• Title/Summary/Keyword: Predatory Pricing

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Dynamic Limit and Predatory Pricing Under Uncertainty (불확실성하(不確實性下)의 동태적(動態的) 진입제한(進入制限) 및 약탈가격(掠奪價格) 책정(策定))

  • Yoo, Yoon-ha
    • KDI Journal of Economic Policy
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    • v.13 no.1
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    • pp.151-166
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    • 1991
  • In this paper, a simple game-theoretic entry deterrence model is developed that integrates both limit pricing and predatory pricing. While there have been extensive studies which have dealt with predation and limit pricing separately, no study so far has analyzed these closely related practices in a unified framework. Treating each practice as if it were an independent phenomenon is, of course, an analytical necessity to abstract from complex realities. However, welfare analysis based on such a model may give misleading policy implications. By analyzing limit and predatory pricing within a single framework, this paper attempts to shed some light on the effects of interactions between these two frequently cited tactics of entry deterrence. Another distinctive feature of the paper is that limit and predatory pricing emerge, in equilibrium, as rational, profit maximizing strategies in the model. Until recently, the only conclusion from formal analyses of predatory pricing was that predation is unlikely to take place if every economic agent is assumed to be rational. This conclusion rests upon the argument that predation is costly; that is, it inflicts more losses upon the predator than upon the rival producer, and, therefore, is unlikely to succeed in driving out the rival, who understands that the price cutting, if it ever takes place, must be temporary. Recently several attempts have been made to overcome this modelling difficulty by Kreps and Wilson, Milgram and Roberts, Benoit, Fudenberg and Tirole, and Roberts. With the exception of Roberts, however, these studies, though successful in preserving the rationality of players, still share one serious weakness in that they resort to ad hoc, external constraints in order to generate profit maximizing predation. The present paper uses a highly stylized model of Cournot duopoly and derives the equilibrium predatory strategy without invoking external constraints except the assumption of asymmetrically distributed information. The underlying intuition behind the model can be summarized as follows. Imagine a firm that is considering entry into a monopolist's market but is uncertain about the incumbent firm's cost structure. If the monopolist has low cost, the rival would rather not enter because it would be difficult to compete with an efficient, low-cost firm. If the monopolist has high costs, however, the rival will definitely enter the market because it can make positive profits. In this situation, if the incumbent firm unwittingly produces its monopoly output, the entrant can infer the nature of the monopolist's cost by observing the monopolist's price. Knowing this, the high cost monopolist increases its output level up to what would have been produced by a low cost firm in an effort to conceal its cost condition. This constitutes limit pricing. The same logic applies when there is a rival competitor in the market. Producing a high cost duopoly output is self-revealing and thus to be avoided. Therefore, the firm chooses to produce the low cost duopoly output, consequently inflicting losses to the entrant or rival producer, thus acting in a predatory manner. The policy implications of the analysis are rather mixed. Contrary to the widely accepted hypothesis that predation is, at best, a negative sum game, and thus, a strategy that is unlikely to be played from the outset, this paper concludes that predation can be real occurence by showing that it can arise as an effective profit maximizing strategy. This conclusion alone may imply that the government can play a role in increasing the consumer welfare, say, by banning predation or limit pricing. However, the problem is that it is rather difficult to ascribe any welfare losses to these kinds of entry deterring practices. This difficulty arises from the fact that if the same practices have been adopted by a low cost firm, they could not be called entry-deterring. Moreover, the high cost incumbent in the model is doing exactly what the low cost firm would have done to keep the market to itself. All in all, this paper suggests that a government injunction of limit and predatory pricing should be applied with great care, evaluating each case on its own basis. Hasty generalization may work to the detriment, rather than the enhancement of consumer welfare.

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Analysis of Hierarchical Competition Structure and Pricing Strategy in the Hotel Industry

  • BAEK, Unji;SIM, Youngseok;LEE, Seul-Ki
    • The Journal of Asian Finance, Economics and Business
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    • v.6 no.4
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    • pp.179-187
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    • 2019
  • This study aims to investigate the effects of market commonality and resource similarity on price competition and the recursive consequences in the Korean lodging market. Price comparison among hotels in the same geographic market has been facilitated through the development of information technology, rendering little search cost of consumers. While the literature implies the heterogeneous price attack and response among hotels, a limited number of empirical researches focus on the asymmetric and recursive pattern in the competitive dynamics. This study empirically examines the price interactions in the Korean lodging market based on the theoretical framework of competitive price interactions and countervailing power. Demonstrating superiority to the spatial lag model and the ordinary least squares in the estimation, the results from spatial error model suggest that the hotels with longer operational history pose an asymmetric impact on the price of the newer hotels. The asymmetry is also found in chain hotels over the independent, further implying the possibility of predatory pricing. The findings of this study provide the evidence of a hierarchical structure in the price competition, with different countervailing power by the resources of the hotels. Theoretical and managerial implications are discussed, with suggestions for future study.

The Effects on Social Welfare and Regulation of Bundling in Telecommunications Service (정보통신서비스 번들링의 경제적 효과분석과 규제개선 방안)

  • Jung, Choong-Young
    • Journal of the Korea Institute of Information and Communication Engineering
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    • v.13 no.2
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    • pp.207-214
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    • 2009
  • This paper provides the analysis of economic theories about bundling in telecommunications service. First, the negative aspect of bundling is discussed. Second, the competitively neutral aspect of bundling which is counter response of negative effect is analyzed. Third, some variables affecting the bundling is investigated and the corresponding effect of bundling is discussed. The bundling can increase the social welfare under some circumstance while it sometimes decreases economic efficiency by detering the entry of competitive firms. Finally, regulatory approaches on bundling such as the criteria of bundling provision, the requirement of equal access, the discounting scheme ad a price control, ex anti regulation vs. ex post regulation, and the criteria of predatory pricing are provided.

The Effect of Telemedicine Expansion on the Structural Change and the Competition Increase in the Health Care Industry and its Policy Implication- Focusing on the case of Amazon's foray on the health care industry (원격의료 확대가 의료산업 구조변화 및 경쟁 확대에 미치는 영향과 정책적 시사점 - 미국 아마존의 헬스케어 분야 진출 사례를 중심으로)

  • Lee, Jaehee
    • The Journal of the Convergence on Culture Technology
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    • v.8 no.3
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    • pp.405-413
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    • 2022
  • Since the COVID-19 outbreak, the active utilization of new health care service utilizing the ICT technology and data science such as telemedicine, smart hospital, AI dignosis has been increasingly found. In this study we examined the business model of Amazon healthcare which leads disruptive innovation in U.S. health care industry with the introduction of hybrid model of telemedicin, in-person care and customer-centric online drug delivery, home-use diagnostic kit, characterized by the integrated model combining medical care, drug delivery and the use of diagnostic kit. We showed using the multiproduct competition model that the synergy effect between the Amazon's original business areas and the healthcare business area causes the active market penetration and the increase in the customer value from utilization of the Amazon care. Using Hotelling's spatial competition model, we also showed that the competition in the health care market can be greater when consumer's choice of health care providers are available in telemedicine platform. In the long, run the issue of competition being weakened due to the exit of less competent healthcare providers may arise, to which the policymakers in the charge of fair competition in health care industry should pay attention.

Equality, Labor and Competition in the 'Grapes of Wrath' by John Steinbeck (존 스타인벡의 '분노의 포도'에서 평등, 노동, 경쟁)

  • Shon Donghwan
    • The Journal of the Convergence on Culture Technology
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    • v.10 no.3
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    • pp.53-59
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    • 2024
  • The novel "The Grapes of Wrath" shows the painful reality of Americans during the Great Depression through the migration journey of the Tom Jod's family, who had no choice but to move from Oklahoma to California and their hardships in California. This presents empathy for their wrath and offers hope for a brotherly solution. This article presents institutional solutions against each novel situation from the perspective of the Constitution, labor law, and competition law. From a constitutional perspective, the poverty of Oklahoma's smallholders is not a result of choice, but is caused by the natural environment and capital concentration, so it is suggested that the government have to intervene to guarantee a minimum standard of living to realize equal rights. From a labor law perspective, worker supply projects are unconstitutional because they constitute intermediate exploitation of labor, and immigrants like the Joad family have the right to form labor unions. From a competition law perspective, it was shown that the large landowners' setting of fruit prices constitutes predatory pricing, and the farmers' attempts to pay similarly low wages constitute collusion. Through this, the attempt was made to recognize that the law is a means to resolve the public wrath that may currently exist, and to show that the story in the novel can bring empathy and understanding to minorities. It is hoped that reading novels can be a way to help interpret the law and sympathize with others as an indicator of a just society.

Policy Suggestions for Korea Aviation Industry's Fair Competition (항공운송산업의 공정경쟁에 대한 이해와 정책적 제언)

  • Park, Jin-Seo;Kim, Je-Chul;Han, Ik-Hyun
    • The Korean Journal of Air & Space Law and Policy
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    • v.32 no.2
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    • pp.129-153
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    • 2017
  • Fair Competition policy in aviation field has been discussed since open skies policy began in 1970s. This issue has been also the main topic in the ICAO's Worldwide Air Transport Conference, the Air Transport Symposium, etc. ICAO defines competition as the existent or potential rivalry between two or more operators, carriers or groups, striving for advantages in the same market based on different prices, qualities and services. In a broader sense, the definition includes more various meanings; reasonable, fair, effective, and unrestricted competitions. Nowadays, competition laws and regulations to air transportation have been applied more frequently and the issues varies from antitrust immunity, mergers and alliances, abuse of dominant positions, capacity dumping and predatory pricing, sales and marketing, to airport charges and fees, state aid and loan guarantees. Now, the competition among the airlines or nations in aviation industry is changing to cooperation level. A lot of airlines try to survive by various cooperation methods. Therefore the policy of Korean aviation industry should be developed, taking so-called "the viewpoint of national aviation industry ecosystem" into consideration and Korean government should prepare a policy of fair competition to cope with it. First, in the process of open skies policy with neighboring countries such as China, Japan and the Middle East, it is necessary to apply the fair competition act and prepare laws and regulations to implement it. Second, the standards of effective ownership and control of air transportation business should be reviewed. Third, in preparation for aviation agreements and liberalization, the Korean aviation industry needs to study and review competition and cooperation issues through the analysis of strict aviation market structure for airlines and airport operations. Fourth, it is necessary to create a fair air transportation environment for the development of air transportation and competitiveness through preemptive policies such as the approval of mergers, acquisitions, JV and the ripple effects analysis.

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