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Syverson, Chad - National Bureau of Economic Research (NBER) - 2010

Economists have shown that large and persistent differences in productivity levels across businesses are ubiquitous. This finding has shaped research agendas in a number of fields, including (but not limited to) macroeconomics, industrial organization, labor, and trade. This paper surveys and...

Persistent link: https://www.econbiz.de/10008627119

Analyzing Compensation Methods in Manufacturing: Piece Rates, Time Rates, or Gain-Sharing?

Helper, Susan; Kleiner, Morris M.; Wang, Yingchun - National Bureau of Economic Research (NBER) - 2010

Economists have often argued that "pay for performance" is the optimal compensation scheme. However, use of the … simplest form of pay for performance, the piece rate, has been in decline in manufacturing in recent decades. We show both … performance on easy-to-observe tasks, enhanced performance on hard-to-observe tasks, and improved firm profitability. Our analysis …

Persistent link: https://www.econbiz.de/10008727844

Who is Exposed to Gas Prices? How Gasoline Prices Affect Automobile Manufacturers and Dealerships

Knittel, Christopher R.; Busse, Meghan R.; Zettelmeyer, … - National Bureau of Economic Research (NBER) - 2012

Many consumers are keenly aware of gasoline prices, and consumer responses to gasoline prices have been well studied. In this paper, by contrast, we investigate how gasoline prices affect the automobile industry: manufacturers and dealerships. We estimate how changes in gasoline prices affect...

Persistent link: https://www.econbiz.de/10010652306

You Get a Book! Demand Spillovers, Combative Advertising, and Celebrity Endorsements

Garthwaite, Craig L. - National Bureau of Economic Research (NBER) - 2012

This paper studies the economic effects of endorsements. In the publishing sector, endorsements from the Oprah Winfrey Book Club are found to be a business stealing form of advertising that raises title level sales without increasing the market size. The endorsements decrease aggregate adult...

Persistent link: https://www.econbiz.de/10011188550

Entrepreneurship and Urban Growth: An Empirical Assessment with Historical Mines

Glaeser, Edward Ludwig; Kerr, Sari Pekkala; Kerr, William R. - National Bureau of Economic Research (NBER) - 2012

Measures of entrepreneurship, such as average establishment size and the prevalence of start-ups, correlate strongly with employment growth across and within metropolitan areas, but the endogeneity of these measures bedevils interpretation. Chinitz (1961) hypothesized that coal mines near...

Persistent link: https://www.econbiz.de/10010821933

Scale and Scope Economies in the Global Advertising and Marketing Services Business

Silk, Alvin J.; Berndt, Ernst R. - National Bureau of Economic Research (NBER) - 2003

We assess size and scope-related economies in the global advertising and marketing services business. A translog cost function is employed wherein a firm's costs vary according to its scale and two dimensions of the scope of its operations. Parameters of the model are estimated via three stage...

Persistent link: https://www.econbiz.de/10005777324

Entrant Experience and Plant Exit

Dunne, Timothy; Klimek, Shawn D.; Roberts, Mark J. - National Bureau of Economic Research (NBER) - 2003

Producers entering a market can differ widely in their prior production experience, ranging from none to extensive experience in related geographic or product markets. In this paper, we quantify the nature of prior plant and firm experience for entrants into a market and measure its effect on...

Persistent link: https://www.econbiz.de/10005778535

Cementing Relationships: Vertical Integration, Foreclosure, Productivity, and Prices

Syverson, Chad; Hortacsu, Ali - National Bureau of Economic Research (NBER) - 2007

This paper empirically investigates the possible market power effects of vertical integration proposed in the theoretical literature on vertical foreclosure. It uses a rich data set of cement and ready-mixed concrete plants that spans several decades to perform a detailed case study. There is...

Persistent link: https://www.econbiz.de/10005084700

Firms in International Trade

Jensen, J. Bradford; Redding, Stephen James; Schott, … - National Bureau of Economic Research (NBER) - 2007

Despite the fact that importing and exporting are extremely rare firm activities, economists generally devote little attention to the role of firms when discussing international trade. This paper summarizes key differences between trading and non-trading firms, demonstrates how these differences...

Persistent link: https://www.econbiz.de/10005085327

Understanding Strategic Bidding in Restructured Electricity Markets: A Case Study of ERCOT

Puller, Steven L.; Hortacsu, Ali - National Bureau of Economic Research (NBER) - 2005

We examine the bidding behavior of firms competing on ERCOT, the hourly electricity balancing market in Texas. We characterize an equilibrium model of bidding into this uniform-price divisible-good auction market. Using detailed firm-level data on bids and marginal costs of generation, we find...

Persistent link: https://www.econbiz.de/10005078617