A cross-category investigation into the effects of nine-ending pricing on brand choice

Retailers largely adopt nine-ending prices and these prices have attracted greater attention from researchers in marketing. Despite this increased interest, very few empirical studies have tried to quantify the effects of nine-ending prices on consumer actual behaviors. Those who have studied the behavioral effects of nine-ending prices have produced mixed findings. In this article, we investigated the cross-category effects of nine-ending pricing on consumer brand choice at the SKU level. We distinguished between different types of nine-ending while controlling for the rounded prices and other marketing-mix variables. We conducted our analysis on over 11,000 SKUs in 102 product categories of two (2) grocery retailers. We find that the effects of 99 ending prices on the SKU's category choice are larger in concentrated and promotional categories but smaller in expensive categories. However, their influence on purchase quantity is larger in expensive categories but smaller in concentrated categories.     

Decomposing the effect of advertising: What happens in the retail channel?

The diverging interests of manufacturers and retailers famously give rise to the double marginalization problem but have consequences far beyond pricing. Advertising is another marketing instrument that is under the control of the manufacturer but its ultimate effect on consumer demand also depends on retailers’ pricing decisions. We decompose the effect of advertising in the channel and highlight an additional route through which advertising affects sales, namely via the changes in the retail price that a strategic retailer makes in response to changes in demand following manufacturer advertising. The total demand effect of advertising thus comprises the direct effects of advertising on market shares, and the indirect effects coming through adjustments that the retailer makes to the in-store prices of all the brands in a given product category in response to the shifted demand due to advertising. We match advertising data for four different categories (both food and non-food) to store-level scanner panel data, which also include information on wholesale prices. Controlling for wholesale prices, we establish in a reduced-form model that the retailer reacts to manufacturer advertising by changing retail prices instead of simply imposing a constant markup on the wholesale price. To further explore the role of the strategic response of the retailer in a systematic fashion and quantify the effects derived in the decomposition, we estimate a discrete-choice model of demand and determine the magnitude of the direct and indirect effects. We find that the indirect effect of advertising through retailer prices is about half the size of the direct effect, and thus substantively affects advertising effectiveness.     

Estimating the effect of brand beliefs on brand evaluations when beliefs are measured with error

We consider the internal validity of estimates of the effects of brand beliefs on brand evaluations when beliefs are measured with error. Consumer research suggests numerous errors that may impact belief measures. However, the literature has not determined precisely why and how myriad types of error matter for the evaluation-belief relationship. Furthermore, the literature has not explicitly considered what is necessary and sufficient to control for different types of belief error when using the latent general factor approach. We show that the important distinction for empirical research is not the origin of the error per se but its relationship to affective evaluation. Error related to brand evaluation has an inflationary effect on estimates of the evaluation-belief relationship while error unrelated to brand evaluation has an attenuating effect. We use a bifactor structural equations model to decompose belief measures into general and specific dimensions. The model uses bias free variation in specific beliefs to identify effects on brand evaluation while controlling for a general belief dimension correlated with evaluation. Compared to models that do not adjust for the bias, estimates of the bias corrected marginal effects are smaller but positive and significant.     

The effect of clusters on the survival and performance of new firms

This paper contributes to the literatures on entrepreneurship and economic geography by investigating the effects of clusters on the survival and performance of new entrepreneurial firms where clusters are defined as regional agglomerations of related industries. We analyze firm-level data for all 4,397 Swedish firms started in the telecom and consumer electronics, financial services, information technology, medical equipment, and pharmaceuticals and pharmaceutical sectors from 1993 to 2002. We find that that firms located in strong clusters create more jobs, higher tax payments, and higher wages to employees. These effects are consistent for absolute agglomeration measures (firm or employee counts), but weaker for relative agglomeration measures (location quotients). The strengths of the effects are found to vary depending on which geographical aggregation level is chosen for the agglomeration measure.     

论司法的社会效果——由张明宝案引发的思考

法律实效包括法律效果与社会效果,当今司法越来越重视法律的社会效果,且强调二者的统一,＂6.30＂案就是一个很好的说明。重视法律的社会效果有充分的理论依据与现实依据,但是过分强调也有不合理性。正确的态度是将法律效果作为司法的首要目的,追求社会效果时应当保持克制、理性,法律效果与社会效果无法完全统一,只能趋近。     

Spillover Effects from Inward FDI on the Exporting Decisions of Chilean Manufacturing Plants

We study the presence of spillover effects on three exporting decisions (likelihood, quantity, propensity) of Chilean manufacturing firms during the period 2001–2004. Evidence suggests that Chilean firm’s export likelihood is positively affected by other domestic firms’ exports. In contrast, exports by MNEs operating in Chile negatively affect Chilean firm’s export likelihood, although MNE-employment generates positive spillover effects, suggesting externalities in human capital. We also find evidence of spillovers from MNE activity on the proportion of production the firm exports (export propensity), but not on how much they decide to export (export quantity).     

东亚生产网络分工提高了我国制造业的出口竞争力吗

在梳理东亚生产网络分工影响制造业竞争力的作用机理基础上,基于面板数据模型,验证了东亚生产网络分工对我国制造业出口竞争力的影响。实证分析结果表明:结合影响制造业行业竞争力的国内因素进行考察,东亚生产网络分工对我国制造业整体以及不同行业的出口竞争力均具有促进作用。进一步将东亚生产网络分工的作用效应进行分解,发现东亚生产网络分工主要是通过劳动生产率提升效应、技术外溢效应途径提升我国制造业整体的出口竞争力,但理论上所预期的规模经济效应并未发生促进作用。东亚生产网络分工对我国制造业出口竞争力的作用途径在制造业不同部门存在显著差异,一方面,资本、技术密集型制造业的出口竞争力的提升在很大程度上是由东亚生产网络分工所导致的劳动生产率效应所驱动,即便是此类融入东亚生产网络程度很高的制造业行业所获得的技术外溢效应并不显著。另一方面,劳动密集型制造业部门出口竞争力的提升却并非由东亚生产网络分工所导致的劳动生产率提升效应、技术外溢效应所推动。这种分工状况容易导致我国制造业比较优势的锁定效应,压缩我国制造业出口竞争力提升的空间。     

The Real Exchange Rate,the Ghanaian Trade Balance,and the J-curve

Using linear and nonlinear specifications, we studied the effects of real exchange rate changes on the trade balance of Ghana during the period 1986Q1 to 2016Q3. We found no evidence in support of the short- and long-run impact of exchange rate changes on the trade balance in the linear specification. The J-curve is refuted in this case. In contrast, exchange rate changes affected the trade balance in the nonlinear specification. Depreciations improve the trade balance in the long run, but appreciations have no impact. Hence, exchange rate changes have nonlinear effects on the trade balance. This is consistent with the J-curve phenomenon.     

Evidence on the Growing Profit Disconnect between the Public's Views of Corporate America

We provide preliminary evidence of a disconnect between Corporate America and a sample of college students that indicates a strong negative view of corporate profits. Our results suggest this disconnect is not gender specific, but resonates strongly among business students. Overall, we conclude this disconnect requires a deeper analysis to understand its effects on capital markets and the general economy.     

What does the Bank of Japan do to East Asia?

In recent policy debates some have argued that expansionary monetary policy in Japan can increase real output in Japan and in Japan's neighbors, while others have warned that it is a beggar-thy-neighbor policy. In this paper we estimate structural vector autoregressions to assess the effects of Japanese monetary policy shocks. We find that the effects of Japanese monetary policy shocks on macroeconomic variation in East Asia have been modest and difficult to reconcile with the beggar-thy-neighbor view. We estimate that the Asian crisis was preceded by expansionary monetary policy shocks in Japan, but we fail to find support for the view that these shocks contributed to the crisis.     

Product Market Cooperation,Profits and Welfare in the Presence of Labor Union

It is believed that cooperation between the final goods producers hurts consumers and reduces social welfare but increases profits. We show that these results may not hold in the presence of a unionized labor market. The effects of product market cooperation on consumers, profits and social welfare may depend on the union’s disagreement utility, its bargaining power and the degree of product market cooperation.     

A simple test for distinguishing between internal reference price theories

A large literature demonstrates the empirical importance of internal reference price effects. There are several theories regarding how and why these effects arise. We offer a simple test that distinguishes between the two leading theories based on economically rational behavior: price as a signal of quality and price as a predictor of future prices. Our test builds on differences in how past consumer purchases interact with internal reference prices. We first validate the reliability of our test by applying it to synthetic data. We then apply our test to purchases of ketchup and diapers and find: (1) quality signaling is the dominant mechanism behind reference price effects in both categories; (2) consistent with the quality-signaling theory, reference price effects diminish as various measures of consumer experience increase; but (3) in both categories there are many individuals for whom price-prediction effects dominate quality-signaling effects.     

Evaluating the effects of equity incentives using PSM: Evidence from China

This paper investigates the effects of equity incentives on firm performance in Chinese listed firms. We address the sample selection problem by employing the propensity score matching methodology. Results show that, (1) On the whole, performance is positively related to equity incentives even after controlling for sample selection bias; (2) The final control rights have an important impact on the effects of equity incentives. The execution of equity incentives in privately owned firms can significantly decrease the agency costs between shareholders and managers, but such effects cannot be observed in state-owned firms; (3) Effects of equity incentives depend on the incentive type, that is, comparing to stock-based incentives, option-based incentives can reduce the agency costs significantly, thus are more effective; (4) Ownership structure also has important impacts on the effects of equity incentives. The agency costs decrease in firms with more decentralized ownership after introducing equity incentive, while in concentrated firms the effect is negligible.     

Industry and country factors in emerging market returns: Did the Asian crisis make a difference?

Should investors diversify across emerging stock markets or across industries to achieve improvements in their risk–return tradeoffs especially during financial crisis periods? We examine the issue using individual firm data from a selection of emerging markets and including the period of the 1997 Asian financial crisis. We find that country effects were the dominant force behind the low co-movements among emerging stock market returns. There is evidence of increased industry effects beginning at the time of the Asian financial crisis, but this may have been a temporary phenomenon associated with contagion effects during the crisis.     

双边贸易的本地市场效应——基于东亚地区制造业部门的实证研究

本文基于2000-2006年东亚地区主要经济体间的双边贸易数据,研究并检验了该地区制造业部门双边贸易的本地市场效应。结果发现:东亚地区制造业部门的双边贸易整体上并不存在本地市场效应,只有个别行业表现出了显著的本地市场效应;而由相对要素禀赋条件和人均GDP所决定的传统比较优势因素对该地区制造业贸易模式的决定和影响仍是非常重要;此外,我们还发现劳动密集型产品是东亚地区制造业部门双边贸易的主要产品,必需品又是其中的主导消费部门。     

Does rising import competition harm local firm productivity in less advanced economies? Evidence from the Vietnam's manufacturing sector

This paper examines whether rising import penetration has an effect on the productivity of domestic firms. The study uses data on a 10-year unbalanced panel of firms in the manufacturing sector in Vietnam from 2000 to 2009. Panel and instrumental variable methods are used to control firm heterogeneity and endogeneity of import penetration. We find statistically significant and negative effects of import competition on local firms’ productivity, but the effect in terms of magnitude is economically small. Further investigation shows no clear evidence of variations in the effects by firm size and technological level. However, we find that rising import penetration is associated with the likelihood of firm death.     

The influence of advertising on the demand for chocolate confectionery

This paper addresses the impact of advertising on the size of five European chocolate confectionery markets: Belgium, France, Germany, the Netherlands and the UK. It is prompted by suggestions that advertising may be responsible for excessive consumption of confectionery by children. The literature on whether advertising affects the total market size is not one-sided but the balance of previous research indicates market effects to be less likely. Chocolate confectionery in Western Europe is a mature market in slow decline. We found no significant association between the weight of advertising and market growth with either contemporaneous or lagged effects. There was, however, negative correlation between market size and price, as was to be expected. The results were consistent across the five countries.     

Surviving the emotional rollercoaster called entrepreneurship: The role of emotion regulation

The entrepreneurial journey is often experienced as an emotional rollercoaster, but we know very little about how entrepreneurs can ride it most effectively to increase their ventures' chances of survival. We investigate how entrepreneurs' habitual use of cognitive reappraisal and expressive suppression – two well-established types of emotion regulation – impact on the likelihood of their venture surviving. Drawing on a sample of 183 technology ventures, we find that both regulation types are generally associated with a lower survival likelihood, but that these effects depend on the venture's performance. Our study contributes to the literatures on emotions and new venture survival in entrepreneurship and to the emotion regulation literature.     

Trade, offshoring, and the invisible handshake

We study the effect of globalization on the volatility of wages and worker welfare in a model in which risk is allocated through long-run employment relationships (the ‘invisible handshake’). Globalization can take two forms: international integration of commodity markets (i.e., free trade) and international integration of factor markets (i.e., offshoring). In a two-country, two-good, two-factor model we show that free trade and offshoring have opposite effects on rich-country workers. Free trade hurts rich-country workers, while reducing the volatility of their wages; by contrast, offshoring benefits them, while raising the volatility of their wages. We thus formalize, but also sharply circumscribe, a common critique of globalization.     

The Mixed Effects of Participant Diversity and Expressive Freedom in Online Peer-to-Peer Problem Solving Communities

Online peer-to-peer problem solving (P3) communities provide a cost-effective and reliable means of delivering education and service support to customers of complex, frequently evolving products. Through a multi-disciplinary conceptual framework, we examine the roles of diversity perceptions and expressive freedom in affecting learning and social identification of online P3 community participants, and in turn, their effects on the participants' relationship with, and future intentions towards the brand. We test our hypotheses via a structural equation model with survey data obtained from 555 active members of the two largest XBOX online P3 communities in Brazil. Our results reveal that greater perceived diversity facilitates learning but hinders social identification, whereas expressive freedom has positive effects on learning, but no effect on social identification. Social identification fully mediates the effects of the antecedents on outcomes. We also discuss the theoretical contributions and the managerial implications of our findings, and suggest opportunities for future research.