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Demand Uncertainty And Resale Price Maintenance

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  • D FLATH
  • T NARIU*

Abstract

When retailers must commit to shipment quantities prior to resolution of demand uncertainty, manufacturer stipulation of a minimum retail price is likely to be profitable for the manufacturer and not damaging to the retailers. The reason is simple: if demand turns out to be low, the unfettered market‐clearing price can lie below the price that maximizes total sales revenue. A minimum retail price that is binding in the low‐demand state can thus increase total revenue even though it saddles retailers with unsold merchandise. The ubiquity of full reimbursement for returns in Japan, even though it is in theory merely a second‐best way of achieving minimum retail price stipulations, reveals important aspects of manufacturer maintenance of retail prices having to do with enforcement problems, the allocation of risk‐bearing, and economic incentives. These aspects of resale price maintenance (RPM) are relevant to the normative evaluation of the special exemptions for RPM that Japan's Fair Trade Commission has long maintained but is now phasing out.

Suggested Citation

  • D Flath & T Nariu*, 2000. "Demand Uncertainty And Resale Price Maintenance," Contemporary Economic Policy, Western Economic Association International, vol. 18(4), pages 397-403, October.
  • Handle: RePEc:bla:coecpo:v:18:y:2000:i:4:p:397-403
    DOI: 10.1111/j.1465-7287.2000.tb00036.x
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    References listed on IDEAS

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    1. Jean Tirole, 1988. "The Theory of Industrial Organization," MIT Press Books, The MIT Press, edition 1, volume 1, number 0262200716, December.
    2. Butz, David A, 1997. "Vertical Price Controls with Uncertain Demand," Journal of Law and Economics, University of Chicago Press, vol. 40(2), pages 433-459, October.
    3. Marvel, Howard P & Peck, James, 1995. "Demand Uncertainty and Returns Policies," International Economic Review, Department of Economics, University of Pennsylvania and Osaka University Institute of Social and Economic Research Association, vol. 36(3), pages 691-714, August.
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    Cited by:

    1. Haresh Gurnani & Yi Xu, 2006. "Resale price maintenance contracts with retailer sales effort: Effect of flexibility and competition," Naval Research Logistics (NRL), John Wiley & Sons, vol. 53(5), pages 448-463, August.
    2. Tatsuhiko Nariu & David Flath & Atsuo Utaka, 2012. "Returns System With Rebates," International Economic Review, Department of Economics, University of Pennsylvania and Osaka University Institute of Social and Economic Research Association, vol. 53(4), pages 1243-1256, November.
    3. Kenji, Matsui, 2011. "Resale price maintenance for supply chains distributing products with demand uncertainty," International Journal of Production Economics, Elsevier, vol. 134(2), pages 375-387, December.
    4. A H L Lau & H-S Lau & J-C Wang, 2007. "Some properties of buyback and other related schemes in a newsvendor-product supply chain with price-sensitive demand," Journal of the Operational Research Society, Palgrave Macmillan;The OR Society, vol. 58(4), pages 491-504, April.
    5. Lau, Amy Hing Ling & Lau, Hon-Shiang & Zhou, Yong-Wu, 2007. "A stochastic and asymmetric-information framework for a dominant-manufacturer supply chain," European Journal of Operational Research, Elsevier, vol. 176(1), pages 295-316, January.
    6. Cindi Fleshman & Jonathan Willner, 2005. "Accounting For Social Costs Associated With Resale Price Maintenance," Contemporary Economic Policy, Western Economic Association International, vol. 23(3), pages 429-435, July.
    7. Shailender Singh & Chen Guan-Ru, 2020. "Modeling variations in price inertia under demand uncertainty," Journal of Revenue and Pricing Management, Palgrave Macmillan, vol. 19(1), pages 26-42, February.
    8. Matsui, Kenji, 2010. "Returns policy, new model introduction, and consumer welfare," International Journal of Production Economics, Elsevier, vol. 124(2), pages 299-309, April.
    9. Nariu Tatsuhiko & Flath David, 2005. "Vertical Control of Cournot Wholesalers in Spatial Competition: Exclusive Territories? Or Maximum Retail Price Stipulations?," Review of Marketing Science, De Gruyter, vol. 3(1), pages 1-20, July.

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