Manufacturers and distributors of expensive implants and other medical supplies often require buyers to sign non-disclosure agreements treating all information concerning negotiated prices as trade secrets. Such agreements make it difficult for hospitals to obtain accurate pricing benchmarks. To...

Demand volatility and production lead time oblige manufacturers of made-to-stock goods to use economic forecasts in deciding on production quantities. Manufacturers of finitely durable goods face an additional complication -- in making production decisions, they must consider not only the...

In durable goods markets, such as those for automobiles or computers, the coexistence of selling and leasing is common as is the existence of both corporate and individual consumers. Leases to the corporate consumers affect the price of used goods on the second-hand market which in turn affect...