We consider a bilateral monopoly in which a manufacturer can open its direct channel that is less efficient than the existing retailer. We find the following results. The manufacturer opens its direct channel if its bargaining power over the existing retailer is weak. Opening the direct channel...

I revisit supplier encroachment under the framework of a two-part tariff contract. When a monopoly manufacturer supplies competing retailers and each retailer's contracting process is unobservable to the rival, the retailer's lack of knowledge vis-à-vis its rival's contract may undermine the...

This article studies competition between different types of ad-funded platforms attracting consumers with free services. Consumers often find advertisements a nuisance on such platforms. We study how under a competitive setting platforms balance the tension between attracting consumers and rent...

We present sufficient conditions for data on an industry's product prices, quantities, and input prices to identify retailers' and manufacturers' vertical supply model. Identification requires nonlinear demand for homogeneous products and multi-product firms with non-constant markups for...

We examine the implications of different contractual forms for welfare as well as for firms’ profits in a framework in which a vertically integrated firm sells its good to an independent downstream firm. Under downstream Bertrand competition, the standard result of the desirability of two-part...

The United States spends twice as much per person on pharmaceuticals as European countries, in large part because prices are much higher in the US. This fact has led policymakers to consider legislation for price controls. This paper assesses the effects of a US international reference pricing...

Incorporating the extension of exclusive dealing into Cournot competition, we analyze the multiproduct downstream firms' choice of organizational form between U-form and M-form. With managerial delegation in downstream firms, we find that choosing U-form for the downstream firms is a dominant...

We explore the incentives of a vertically integrated incumbent firm to license the production technology of its core input to an external firm, transforming the licensee into its input supplier. We find that the incumbent opts for licensing even when licensing also transforms the licensee into...

Markup, or the ratio of price to cost, depends on the firm's attributes and the market environment where the firm operates. This paper empirically studies the relationship between the markups of firms and their firm-to-firm transactional status. More specifically, we analyze the correlation...

Markups are often much higher on aftermarket products than on corresponding durable goods. Many theoretical explanations of this phenomenon have been advanced, but little empirical work has tested them. Using data on laser printer toner and memory pricing, this paper sheds some empirical light...