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Location Choices under Quality Uncertainty

Author

Listed:
  • Vettas, Nikolaos
  • Christou, Charalambos
Abstract
We examine a linear city duopoly where firms choose their locations to maximize expected profits, uncertain about how consumers will assess the relative quality of their products. Equilibrium locations depend on the ratio of the expected quality superiority to the strength of horizontal differentiation. When it is small, firms locate at opposite endpoints. As it becomes larger, agglomeration around the centre also emerges as an equilibrium and, eventually, agglomeration becomes the only equilibrium.

Suggested Citation

  • Vettas, Nikolaos & Christou, Charalambos, 2004. "Location Choices under Quality Uncertainty," CEPR Discussion Papers 4323, C.E.P.R. Discussion Papers.
    • Handle: RePEc:cpr:ceprdp:4323
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    References listed on IDEAS

    as
    1. Christou, Charalambos & Vettas, Nikolaos, 2005. "Location choices under quality uncertainty," Mathematical Social Sciences, Elsevier, vol. 50(3), pages 268-278, November.
    2. Balvers, Ronald & Szerb, Lazlo, 1996. "Location in the Hotelling duopoly model with demand uncertainty," European Economic Review, Elsevier, vol. 40(7), pages 1453-1461, August.
    3. Heiko A. Gerlach & Thomas Rønde & Konrad Stahl, 2005. "Project Choice And Risk In R&D," Journal of Industrial Economics, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 53(1), pages 53-81, March.
    4. Irmen, Andreas & Thisse, Jacques-Francois, 1998. "Competition in Multi-characteristics Spaces: Hotelling Was Almost Right," Journal of Economic Theory, Elsevier, vol. 78(1), pages 76-102, January.
    5. Rhee, Byong-Duk, et al, 1992. "Restoring the Principle of Minimum Differentiation in Product Positioning," Journal of Economics & Management Strategy, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 1(3), pages 475-505, Fall.
    6. repec:ulb:ulbeco:2013/1759 is not listed on IDEAS
    7. de Palma, A, et al, 1985. "The Principle of Minimum Differentiation Holds under Sufficient Heterogeneity," Econometrica, Econometric Society, vol. 53(4), pages 767-781, July.
    8. Economides, Nicholas, 1989. "Quality variations and maximal variety differentiation," Regional Science and Urban Economics, Elsevier, vol. 19(1), pages 21-29, February.
    9. d'Aspremont, C & Gabszewicz, Jean Jaskold & Thisse, J-F, 1979. "On Hotelling's "Stability in Competition"," Econometrica, Econometric Society, vol. 47(5), pages 1145-1150, September.
    10. labbe, M. & Peeters, D. & Thisse, J.F., 1992. "Location on Networks," Papers 9216, Universite Libre de Bruxelles - C.E.M.E..
    11. Vettas, Nikolaos, 1999. "Location as a Signal of Quality," CEPR Discussion Papers 2165, C.E.P.R. Discussion Papers.
    12. repec:bla:jemstr:v:1:y:1992:i:3:p:475-505:a is not listed on IDEAS
    13. Neven, D. & Thisse, J-F., 1989. "On Quality And Variety Competition," LIDAM Discussion Papers CORE 1989020, Université catholique de Louvain, Center for Operations Research and Econometrics (CORE).
    Full references (including those not matched with items on IDEAS)

    Citations

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    Cited by:

    1. He, Zhou & Cheng, T.C.E. & Dong, Jichang & Wang, Shouyang, 2016. "Evolutionary location and pricing strategies for service merchants in competitive O2O markets," European Journal of Operational Research, Elsevier, vol. 254(2), pages 595-609.
    2. Ricardo Biscaia & Isabel Mota, 2013. "Models of spatial competition: A critical review," Papers in Regional Science, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 92(4), pages 851-871, November.
    3. Matteo Bassi & Marco Pagnozzi & Salvatore Piccolo, 2015. "Product Differentiation by Competing Vertical Hierarchies," Journal of Economics & Management Strategy, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 24(4), pages 904-933, October.
    4. Vettas, Nikolaos & Kourandi, Frago, 2010. "Endogenous Spatial Differentiation with Vertical Contracting," CEPR Discussion Papers 7948, C.E.P.R. Discussion Papers.
    5. Toshihiro Matsumura & Noriaki Matsushima & Giorgos Stamatopoulos, 2010. "Location equilibrium with asymmetric firms: the role of licensing," Journal of Economics, Springer, vol. 99(3), pages 267-276, April.
    6. Sallstrom Matthews, S.E., 2007. "The Principle of Moderate Differentiation," Cambridge Working Papers in Economics 0720, Faculty of Economics, University of Cambridge.
    7. Lee, Seul Ki, 2015. "Quality differentiation and conditional spatial price competition among hotels," Tourism Management, Elsevier, vol. 46(C), pages 114-122.
    8. António Brandão & Joana Pinho, 2015. "Asymmetric Information And Exchange Of Information About Product Differentiation," Bulletin of Economic Research, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 67(2), pages 166-185, April.
    9. Christou, Charalambos & Vettas, Nikolaos, 2005. "Location choices under quality uncertainty," Mathematical Social Sciences, Elsevier, vol. 50(3), pages 268-278, November.
    10. Toshihiro Matsumura & Noriaki Matsushima, 2007. "On patent licensing in spatial competition with endogenous location choice," Discussion Papers 2007-35, Kobe University, Graduate School of Business Administration.
    11. Varela-Irimia, Xosé-Luís, 2011. "Multi-stage oligopoly models with nested logit demand structures: A simplifying approach," Working Papers 2072/179616, Universitat Rovira i Virgili, Department of Economics.

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    More about this item

    Keywords

    Location; Product differentiation; Quality uncertainty; Linear city;
    All these keywords.

    JEL classification:

    • L13 - Industrial Organization - - Market Structure, Firm Strategy, and Market Performance - - - Oligopoly and Other Imperfect Markets
    • L15 - Industrial Organization - - Market Structure, Firm Strategy, and Market Performance - - - Information and Product Quality

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