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Whom Should I Merge With? How product substitutability affects merger profitability

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  • Cellini, Roberto

Abstract

The paper presents a simple model of oligopoly, in which three firms supply differentiated products. The degree of product substitutability is not uniform across goods. We investigate the merger profitability, and we show that profitability depends on the degree of good differentiation. Contrary to what seems to emerge from different models, we find that merger between firms that supply “more similar” product is more profitable as compared to merger between firms supplying more differentiated goods.

Suggested Citation

  • Cellini, Roberto, 2020. "Whom Should I Merge With? How product substitutability affects merger profitability," MPRA Paper 102416, University Library of Munich, Germany, revised Aug 2020.
    • Handle: RePEc:pra:mprapa:102416
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    References listed on IDEAS

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    Cited by:

    1. Neelanjan Sen & Drishti Narula, 2022. "Merger under horizontal and vertical product differentiation," International Journal of Economic Theory, The International Society for Economic Theory, vol. 18(4), pages 509-531, December.
    2. Neelanjan Sen & Uday Bhanu Sinha, 2023. "When to merge with a lower quality producer?," Journal of Economics, Springer, vol. 138(2), pages 165-188, March.

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    More about this item

    Keywords

    oligopoly; merger; profitability; merger paradox;
    All these keywords.

    JEL classification:

    • D43 - Microeconomics - - Market Structure, Pricing, and Design - - - Oligopoly and Other Forms of Market Imperfection
    • L13 - Industrial Organization - - Market Structure, Firm Strategy, and Market Performance - - - Oligopoly and Other Imperfect Markets

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