This paper argues that the case of product differentiation of concentrated markets (i.e., innovation competition) is one where production per unit of profit of non-financial corporations is lower than in competitive mass production and profit share is not an increasing function of capacity...

We use a dynamic oligopoly model of entry and exit to evaluate how entry regulations affect profitability and market structure in retail. The model incorporates demand and store-level heterogeneity. Based on unique data for all retail food stores in Sweden, we find that the average entry costs...

Much significant research has been done to shed light on discrimination of females in, for example, labor markets. Less is known, in contrast, about the amount of discrimination in the virtual world of online gaming. In an early study, Castronova (2004) finds that female avatars receive about...

Payment networks typically differentiate their interchange fees (IFs) by setting a variety of sector-specific IFs for the same payment card. While the previous literature on IFs has focussed on the optimal level of IFs, this paper addresses the optimal structure of IFs, i.e. whether or not IF...

Microfinance institutions, despite the presence of competition and informational asymmetries, typically offer a limited variety of contracts. Assuming price competition, we propose a simple theoretical explanation for this behavior and study its consequences in terms of strategic interaction and...

In our model of socially responsible (SR) product differentiation two duopolists (a zero profit socially concerned producer and a profit maximizing producer) compete over prices and (costly) “socially and environmentally responsible” features of their products under a given law of motion of...

Strategische Planung in der Kirche? Darf man das denn? Geht das denn überhaupt? Kann man Verfahren aus der Wirtschaft einfach in eine andere Umgebung verpflanzen? Führt das nicht zu einer völligen Veränderung und Ökonomisierung der Kirche? So oder ähnlich lauten üblicherweise die...

Die Qualität von Produkten und Dienstleistungen steht seit einiger Zeit im Mittelpunkt entsprechender Verbesserungsbemühungen, woraus sich entsprechende Konzepte für das Qualitätsmanagement ebenso wie für das Qualitätscontrolling entwickelt haben. Dabei ist Qualität nun wahrlich keine...

This paper gives a game-theoretical treatment of the institutional homogenization of value-oriented firms. It explains why intrinsically motivated, value-oriented firms like non-profits may become similar to for-profit firms in terms of organization and norms. It highlights and explains the...

The purpose of the article is to investigate whether female presence in microfinance institutions' management team, i.e. board members, managers and loan officers, will improve their financial performance. We combine financial data on MFIs that is available from the MIX Market database with...