The possession of key international technical standards in some technology-based sectors can provide considerable advantages for firms wishing to internationalize rapidly and early. Avaro, a start-up Korean company, developed and owned a critical standard in the emerging international mobile...

This paper analyzes optimal pricing for information goods underincomplete information, when both unlimited-usage (fixed-fee) pricingand usage-based pricing are feasible and administering usage-basedpricing may involve transaction costs. It is shown that offeringfixed-fee pricing in addition to a...

We present a framework for measuring software quality using pricing anddemand data, and empirical estimates that quantify the extent of qualitydegradation associated with software ver- sioning. Using a 7-month,108-product panel of software sales from Amazon.com, we document theextent to which...

We analyze a duopoly game in which products are initially differentiatedin variety and quality. Each consumer has a most preferred variety and aquality valuation. Customization provides ideal varieties but has noeffect on product qualities. The firms first choose whether to customizetheir...

A rather neglected issue in the tax competition literature is the dependence of equilibrium outcomes on the presence of firms and shoppers (two-sided markets). Making use of a model of vertical and horizontal differentiation, within which jurisdictions compete by providing public goods and...

This paper presents a theoretical economic model assessing the effect of the level of mandatory geneticallymodified (GM) / non-GM coexistence regulations on market and welfare outcome. We assumevertical differentiation of GM and non-GM goods on the consumer side. Producers are heterogeneousin...

Diese Dissertation setzt sich aus fünf Forschungspapieren zusammen. Jedes Kapitel enthält ein Papier. Das erste Kapitel untersucht den Zusammenhang zwischen der Größe des Kundenstamms einer Firma und ihrem Gewinn in einem Markt mit Wechselkosten. Entgegen unserer Intuition wird gezeigt, dass...

The ability to digitize information goods such as music and movies and the growing accessibility of the Internet has led to online piracy and the emergence of a new class of retailers that specialize in digital downloads. Both online piracy and digital retailers have changed the dynamics of the...

This dissertation explores several aspects of the theory in industrial organization.The first chapter builds a model with two cost asymmetric firms who not only have Cournot competition in the spot market but also have the opportunity to trade forward contracts. It is shown that with forward...