The traditional wisdom holds that the benefits of a decentralized channel structure arise from downstream competitive relationships. In contrast, Arya and Mittendorf (2007) showed that the value of decentralization can also arise from upstream interaction when the downstream firm conveys...

The literature has established two kinds of entry bias in imperfectly competitive markets. First, free entry may lead to excessive entry relative to the socially optimal level. Second, free entry may lead to the wrong technology (type of firm) in the market compared to the socially optimal...

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...

The authors attempt to clarify the concepts of, and the link between, fixed costs and sunk costs. They argue that the root for possible confusion between fixed costs and sunk costs is the inconsistency in defining the term fixed costs. They define fixed costs uniformly as the costs that are...