This article deals with the issue of entry into an industry where firms share a collective reputation. First, we show … that free entry is not socially optimal; there is a need for regulation through the imposition of a minimum quality … wisdom, a minimum quality standard should not always be considered as a barrier to entry. …

inputs off-shoring. Third, in terms of the productivity dynamics over the period 1998-2003, exporters’ performance in Italy …

productivity using an original dataset of Italian manufacturing firms, and applying a two-stage probit least squares estimator. We … find a positive effect on productivity from outsourcing only if firms provide training for the workforce. This indirect … impact on productivity is independent of the type of activity outsourced and is bigger in the case of service outsourcing …

level of employment, sourcing from abroad, investment in product improvement and average productivity are associated with a …

affinities with conventional profit maximizing firms. To prove this, we compare the entry policies of WEs and conventional firms … when they can decide size at entry while having to stick to it afterwards. Even though short run differences remain, a long … run coincidence appears besides that under certainty. Endogenizing size and time of entry in an uncertain dynamic …