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Outsourcing Induced by Strategic Competition

Author

Listed:
  • Yutian Chen

    (Dept. of Economics, SUNY-Stony Brook)

  • Pradeep Dubey

    (Dept. of Economics, SUNY-Stony Brook)

  • Debapriya Sen

    (Dept. of Economics, SUNY-Stony Brook)

Abstract

We show that intermediate goods can be sourced to firms on the "outside" (that do not compete in the final product market), even when there are no economies of scale or cost advantages for these firms. What drives the phenomenon is that "inside" firms, by accepting such orders, incur the disadvantage of becoming Stackelberg followers in the ensuing competition to sell the final product. Thus they have incentive to quote high provider prices to ward off future competitors, driving the latter to source outside.

Suggested Citation

  • Yutian Chen & Pradeep Dubey & Debapriya Sen, 2006. "Outsourcing Induced by Strategic Competition," Cowles Foundation Discussion Papers 1589, Cowles Foundation for Research in Economics, Yale University.
    • Handle: RePEc:cwl:cwldpp:1589
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    File URL: https://cowles.yale.edu/sites/default/files/files/pub/d15/d1589.pdf
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    References listed on IDEAS

    as
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    12. Andrea Pierce & Debapriya Sen, 2014. "Outsourcing versus technology transfer: Hotelling meets Stackelberg," Journal of Economics, Springer, vol. 111(3), pages 263-287, April.
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    Full references (including those not matched with items on IDEAS)

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    Cited by:

    1. Chen, Yutian & Dubey, Pradeep & Sen, Debapriya, 2011. "Outsourcing induced by strategic competition," International Journal of Industrial Organization, Elsevier, vol. 29(4), pages 484-492, July.
    2. Yutian Chen, 2010. "Strategic Outsourcing between Rivals," Annals of Economics and Finance, Society for AEF, vol. 11(2), pages 301-311, November.
    3. Kabiraj, Tarun & Sinha, Uday Bhanu, 2016. "Strategic outsourcing with technology transfer under price competition," International Review of Economics & Finance, Elsevier, vol. 44(C), pages 281-290.
    4. Colombo, Stefano & Scrimitore, Marcella, 2018. "Managerial delegation under capacity commitment: A tale of two sources," Journal of Economic Behavior & Organization, Elsevier, vol. 150(C), pages 149-161.
    5. Tarun Kabiraj & Uday Bhanu Sinha, 2014. "Strategic Outsourcing with Technology Transfer under Cournot Competition," Economics Bulletin, AccessEcon, vol. 34(2), pages 1133-1140.
    6. Yutian Chen, 2011. "Strategic sourcing for entry deterrence and tacit collusion," Journal of Economics, Springer, vol. 102(2), pages 137-156, March.
    7. Yen-Ju Lin & Yan-Shu Lin & Kuang-I Tu, 2016. "Strategic input outsourcing and equilibrium location choice," The Annals of Regional Science, Springer;Western Regional Science Association, vol. 56(1), pages 83-99, January.
    8. Duan, Housheng & Deng, Sijing & Song, Haiqing & Xu, Jiayan, 2021. "The impacts of sales efforts and mode of payment on the competition between agent and retailer," Omega, Elsevier, vol. 103(C).
    9. Yen-Ju Lin & Yan-Shu Lin & Kuang-I Tu, 2016. "Strategic input outsourcing and equilibrium location choice," The Annals of Regional Science, Springer;Western Regional Science Association, vol. 56(1), pages 83-99, January.
    10. Andrea Pierce & Debapriya Sen, 2014. "Outsourcing versus technology transfer: Hotelling meets Stackelberg," Journal of Economics, Springer, vol. 111(3), pages 263-287, April.
    11. Tarun Kabiraj & Uday Bhanu Sinha, 2011. "Strategic Outsourcing with Technology Transfer," Working papers 203, Centre for Development Economics, Delhi School of Economics.
    12. Chrysovalantou Milliou, 2023. "Outsourcing without Cost Advantages," CESifo Working Paper Series 10645, CESifo.
    13. Ki‐Dong Lee & Kangsik Choi & DongJoon Lee, 2020. "Endogenous vertical structure and trade policy in an import‐competing market," Managerial and Decision Economics, John Wiley & Sons, Ltd., vol. 41(8), pages 1431-1445, December.
    14. Luciano Fanti & Marcella Scrimitore, 2017. "Hiring a manager or not? When asymmetric equilibria arise under outsourcing to a rival," Discussion Papers 2017/220, Dipartimento di Economia e Management (DEM), University of Pisa, Pisa, Italy.
    15. Yutian Chen & Debapriya Sen, 2015. "Strategic Outsourcing Under Economies Of Scale," Bulletin of Economic Research, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 67(2), pages 134-145, April.
    16. Qiaohai (Joice) Hu & Panos Kouvelis & Guang Xiao & Xiaomeng Guo, 2022. "Horizontal outsourcing and price competition: The role of sole sourcing commitment," Production and Operations Management, Production and Operations Management Society, vol. 31(8), pages 3198-3216, August.
    17. Alexei Alexandrov, 2013. "Effects of Joint Outsourcing on Consumer Welfare," International Journal of the Economics of Business, Taylor & Francis Journals, vol. 20(2), pages 187-202, July.
    18. Yi-Fan Chen & Alireza Naghavi & Shin-Kun Peng, 2021. "Learning by supplying and competition threat," Review of World Economics (Weltwirtschaftliches Archiv), Springer;Institut für Weltwirtschaft (Kiel Institute for the World Economy), vol. 157(1), pages 121-148, February.
    19. Chen Yutian & Sen Debapriya, 2012. "Outsourcing and Downstream R&D under Economies of Scale," The B.E. Journal of Theoretical Economics, De Gruyter, vol. 12(1), pages 1-33, September.

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    More about this item

    Keywords

    Intermediate goods; Outsourcing; Cournot duopoly; Stackelberg duopoly;
    All these keywords.

    JEL classification:

    • D41 - Microeconomics - - Market Structure, Pricing, and Design - - - Perfect Competition
    • L11 - Industrial Organization - - Market Structure, Firm Strategy, and Market Performance - - - Production, Pricing, and Market Structure; Size Distribution of Firms
    • L13 - Industrial Organization - - Market Structure, Firm Strategy, and Market Performance - - - Oligopoly and Other Imperfect Markets

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