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....

Product innovation is a competitive strategy in food industry. Successful product development management is a key determinant of a firm's performance. In recent years functional foods, which are innovative food products that provide health benefits beyond basic nutrition, have become...

In recent years functional foods, which are innovative food products that provide health benefits beyond basic nutrition, have become increasingly important in Germany. Using the structure-conduct-performance approach this study examines the effect of market structure on overall innovative...

Using the structure-conduct-performance approach it can be argued that diversification raises barriers to entry which have a positive influence on the profitability of firms. This study examines the effect of product diversification on the profitability of 25 German food industry sectors from...

Nicht zuletzt durch eine Reihe spektakulärer Unternehmenszusammenschlüsse ist die Frage nach den Ursachen, den Folgen und den Möglichkeiten bzw. Notwendigkeiten staatlicher Eingriffe im Rahmen der Wettbewerbspolitik erneut in das Zentrum der wirtschaftspolitischen Diskussion geraten....

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...

Eine Welle von Fusionen hat die Weltwirtschaft erfasst. Allein die Dimension der bei Großfusionen genannten Summen, die nicht selten das Bruttoinlandsprodukt von Volkswirtschaften übersteigen, führen zu einem erheblichen Maß an Verunsicherung. Dies wird auch in den Überschriften von...

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...

Based upon the structure-conduct-performance-approach the present paper analyses determinants of price-cost-margins over the business cycle for food industries in Germany, the USA as well as the Netherlands. Controlling for market structure variables, cyclical fluctuations in profitability are...