When Should a Firm Open its Source Code: A Strategic Analysis

Deciding to open the source code of a software product has advantages and disadvantages. The disadvantage is that the firm loses the revenue from the software. The advantage is that the users' network can contribute to the quality of the software code, which increases the demand for the software and for a complementary product. Demand for the complementary product also goes up, because demand for a product increases when the price of its complement decreases, and under open source, the price of the software product drops down to zero. This paper examines the strategic interactions at work here, within a duopoly framework, and tries to determine the circumstances under which it is optimal for a firm to open its code. We find that firms open the source code when there is a competitive software‐product market, a less competitive complementary‐product market, and when the complementary product is of high quality. Furthermore, it is more profitable for the firm to open the source code if its competitor also does so. When this happens the incentive to open the code can even be higher than in a monopoly situation. More intense competition induces symmetric equilibria in which both firms choose the same strategy.     

Divide and Conquer: Competing with Free Technology Under Network Effects

We study how a commercial firm competes with a free open source product. The market consists of two customer segments with different preferences and is characterized by positive network effects. The commercial firm makes product and pricing decisions to maximize its profit. The open source developers make product decisions to maximize the weighted sum of the segments' consumer surplus, in addition to their intrinsic motivation. The more importance open source developers attach to consumer surplus, the more effort they put into developing software features. Even if consumers do not end up adopting the open source product, it can act as a credible threat to the commercial firm, forcing the firm to lower its prices. If the open source developers' intrinsic motivation is high enough, they will develop software regardless of eventual market dynamics. If the open source product is available first, all participants are better off when the commercial and open source products are compatible. However, if the commercial firm can enter the market first, it can increase its profits and gain market share by being incompatible with its open source competitor, even if customers can later switch at zero cost. This first‐mover advantage does not arise because users are “locked in,” but because the commercial firm deploys a “divide and conquer” strategy to attract early adopters and exploit late adopters. To capitalize on its first‐mover advantage, the commercial firm must increase its development investment to improve its product features.     

Seeking Closure: Competition in Complementary Markets*

When offering a product that has a complementary product in a different market, a firm must consider the interdependence between the complementary products as well as the competition within markets. If the firm participates in both markets, the balancing act becomes even more challenging. This article provides insights about strategies in this latter setting: when should the firm seek to keep its products closed to competing complementary products, and when would the firm be better off by accepting a common standard? To address these questions, we employ standard game theoretic analysis to a simple spatial model that captures aspects of both intermarket externalities and intramarket competition. We find that if a firm participates in both markets and chooses a closed standard, it achieves lower profits compared to an open standard, but gains greater market share. Surprisingly, we find that customers are better off when standards are kept closed.     

两阶段软件发布管理中的最优质量与定价——顾客需求不确定条件下的分析

软件厂商广泛采用多阶段产品发布策略应对不确定的顾客需求。为了研究需求不确定性对厂商决策的影响,构建了一个两阶段框架:垄断厂商在第一阶段向异质顾客推出质量较低的产品,通过产品的使用,将不确定的顾客需求变得更为明确,然后在第二阶段推出升级产品满足这些需求。将厂商的决策定义为受需求不确定性影响的最优化模型,将第一阶段的质量与两个阶段的定价作为决策变量,分析厂商在需求不确定条件下的最优决策。数值实验表明,需求不确定性越大,第一阶段的质量和两个阶段的定价越低。当需求不确定性非常大,且负口碑效应强度超过正口碑效应强度时,厂商在第一阶段就不应该推出软件产品。本文为信息商品领域内的厂商在不能准确把握顾客需求时的决策提供支持。     

产品异质条件下排污权交易市场支配力对系统均衡的影响研究

日趋臻显的行业细分趋势和显著的外向型经济发展特点等在很大程度上决定了我国区域排污权交易系统内不存在显著的产品竞争。鉴于此,在产品异质条件下,通过考虑产成品市场与排污权交易市场之间的关联影响,首先从理论层面分析了社会最优的排污权配置状态;进而,构建了主导企业与从属企业之间的主从博弈模型,通过分析特定排污权市场价格下从属企业的最优行为特征,深入剖析了主导企业的策略性行为及其对系统均衡的影响。结果表明：市场支配力对系统均衡的影响具有多样性与复杂性;特别是,为了获取更大的额外收益,主导企业存在作为卖家时选择"溢价"与作为买家时"抑价"两种排污权价格操纵形式,并不可避免地导致系统均衡与社会最优配置状态的偏离,而从属企业却会蒙受巨大损失;其中,初始排污权禀赋是影响主导企业最优决策的重要因素。最后,通过量化分析对结论进行了验证,并细致展现了主导企业产污系数和治污成本等变动对系统均衡的影响。     

A game-theoretic model for co-promotions: Choosing a complementary versus an independent product ally

This paper studies the optimal choice of promotional partners in a three-firm market where two firms sell complementary products and a third firm sells an independent product. Game-theoretic models are developed to investigate the following scenarios: no promotional partnership, partnership between the two complementary products, partnership between a complementary product and the independent product, and partnership between the three products. Equilibrium Nash solutions are obtained and conditions under which each of the four scenarios above can be implemented are identified. Results show that these conditions depend on various parameters, mainly the degree of product complementarity, the effectiveness of individual promotion, the effectiveness of joint promotion, and the base demand for each product. Commonly, a partnership between a complementary product and the independent product is optimal when the price effect of the complementary product is large, while the partnership between the two complementary products is more appealing when the effect of individual promotion is large enough. When feasible, a promotional partnership between the three products is preferred, except in some specified conditions.     

Replacement Decisions for Potentially Hazardous Substances

As public awareness of environmental hazards increases, a growing concern for corporations is the potential negative environmental impact of their products and the chemicals these products contain. In this study, we analyze the optimal decisions of a firm when a substance within its product is identified as potentially hazardous. Although the substance is not currently regulated, regulation may occur in the future. Therefore, the firm must devise a strategy for the development and implementation of a replacement substance. In an environment where replacement costs can be millions of dollars, regulation is uncertain, and both consumer and non‐governmental organization pressures exist, a carefully developed plan that balances costs and risks is critical for a firm. Our results demonstrate that as long as a threat of regulation exists, a firm should always dedicate resources toward developing a replacement substance. However, it is not always optimal for a firm to implement a developed replacement. Regarding competitive dynamics, we find that competition between firms can offset a low chance of a shift in consumer perception about a substance and compel firms to replace; however, competition can lead to inefficient outcomes in which firms incur avoidable costs to implement ahead of potential regulation.     

Quality Provision with Heterogeneous Consumer Reservation Utilities

This study examines a firm's quality and price decisions when consumers differ not only in their willingness‐to‐pay for quality but also in their reservation utility for the basic product. We find that while the firm offers lower‐quality products when consumers' valuations for quality deteriorate, the optimal quality may increase with a negative shift in consumers' reservation utilities. We also investigate the optimal price and quality of the products within a vertically differentiated product line when the number of products is exogenously given. The existing literature shows that when consumers differ only in their willingness‐to‐pay for quality, the firm sets the efficient quality for consumers with the highest valuation for quality, whereas the concern for cannibalization pushes down the quality of inferior products. We find that when consumers are heterogeneous in both their reservation utility and valuation for quality, the concern for cannibalization may distort the quality upwards, even for consumers with the highest willingness‐to‐pay for quality. In addition, a low‐quality product may enjoy a higher profit margin than a high‐quality product within the product line.     

免费商品对互补产品扩散的影响

本文基于互补产品扩散模型,在考虑价格策略以及重复购买与批量购买的消费者行为下,建立了免费商品赠送对互补产品扩散影响的优化模型群。通过模拟计算,分析结果表明免费商品的赠送对互补产品的扩散有促进作用,同时赠送互补产品优于仅赠送其中一种产品。在产品引入前进行免费商品赠送的边际效应要高于在其他时期赠送,形成"首期赠送效应"。当消费者有批量购买行为时,企业值得赠送更多的免费商品来提高消费者对产品的了解程度,以获得更高的利润。在对首期赠送水平的参数灵敏度分析后,给出了扩散过程中各个参数选取对于赠样水平的影响趋势与范围。在此基础上,为企业在实际促销决策中给出了具体的应用步骤。     

基于消费者损失效用的概率销售策略研究

随着网络信息技术的迅猛发展,概率销售作为一种新颖的销售策略广泛应用于旅游业。在双寡头销售商竞争销售背景下,两销售商分别向损失中性和损失厌恶型消费者销售高档产品和概率产品(中低档产品打包成概率产品)。本文首先运用博弈方法建立了损失中性下的概率销售模型,揭示了产品质量对销售商策略的影响。考虑到消费者在购买概率产品后存在期望损失,我们进一步构建了损失厌恶下的概率销售模型,研究了期望损失对概率销售策略的影响。研究表明期望损失为概率销售商实施概率销售提供了可能性,同时可以增加概率销售商的利润,但可能会损害其竞争者的利益;销售商是否采用概率销售策略主要取决于消费者对购买损失和选择损失的敏感度。最后给出了数值应用结果及管理学启示。     

Segmentation Opportunities for a Social Planner: Impact of Limited Resources

In this research note, we investigate segmentation opportunities for social planners such as government agencies, nonprofits, and public organizations. These opportunities arise when the potential products are vertically (quality) differentiated and the consumers are heterogeneous in their preferences toward quality. In these cases, whether to offer quality differentiated products and what quality level to choose are important decisions for a social planner. In this research note, we identify the conditions where it is socially optimal to offer either one homogenous or two quality differentiated products. We find that the resource limitations may result in a single product offering and that the quality of the product depends on the maximum surplus per unit resource consumed by the products. We also compare our findings to a profit‐maximizing firm. We find that the resource limitations may cause a profit‐maximizing firm to provide a better service to some consumers than the social planner. Contrary to common wisdom, we also show that the capacity limitations may force the social planner to act like a profit‐maximizing firm in terms of its pricing and product mix choice.     

How Should a Firm Manage Deteriorating Inventory?

Firms selling goods whose quality level deteriorates over time often face difficult decisions when unsold inventory remains. Since the leftover product is often perceived to be of lower quality than the new product, carrying it over offers the firm a second selling opportunity, a product line extension to new and unsold units, and the ability to price discriminate. By doing so, however, the firm subjects sales of its new product to competition from the leftover product. We present a two period model that captures the effect of this competition on the firm's production and pricing decisions. We characterize the firm's optimal strategy and find conditions under which the firm is better off carrying all, some, or none of its leftover inventory. We also show that, compared to a firm that acts myopically in the first period, a firm that takes into account the effect of first period decisions on second period profits will price its new product higher and stock more of it in the first period. Thus, the benefit of having a second selling opportunity dominates the detrimental effect of cannibalizing sales of the second period new product.     

消费者异质性下供应链互补产品销售策略选择及其定价研究

基于消费者对互补品消费习性存在的异质性,对互补品消费市场进行细分,并在上游两个制造商分别提供具有互补特性的产品,下游一个销售商同时销售这两种产品的供应链环境下研究定价均衡。根据不同目标市场选择,识别出全市场覆盖以及聚焦细分市场两种销售策略,分别对两种营销策略下的供应链产品定价进行讨论,并通过模型求解分别得到两种策略下的均衡,讨论了两个均衡解存在的条件,讨论了均衡定价随产品互补程度以及互补品相对效用比的变化情况,以及销售商在不同情形下选择的定价策略。结果表明,当互补品相对效用差异不大,且互补程度不大的时候,渠道内形成第一个定价均衡;当产品间相对效用差异大,且互补程度足够大的时候,渠道内形成第二个定价均衡。     

面向网络营销企业的营销信号选择博弈分析

如何通过营销信号来降低电子市场逆向选择风险是影响网络营销企业业绩的重要因素.本文以两家企业垄断市场为例,建立了企业信号传递博弈模型.通过对分离均衡与混同均衡存在条件的分析,讨论了信号传递成本以及不同消费者群体所占比例对企业营销信号决策的影响.分析结果有助于网络营销企业在电子市场中选择营销信号.     

The Effect of Competition on Recovery Strategies

Manufacturers often face a choice of whether to recover the value in their end‐of‐life products through remanufacturing. In many cases, firms choose not to remanufacture, as they are (rightly) concerned that the remanufactured product will cannibalize sales of the higher‐margin new product. However, such a strategy may backfire for manufacturers operating in industries where their end‐of‐life products (cell phones, tires, computers, automotive parts, etc.) are attractive to third‐party remanufacturers, who may seriously cannibalize sales of the original manufacturer. In this paper, we develop models to support a manufacturer's recovery strategy in the face of a competitive threat on the remanufactured product market. We first analyze the competition between new and remanufactured products produced by a monopolist manufacturer and identify conditions under which the firm would choose not to remanufacture its products. We then characterize the potential profit loss due to external remanufacturing competition and analyze two entry‐deterrent strategies: remanufacturing and preemptive collection. We find that a firm may choose to remanufacture or preemptively collect its used products to deter entry, even when the firm would not have chosen to do so under a pure monopoly environment. Finally, we discuss conditions under which each strategy is more beneficial.     

The Economics of Public Beta Testing

A growing number of software firms now rely on public beta testing to improve the quality of their products before commercial release. While the benefits resulting from improved software reliability are well recognized, some important market‐related benefits have not been studied. Through word‐of‐mouth, public beta testers can accelerate the diffusion of a software product after its release. Additionally, because of network effects, public beta testers can increase users’ valuation of a product. In this study, we consider both reliability‐related and market‐related benefits, and develop models to determine the optimal number of public beta testers and the optimal duration of testing. Our analyses show that public beta testing can be profitable even if word‐of‐mouth and network effects are the only benefits. Furthermore, when both benefits are considered, there is significant “economies of scope”—the net profit increases at a faster rate when both word‐of‐mouth and network effects are significant than when only one benefit is present. Finally, our sensitivity analyses demonstrate that public beta testing remains highly valuable to software firms over a wide range of testing and market conditions. In particular, firms will realize greater profits when recruiting public beta testers who are interested in the software but unable to afford it.     

The Design and Introduction of Product Lines When Consumer Valuations are Uncertain

This article presents a model of the design and introduction of a product line when the firm is uncertain about consumer valuations for the products. We find that product line introduction strategy depends on this uncertainty. Specifically, under low levels of uncertainty the firm introduces both models during the first period; under higher levels of uncertainty, the firm prefers sequential introduction and delays design of the second product until the second period. Under intermediate levels of uncertainty the firm's first product should be of lower quality than one produced by a myopic firm that does not take product line effects into consideration. We find that when the firm introduces a product sequentially, the strategy might depend on realized demand. For example, if realized demand is high, the firm's second product should be a higher‐end model; if demand turns out to be low, the firm's second product should be a lower‐end model or replace the first product with a lower‐end model.     

FROM BUYER TO INTEGRATOR: THE TRANSFORMATION OF THE SUPPLY‐CHAIN MANAGER IN THE VERTICALLY DISINTEGRATING FIRM

Using case study data, we describe how a large personal computer manufacturer changed its supply‐chain management strategy after outsourcing the majority of its design and manufacturing activities to a network of focused suppliers. To cope with this new structure, the firm created highly skilled generalists, “supply‐chain integrators,” who coordinate product development, marketing, production, and logistics from product concept to delivery across firm boundaries. We particularly focus on the skill‐set that characterizes these integrators. Finally, we use the case evidence, combined with previous theory, to suggest a specific program of research into coordinating product development across disaggregated supply chains.     

Coordinating Sales and Raw Material Discounts in a Global Supply Chain

In this paper, the supplier of a key component to a global manufacturer offers a one‐time price discount; we study the firm's optimal response to the discount under two different strategies. In the first strategy, the firm does not pass along the discount to its customers (sales subsidiaries); the firm simply coordinates purchasing and production among the different factories to take advantage of this one‐time price discount. In the second strategy, the firm offers price discounts for its most profitable products in different sales subsidiaries to increase their demand. We carried out experiments for the two strategies based on a mathematical programming model, built around Toshiba's global notebook supply chain. Model constraints include, among others, material constraints, bill‐of‐materials, capacity and transportation constraints, minimum lot size constraints, and a constraint on minimum fill rate (service level constraint). Unlike most models of this type in the literature, which define variables in terms of single arc flows, we employ path variables, which allow for direct identification and manipulation of profitable and non‐profitable products.     

Investment in Facility Changeover Flexibility for Early Entry into High‐Tech Markets

A model is introduced to analyze the manufacturing‐marketing interface for a firm in a high‐tech industry that produces a series of high‐volume products with short product life cycles on a single facility. The one‐time strategic decision regarding the firm's investment in changeover flexibility establishes the link between market opportunities and manufacturing capabilities. Specifically, the optimal changeover flexibility decision is determined in the context of the firm's market entry strategy for successive product generations, the changeover cost between generations, and the production efficiency of the facility. Moreover, the dynamic pricing policy for each product generation is obtained as a function of the firm's market entry strategy and manufacturing efficiency. Our findings provide insights linking internal manufacturing capabilities with external market forces for the high‐tech and high‐volume manufacturer of products with short life cycles. We show the impact of manufacturing efficiency and a firm's ability to benefit from volume‐based learning on the dynamic pricing policy for each product generation. The results demonstrate the benefits realized by a firm that works with its manufacturing equipment suppliers to develop more efficient and flexible technology. In addition, we explore how opportunities afforded by pioneer advantage enable a firm operating a less efficient facility to realize long term competitive advantage by deploying an earlier market entry strategy.