Monopoly
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- 30 May 2019
- Working Paper Summaries
US Antitrust Law and Policy in Historical Perspective
Since the late 19th century, American antitrust law and policy has responded to multiple changes: technological advances that have transformed business structures, political imperatives that have reformed regulations and informed prosecutorial discretion, and economic theories that have reshaped the boundaries of government interventions into the economy. Today, antitrust remains a contested field.
- 06 Dec 2017
- What Do You Think?
Is It Time To Break Up Amazon, Apple, Facebook, or Google?
SUMMING UP Would breaking up tech giants like Facebook and Google be good antitrust policy or bad for capitalism? James Heskett's readers join the conversation. Open for comment; 0 Comments.
- 22 Feb 2016
- Research & Ideas
The ‘Mother of Fair Trade’ was an Unabashed Price Protectionist
Historian Laura Phillips Sawyer unearths the story of little-known drug store owner Edna Gleason who, in a man’s world, helped fire a progressive movement to protect small-business owners from price-slashing chains. Open for comment; 0 Comments.
- 11 Jan 2010
- Research & Ideas
Mixing Open Source and Proprietary Software Strategies
Open source and proprietary software development used to be competing strategies. Now software firms are experimenting with strategies that mix the two models. Researcher Gaston Llanes discusses recent research into these "mixed source" strategies. Key concepts include: Software companies are taking a "best of both worlds" approach by creating products that use a combination of OS and proprietary software code. The researchers wanted to get a clearer sense of when a profit-maximizing firm should adopt a mixed-source business model and what that model might look like under different circumstances. Results indicate recurring patterns and strategies that managers can take into consideration when setting strategy. Closed for comment; 0 Comments.
- 26 Feb 2007
- Research & Ideas
The Power of the Noncompete Clause
Noncompete clauses seem nearly universal—and not just in technology companies. But the effect is especially strong on specialist and "star" inventors, according to new research by Harvard Business School's Matt Marx, Deborah Strumsky, and Lee Fleming. Marx reflects on the business and career implications in this Q&A. Key concepts include: Noncompete clauses may be ubiquitous or nearly so, particularly in venture-funded companies, but not everyone is affected identically by noncompetes. Fundamentally, noncompetes are a form of monopoly. Just as a patent allows a monopoly on a technique or tool for a limited amount of time, a noncompete (if enforced) affords a temporary monopoly of sorts on a person. In Michigan, inventors whose patents are highly cited in other patent applications were less likely to change jobs following a change in the state law. The effect for "specialist" inventors was even stronger. Star or specialist inventors wishing to explore career opportunities may need to look outside a state that enforces noncompetes. From an employer's perspective, keep in mind that noncompetes are far from ironclad. Closed for comment; 0 Comments.
Is Antitrust Just a Quaint Notion in the Digital Age?
SUMMING UP: Given the US Department of Justice's new antitrust complaint against Google, is it time to revisit what defines a market monopoly in the internet era? James Heskett's readers consider the potential ramifications. Open for comment; 0 Comments.