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Come Together: Firm Boundaries and Delegation

Author

Listed:
  • Laura Alfaro

    (Harvard Business School, Business, Government and the International Economy Unit)

  • Nicholas Bloom

    (Stanford University)

  • Paola Conconi

    (ECARES, Université Libre de Bruxelles)

  • Harald Fadinger

    (University of Mannheim)

  • Patrick Legros

    (ECARES, Université Libre de Bruxelles)

  • Andrew F. Newman

    (Boston University)

  • Raffaella Sadun

    (Harvard Business School, Strategy Unit)

  • John Van Reenen

    (Massachusetts Institute of Technology)

Abstract

Little is known about the relationship between firm boundaries and the allocation of decision rights within firms. We develop a model in which final good producers choose which suppliers to integrate and whether to delegate decisions to integrated suppliers, when they are ex-ante uncertain about their ability. In this setting, integration has an option value: ownership rights give producers authority to delegate or centralize production decisions, depending on the realized ability of suppliers. To assess the evidence, we construct measures of vertical integration and delegation for thousands of firms in many countries and industries. Consistent with the model, we find that (i) integration and delegation co-vary positively; (ii) firms delegate more decisions to integrated suppliers of more valuable inputs; and suppliers are more likely to be integrated if (iii) they produce more valuable inputs and (iv) operate in industries with greater productivity dispersion.

Suggested Citation

  • Laura Alfaro & Nicholas Bloom & Paola Conconi & Harald Fadinger & Patrick Legros & Andrew F. Newman & Raffaella Sadun & John Van Reenen, 2017. "Come Together: Firm Boundaries and Delegation," Harvard Business School Working Papers 18-051, Harvard Business School, revised May 2019.
    • Handle: RePEc:hbs:wpaper:18-051
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    Cited by:

    1. Berlingieri, Giuseppe & Pisch, Frank & Steinwender, Claudia, 2018. "Organizing global supply chains: input costs shares and vertical integration," LSE Research Online Documents on Economics 91706, London School of Economics and Political Science, LSE Library.
    2. Di Gong & Steven Ongena & Shusen Qi, 2025. "Information Frictions inside a Bank: Evidence from Borrower Switching between Branches," Swiss Finance Institute Research Paper Series 25-10, Swiss Finance Institute.
    3. Giuseppe Berlingieri & Frank Pisch & Claudia Steinwender, 2021. "Organizing Global Supply Chains: Input-Output Linkages and Vertical Integration," Journal of the European Economic Association, European Economic Association, vol. 19(3), pages 1816-1852.
    4. Marcus Biermann, 2022. "The role of management practices in acquisitions and the FDI location decision," Review of International Economics, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 30(1), pages 137-165, February.
    5. Gary B. Gorton & Alexander K. Zentefis, 2020. "Corporate Culture as a Theory of the Firm," NBER Working Papers 27353, National Bureau of Economic Research, Inc.
    6. Sharon Belenzon & Honggi Lee & Andrea Patacconi, 2023. "Managing risk in corporate groups: Limited liability, asset partitioning, and risk compartmentalization," Strategic Management Journal, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 44(12), pages 2888-2921, December.

    More about this item

    Keywords

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    JEL classification:

    • D2 - Microeconomics - - Production and Organizations
    • L2 - Industrial Organization - - Firm Objectives, Organization, and Behavior

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