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Economising, Strategising and the Decision to Outsource

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  • Leahy, Dermot
  • Montagna, Catia

Abstract

We study the make-or-buy decision of oligopolistic firms in an industry in which final good production requires specialised inputs. Firms’ mode of operation decision depends on both the incentive to economize on costs and on strategic considerations. We explore the strategic incentives to outsource and show that asymmetric equilibria emerge, with firms choosing different modes of operation, even when they are ex-ante identical. With ex-ante asymmetries, higher cost firms are more likely to outsource. We apply our model to a number of different international trading setups.

Suggested Citation

  • Leahy, Dermot & Montagna, Catia, 2011. "Economising, Strategising and the Decision to Outsource," SIRE Discussion Papers 2011-24, Scottish Institute for Research in Economics (SIRE).
    • Handle: RePEc:edn:sirdps:265
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    File URL: http://hdl.handle.net/10943/265
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    More about this item

    Keywords

    Outsourcing; Vertical Integration; Trade Liberalisation; Oligopoly;
    All these keywords.

    JEL classification:

    • F12 - International Economics - - Trade - - - Models of Trade with Imperfect Competition and Scale Economies; Fragmentation
    • L13 - Industrial Organization - - Market Structure, Firm Strategy, and Market Performance - - - Oligopoly and Other Imperfect Markets
    • L14 - Industrial Organization - - Market Structure, Firm Strategy, and Market Performance - - - Transactional Relationships; Contracts and Reputation

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