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The first chapter is an introductory one. In chapter 2 I study the existence of oligopoly equilibria when firms have only a local knowledge of their demand curves. I introduce two notions of equilibrium: "local" and "first-orde'r" Nash equilibria. The first is a point where all firms are at a local maximum of their profit functions, the latter is.a point wh~re the first-order conditions for profit maximization are simultaneously satisfied for all firms (this is an equilibrium if each firm only knows the linear approximation to its own demand curve at that point). The main result is that a first-order equilibrium exists always, that is, with arbitrary demand functions. In chapter 3 I consider the problem of choice of product quality by two firms which enter the market simultaneously. I show that Hotelling's principle of minimum differentiation may hold or not, depending on the solution concept which is adopted for the post-entry game and on the structure of costs. In chapter 4 I re-examine the common claim that in the presence of threat of entry firms tend to produce more products than they would otherwise. I show that entry deterrence is always optimal, but it need not be achieved through p~oduct proliferation: in some cases the incumbent monopolist resorts to an entry-deterring strategy based on location choice rather than product proliferation. I also show that in some cases the number of products chosen by the incumbent facing the threat of entry is strictly greater than the minimum number required to deter entry. ,In chapter 5'1 show that advertising can be used as a barrier to entry even if there are no asymmetries in the effectiveness of advertising between existing ... f!irms ,and, new entrants .HI also show-that entry deterrence is achieved through "excessive" advertising.

This thesis examines the performance of one multinational oil company, Amoco, with reference to its impact on the economy of Trinidad and Tobago. The case study methodology is employed to place Amoco's operations in Trinidad in the dynamic context of competition within the world petroleum industry, and to assess the development problems and possibilities this presents for a small Caribbean econ9my. It sets out the super profits Amoco gained from Trinidad between 1973 - 1979, based on fieldwork research carried out in 1980. It shows how the surge in overseas crude production transformed Amoco's profitability. It also reveals that once the payback had been attained, Amoco's exploration and development effort in Trinidad declined. The nationalisation of Amoco would therefore provide a vital control over Trinidad's production and depletion policy. This is seen as a necessary, but not sufficient step forward for the people of Trinidad and Tobago to control their major natural resource. The oil resources generated new forms of state intervention as a further consequence of the government's development strategy. Amoco as the major supplier of natural gas was also the key to the energy intensive industrialisation projects, particularly in fertilisers, which were liable to reap it considerable benefit. The thesis emphasises the contradictions of the oil boom with the massive subsidies given to private consumption, particularly of petroleum. It concludes that the major opponent to control by multinational companies has been the Oilfield Workers Trade Union. The Union has had a tradition of militancy since its inception in the late 1930s, with the ability to mobilise in the 1970s both across the ethnic divide and outside of the oil sector. The democratic basis of the Union is the surest hope that a nationalisation of Amoco would not degenerate into bureaucracy.

This thesis describes the development of the pharmaceutical industry in Britain and France, focusing on the experience of individual firms during the inter war period. The resulting synthesis uses material from economic, technological, medical, social and business history traditions to create a picture of the forces affecting the performance of businesses in the two countries. It draws, in particular, on archival records from three companies - Burroughs Welicome, RhOne-Poulenc and Sandoz - which operated in Britain or France (or both), and which had made a commitment to research-based products. This is supported by other archival material and a review of published archivally-based studies on pharmaceutical companies (and other secondary sources) as well as contemporary trade and professional journals, and institutional archives including the Medical Research Council in Britain, and the Institut Pasteur and the Laboratoire National de Contrôle du Médicament in France. The structure holds both thematic chapters (on sizes and types of company, the medical context, and the institutional and regulatory context) and company-specific chapters. The key findings concern the widely different origins of the firms operating within the industry, the impact of the different legal framework governing the two markets, the changing nature of the marketing of pharmaceuticals during the period, and the adoption of diverse research and development strategies by companies in the two markets. The detailed case study research shows pharmaceutical companies playing an increasingly active role in trying to influence institutions, and the medical profession in both countries during the 1920s and 1930s. It also demonstrates the interplay between academic institutions and company research and development staff in work on new medicines. The main contribution of this thesis comes from the broad range of sources used and the way that new company sources are integrated with existing material to provide a comprehensive company-based account of the development of a sector of economic activity.