There is widespread evidence that some firms use false advertising to overstate the value of their products. We consider a model in which a policymaker is able to punish such false claims. We characterize an equilibrium where false advertising actively influences rational buyers, and analyze the...

The optimal design of two-part tariffs is investigated in a dynamic model where two firms belonging to the same supply chain invest in R&D activities to increase the quality of the final product. It is shown that the replication of the vertically integrated monopolist's performance can be...

This paper introduces quality innovations with endogenous sunk costs in a heterogeneous firm model of international trade and derives implications for the gravity equation. The model predicts that the effect of fixed costs on exports and on the share of exporters is lower in industries with a...

We develop a model of vertical innovation in which firms incur a market entry cost and choose a unique level of quality. Once established, firms compete for market shares, selling to consumers with heterogeneous tastes for quality. The equilibrium of the pricing game exists and is unique within...

This paper uncovers new stylized facts on the relation between economic integration and world trade prices. Using export price data combined with data on 32 WTO (World Trade Organization) accessions by developing countries and hundreds of new PTAs (Preferential Trade Agreements), we show that a...

We present a heterogeneous-firm model in which management ability increases both pro- duction efficiency and product quality. Combining six micro-datasets on management prac- tices, production and trade in Chinese and American firms, we find broad support for the model’s predictions. First,...

This study aims to test the research model of Brand Image and Product Quality on Customer Loyalty through Customer Satisfaction. The population of this study is the customers who have Xiaomi smartphone product in Pangkalpinang City, Indonesia. The quota sampling method of 120 respondents is...

This paper uncovers new stylized facts on the relation between economic integration and world trade prices. Using export price data combined with data on 32 WTO (World Trade Organization) accessions by developing countries and hundreds of new PTAs (Preferential Trade Agreements), we show that a...

We present a heterogeneous-firm model in which management ability increases both pro- duction efficiency and product quality. Combining six micro-datasets on management prac- tices, production and trade in Chinese and American firms, we find broad support for the model's predictions. First,...

Die vorliegende Arbeit will einen ökonomischen Beitrag zur Diskussion über die Zugangsgewährung zu monopolistischen Engpaßeinrichtungen und die damit verbundene Öffnung von angrenzenden Märkten für Wettbewerb leisten, die bislang vornehmlich juristisch geprägt ist. Ziel der Arbeit ist...

Qualitätsungewißheit erfaßt das Problem asymmetrischer Information bei Vertrauenseigenschaften und geht über Qualitätsunsicherheit hinaus, die nur bei Erfahrungseigenschaften auftritt. Informationsökonomische Modelle können Qualitätsungewißheit bisher nur unzureichend analysieren. Zur...

In late years, the concept of open innovation receives attention from industry and academic. This concept means that firms utilize resources outside for their R&D beyond their boundaries. Behind this background is the fact that firms have more opportunities to utilize resources outside. Previous...

The book investigates user satisfaction with mobile services, the perceived quality of m-commerce products, and the loyalty towards service providers. After introducing the m-commerce value chain and emerging mobile services, the first part examines relevant theories from diffusion of...

Das Marketing von Dienstleistungsunternehmen rückt in Theorie und Praxis zunehmend in den Vordergrund der Diskussion einer marktorientierten Unternehmensführung. Die vorliegende Arbeit hat sich zum Ziel gesetzt, ein Konzept zur Erfassung und Erklärung der Qualität investiver Dienstleistungen...

Der Autor zeigt in seiner Arbeit, dass Märkte von einer Vielzahl von Unsicherheitslagen durchzogen sind. Dazu zählen Unsicherheiten in marktwirtschaftlichen Kontexten (z.B. ein ruinöser Preiswettbewerb) und Unsicherheit in der marktwirtschaftlichen Zusammenarbeit (etwa Unsicherheit bezüglich...

In this paper, unit values and unit value ratios in bilateral manufacturing trade across all countries in the world are analysed over the period 1998-2014. Descriptive evidence of price differences across country groups and groups of manufacturing industries according to technology intensity is...

Health care systems are under reform in many countries. This typically involves a shift towards more competition. But still, markets are highly regulated. This study analyzes competition and regulatory measures in four important fields using the modern tools of microeconomic theory and...

Product quality is often unobservable ex-ante and consumers rely on experts' judgments, sometimes in the form of ratings or awards. Do awards affect consumers' choices or, conversely, are they conferred on the most popular products? To disentangle this issue, we use data about the most important...

There is widespread evidence that some firms use false advertising to overstate the value of their products. Using a model in which a policymaker is able to punish such false claims, we characterize a natural equilibrium in which false advertising actively influences rational buyers. We analyze...

An influential literature shows that product quality varies widely across countries and industries. In this paper, we propose and test an explanation that rests on the interplay between cross-country differences in financial frictions and cross-industry differences in financial vulnerability. We...

This paper studies whether credit constraints affect the decision of small and medium size enterprises (SMEs) to upgrade the quality of their exported output with respect to the one sold domestically. We use a detailed firm-level data-set on Italian SMEs reporting information on output...

In 2013, Stiftung Warentest tested hazelnut chocolate for their leading magazine, called Test. Stiftung Warentest is one of the most important consumer organizations in Germany. Ritter Sport is a high-quality producer of chocolate in Germany. Their hazelnut chocolate did not pass the test. It...

We uniquely examine the relationship between firm-sponsored training and product quality competition. Using an oligopolistic model of both price and quality competition, we show that an increase in the sensitivity of demand to product quality will strengthen firms’ incentives to train their...

In markets with quality unobservable to buyers, third-party certification is often the only instrument to increase transparency. While both sellers and buyers have a demand for certification, its role differs fundamentally: sellers use it for signaling, buyers use it for inspection. Seller...

We provide an explanation for a frequently observed vertical restraint in ecommerce, namely that brand manufacturers partially or completely prohibit that retailers distribute their high-quality products over the internet. Our analysis is based on the assumption that a consumer's purchasing...

Purpose: We deal with the problem of the joint determination of optimal economic production quantity (EPQ) and optimal preventive maintenance (PM) for a system that can produce multiple products alternately. The objective is to find the optimal number of production cycles and the PM policy...