architecture. The complexity for the product development has thereby increased since expected future changes in products have to be anticipated in the designing process to minimize modification costs. The more robust a product architecture is regarding future changes, the longer an architecture can be used which directly translates into economic advantages for the company. Most companies though struggle to apply the required processes and tools to develop scenario-robust product architectures for their portfolio. This paper aims at the presentation of a methodology to develop alternative, scenario-robust product architecture designs.

Valuing country of origin and organic claim

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to identify and quantify the factors determining the prices of organic and conventional cheese. For a market with a high degree of product differentiation, i.e. the German cheese market, price premiums of various cheese attributes are examined. Thereby, special attention is paid to country of origin (CO) effects, geographical indications (GIs) and organic claims. Design/methodology/approach – The analysis is based on homescan panel data of 13,000 representative German households provided by the GfK consumer research association. The data set combines actual purchase and demographic data for a five-year sample period from 2004 to 2008. Applying the hedonic technique, the cheese price is modelled as a function of a wide range of consumer, store and product characteristics. Effects are analysed in detail by distinguishing between supply- and demand-side effects and by estimating price regressions not only for the whole sample but also for different shop types. Findings – The estimated organic price premiums range between 18 per cent in discount shops and 26 per cent in hypermarkets. The impacts of the CO and GIs are considerably smaller in magnitude and limited to special shopping venues like super- and hypermarkets. Originality/value – The German cheese market is currently evolving from a staple product market to a highly differentiated market where increasing attention is paid to quality indicators such as organic claims or GIs. The data are remarkable, both in sample size and information content. Furthermore, the estimation of shop type-specific price premiums offers new and detailed insights in consumer valuation and producer costs of a wide range of cheese attributes.

Scenario-based determination of product feature uncertainties for robust product architectures

Modular product architectures are used by many firms today to achieve a high degree of product differentiation whilst reducing cost through economies of scale. At the same time, the firms are increasing architecture lifetimes to 10 years or more, which brings up new challenges for the development process. Uncertainties regarding future product features need to be anticipated when designing the architecture to minimize modification efforts. Nevertheless, existing approaches for designing modular product architectures are mainly based on static requirements and thereby neglect the dynamics of the market that influence future product features. This paper aims at presenting a method utilizing scenario-planning and simulations in the product range planning process to determine future product features and their uncertainties as a basis for the product architecture design. Possible feature specifications are derived from product environment scenarios and linked to the factors influencing the scenarios, to calculate their expected values and deviations.

The dynamics of a differentiated duopoly with quantity competition

We analyse the dynamics of a Cournot duopoly with heterogeneous players to investigate the effects of micro-founded differentiated products demand on stability. The present study, which indeed modifies and extends Zhang et al. (2007) (Zhang, J., Da, Q., Wang, Y., 2007. Analysis of nonlinear duopoly game with heterogeneous players. Economic Modelling 24, 138–148) and Tramontana, F., (2010) (Tramontana, F., 2010. Heterogeneous duopoly with isoelastic demand function. Economic Modelling 27, 350–357), reveals that a higher degree of product differentiation may destabilise the market equilibrium. Moreover, we show that a cascade of flip bifurcations may lead to periodic cycles and ultimately chaotic behaviours. Since a higher degree of product differentiation implies weaker competition, then a theoretical implication of our findings, that also constitute a policy warning, is that a fiercer (weaker) competition tends to stabilise (destabilise) the unique positive Cournot–Nash equilibrium.

DELEGATION AND EMISSION TAX IN A DIFFERENTIATED OLIGOPOLY*

This paper examines how product differentiation as well as strategic managerial delegation affects optimal emission tax rate, environmental damage and social welfare, under alternative modes of competition. It shows that, under pure profit maximization, the optimal emission tax rate is not necessarily decreasing in degree of product differentiation. Moreover, the impacts of delegation on the scope for the optimal emission tax rate to be lower for higher degree of product differentiation are very different under alternative modes of competition. Under price (quantity) competition, the equilibrium emission tax rate, environmental damage and social welfare are lower (higher) in the case of delegation.

Using emotional benefits as a differentiation strategy in saturated markets

AbstractThe high level of product substitution in most consumer markets often makes it difficult to match supply with demand, especially in sectors with mature, saturated markets with intense competition and a high degree of product differentiation. The difficulty of using technical characteristics such as quality and/or price to differentiate products suggests that marketers could profit from gaining more insight into the way in which consumers' purchase decisions are influenced by their perceived emotions. This paper investigates this issue in the wine market, a highly saturated market with homogeneous supply, obtaining results that appear to support the notion that emotions do indeed play a part in consumer choice structures, which show a higher degree of abstraction in those segments that report a greater number of perceived emotions. This considerably complicates the task of creating a differentiated marketing strategy, in the sense that suppliers need to give much greater consideration to consumers' self‐awareness. © 2009 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.

Strategic Investment Decisions under Uncertainty, Tacit Collusion and Product Differentiation

This paper examines the effects of uncertainty, tacit collusion and product differentiation on strategic investment policy. The model demonstrates the equilibrium under competitive investments and under cooperative investments. In competitive investments, two firms compete by investing to preempt each other, and ultimately one firm invests earlier than its rival. In cooperative investments, two firms invest simultaneously and collude on their outputs. Cooperative investments are likely to be sustainable only under conditions of high volatility of future demand, low probability of market extinction and high degree of product differentiation, while competitive investments are sustainable for any set of these parametric values.

Increasing Returns, Imperfect Competition and Factor Prices

We show how, in general equilibrium models featuring increasing returns, imperfect competition and endogenous markups, changes in the scale of economic activity affect income distribution across factors. Whenever final goods are gross-substitutes (gross-complements), a scale expansion raises (lowers) the relative reward of the scarce factor or the factor used intensively in the sector characterized by a higher degree of product differentiation and higher fixed costs. Under very reasonable hypothesis, our theory suggests that scale is skill-biased. This result provides a microfoundation for the secular increase in the relative demand for skilled labor. Moreover, it constitutes an important link among major explanations for the rise in wage inequality: skill-biased technical change, capital-skill complementarities and international trade. We provide new evidence on the mechanism underlying the skill bias of scale.

Increasing Returns, Imperfect Competition, and Factor Prices

We show how, in general equilibrium models featuring increasing returns, imperfect competition and endogenous markups, changes in the scale of economic activity affect income distribution across factors. Whenever final goods are gross-substitutes (gross- complements), a scale expansion raises (lowers) the relative reward of the scarce factor or the factor used intensively in the sector characterized by a higher degree of product differentiation and higher fixed costs. Under very reasonable hypothesis, our theory suggests that scale is skill-biased. This result provides a microfoundation for the secular increase in the relative demand for skilled labor. Moreover, it constitutes an important link among major explanations for the rise in wage inequality: skill-biased technical change, capital-skill complementarities and international trade. We provide new evidence on the mechanism underlying the skill bias of scale.

WHO GETS PRIVATISED? AN EMPIRICAL ANALYSIS OF POLISH MANUFACTURING

**: This paper employs a multinomial logit model to examine what determines the choice of a particular firm for a given privatisation method. A variety of hypotheses about possible determinants of ownership change are tested using an extensive data set for Polish manufacturing at the beginning of transition. The results at a firm as well as at a sector level give strong support to the hypothesis of the importance of resource constraints on the choice of ownership. Large firms with high financing requirement are more likely to be owned by outsiders. High sectoral capital intensity discourages small insider owned firms while high degree of product differentiation is a constraint for different investors, with the exception of outsiders. We also find that firm quality, measured by profitability and exporting outside the Soviet block, appeals to all types of investors but, additionally, privatisation offers outsiders ways of entering sectors with substantial entry barriers.

Investment in Tourism Market: A Dynamic Model of Differentiated Oligopoly

We present a theoretical dynamic model in tourism economics, assuming that the market for tourism is an oligopoly with differentiated products. Destinations can invest in order to improve their stock of physical, natural or cultural resources. Tourism flows yield current revenues, but they are usually detrimental for the stock of resources. We find the solution of the dynamic model, and in particular we find the open-loop Nash equilibrium of the game among destinations, under alternative settings, depending on whether the degree of differentiation among destinations is exogenous or endogenous. In particular, under the latter case, an increase of the number of destinations leads to a higher degree of product differentiation in steady state.

An examination of the influence of industry structure on eight alternative measures of new venture performance for high potential independent new ventures

This study examined the influence of the structure of new ventures’ entered industries on eight alternative measures of new venture performance for 199 high potential independent new ventures. Each of the 199 entrepreneurial ventures had undertaken an initial public offering (IPO) within the first 6 years of the venture’s founding date and were free of corporate sponsorship or prior corporate parentage. Specifically, this research examined the influence of: (1) stage of the life cycle; (2) industry concentration; (3) entry barriers; and (4) product differentiation on eight alternative measures of new venture performance. The eight measures of new venture performance examined in this research consisted of: (1) change in sales; (2) sales level; (3) net profit; (4) earnings before interest and taxes; (5) return on sales; (6) return on assets; (7) return on invested capital; and (8) return on equity. Most prior research examining the influence of industry structure on new venture performance has: (1) utilized only one or two measures of new venture performance as indicators of the venture’s overall effectiveness and efficiency; (2) often failed to provide theoretical justification for the measure(s) of new venture performance or industry structure examined; and (3) utilized data derived from questionnaires and/or the PIMS data base of corporate-sponsored new ventures. In addition, prior industry structure studies examining independent new ventures have often utilized relatively small sample sizes. This study sought to advance the progress in the field of entrepreneurship with regard to understanding the influence of the structure of new ventures’ entered industries on new venture performance by: (1) examining eight alternative measures of new venture performance; (2) providing theoretical justification for the measures of new venture performance and industry structure examined; and (3) utilizing the largest nonquestionnaire data base of independent new ventures developed to date. This research found that the stage of the life cycle of the venture’s entered industry was the most important determinant of new venture performance among the four industry structural elements examined. Stage of the life cycle had a statistically significant relationship, at a 0.05 level, with the majority of the new venture performance measures examined in this research. In addition, ventures entering industries in the introductory stage of the life cycle achieved the highest levels of venture performance, particularly when compared with those ventures that entered industries in the mature stage of the life cycle. However, this study did not find a statistically significant relationship between stage of the life cycle and change in sales. This suggests that there is a trade-off between profitability and sales growth, and that new ventures that undertake an IPO have a stronger focus on achieving profitable operations rather than sales growth during the initial years after their IPO. This may be due to pressures placed on the new ventures to achieve profitability by the external credit market. Conversely, this research found that: (1) industry concentration; (2) entry barriers; and (3) product differentiation did not have statistically significant relationships, at a 0.10 level, with any of the eight alternative measures of new venture performance examined in this research. However, this research did find that over 90% of the new ventures entered industries characterized by: (1) a low degree of industry concentration and (2) a high degree of product differentiation. The relative absence of new venture entry into industries characterized by: (1) high degrees of concentration and (2) low degrees of product differentiation provides support for prior theory, which suggests that successful entry into such industry environments may be substantially more difficult. In sum, the results of this research suggest that high potential independent new ventures that undertake an IPO should enter industries in the introductory stage of the life cycle. In addition, the results of this research suggest that industries characterized by: (1) relatively low degrees of industry concentration and (2) highly heterogenous products may be necessary but not sufficient conditions for successful entry by high potential independent new ventures seeking to raise equity capital through an IPO.

Determinants of divestment of FDI in Taiwan

is an enormous amount of literature on foreign direct investment (FDI), both theoretical and empirical, but by contrast little has been written on foreign divestment. Among the few exceptions, Boddewyn (1983) suggested that with certain qualifications foreign divestment can be treated as the process of FDI. Thus, the determinants of FDI will also be the determinants of foreign divestment, but with the signs reversed. For instance, the conventional FDI theory advanced by Hymer (1960) stresses the central role of firm-specific assets as a necessary condition for cross-border operations. According to the reverse hypothesis, the loss or deterioration of these firm-specific assets leads to divestment. Similarly, the product life cycle theory (Vernon 1966; 1979), which emphasizes the role of labor and local demand in determining the location of production in accordance with the evolution of the product cycle, would imply that foreign divestment is dictated by the local market conditions of the host country. The internalization theory (Buckley and Casson 1976; Rugman 1980; Casson 1982), which emphasizes the role of transaction costs in the formation of multinational firms, implies that the reduction of transaction costs in arms-length dealings is the cause of divestment. Finally, Dunning's (1980; 1988) eclectic theory, which determines the firm-specific advantage, locationspecific advantage, and internalization advantage preconditions for FDI, implies that loss of any one of the three advantages may cause foreign divestment. Empirical research aimed at substantiating Hymer's theory has generally identified larger firm size, superior technology and a higher degree of product differentiation to be indicators of firm-specific advantage (e.g., Caves 1974; Lall 1980). A study of the process by Horaguchi (1992) on Japanese multinationals confirmed that firm size (measured in terms of sales) and technological capability (measured in terms of the ratio of R& D expenditures to sales) of the parent