IDEAS home Printed from https://ideas.repec.org/p/mib/wpaper/483.html
   My bibliography  Save this paper

Liquidation value of productive assets and product differentiation

Author

Listed:
  • Simone Boccaletti
  • Vittoria Cerasi

Abstract

This study examines the choice of individual companies to adapt productive assets (PAs) to specific production. To soften competition, companies may modify their assets to increase product differentiation. However, this decision alters the liquidation value of the assets in the case of bankruptcy for the presence of redeployment costs (larger for specialized assets) faced by potential buyers. We determine the equilibrium level of specialization of PAs, pointing to a novel trade-off between product market differentiation and the resale value of PAs. We find that industry entry and redeployment costs, together with the number of potential bidders in the second-hand market of PAs are important factors in explaining the degree of product differentiation.

Suggested Citation

  • Simone Boccaletti & Vittoria Cerasi, 2021. "Liquidation value of productive assets and product differentiation," Working Papers 483, University of Milano-Bicocca, Department of Economics, revised Oct 2021.
    • Handle: RePEc:mib:wpaper:483
    as

    Download full text from publisher

    File URL: http://repec.dems.unimib.it/repec/pdf/mibwpaper483.pdf
    Download Restriction: no
    ---><---

    References listed on IDEAS

    as
    1. repec:bla:jfinan:v:43:y:1988:i:3:p:567-91 is not listed on IDEAS
    2. Shleifer, Andrei & Vishny, Robert W, 1992. "Liquidation Values and Debt Capacity: A Market Equilibrium Approach," Journal of Finance, American Finance Association, vol. 47(4), pages 1343-1366, September.
    3. Joskow, Paul L, 1988. "Asset Specificity and the Structure of Vertical Relationships: Empirical Evidence," The Journal of Law, Economics, and Organization, Oxford University Press, vol. 4(1), pages 95-117, Spring.
    4. Gwendolyn K. Lee & Marvin B. Lieberman, 2010. "Acquisition vs. internal development as modes of market entry," Strategic Management Journal, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 31(2), pages 140-158, February.
    5. Dixit, Avinash, 1980. "The Role of Investment in Entry-Deterrence," Economic Journal, Royal Economic Society, vol. 90(357), pages 95-106, March.
    6. Goldberg, Pinelopi Koujianou, 1995. "Product Differentiation and Oligopoly in International Markets: The Case of the U.S. Automobile Industry," Econometrica, Econometric Society, vol. 63(4), pages 891-951, July.
    7. Aguirregabiria, Victor & Ho, Chun-Yu, 2010. "A dynamic game of airline network competition: Hub-and-spoke networks and entry deterrence," International Journal of Industrial Organization, Elsevier, vol. 28(4), pages 377-382, July.
    8. Cerasi, Vittoria & Fedele, Alessandro & Miniaci, Raffaele, 2019. "Do rivals enhance your credit conditions?," Journal of Economic Behavior & Organization, Elsevier, vol. 157(C), pages 228-243.
    9. Erkal, Nisvan, 2007. "Buyer-supplier interaction, asset specificity, and product choice," International Journal of Industrial Organization, Elsevier, vol. 25(5), pages 988-1010, October.
    10. Berry, Steven T, 1990. "Airport Presence as Product Differentiation," American Economic Review, American Economic Association, vol. 80(2), pages 394-399, May.
    11. Robert Marquez & M. Deniz Yavuz, 2013. "Specialization, Productivity, and Financing Constraints," The Review of Financial Studies, Society for Financial Studies, vol. 26(11), pages 2961-2984.
    12. Whyte, Glen, 1994. "The role of asset specificity in the vertical integration decision," Journal of Economic Behavior & Organization, Elsevier, vol. 23(3), pages 287-302, May.
    13. Hyunseob Kim & Howard Kung, 2017. "The Asset Redeployability Channel: How Uncertainty Affects Corporate Investment," The Review of Financial Studies, Society for Financial Studies, vol. 30(1), pages 245-280.
    14. Gavazza, Alessandro, 2010. "Asset liquidity and financial contracts: Evidence from aircraft leases," Journal of Financial Economics, Elsevier, vol. 95(1), pages 62-84, January.
    15. Helen Louri, 2001. "Entry through Acquisition: Determinants of Multinational Firm Choices," Review of Industrial Organization, Springer;The Industrial Organization Society, vol. 19(2), pages 199-209, September.
    16. Vittoria Cerasi & Alessandro Fedele & Raffaele Miniaci, 2017. "Product market competition and access to credit," Small Business Economics, Springer, vol. 49(2), pages 295-318, August.
    17. Efraim Benmelech, 2009. "Asset Salability and Debt Maturity: Evidence from Nineteenth-Century American Railroads," The Review of Financial Studies, Society for Financial Studies, vol. 22(4), pages 1545-1584, April.
    18. Efraim Benmelech & Nittai K. Bergman, 2008. "Liquidation Values and the Credibility of Financial Contract Renegotiation: Evidence from U.S. Airlines," The Quarterly Journal of Economics, President and Fellows of Harvard College, vol. 123(4), pages 1635-1677.
    19. Bet, Germán, 2021. "Product specification under a threat of entry: Evidence from Airlines’ departure times," International Journal of Industrial Organization, Elsevier, vol. 75(C).
    20. Klein, Benjamin & Crawford, Robert G & Alchian, Armen A, 1978. "Vertical Integration, Appropriable Rents, and the Competitive Contracting Process," Journal of Law and Economics, University of Chicago Press, vol. 21(2), pages 297-326, October.
    21. Efraim Benmelech & Nittai K. Bergman, 2011. "Bankruptcy and the Collateral Channel," Journal of Finance, American Finance Association, vol. 66(2), pages 337-378, April.
    22. Riordan, Michael H. & Williamson, Oliver E., 1985. "Asset specificity and economic organization," International Journal of Industrial Organization, Elsevier, vol. 3(4), pages 365-378, December.
    Full references (including those not matched with items on IDEAS)

    Most related items

    These are the items that most often cite the same works as this one and are cited by the same works as this one.
    1. Simone Boccaletti, 2021. "Asset Specificity and the Secondary Market for Productive Assets," Italian Economic Journal: A Continuation of Rivista Italiana degli Economisti and Giornale degli Economisti, Springer;Società Italiana degli Economisti (Italian Economic Association), vol. 7(3), pages 411-437, November.
    2. Beutler, Toni & Grobéty, Mathieu, 2019. "The collateral channel under imperfect debt enforcement," European Economic Review, Elsevier, vol. 111(C), pages 336-359.
    3. Raghuram G. Rajan & Rodney Ramcharan, 2014. "Financial Fire Sales: Evidence from Bank Failures," Finance and Economics Discussion Series 2014-67, Board of Governors of the Federal Reserve System (U.S.).
    4. Cerasi, Vittoria & Fedele, Alessandro & Miniaci, Raffaele, 2019. "Do rivals enhance your credit conditions?," Journal of Economic Behavior & Organization, Elsevier, vol. 157(C), pages 228-243.
    5. Albuquerque, Rui & Schroth, Enrique, 2012. "The Value of Control and the Costs of Illiquidity," CEPR Discussion Papers 9090, C.E.P.R. Discussion Papers.
    6. Rajan, Raghuram & Ramcharan, Rodney, 2016. "Local financial capacity and asset values: Evidence from bank failures," Journal of Financial Economics, Elsevier, vol. 120(2), pages 229-251.
    7. Gavazza, Alessandro, 2010. "Asset liquidity and financial contracts: Evidence from aircraft leases," Journal of Financial Economics, Elsevier, vol. 95(1), pages 62-84, January.
    8. Marcus Asplund, 2000. "What Fraction of a Capital Investment is Sunk Costs?," Journal of Industrial Economics, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 48(3), pages 287-304, September.
    9. Katarzyna Platt, 2020. "Corporate Bonds And Product Market Competition," Journal of Financial Research, Southern Finance Association;Southwestern Finance Association, vol. 43(3), pages 615-647, August.
    10. Lajili, Kaouthar & Barry, Peter J. & Sonka, Steven T. & Mahoney, Joseph T., 1997. "Farmers' Preferences For Crop Contracts," Journal of Agricultural and Resource Economics, Western Agricultural Economics Association, vol. 22(2), pages 1-17, December.
    11. Francesca Barbiero & Glenn Schepens & Jean‐David Sigaux, 2024. "Liquidation Value and Loan Pricing," Journal of Finance, American Finance Association, vol. 79(1), pages 95-128, February.
    12. Grundy, Bruce D. & Verwijmeren, Patrick, 2020. "The external financing of investment," Journal of Corporate Finance, Elsevier, vol. 65(C).
    13. Giovanni Favara & Mariassunta Giannetti, 2017. "Forced Asset Sales and the Concentration of Outstanding Debt: Evidence from the Mortgage Market," Journal of Finance, American Finance Association, vol. 72(3), pages 1081-1118, June.
    14. Oliver Hart, 2017. "Incomplete Contracts and Control," American Economic Review, American Economic Association, vol. 107(7), pages 1731-1752, July.
    15. Thiele, Veikko, 2007. "The Demand for Tailored Goods and the Theory of the Firm," MPRA Paper 2471, University Library of Munich, Germany.
    16. Efraim Benmelech & Nittai K. Bergman, 2011. "Bankruptcy and the Collateral Channel," Journal of Finance, American Finance Association, vol. 66(2), pages 337-378, April.
    17. Calomiris, Charles W. & Larrain, Mauricio & Liberti, José & Sturgess, Jason, 2017. "How collateral laws shape lending and sectoral activity," Journal of Financial Economics, Elsevier, vol. 123(1), pages 163-188.
    18. Vittoria Cerasi & Alessandro Fedele & Raffaele Miniaci, 2015. "Do your Rivals Enhance your Access to Credit? Theory and Evidence," BEMPS - Bozen Economics & Management Paper Series BEMPS29, Faculty of Economics and Management at the Free University of Bozen.
    19. Mariassunta Giannetti & Farzad Saidi, 2019. "Shock Propagation and Banking Structure," The Review of Financial Studies, Society for Financial Studies, vol. 32(7), pages 2499-2540.
    20. Woodruff, Christopher, 2002. "Non-contractible investments and vertical integration in the Mexican footwear industry," International Journal of Industrial Organization, Elsevier, vol. 20(8), pages 1197-1224, October.

    More about this item

    Keywords

    Asset Specificity; Horizontal Differentiation; Bankruptcy; Second-hand market of productive assets.;
    All these keywords.

    JEL classification:

    • G32 - Financial Economics - - Corporate Finance and Governance - - - Financing Policy; Financial Risk and Risk Management; Capital and Ownership Structure; Value of Firms; Goodwill
    • G33 - Financial Economics - - Corporate Finance and Governance - - - Bankruptcy; Liquidation
    • L11 - Industrial Organization - - Market Structure, Firm Strategy, and Market Performance - - - Production, Pricing, and Market Structure; Size Distribution of Firms

    NEP fields

    This paper has been announced in the following NEP Reports:

    Statistics

    Access and download statistics

    Corrections

    All material on this site has been provided by the respective publishers and authors. You can help correct errors and omissions. When requesting a correction, please mention this item's handle: RePEc:mib:wpaper:483. See general information about how to correct material in RePEc.

    If you have authored this item and are not yet registered with RePEc, we encourage you to do it here. This allows to link your profile to this item. It also allows you to accept potential citations to this item that we are uncertain about.

    If CitEc recognized a bibliographic reference but did not link an item in RePEc to it, you can help with this form .

    If you know of missing items citing this one, you can help us creating those links by adding the relevant references in the same way as above, for each refering item. If you are a registered author of this item, you may also want to check the "citations" tab in your RePEc Author Service profile, as there may be some citations waiting for confirmation.

    For technical questions regarding this item, or to correct its authors, title, abstract, bibliographic or download information, contact: Matteo Pelagatti (email available below). General contact details of provider: https://edirc.repec.org/data/dpmibit.html .

    Please note that corrections may take a couple of weeks to filter through the various RePEc services.

    IDEAS is a RePEc service. RePEc uses bibliographic data supplied by the respective publishers.