Arbeitspapier

Product Pricing when Demand Follows a Rule of Thumb

We analyze the strategic behavior of firms when demand is determined by a rule of thumb behavior of consumers. We assume consumer dynamics where individual consumers follow simple behavioral decision rules governed by imitation and habit as suggested in consumer research. On this basis, we investigate monopoly and competition between firms, described via an open-loop differential game which in this setting is equivalent to but analytically more convenient than a closed-loop system. We derive a Nash equilibrium and examine the influence of advertising. We show for the monopoly case that a reduction of the space of all price paths in time to the space of time-constant prices is sensible since the latter in general contains Nash equilibria. We prove that the equilibrium price of the weakest active firm tends to marginal cost as the number of (non-identical) firms grows. Our model is consistent with observed market behavior such as product life cycles.

Sprache
Englisch

Erschienen in
Series: Bonn Econ Discussion Papers ; No. 3/2009

Klassifikation
Wirtschaft
Optimization Techniques; Programming Models; Dynamic Analysis
Existence and Stability Conditions of Equilibrium
Game Theory and Bargaining Theory: Other
Production, Pricing, and Market Structure; Size Distribution of Firms
Business Objectives of the Firm
Marketing
Advertising
Thema
Bounded rationality
social learning
population game
differential game
product life cycle
monopoly
competition
pricing
advertising
Preistheorie
Marktstruktur
Wettbewerb
Betriebliche Preispolitik
Werbung
Spieltheorie
Produktlebenszyklus
Konsumtheorie
Beschränkte Rationalität
Lernprozess
Theorie

Ereignis
Geistige Schöpfung
(wer)
Matzke, Christina
Wirth, Benedikt
Ereignis
Veröffentlichung
(wer)
University of Bonn, Bonn Graduate School of Economics (BGSE)
(wo)
Bonn
(wann)
2009

Handle
Letzte Aktualisierung
10.03.2025, 11:44 MEZ

Datenpartner

Dieses Objekt wird bereitgestellt von:
ZBW - Deutsche Zentralbibliothek für Wirtschaftswissenschaften - Leibniz-Informationszentrum Wirtschaft. Bei Fragen zum Objekt wenden Sie sich bitte an den Datenpartner.

Objekttyp

  • Arbeitspapier

Beteiligte

  • Matzke, Christina
  • Wirth, Benedikt
  • University of Bonn, Bonn Graduate School of Economics (BGSE)

Entstanden

  • 2009

Ähnliche Objekte (12)