When I was in grade school, fights would occasionally break out on the playground. The commencement of these fights was usually hard to predict: one boy would make a remark to another boy that he did not like, the words would become more heated and then a fight would erupt. Fortunately, these fights usually subsided quickly with no one hurt. Fights between firms can also occur. It is usually in firms’ interests to cooperate and keep prices high. Despite this, firms sometimes engage in ruinous price wars. Although often as unpredictable as schoolyard skirmishes, fights between firms are sometimes a bit more predictable. Here’s how.
Will Competition Work in Chinese Industries?
Can increased competition in Chinese industries help the country meet its goals for greater reforms? During last November’s Third Plenum, the party’s Central Committee unveiled a blueprint for reform to drive greater economic growth in China.[1] An important component of these reforms is an increase in market competition.While the Central Committee is perhaps thinking primarily of the […]
What a Difference a Word Makes
Does it make more sense to ‘beat’ or ‘meet’ your rival’s price? Last time I discussed a price war between China’s largest electronics retailers in which all three promised to price their home appliances below the other two. I explained how such a promise to “beat” any price offered by rivals resulted in a “death […]
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