This paper analyses the flexibility decision of firms. In particular we (a) ask whether the flexibility choice is influenced by market structure (concentration, market growth, ...), (b) compare the firms' actual choices with welfare maximising flexibility decisions (c) investigate the...

A detailed decomposition of the sources of the Total Factor Productivity (TFP) growth index within an output distance function framework was carried out, looking at the following components: technical change, change in technical efficiency, scale component, and violations of the profit...

In this paper the existence and magnitude of market power for the German beer exporters is tested. Two theoretical approaches to model incomplete competition on international markets are employed, the 'pricing to market' (PTM) model the 'residual demand elasticity' (RDE) approach. Estimations...

In this paper the existence and magnitude of market power for German beer, cocoa powder, chocolate, and sugar confectionary exporters are tested. Two theoretical approaches are employed, the 'pricing of market' (PTM) and the 'residual demand elasticity' (RDE) approach. Even though all markets...

Unter den jetzigen Rahmenbedingungen halten im Durchschnitt lediglich 12 % der Haushalte der alten bzw. 3 % der Haushalte der neuen Bundesländer Aktien, d.h. dieser Anteil an Haushalten beteiligt sich bereits freiwillig am Produktivvermögen. Um Beteiligungen in größerem Umfang zu...

Whereas a large number of empirical studies have been devoted to analysing consumer demand for specific products, much less attention has been paid to the household's demand for product variety (the number of different products consumed in a specific time period). This paper analyses consumer...

Substantial increases in retail concentration (particularly in Europe) raise concerns about the welfare implications for consumers. In a formal model, we argue that retailer market power reduces upstream firms incentives to introduce new products. On the basis of a survey of firms in German food...

Ziel dieser Arbeit ist es, die derzeit bestehende Lücke an aktuellen Informationen bezüglich der Struktur der Nahrungsmittelnachfrage sowie bezüglich zukünftiger, haushaltsspezifischer Nachfragereaktionen zum Teil zu schließen und somit eine bessere Grundlage zur Entwicklung von...

It is well documented that a large share of new products does not survive their first year in the market. Research reported in this paper examined the relationship between product quality and innovation success. In contrast to existing product innovation literature that focused on industrial...

The last couple of decades have seen an increased retail concentration around the world, particularly in Europe. Views on the welfare implications of this severe change are controversial. Consumers might benefit because larger stores (owned by larger retailer chains) offer more product choices....