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External and Internal Pricing in Multidivisional Firms

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  • TIM BALDENIUS
  • STEFAN REICHELSTEIN

Abstract

Multidivisional firms frequently rely on external market prices in order to value internal transactions across profit centers. This paper examines market‐based transfer pricing when an upstream division has monopoly power in selling a proprietary component both to a downstream division within the same firm and to external customers. When internal transfers are valued at the prevailing market price, the resulting transactions are distorted by double marginalization. The imposition of intracompany discounts will always improve overall firm profits provided the supplying division is capacity constrained. Under certain conditions it is then possible to design discount rules so that the resulting prices and sales quantities are efficient from the corporate perspective. In contrast, the impact of intracompany discounts remains ambiguous when the capacity of the selling division is essentially unlimited. It is then generally impossible to achieve fully efficient outcomes by means of market‐based transfer pricing unless the external market for the component is sufficiently large relative to the internal market.

Suggested Citation

  • Tim Baldenius & Stefan Reichelstein, 2006. "External and Internal Pricing in Multidivisional Firms," Journal of Accounting Research, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 44(1), pages 1-28, March.
    • Handle: RePEc:bla:joares:v:44:y:2006:i:1:p:1-28
    DOI: 10.1111/j.1475-679X.2006.00191.x
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    1. repec:otg:wpaper:1403 is not listed on IDEAS
    2. Kenji Matsui, 2012. "Auditing internal transfer prices in multinationals under monopolistic competition," International Tax and Public Finance, Springer;International Institute of Public Finance, vol. 19(6), pages 800-818, December.
    3. Edward Johnson & Nicole Bastian Johnson & Thomas Pfeiffer, 2016. "Dual transfer pricing with internal and external trade," Review of Accounting Studies, Springer, vol. 21(1), pages 140-164, March.
    4. Clemens Löffler & Thomas Pfeiffer & Ulf Schiller & Joachim Wagner, 2011. "Zentralisierung, Transferpreise und spezifische Investitionen: Ein selektiver Verfahrensvergleich," Schmalenbach Journal of Business Research, Springer, vol. 63(63), pages 1-33, January.
    5. Alonso-Pauli, Eduard & Bru, Lluís, 2018. "Strategic delegation in procurement," MPRA Paper 84293, University Library of Munich, Germany.
    6. Martin Holzhacker & Stephan Kramer & Michal Matějka & Nick Hoffmeister, 2019. "Relative Target Setting and Cooperation," Journal of Accounting Research, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 57(1), pages 211-239, March.
    7. Barick Chung & Eric Rasmusen, 2008. "Price Discrimination between Retailers with and without Market Power," Working Papers 2008-14, Indiana University, Kelley School of Business, Department of Business Economics and Public Policy.
    8. Choe, Chongwoo & Matsushima, Noriaki, 2013. "The arm's length principle and tacit collusion," International Journal of Industrial Organization, Elsevier, vol. 31(1), pages 119-130.
    9. Jung, Se-Youn & Huh, Woonghee Tim & Park, Kun Soo, 2022. "Impact of the arm’s length regulation on a supply chain with asymmetric retailers," European Journal of Operational Research, Elsevier, vol. 300(3), pages 865-883.
    10. Deng, Sijing & Xu, Jiayan & Han, Yonghui, 2023. "A proprietary component manufacturer’s global supply chain design: The impacts of tax and organizational structure," Omega, Elsevier, vol. 115(C).
    11. Julio B. Clempner & Alexander S. Poznyak, 2019. "Solving Transfer Pricing Involving Collaborative and Non-cooperative Equilibria in Nash and Stackelberg Games: Centralized–Decentralized Decision Making," Computational Economics, Springer;Society for Computational Economics, vol. 54(2), pages 477-505, August.
    12. Lemus Torres, Ana Belén & Moreno, Diego, 2011. "The non-neutrality of the arm's length principle with imperfect competition," UC3M Working papers. Economics we1134, Universidad Carlos III de Madrid. Departamento de Economía.
    13. Leslie A. Robinson & Phillip C. Stocken, 2013. "Location of Decision Rights Within Multinational Firms," Journal of Accounting Research, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 51(5), pages 1261-1297, December.
    14. Woonghee Tim Huh & Kun Soo Park, 2013. "Impact of transfer pricing methods for tax purposes on supply chain performance under demand uncertainty," Naval Research Logistics (NRL), John Wiley & Sons, vol. 60(4), pages 269-293, June.
    15. Tim Baldenius & Beatrice Michaeli, 2019. "Integrated ownership and managerial incentives with endogenous project risk," Review of Accounting Studies, Springer, vol. 24(4), pages 1450-1485, December.
    16. Pfeiffer, Thomas & Wagner, Joachim, 2007. "Internal markets or hierachies: Transfer prices or budgets?," Journal of Economics and Business, Elsevier, vol. 59(3), pages 241-255.
    17. Anil Arya & Brian Mittendorf & Dae-Hee Yoon, 2008. "Friction in Related-Party Trade When a Rival Is Also a Customer," Management Science, INFORMS, vol. 54(11), pages 1850-1860, November.
    18. Libor Kaiser, 2006. "Agency Relationship and Transfer Pricing Inefficiency [Vztahy zastoupení a neefektivnost transferových cen]," Acta Oeconomica Pragensia, Prague University of Economics and Business, vol. 2006(3), pages 73-81.
    19. Jan Thomas Martini & Rainer Niemann & Dirk Simons, 2007. "Transfer Pricing or Formula Apportionment? Tax-Induced Distortions of Multinationals’ Investment and Production Decisions," CESifo Working Paper Series 2020, CESifo.
    20. Stanley Baiman & Paul Fischer & Madhav V. Rajan & Richard Saouma, 2007. "Resource Allocation Auctions within Firms," Journal of Accounting Research, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 45(5), pages 915-946, December.
    21. Piccolo, Salvatore & Tarantino, Emanuele & Ursino, Giovanni, 2015. "The value of transparency in multidivisional firms," International Journal of Industrial Organization, Elsevier, vol. 41(C), pages 9-18.
    22. Martini, Jan Thomas & Niemann, Rainer & Simons, Dirk, 2007. "Transfer pricing or formula apportionment? Tax-induced distortions of multinationals' investment and production decisions," arqus Discussion Papers in Quantitative Tax Research 27, arqus - Arbeitskreis Quantitative Steuerlehre.
    23. Günter Franke, 2020. "Management nicht-finanzieller Risiken: eine Forschungsagenda [Management of Non-Financial Risks: A Research Agenda]," Schmalenbach Journal of Business Research, Springer, vol. 72(3), pages 279-320, September.
    24. Fang Fang & Harihara Prasad Natarajan, 2020. "Sourcing and Procurement Cost Allocation in Multi‐Division Firms," Production and Operations Management, Production and Operations Management Society, vol. 29(3), pages 767-787, March.
    25. Gao, Lu & Zhao, Xuan, 2015. "Determining intra-company transfer pricing for multinational corporations," International Journal of Production Economics, Elsevier, vol. 168(C), pages 340-350.

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