This paper builds a theory of endogenous role distribution (leader, follower, and Nash player) and of endogenous choice for the type of competition strategy (price and quantity) in a product differentiated duopoly model. We examine an extended game by adding a pre-play stage in which duopoly...

This paper investigates the impacts of competition structures on firms’ incentives for adopting strategic environmental corporate social responsibility (ECSR) certified by a Non-Governmental Organization. We show that, to induce firms to adopt certified ECSR, the certifier will set a standard...

Theoretical articles on incentive systems almost exclusively focus on linear compensations, while, in practice, nonlinear elements, such as quota bonuses, are not uncommon. Our article tries to bridge that gap; it shows how the use of quotas can increase the owners’ profits, which agents are...

This paper sets up a three-stage (R&D, technology licensing, and output) oligopoly game in which only one of the firms undertakes a cost-reducing R&D and may license the developed technology to the others by means of a two-part tariff (i.e., a per-unit royalty and an upfront fee) contract. It is...

A new theory of loss-leader pricing is provided in which firms advertise low (below cost) prices for certain goods to signal that their other unadvertised (substitute) goods are not priced too high. The theory is applied to the pricing of upgrades. The results contrast with most existing...

This paper (a) characterizes the unique Nash equilibrium of the unidirectional Hotelling–Downs game in which firms maximize their market shares, for any distribution of the consumers, and (b) analyzes equilibrium behavior in the variation of the game in which each firm aims to secure a larger...

We visit the role of privatization in the location decision of firms in an industry where no firm can produce all varieties demanded. We demonstrate that the Nash equilibrium locations are socially optimal, in the presence of a publicly owned firm, notwithstanding the degree of privatization.

We develop a model of monopolistic competition that accounts for consumers’ heterogeneity in both incomes and preferences. This model makes it possible to study the implications of income redistribution on the toughness of competition. We show how the market outcome depends on the joint...

Consider the classical double marginalization problem of single-product successive monopolies. We show that the ratio of the cost pass-through at the final sale relative to that at the wholesale level is characterized by the curvature of inverse demand in the final market. We also apply...

We explore asymmetries in the way consumers sample prices in a simple sequential search framework. In equilibrium, the price distribution of a firm catering to more local consumers first-order stochastically dominates that of its rival. Prices rise in the degree of asymmetry.