Digital distribution and the prohibition of resale markets for information goods

An existing theoretical literature finds that frictionless resale markets cannot reduce profits of monopolist producers of perfectly durable goods. This paper starts by presenting logical arguments suggesting this finding does not hold for goods consumers tire of with use, implying the impact of resale is an empirical question. The empirical impact is then estimated in the market for video games, one of many markets in which producers may soon legally prevent resale by distributing their products digitally as downloads or streamed rentals. Estimation proceeds in two steps. First, demand parameters are estimated using a dynamic discrete choice model in a market with allowed resale, using data on new sales and used trade-ins. Then, using these parameter estimates, prices, profits, and consumer welfare are simulated under counterfactual environments. When resale is allowed, firms are unable to prevent their goods from selling for low prices in later periods. The ability to do so by restricting resale outright yields significant profit increases. Renting, however, does not raise profits as much due to a revenue extraction problem.     

The tension of information sharing: Effects on subsidiary embeddedness

This paper investigates the relationship between foreign subsidiary competition and embeddedness in a peripheral area of an advanced country. The study argues that pressure to innovate and unintended private knowledge spillovers compete in explaining the relationship between competition and embeddedness as a result of the tension of information sharing. Such a tension can be relaxed when accounting for subsidiaries’ competence-creating entry motives. Statistical analysis supports this argument. This study contributes to the broad IB field as well as to business network theory and to research on the creation of local linkages by MNEs. Implications for managers and policy-makers are also discussed.     

The impact of advertising on consumer price sensitivity in experience goods markets

In this paper we use Nielsen scanner panel data on four categories of consumer goods to examine how TV advertising and other marketing activities affect the demand curve facing a brand. Advertising can affect consumer demand in many different ways. Becker and Murphy (Quarterly Journal of Economics 108:941–964, 1993) have argued that the “presumptive case” should be that advertising works by raising marginal consumers’ willingness to pay for a brand. This has the effect of flattening the demand curve, thus increasing the equilibrium price elasticity of demand and the lowering the equilibrium price. Thus, “advertising is profitable not because it lowers the elasticity of demand for the advertised good, but because it raises the level of demand.” Our empirical results support this conjecture on how advertising shifts the demand curve for 17 of the 18 brands we examine. There have been many prior studies of how advertising affects two equilibrium quantities: the price elasticity of demand and/or the price level. Our work is differentiated from previous work primarily by our focus on how advertising shifts demand curves as a whole. As Becker and Murphy pointed out, a focus on equilibrium prices or elasticities alone can be quite misleading. Indeed, in many instances, the observation that advertising causes prices to fall and/or demand elasticities to increase, has misled authors into concluding that consumer “price sensitivity” must have increased, meaning the number of consumers’ willing to pay any particular price for a brand was reduced—perhaps because advertising makes consumers more aware of substitutes. But, in fact, a decrease in the equilibrium price is perfectly consistent with a scenario where advertising actually raises each individual consumer’s willingness to pay for a brand. Thus, we argue that to understand how advertising affects consumer price sensitivity one needs to estimate how it shifts the whole distribution of willingness to pay in the population. This means estimating how it shifts the shape of the demand curve as a whole, which in turn means estimating a complete demand system for all brands in a category—as we do here. We estimate demand systems for toothpaste, toothbrushes, detergent and ketchup. Across these categories, we find one important exception to conjecture that advertising should primarily increase the willingness to pay of marginal consumers. The exception is the case of Heinz ketchup. Heinz advertising has a greater positive effect on the WTP of infra-marginal consumers. This is not surprising, because Heinz advertising focuses on differentiating the brand on the “thickness” dimension. This is a horizontal dimension that may be highly valued by some consumers and not others. The consumers who most value this dimension have the highest WTP for Heinz, and, by focusing on this dimension; Heinz advertising raises the WTP of these infra-marginal consumers further. In such a case, advertising is profitable because it reduces the market share loss that the brand would suffer from any given price increase. In contrast, in the other categories we examine, advertising tends to focus more on vertical attributes.

The existence and persistence of the pay-per-use bias in car sharing services

A key benefit of using car sharing services (relative to car ownership) is that they are more cost effective. Car sharing firms offer a menu of pricing plans to make this happen. The two most common plans are flat-rate and pay-per-use pricing. However, little is known about how consumers choose among these pricing plans. In this study, we analyze consumers' choices between pay-per-use and flat-rate pricing using data from a car sharing provider in a large European city. In contrast to previous research, we find a prevalent and time-persistent pay-per-use bias. Specifically, depending on the definition of the bias, 21% to 32% of customers exhibit this bias. This bias also persists over time within customer. We propose three potential explanations for the existence and persistence of this bias. First, we suggest that customers underestimate their usage. Second, we propose that customers have a preference for flexibility, leading them to pay more. Finally, we show that the physical context, such as weather, increases the likelihood of a pay-per-use bias. Our findings suggest that more research into consumer response to pricing in the Sharing Economy is needed.     

Alibaba: Entrepreneurial growth and global expansion in B2B/B2C markets

The purpose of this case-based research is to analyze and discuss Alibaba Group (hereafter Alibaba) and its entrepreneurial growth and global expansion in B2B/B2C markets. The paper uses company and industry-specific data and surveys to analyze a fast growing Chinese B2B/B2C firm and its internationalization and expansion in global markets. Findings of the work reveal that in a short time, Alibaba has become a major entrepreneurial icon and global player and continues to grow worldwide because of its well-planned business initiatives and B2B/B2C-based business models. The paper also provides implications in the area of international entrepreneurship and its related areas. International entrepreneurs need to learn from Alibaba’s fast growing business model and dynamic growth because of its competitive platforms and Web-based strategies which helped the company to target small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) in global markets. Within the areas of international entrepreneurship and international business, the paper also provides discussion which deals with the changing e-commerce industry and its future growth and developments.     

简述会计职业判断与会计信息质量

阐明会计职业判断的概念,分析其对会计信息质量的影响.进而探讨影响会计职业判断的因素并提出提高会计职业判断的几点思路.     

Asymmetric information in commodity futures markets: Theory and empirical evidence

This article examines the theoretical and empirical implications of asymmetric information in commodity futures markets. In particular, it formulates and tests a theoretical model that recognizes two distinct categories of traders: hedgers, who participate in both spot and futures markets, and speculators, who participate only in the futures market. Speculators are assumed to possess differential information about the realized values of selected random variables. Multiperiod futures market equilibria are derived under competitive conditions, and the ability of futures markets to forecast changes in equilibrium spot market prices are examined. The key variable is shown to be the randomness and informational asymmetry in the aggregate supply by participating hedgers in the spot market, whose absence turns out to be the major determinant of the revelation of informational asymmetry. Moreover, under the assumption of independence of error forecasts for prices and spot market supplies, it is shown that futures market equilibrium ends up with linear expressions for prices and futures contract volumes. These linear expressions are then used to develop empirically testable models. The main empirical implications in these models revolve around the role of the basis as a predictor of future spot price changes. The paper provides an empirical investigation of these implications, using three commodities traded on the Winnipeg Commodity Exchange (WCE). © 1998 John Wiley & Sons, Inc. Jrl Fut Mark 18:803–825, 1998     

Global production sharing and trade in the services of factors

This article develops an approach to measuring the factor content of trade when intermediate inputs are traded, and techniques differ for reasons such as factor price differences. An empirical section documents the importance of intermediates and shows that they mitigate cross-country differences in the factor content of finished goods. The performance of recent models of factor service trade is also evaluated. Existing approaches impute the factor content of imported intermediates with domestic techniques and tend to overstate how well those models perform. The framework developed here can help reconcile general-equilibrium trade models with actual patterns of trade.     

Competition and competitive groupings: An exploratory study in information technology markets

The focus of the research is upon the means by which firms can both create and sustain a competitive advantage. The paper addresses the relationship between shifting patterns of competitive rivalry and the emerging structure of a volatile, but growing branch of the Information Technology Industry. The concept and existence of competitive groups of firms is explored from three perspectives: those of the research analyst, the competitive suppliers and the customers of the service. The first perspective draws upon and applies previous work in the field of strategic groups, mobility barriers and company competences; the second perspective is operational, based upon the perception of the competitive environment by practising managers; the final perspective draws upon field research into customer organisation rooted in the notion that differentiation by suppliers will only be manifest in competitive advantage when it matches customers needs.

Different patterns of competition are identified and strategic management choices are highlighted in a product market undergoing turbulent development with the onset of telecommunication networks for the transmission of computerised data bases.     

Social sources of information in opportunity recognition: Effects of mentors,industry networks,and professional forums

Effects on opportunity recognition of three social sources of opportunity-related information (mentors, informal industry networks, participation in professional forums) were investigated. Results indicated that all three sources had direct, positive effects on opportunity recognition by entrepreneurs. In addition, the effects of two sources (mentors and professional forums) were mediated by schema strength, while effects of the third source (informal industry networks) were mediated by self-efficacy. Results are consistent with theories of opportunity recognition that emphasize the role of information and cognitive processes, and suggest that two social sources of information not systematically investigated in previous research–mentors and participation in professional forums–can assist entrepreneurs in identifying opportunities for new ventures.     

The economics of trust, norms and networks

The theme of this paper is that trust, norms and networks are critical contributors to social capital, itself a critical determinant of economic growth. Numerous factors have contributed in recent years to the decline of social capital, restraining business and national competitiveness. It is in the interests and part of the responsibility of business to address this issue; this provides an economic imperative – complementary to the ethical imperative – for business to take socially responsible governance seriously.     

Interactive perceptions of suppliers and corporate clients in the marketing of professional services: A comparison of accounting and legal services in the UK,Canada and Sweden

Any service offering depends, for its long‐term success, on the dyadic relationship which exists between a supplier and a client. For corporate clients, a positive and proactive approach by a supplier can enhance a relationship both in the initial stages and later, as the relationship develops. Professional services are no exception, perhaps because, in the longer term, both parties can contribute to a situation where “peace of mind” is the dominant emotion. However, such a generalisation may not be true for all professional services nor over a range of countries where currently, many changing environmental factors such as regulations, image and technology, are creating a climate which may result in different perceptions within a relationship. This article attempts to measure and compare these differences using suppliers and corporate clients of two specific categories of professional services, namely, legal and accounting services, in each of three countries, Canada, Sweden and the United Kingdom. It attempts to examine the supplier‐client relationships using elements of the Interaction Approach as developed by the Industrial Marketing and Purchasing (IMP) Group of researchers (Hakansson 1982). From the supplier firm's point of view, in targetting prospective clients and maintaining existing ones in a search for an “optimum” portfolio, the constant monitoring of clients’ perceptions and requirements as an element in generating and sustaining a positive atmosphere should be undertaken. Successful supplier firms may be those which work with a group of selected clients rather than for anyone.     

Privacy, property rights and efficiency: The economics of privacy as secrecy

There is a long history of governmental efforts to protect personal privacy and strong debates about the merits of such policies. A central element of privacy is the ability to control the dissemination of personally identifiable data to private parties. Posner, Stigler, and others have argued that privacy comes at the expense of allocative efficiency. Others have argued that privacy issues are readily resolved by proper allocation of property rights to control information. Our principal findings challenge both views. We find: (a) privacy can be efficient even when there is no “taste” for privacy per se, and (b) to be effective, a privacy policy may need to ban information transmission or use rather than simply assign individuals control rights to their personally identifiable data.

A comparison of produce prices in Costa Rica: farmers' markets,produce markets and supermarkets

Following a review of the history and organization of farmers' markets in Costa Rica, a comparison was made of prices offered to consumers at farmers' markets, produce markets and supermarkets in Costa Rica. Findings reveal there are substantial price savings to Costa Rican consumers that shop at local farmers' markets for fruit and vegetables compared to produce markets and supermarkets.