We analyze the impact of passive partial ownership (PPO) on horizontal mergers. We show that antitrust authorities ignoring the effects of previous PPO acquisitions invite sneaky takeovers: a PPO is strategically used prior to a full takeover to get a merger approved which is in fact detrimental...

The authors study pure strategy Bertrand equilibria in a duopoly in which two firms produce a homogeneous good with convex cost functions, and they seek to maximize the weighted sum of their absolute and relative profits. They show that there exists a range of the equilibrium price in...

We re-examine the common wisdom that cross-border mergers are the most effective merger strategy for firms facing powerful unions. In contrast, we obtain a domestic merger outcome whenever firms are sufficiently heterogeneous (in terms of productive efficiency and product differentiation). A...

We analyze horizontal mergers when the acquirer holds a passive partial ownership stake (PPO) in the target firm prior to the merger. We show that a PPO reduces the minimal synergy level necessary to make a merger beneficial for consumers. It follows that an antitrust authority ignoring existing...

We study the equilibrium with the quantity setting behavior and price setting behavior of firms in a duopoly under relative profit maximization with constant conjectural variations, and arrive at the following results. 1) Conjectural variations of firms are irrelevant to the equilibrium of a...

We study a symmetric free entry oligopoly in which firms produce differentiated goods so as to maximize their relative profits. The relative profit of each firm is the difference between its profit and the average of the profits of other firms. We show that whether firms determine their outputs...

We compare formulations of relative profit maximization in duopoly with differentiated goods, 1) (Difference case) maximization of the difference between the profit of one firm and that of the other firm, 2) (Ratio case) maximization of the ratio of the profit of one firm to the total profit. We...

We compare two formulations of relative profit maximization in duopoly with differentiated goods: (1) (difference case) maximization of the difference between the profit of one firm and that of the other firm and (2) (ratio case) maximization of the ratio of the profit of one firm to the total...

We study a symmetric free entry oligopoly in which firms produce differentiated goods so as to maximize their relative profits. The relative profit of each firm is the difference between its profit and the average of the profits of other firms. We show that, whether firms determine their outputs...

This paper examines how different unionisation structures affect firms' innovation incentives and industry employment. We distinguish three modes of unionisation with increasing degree of centralisation: (1) "Decentralisation" where wages are determined independently at the firm-level, (2)...