What do phone rates, frequent flyer programs, and railroad tariffs all have in common? They are all examples of nonlinear pricing. Pricing is nonlinear when it is not strictly proportional to the quantity purchased. The Electric Power Research Institute has commissioned Robert Wilson to review the various facets of nonlinear pricing. The work starts with a general non-mathematical discussion, followed by a more technical presentation intended for readers with a fairly advanced background. Thorough and detailed, this study has ample examples of case studies from a variety of industries.
The first volume of this wide-ranging Handbook contains original contributions by world-class specialists. It provides up-to-date surveys of the main game-theoretic tools commonly used to model industrial organization topics. The Handbook covers numerous subjects in detail including, among others, the tools of lattice programming, supermodular and aggregative games, monopolistic competition, horizontal and vertically differentiated good models, dynamic and Stackelberg games, entry games, evolutionary games with adaptive players, asymmetric information, moral hazard, learning and information sharing models.
"Many businesses focus on driving volume or reducing costs rather than increasing price under the mistaken belief they have greater control over volume and costs than price. Yet, a 1% increase in price (holding volume fixed) has a greater impact on operating profit than a 1% increase in volume or a 1% decrease in cost. By not seizing the initiative on price, businesses abrogate decisions about price to competitors, customers, and the channel. A careful analysis and understanding of those same actors could help them price in a more profitable manner. Hence, this book, which is designed to communicate the fundamental principles of pricing. In marked contrast to other books on pricing, this one is based on economic theory. This is not to deny the value to be had from looking at pricing through other lenses. It is simply that these other lenses do not yet provide a systematic and organized way to think about pricing. Economic theory does. Its power is not in the provision of to-do lists or the Gradgrind-like accumulation of facts.8 Rather, it is in generating the right questions to be asked. Both our own experiences and that related to us by our students who have taken our classes has confirmed us in this view. A second point of contrast with other treatments of pricing is that we convey principles through stylized examples rather than anecdotes"--Provided by publisher.
The Oxford Handbook of Pricing Management is a comprehensive guide to the theory and practice of pricing across industries, environments, and methodologies. The Handbook illustrates the wide variety of pricing approaches that are used in different industries. It also covers the diverse range of methodologies that are needed to support pricing decisions across these different industries. It includes more than 30 chapters written by pricing leaders from industry, consulting, and academia. It explains how pricing is actually performed in a range of industries, from airlines and internet advertising to electric power and health care. The volume covers the fundamental principles of pricing, such as price theory in economics, models of consumer demand, game theory, and behavioural issues in pricing, as well as specific pricing tactics such as customized pricing, nonlinear pricing, dynamic pricing, sales promotions, markdown management, revenue management, and auction pricing. In addition, there are articles on the key issues involved in structuring and managing a pricing organization, setting a global pricing strategy, and pricing in business-to-business settings.
Differences in the form, function, and scope of regulatory policies are traced to differences in social institutions, in the characteristics of the industries being regulated, and in the regulators' objectives and resources.
Debate about deregulation has focused considerable attention on the pricing policies of public utilities. Much work has been done by economists on this subject, and in this book the results of that research are presented and made accessible to students of economics. The main subject is the policy to be followed by a regulated monopoly, but the analysis is broadened to take account of a fringe of competitive suppliers, making it relevant to electric utilities and local telephone companies in the US, to PTT's in Europe, to the possible privatisatibn of telecommunications in Australia, and to the telecommunications structure in the UK where the dominant supplier has recently been privatised. The book gives a unified and simplified exposition of the modern theory of efficient pricing which is not available elsewhere. The theoretical discussion is supplemented by numerical simulation comparing Fully Distributed Cost Pricing, Ramsey Pricing, and Optimal Non-uniform Pricing.
This is Volume 3 of the Handbook of Industrial Organization series (HIO). Volumes 1 & 2 published simultaneously in 1989 and many of the chapters were widely cited and appeared on graduate reading lists. Since the first volumes published, the field of industrial organization has continued to evolve and this volume fills the gaps. While the first two volumes of HIO contain much more discussion of the theoretical literature than of the empirical literature, it was representative of the field at that time. Since then, the empirical literature has flourished, while the theoretical literature has continued to grow, and this new volume reflects that change of emphasis.Thie volume is an excellent reference and teaching supplement for industrial organization or industrial economics, the microeconomics field that focuses on business behavior and its implications for both market structures and processes, and for related public policies.*Part of the renowned Handbooks in Economics series*Chapters are contributed by some of the leading experts in their fields*A source, reference and teaching supplement for industrial organizations or industrial economists