Some labor negotiations include a break in which a non-binding recommendation is made by a fact-finder as an intermediate dispute resolution procedure. There is some uncertainty, however, as to whether this fact-finding increases or reduces the likelihood of settlement. Inasmuch as fact-finding...

This paper focuses on the effects of nonbinding recommendations on bargaining outcomes. Recommendations are theorized to have two effects: they can create a focal point for final bargaining positions, and they can decrease outcome uncertainty should dispute persist. While the focal point effect...

Cooperatives are unique among agribusiness firms because their owners are also their customers. This dual nature of patrons means that maximizing profit is one of several optimal strategies the cooperative may pursue. Using a survey of marketing cooperative managers, we examine how membership...

This paper incorporates inventory dynamics into an analysis of market power. Using a model in which each firm accounts for the effect of its current action on the current and future actions of itself and its competitors, we show that measures of market power that ignore inventory dynamics are...

Beef packing has become an extremely concentrated industry, yet studies have found that little, if any, market power exists. We propose and test alternative measures of behavior that may better describe how packers control purchases from feedlots, using confidential data collected by the USDA...

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ECHEVERRI-CARROLL E., H UNNICUTT L., and HANSEN N. (1998) Do asymmetric networks help or hinder small firms' ability to export?, Reg. Studies 32, 721-733. Studies of industrial districts in Europe and the US and of networked firms in Japan recognize the positive correlation between symmetric...

A survey of commercial feeder cattle operations in Utah revealed that explicit transaction costs such as transportation, shrink, and commissions can not fully explain how marketing alternatives are selected. Implicit transaction costs appear to play a critical role in the determination of market...

Concentration in beef packing has risen dramatically in the past 25 years. We develop measures used to describe feedlot-packer relations: (1) a statistic based on the proportion of its sales a feedlot makes to a given packer, and (2) a measure of the switching behavior of feedlots. The measures...

An information asymmetry exists in the market for organic produce since consumers cannot determine whether produce is organically or conventionally grown. Various methods may solve this problem including signaling, reputation, and certification. Signaling and reputation may not work well,...