• Environmental and Resource Economics Review
• /
• v.16 no.4
• /
• pp.781-802
• /
• 2007

This study estimates a demand function for municipal water in Seoul area using a Stone-Geary functional form. The Stone-Geary model offers more precise estimates for price elasticity of water demand since it explicitly separates 'basic demand' which is not influenced by the price from 'economic demand' which depends on the price. Our results show that about 84% of the total water demand is the basic demand. The results suggest that the minimum consumption range m stepwise price system should be lowered from $30m^3$ to $15m^3$ per month.

• The Transactions of the Korean Institute of Electrical Engineers A
• /
• v.54 no.2
• /
• pp.79-87
• /
• 2005

At present Cournot model is one of the most commonly used theories to analyze the gaming situation in oligopoly market. But there exist several problems to apply this model to electricity market. The representative one is to obtain the inverse demand curve able to be induced from the relationship between market price and demand response. In Cournot model, each player offers their generation quantity to accomplish maximum profit, which is accomplished by reducing their quantity compared with available total capacity. As stated above, to obtain the probable Cournot equilibrium to reflect real market situation, we have to induce the correct demand function first of all. Usually the correlation between price and demand appears on the long-term basis through the statistical data analysis (for example, regression analysis) or by investigating consumer utility functions of several consumer groups classified as residential, industrial, and commercial. However, the elasticity has a tendency to change continuously according to the total market demand size or the level of market price. Therefore it should be updated as trading period passes by. In this paper we propose a method for inducing and updating this price elasticity of demand function for more realistic market equilibrium.

• Health Policy and Management
• /
• v.9 no.4
• /
• pp.65-86
• /
• 1999

In this study, we investigate the welfare effect of mandatory prescription(MP) in Korea. An immediate effect of MP is the increase in the implicit price of prescribed medicine, which could be obtained easily from drug stores before MP. This will lower the quantity demanded. which will in turn reduce the abuse of drugs. The key to the cost-benefit analysis of MP, therefore, should be focused on this point; price increase in the cost side and quantity decrease in the benefit side. Since we do not have as much information as needed for the analysis, however, we made strong assumptions for the clarity of numbers; the severity of moral hazard of medical doctors related to the sales of hospital drugs, constant demand elasticity, constant benefit multiplier of reduced drug usage, and so on, With these rather strong assumptions, we find that i) the benefit side is much more sensitive to demand elasticity than the cost side effect ii) the larger the demand elasticity, the greater the size of net gain of MP, though the result depends on the size of the benefit multiplier. This analysis shows that we need to have more information on the specific institutional path of health benefit diffusion caused by the reduction of drug usage, which was the major target of MP.

• Journal of Distribution Science
• /
• v.11 no.4
• /
• pp.61-72
• /
• 2013

Purpose - It is widely accepted that the process of developing marketing strategy is composed of three steps: market segmentation, target market selection and positioning. However, mass marketing strategy based on cost reduction through economies of scale and standardized products, can be also an effective strategic option. Many marketing scholars including Theodore Levitt emphasize the importance of applying the mass production concept to various industries including service industries. Especially, in times of economic downturn, the capability of providing consumers with low-priced, value products can be an important source of competitive advantage, as well as the ability of providing high-priced premium products. Marketers should decide whether they will implement mass marketing strategy or target marketing strategy. The present study theoretically shows that firms should understand the target customers' price elasticity as well as the firm's cost structure in order to make such a strategic decision. Research design, data, and methodology - Instead of implementing an empirical study, this study provides a theoretical(mathematical) investigation on the effect of consumers' price elasticity on a firm's optimal price level, profit, sales volume, revenue, and cost. The results are mostly deduced from derivative calculations and several graphs are utilized to represent the results on the relationships between the variables under study. Results - The analytical results suggest that it is more profitable for a firm to adopt the segment/target marketing strategy (more specifically the differentiation strategy) when the degree of consumers' heterogeneity is high and the proportion of the fixed cost in the total cost is low. On the other hand, if the degree of consumers' heterogeneity is low and the fixed cost is high, it is better to adopt the mass marketing strategy or the cost leadership strategy. The strategy of concentrating on a single target market will be effective when consumers' needs are highly heterogeneous but the fixed cost is high. Any of the three types of generic strategies proposed my Porter(1980, 1985) can be applied when both the consumers' heterogeneity and the fixed cost are low. This study also proposes the contribution-margin-based method for developing the optimal pricing strategy. Conclusions - One of the primary roles of marketers is to find a proper compromise between the two conflicting goals of maximizing customer satisfaction and minimizing cost. In order to do so, he or she should understand the characteristics of the target customers as well as the cost structure of the firm. In addition to the theoretical analyses, this study discusses several business cases and explains how superior companies find the optimal compromise position between these two goals and dominate the market. One of the radical changes recently taking place in business arena is the reduction of production and distribution costs of both physical goods and information due to the advancement and the wide diffusion of information technology. The cost reduction combined with lowered priced elasticity incurred by customized products and services, will enable many firms to adopt the mass customization strategy.

• Journal of Distribution Science
• /
• v.13 no.8
• /
• pp.61-71
• /
• 2015

Purpose - Before the year 2000, the housing prices in Korea were increasing every decade. After 2000, for the first time, Korea experienced a decrease in housing prices, and the repetitive cycle of price fluctuation started. Such a "boom and bust cycle" is a worldwide phenomenon. The current study proposes a mathematical model to explain price fluctuation cycles based on the theory of consumer psychology. Specifically, the model incorporates the effects of buyer expectations of future prices on actual price changes. Based on the model, this study investigates various independent variables affecting the amplitude of price fluctuations in housing markets. Research design, data, and methodology - The study provides theoretical analyses based on a mathematical model. The proposed model uses the following assumptions of the pricing mechanism in housing markets. First, the price of a house at a certain time is affected not only by its current price but also by its expected future price. Second, house investors or buyers cannot predict the exact future price but make a subjective prediction based on observed price changes up to the present. Third, the price is determined by demand changes made in previous time periods. The current study tries to explain the boom-bust cycle in housing markets with a mathematical model and several numerical examples. The model illustrates the effects of consumer price elasticity, consumer sensitivity to price changes, and the sensitivity of prices to demand changes on price fluctuation. Results - The analytical results imply that even without external effects, the boom-bust cycle can occur endogenously due to buyer psychological factors. The model supports the expectation of future price direction as the most important variable causing price fluctuation in housing market. Consumer tendency for making choices based on both the current and expected future price causes repetitive boom-bust cycles in housing markets. Such consumers who respond more sensitively to price changes are shown to make the market more volatile. Consumer price elasticity is shown to be irrelevant to price fluctuations. Conclusions - The mechanism of price fluctuation in the proposed model can be summarized as follows. If a certain external shock causes an initial price increase, consumers perceive it as an ongoing increasing price trend. If the demand increases due to the higher expected price, the price goes up further. However, too high a price cannot be sustained for long, thus the increasing price trend ceases at some point. Once the market loses the momentum of a price increase, the price starts to drop. A price decrease signals a further decrease in a future price, thus the demand decreases further. When the price is perceived as low enough, the direction of the price change is reversed again. Policy makers should be cognizant that the current increase in housing prices due to increased liquidity can pose a serious threat of a sudden price decrease in housing markets.

• ETRI Journal
• /
• v.7 no.3
• /
• pp.35-41
• /
• 1985

The objective of this study is to estimate the price elasticity of demand for telephone use in Korea. This paper provides a comprehensive review of the existing empirical study and establishes the econometric demand estimation model applicable to Korean telephone service. By this model, the price elasticities of demand in local and toll uses are estimated and their implications are discussed.

• Journal of the Korean Society of Tobacco Science
• /
• v.27 no.2
• /
• pp.235-243
• /
• 2005

The government continuously increases cigarette price to reduce the smoking rates. Opinions of cigarette makers and Ministry of Health and Welfare on the effect of cigarette price hike are sharply opposed. This dispute is important because there is possibility of additional increase of cigarette price by 500 won. Therefore, as an inquiry into existing studies for the effect of cigarette price hike on tobacco product, namely analysis of the effect of cigarette price hike consumption, we empirically analyzed the effect of cigarette excise tax hike through establishing improved analytic models considering time trend. As a result, it is substantiated that time trend in the effect of cigarette excise tax hike is certainly exist and early impact is heavy. However, the amount of cigarette consumption is recovered to the level of the average in 5 months. Since it is proved that the long term effect of cigarette price hike is immaterial, health authority should reconsider the plan of additional raising cigarette price by 500 won.

• Journal of the Korean Society of Clothing and Textiles
• /
• v.38 no.1
• /
• pp.33-45
• /
• 2014

This study investigates urban household consumption patterns for clothing items in different income cohorts through the analysis of an Almost Ideal Demand System (AIDS) model. Korea quarterly time-series statistics data for urban household expenditures from 1990 to 2013 analyzed household demand. The price and total consumption expenditure elasticities of 4 clothing items (outer wear, shoes, clothing related services and other miscellaneous clothing) for 7 income cohorts were estimated to investigate the clothing consumption patterns of different income cohorts. The study results show that the different household income cohorts have different consumption patterns for clothing items. The elastic demand of total consumption expenditures in the lowest household income cohort suggests that they consume clothing items as luxuries while other households mostly consume them as necessities. The price elasticity for all household income cohorts and clothing items (except the highest household income cohort and outer wear) was found to be elastic. The highest household income cohort had an inelastic price demand for all clothing items that implied a less sensitive clothing consumption change for the clothing price change than other households.

• Proceedings of the KIEE Conference
• /
• 2005.11b
• /
• pp.168-170
• /
• 2005

At present Cournot model is one of the most commonly used theories to analyze the gaming situation in oligopoly market. But there exist several problems to apply this model to electricity market. The representative one is to obtain the inverse demand curve able to be induced from the relationship between market price and demand response. In Cournot model, each player offers their generation quantity to accomplish maximum profit, which is accomplished by reducing their quantity compared with available total capacity. As stated above, to obtain the probable Cournot equilibrium to reflect real market situation, we have to induce the correct demand function first of all. Usually the correlation between price and demand appears on the long-term basis through the statistical data analysis (for example, regression analysis) or by investigating consumer utility functions of several consumer groups classified as residential, industrial, and commercial. However, the elasticity has a tendency to change continuously according to the total market demand size or the level of market price. Therefore it should be updated as trading period passes by. In this paper we propose a method for inducing and updating this price elasticity of demand function for more realistic market equilibrium

• International Commerce and Information Review
• /
• v.14 no.4
• /
• pp.517-541
• /
• 2012

Since the Korea-Chile FTA in 2003, eight FTAs are now in force including Korea-EU and Korea-US FTA. The government anticipate that FTAs increase the GDP of Korea. Government-related research institutes officially reports the positive economic impact in Korea. However, the report does not show that how much Busan economy is affected by the FTAs. For this reason, we study the economic effects of FTAs in Busan. We compare the trade statistics before and after the time each FTA is in force. The resulting figures show that the exports and trades of Busan with the FTA nations increased significantly after the enforcement. For example, the exports to Chile increased by 273% when we compare the three-year average trade. We also construct an econometrics model to estimate the price elasticity. The estimated elasticity of exports for manufactured goods is 1.38 while that of imports is 0.83. Among the manufacturing industry, machinery has the highest price elasticity, 1.8. The average tariff for manufactured goods is 3.9% for FTA nations, while that is 5.8% for Busan. This higher price fall in Busan is offset by the lower price elasticity to make Busan's export increase be greater than Busan's import increase. Busan's export increases by 4.8% while import increases by 3.7%. So, it is expected to be added to the annual trade surplus of approximately $107million.