We model capacity-building investments in a homogeneous product duopoly facing uncertain demand growth. Capacity building is achieved through the addition of production units that are durable and lumpy and whose cost is irreversible. While building their capacity over time, firms compete à la...

The goal of this paper is to demonstrate how the RO methodology can be applied to evaluate TransEurope Communications (TEC) investment projects. Although realistic, the business case analysed here is fictional. The main conclusion and lesson of this exercise is: One cannot determine a value...

We consider a firm that must undergo a costly and time-consuming regulatory process before making an irreversible, lagged investment whose value varies randomly. We analyze two cases: regulatory approval is valid forever or it expires after some time. We apply our model to Hydro Québec's...

In this report, we first develop a simplified example that illustrates the importance of considering the option ``waiting to invest'' when valuing an investment. This is followed by a short description of other options that could be embedded in an investment opportunity. In order to stress the...

We evaluate biodiversity in a real options framework, when the resources in use are substitutable. We examine optimal conservation decisions given that a biodiversity loss is irreversible and that future use values are uncertain. While species substitutability is generally believed to reduce the...

We use a real option approach to determine optimally when a social planner has to stop or resume logging in situations where an endangered species relies on forest habitat for its survival, and that habitat evolves stochastically. The model incorporates economic, ecological and social features,...

We study the development of a duopoly industry -evolution of firm capacities and competitive behavior- in a continuous-time real-options model of capacity investment. Our methodology allows the evaluation of investment options and exercise rules in a strategic setup. In the initial industry...

As development proceeds, the demand for environmental protection increases. We study optimal investment decision rules when protection investments are irreversible and indivisible. We show that myopia (focusing on one particular outlay without considering investments that are to come later in...

The variation in managerial compensation across countries and industries for firms of similar size is staggering. We analyze this phenomenon in a continuous time model of the firm, where the economic environment evolves stochastically over time and where changes to the firm operations are...

We study the development of a duopoly in a continuous-time model of capacity investment under no commitment by firms regarding future actions. While capacity units are costly, indivisible, durable, and large relative to market size, early entry cannot secure a first-mover advantage and both...