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Multimarket Competition, Consumer Search, and the Organizational Structure of Multiunit Firms

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  • Myong-Hun Chang

    (Department of Economics, Cleveland State University, Cleveland, Ohio 44115)

  • Joseph E. Harrington, Jr

    (Department of Economics, Johns Hopkins University, Baltimore, Maryland 21218)

Abstract

This research explores how market competition influences a firm's optimal organizational structure. For this purpose, a computational model of competing multiunit firms is developed in which unit managers and corporate staff continually search for better practices, while consumers search among units to find a better match. Organizational structure impacts both the practices at the unit level and the extent of knowledge transfer. An increasing returns mechanism is identified, which results in the relative performance of the centralized form being greater when competition is more intense.

Suggested Citation

  • Myong-Hun Chang & Joseph E. Harrington, Jr, 2003. "Multimarket Competition, Consumer Search, and the Organizational Structure of Multiunit Firms," Management Science, INFORMS, vol. 49(4), pages 541-552, April.
    • Handle: RePEc:inm:ormnsc:v:49:y:2003:i:4:p:541-552
    DOI: 10.1287/mnsc.49.4.541.14426
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    References listed on IDEAS

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    1. Myong-Hun Chang & Joseph E. Harrington, 2000. "Centralization vs. Decentralization in a Multi-Unit Organization: A Computational Model of a Retail Chain as a Multi-Agent Adaptive System," Management Science, INFORMS, vol. 46(11), pages 1427-1440, November.
    2. repec:ner:ucllon:http://discovery.ucl.ac.uk/17678/ is not listed on IDEAS
    3. Aghion, Philippe & Tirole, Jean, 1997. "Formal and Real Authority in Organizations," Journal of Political Economy, University of Chicago Press, vol. 105(1), pages 1-29, February.
    4. James G. March, 1991. "Exploration and Exploitation in Organizational Learning," Organization Science, INFORMS, vol. 2(1), pages 71-87, February.
    5. Myong-Hun Chang & Joseph E Harrington, 2000. "Organization of Innovation in a Multi-Unit Firm: Coordinating Adaptive Search on Multiple Rugged Landscapes," Economics Working Paper Archive 442, The Johns Hopkins University,Department of Economics.
    Full references (including those not matched with items on IDEAS)

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    Cited by:

    1. Chang, Myong-Hun & Harrington, Joseph Jr., 2006. "Agent-Based Models of Organizations," Handbook of Computational Economics, in: Leigh Tesfatsion & Kenneth L. Judd (ed.), Handbook of Computational Economics, edition 1, volume 2, chapter 26, pages 1273-1337, Elsevier.
    2. Pei, Zhi & Paswan, Audhesh & Yan, Ruiliang, 2014. "E-tailer׳s return policy, consumer׳s perception of return policy fairness and purchase intention," Journal of Retailing and Consumer Services, Elsevier, vol. 21(3), pages 249-257.
    3. Lucio Biggiero & Enrico Sevi, 2009. "Opportunism by cheating and its effects on industry profitability. The CIOPS model," Computational and Mathematical Organization Theory, Springer, vol. 15(3), pages 191-236, September.
    4. Nicolai J. Foss & Kenneth Husted & Snejina Michailova, 2010. "Governing Knowledge Sharing in Organizations: Levels of Analysis, Governance Mechanisms, and Research Directions," Journal of Management Studies, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 47(3), pages 455-482, May.
    5. Jason Barr & Nobuyuki Hanaki, 2008. "Organizations undertaking complex projects in uncertain environments," Journal of Economic Interaction and Coordination, Springer;Society for Economic Science with Heterogeneous Interacting Agents, vol. 3(2), pages 119-135, December.
    6. Nobuyuki Hanaki & Jason Barr, 2005. "Firm Structure, Search and Environmental Complexity," Computing in Economics and Finance 2005 222, Society for Computational Economics.
    7. Konur, Dinçer & Geunes, Joseph, 2016. "Supplier wholesale pricing for a retail chain: Implications of centralized vs. decentralized retailing and procurement under quantity competition," Omega, Elsevier, vol. 65(C), pages 98-110.
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    10. Meagher, Kieron J. & Wong, Arlene & Zauner, Klaus G., 2020. "A competitive analysis of fail fast: Shakeout and uncertainty about consumer tastes," Journal of Economic Behavior & Organization, Elsevier, vol. 177(C), pages 589-600.
    11. Dong, Ciwei & Chen, Chenyi & Shi, Xiutian & Ng, Chi To, 2021. "Operations strategy for supply chain finance with asset-backed securitization: Centralization and blockchain adoption," International Journal of Production Economics, Elsevier, vol. 241(C).
    12. Linda Argote & Bill McEvily & Ray Reagans, 2003. "Managing Knowledge in Organizations: An Integrative Framework and Review of Emerging Themes," Management Science, INFORMS, vol. 49(4), pages 571-582, April.
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    14. Muge Ozman & Andrew Parker, 2023. "The effect of social networks, organizational coordination structures, and knowledge heterogeneity on knowledge transfer and aggregation," Journal of Evolutionary Economics, Springer, vol. 33(2), pages 249-278, April.

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