Subject(s): Economics, Politics & Business Environment, Keyword(s): market definition, shopping centre, externalities, characteristics approach

Based on some recent decisions of national European competition authorities and courts, we analyze how the choice of methodology impacts the product market definition in the shopping center industry. Relying only on product characteristics and existing industry classifications disregards actual substitutability patterns and may likely lead to market definitions that are too narrow. Ignoring the effects of externalities common in the industry has similar effect. Market definition should take these features into account.

Subject(s): Economics, Politics & Business Environment, Keyword(s): Internet business models, net neutrality, impact assessment

The increasing demand for bandwidth due to data-intense applications, the convergence of various digital communication technologies as well as the increasing commercial importance of the Internet has given rise to one of the most important questions in the coming years: whether and how the Internet economic model needs to evolve and what role regulation should play in this process. Net neutrality regulation, if and when formally implemented in some shape or form, has the potential to reallocate resources among industry participants, affect optimal pricing strategies and ultimately impact investment and innovation incentives. Through these effects, the regulatory framework is going to affect which business models will be at all feasible, which are going to thrive, and which will become obsolete.
The report derives and analyzes some likely future business models with a view to sustainability in terms of ability to accommodate increasing traffic volumes and social welfare implications. Based on these assessments the regulatory implications are discussed for each business model.
The stylized business models each focus on a different aspect: the "Congestion-Based Model" stresses the possibility to tackle congestion problems through congestion-based pricing. The "Best Effort Plus" preserves the traditional best effort network but gives ISPs more leeway with innovative services. The "Quality Classes - Content Pays" stresses the observed need of different applications for various degrees of quality of service. The "Quality Classes - User Pays" model, however, puts the focus on consumer choice for higher quality levels.

Subject(s): Economics, Politics & Business Environment, Keyword(s): regulation, competition, telecommunication, broadband, strategic investment, margin squeeze, risk-sharing JEL Classification: L51, L96, L10, K23

The telecommunication industry is currently in the midst of a disruptive technological development. Next generation (fibre) networks (NGN) increase transmission data speeds from the current 16Mbit/s to more than 100Mbit/s. This enables new services such as HDTV, interactive gaming or video on demand. While the technology exists today, the timing and extent of actual investments depend on the access regulation for non-investors. This paper explores how different regulatory access regimes affect investments and social welfare. We find that the existing access regulation, where the investor bears the investment risk alone, induces too little investments to the detriment of consumers. In contrast, access regimes that distribute the investment risk among more or all telecoms firms stimulate investments and increase consumer surplus. The paper also explores how different forms of risk-sharing, in terms of participating firms and cost allocations, affect social welfare. The (simulation) results presented in this paper build on a game theoretical model.

Subject(s): Economics, Politics & Business Environment, Keyword(s): electricity, market definition, market power, prices

This study analyses the geographic integration of electricity wholesale markets with a focus on Germany and its neighbouring countries. We employ various indicators based on publically available data and find that electricity markets have become more integrated since the sector inquiry undertaken by the European Commission in the years preceeding 2006. However, European markets are not yet fully integrated. The results also suggest that stronger (and costly) integration towards certain countries may have only little or adverse effects on electricity wholesale prices in Germany. Finally, in the past, German electricity wholesale prices have appeared too low so as to trigger investments into new generation capacity. To that end prices do not appear inflated.

Subject(s): Economics, Politics & Business Environment, Strategy & General Management, Management Sciences, Decision Sciences & Quantitative Methods, Health & Environment, Technology, R&D Management Keyword(s): price regulation, innovation, drug development, pharmaceutical industry, decision analysis, decision trees JEL Classification: C61, I11, I18

In this paper, we explore the possible consequences that pricing and reimbursement regulation may have on pharmaceutical innovation. We first investigate qualitatively how a pharmaceutical firm is likely to strategically respond in its R&D activities to pricing and reimbursement regulation. We then quantitatively evaluate these effects in the context of a calibrated decision-theoretic model of drug development in which a pharmaceutical firm is forward-looking and takes future pricing regulation into account in making current development decisions. Our findings indicate that, in designing optimal pharmaceutical pricing and reimbursement regulation, the benefits of more affordable or cost-effective drugs must be traded against the costs of less pharmaceutical innovation, with fewer projects being developed in general and in particular in low-margin therapeutic areas and with little potential of being considered highly innovative at the time of market launch.

Subject(s): Marketing, Keyword(s): MBA marketing, business school, MBA program, full-time MBA, executive MBA, part-time MBA, distance MBA, reasons for starting an MBA, business school selection, information sources, quality indicators, number of applications, ranking, accreditation JEL Classification: M31

The purpose of this paper is to deepen our understanding of the MBA market. Our focus lies hereby on the customers, that is, on people who are interested in attending an MBA program and who are courted relentlessly by business schools. The paper analyzes why people do an MBA and how they select their favorite business schools and MBA programs. We particularly try to understand the differences between various groups of applicants based on gender, length of work experience, level of GMAT score, type of study, and nationality. The paper shows that different segments of applicants start an MBA for different reasons and display different preferences with respect to school selection, use of information sources as well as decision-making. We hope that the insights will help business schools make their marketing approaches even more effective.

Subject(s): Economics, Politics & Business Environment, Keyword(s): alliances, railways, competition policy, entry analysis, panel data, liberalisation JEL Classification: L13, L43, L51, L92, C33

In 2010 the legal barriers for international, intramodal competition in long-haul passenger transport in the railway sector will be abolished. This report analyzes the extent to which effective competition will arise in long-haul passenger transport after liberalization-from 2010 onward-and how co-operative agreements between European rail operators may impact the liberalization process. The study also provides an overview of the existing literature related to entry and intramodal competition in the rail sector, as well as intermodal competition between aviation and rail. In addition, it provides a review of the legal and regulatory environment of the sector at a European level and evaluates current organizations operating in it. The following are the main conclusions:- We find robust evidence for effective competition between low cost airlines (LCAs) and rail operators. A rail operator loses at least 7% of its passengers and 8% of its passenger kilometers due to entry by LCAs. We also find evidence of negative price effects of strategic LCA entry in both first class and second class. This demonstrates that LCAs are a significant competitive constraint for rail operators.- Based on a revenue & cost model ('R&C model'), only a minority of long distance origins and destinations (O&Ds) are profitable with respect to both operating profitability and total profitability from a pre-entry perspective - that is before entry by competing rail operators. This result does not change drastically even under optimistic but reasonable assumptions regarding future changes in demand, costs, and degree of intermodal competition.- An analysis of various entry strategies identifies the most profitable strategy as entry by an independent entrant with inferior technology. However, such a strategy is specifically vulnerable to legal and strategic limitations on exploitation of network effects (e.g. by imposing national levies or incompatibilities in ticketing or train schedules).- Overall, we find very limited evidence for intramodal competition arising on international O&Ds for long distance passenger travel after 2010, while past experience from airline alliances - although in a different competitive setting - promises significant efficiency gains as a result of international alliances.

Subject(s): Economics, Politics & Business Environment, Keyword(s): telecommunications, access regulation, unbundling, investment, European Union JEL Classification: C51, L59, L96

This study analyses the relationship between entry regulation and infrastructure investment in the telecommunication sector. The empirical analysis we conduct is based on a comprehensive data set covering 180 fixed-line and mobile operators in 25 European countries over 10 years and employs a newly created indicator measuring regulatory intensity in the European countries. We carefully treat the endogeneity problem of regulation by applying instrumental variables and find that tough entry regulation (e.g. unbundling) discourages infrastructure investment by entrants but has no effect on incumbents in fixed-line telecommunications. We do not find significant impact of entry regulation on investment in mobile telephony.

Subject(s): Economics, Politics & Business Environment, Keyword(s): energy policy, climate change

Energy is a central issue in the current European policy context. Europe faces a number of fundamental challenges. First, the ongoing process of global economic integration emphasizes the importance of having access to secure, reliable and cost-effective sources of energy. Since energy is an important input for much economic activity, it contributes towards the competitiveness of the European economy as a whole. Second, declining international reserves of fossil fuels are changing the world energy map and have started to increase global competition for scarce resources. Whether European countries will follow common or national sourcing strategies is of profound political significance for the EU. Last but not least, climate change is an issue of great international concern. The need for stricter environmental standards has become apparent and the willingness of European leaders to spearhead this reform at a global level has resulted in calls to start optimizing environmental policy instruments at EU level. Without a common policy the EU can hardly be a credible world player.