We solve a sequential-moves game that involves three players: the franchisor, the entrepreneur, and the banks. The franchisor chooses values of contract terms (a one-time franchise fee and a royalty rate for on-going payments). The entrepreneur dynamically decides when to sign this contract and...

Recent cases of product adulteration by foreign suppliers have compelled many manufacturers to re-think approaches to deterring suppliers from cutting corners, especially when manufacturers cannot fully monitor and control the suppliers' actions. Recognizing that process certification programs,...

To reduce preventable readmissions, many healthcare systems are transitioning from Fee-for-Service (FFS) to other reimbursement schemes such as Pay-for-Performance (P4P) or Bundled Payment (BP) so that the funder of a healthcare system can transfer to the hospital some of the financial risks...

Economic growth in many countries is increasingly driven by successful startups that operate as online platforms. These success stories have motivated us to define and classify various online platforms according to their business models. This study discusses strategic and operational issues...

We examine a (large) manufacturer's bribery decision (to bribe or not to bribe) arising from a procurement auction under "disparate corruption pressure'' when another (small) manufacturer is known to offer the auctioneer (i.e., the intermediary) a bribe in exchange for the "right of first...

In developing economies, smallholders apply their own specialized knowledge and exert costly effort to manage their farms. To raise overall productivity, NGOs and governments are advocating various knowledge sharing and learning platforms for farmers to exchange a variety of farming techniques....

[Problem definition.] To alleviate farmer poverty, governments and non-governmental organizations (NGOs) are developing different mechanisms for disseminating market information to farmers in developing countries. This paper examines whether a wider dissemination of information will always...