THEORIES AND REALITIES OF QUANTITY DISCOUNTS: AN EXPLORATORY STUDY

This paper compares and contrasts the current state of the art in the theory of quantity discounts with a field study of 39 firms. We start by categorizing and tabulating the literature pertaining to quantity discounts, and by summarizing the various studies and models according to their perspectives, assumptions, and characteristics. Next we describe current trends in industry with respect to the reasons why firms offer quantity discounts, the characteristics of discount schedules, and the effect of quantity discounts on the extent of centralized purchasing, number of suppliers, and just-in-time delivery. Finally, we identify a number of fruitful directions for future research.     

IN DEFENSE OF THE FINANCE CONSTRAINT

Simple models of monetary trade commonly impose a finance constraint on expenditure. It is often suggested that this finance constraint is artificial - a result of money's being the only asset, of the absence of credit, and of the special time structure of such models. This paper shows that the finance constraint on aggregate expenditure remains in force when other assets and credit are introduced and when the time structure is generalized to allow overlapping income periods of differing lengths. Most of the objections to the finance constraint are shown to involve fallacies of composition.
There are economists to whom a constraint of the form pc < M (in units $/t < $) must appear unthinkable. R. E. Lucas, Jr. (1980)