Les notions de plateforme, de marché bifaces ou même multi-faces sont aujourd’hui au cœur des discussions économiques du fait de l’explosion du e-commerce lié à l’essor des nouvelles technologies de l’information. Ces plateformes en lignes offrent de nouvelles opportunités et soulèvent de nombreuses questions (stratégie tarifaire, règlementation, etc.). Les deux premiers chapitres de cette thèse s’intéressent aux plateformes de réservation en ligne et plus particulièrement à l’impact concurrentiel des clauses de parités tarifaire. Ces dernières, mises en place par les plateformes, imposent aux vendeurs de proposer son bien ou service via la plateforme au meilleur prix disponible sur tous les autres canaux de ventes. Dans le premier chapitre, je montre que, d'un point de vue théorique, l'effet concurrentiel des clauses de parité est majoritairement négatif mais peut devenir positif en fonction du pouvoir de négociation de chacun des acteurs. Dans un second temps, une analyse empirique reposant sur une base de données unique de plus de 6 millions de prix, me permet de montrer que la suppression des clauses de parité à Paris a engendré une baisse tarifaire moyenne des hôtels de -3,1% à - 4,5%. Cette baisse peut en partie s'expliquer par une augmentation des stratégies de discrimination tarifaire. En effet, les hôtels ont augmenté de 1,4 à 2,3% la discrimination entre plateformes et ils ont augmenté de 2,1% à 3,6% leurs stratégies de discrimination inter-temporelle. Le dernier chapitre de cette thèse est dédié à l'analyse des amendes décidées par l'Autorité de la Concurrence entre 2006 et 2018 pour des pratiques de cartels. Nous montrons que ces amendes sont sous optimales car elles ne satisfassent pas les critères de dissuasion et de compensation. / The Internet technology and the web economy create new types of markets and new relationships between market players. The majority of these new markets can be associated to platforms where two or more sides of the same market meet. Such “multi-sided” industries raise specific issues. Determining the optimal pricing strategy for both the platform and the users selling goods through the platform is one of the main challenges of this new economy. The first two chapters of my thesis analysis Price Parity Agreement (PPA) from a theoretical and an empirical point of view. I first study the effect of Price Parity Agreements from a theoretical perspective. I demonstrate that PPAs on the online booking market are detrimental to consumers if platforms have most of the bargaining power. They attenuate competition between platforms, lead to higher commission fees and higher hotel rooms’ prices. However, MFN clauses may also be welfare improving when hotels own the bargaining power and competition between them is high. The second chapter is dedicated to an empirical analysis of the effects of PPAs. Using a before-after design and controlling for external shocks, I demonstrate that the end of Price Parity Agreements imposed by public authorities to OTAs causes a decrease of about 3.1% to 4.5% in the average level of prices set by hotels. This decrease may be explained by an increase of price discrimination. I show that the level of price discrimination across OTAs increases by 2.3% to 1.4% after the drop of Price Parity Agreements and that the degree of inter-temporal price discrimination also increases by 3.6% to 2.1%. The last chapter of my thesis is focused on the analysis of the financial fines imposed by the French Autorité de la Concurrence to cartels in France between 2006 and 2018. We show that the level of these fines is sub-optimal and doesn’t meet the deterrence objective in the majority of the cases.

Diese Dissertation analysiert drei unterschiedliche Märkte im Rahmen der digitalen Wirtschaft und bietet einen Einblick in die relevanten Wohlfahrtsimplikationen und politischen Vorschläge. Das erste Kapitel konzentriert sich auf den Crowdfunding-Markt und zeigt, dass asymmetrische Informationen zu einem höheren Preis bei Vorbestellung führen, was das Risiko von Moral Hazard verringert. Es weist auch auf den Konflikt zwischen dem Erfolg des Crowdfundings und dem Verhindern der Flucht des Entrepreneurs nach dem Erfolg hin. Das zweite Kapitel kombiniert theoretische Analysen mit einem Laborexperimente, um die Auswirkungen der Datenschutz-Grundverordnung (DSGVO) auf die Wahl von Verbrauchern bezüglich ihrer Privatsphäre zu untersuchen. Es zeigt, dass eine vorgeschriebene gemeinsame Nutzung von Daten zwischen Unternehmen dazu führt, dass Verbraucher vermehrt ihre Daten zur Verfügung stellen und dass Verbraucherwohl steigt. Dies ist eine gute Ergänzung für die Debatte der Europäischen Kommission über eine vorgeschriebene gemeinsame Nutzung von Daten in bestimmten Sektoren darstellt. Im letzten Kapitel wird die On-Demand-Plattform im Taximarkt erörtert, bei der der Preis flexibel ist und an die aggregierte Nachfrage und das Angebot angepasst wird. Gegen die eigene Intuition deutet das Ergebnis darauf hin, dass das Problem von zu wenig Angebot bei steigender Nachfrage möglicherweise nicht durch genügend neue Marktteilnehmer gelöst wird. Sozialplaner, On-Demand-Plattform und Dienstleister haben unterschiedliche Anreize für den Markteintritt. / This thesis analyzes three distinct markets under digital economy and offers insight on the relevant welfare implications and policy suggestions. The first chapter focuses on the crowdfunding market and demonstrates that asymmetric information leads to a higher pre-ordering price which lessens the risk of moral hazard. It also points out the trade-off between making the crowdfunding succeed and preventing the entrepreneur from running away after the success. The second chapter combines theoretical analysis with laboratory experiment to explore the effect of General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) on consumer's privacy choice. It shows that mandating data sharing among firms leads consumers to give up more privacy and increases consumer welfare, which acts as a good supplement for European Commission's debate on the mandated data sharing in specific sectors. The last chapter discusses the on-demand platform in taxi market where the price is flexible and adjusted by aggregate demand and supply. Contrary to common sense, the result suggests that enough new entrants may not solve the problem of undersupply when demand surges. Social planner, on-demand platform and service providers have different incentives regarding when to enter the market.

För organisationer som siktar på att bli hållbara är det hävdat att en organisatorisk övergång snarare än en optimering av den nuvarande organisationen är nödvändig (Loorbach & Wijsman, 2013). Detta leder till att när en Cirkulär Ekonomi (CE) modell appliceras och materialflöden sluts innebär det förändringar som påverkar affärsmodeller, logistik, tillhandahålla erbjudanden, service, tillverkning och processer. Företag idag brottas med att applicera CE eftersom det idag saknas en generell bild av hur firmor borde inkludera hållbarhet i sina affärsmodeller, på grund av en brist på kunskap inom fältet (Bocken, Short, Rana, & Evans, 2013). För att kunna röra sig mot en hållbar cirkulär affärsmodell så behöver organisationer övervinna interna barriärer för att genomföra förändringen och hitta transformeringsstrategier för att övervinna dem. Baserat på omfattande litteratur genomfördes elva explorativa djupintervjuer inom ett stort, moget, tillverknings business-to-business företag i Sverige. Företaget har ett intresse av CE men är fortfarande nya på området och har deras affärer baserade på en linjär ekonomi. Den här studien bidrar till att förstå de barriärer som stora mogna organisationer står inför när dom applicerar CE. Studien presenterar en intervju utredning som utforskar ett företags styrkor och svagheter kopplade till deras kapacitet att applicera CE, genom att identifiera barriärer i syfte att kunna använda som en grund för företag att bemöta utmaningarna med en transformation, att ge dom riktningar av var och ge dom riktningar om var och hur dom kan påbörja en transformering. Genom att identifiera barriärer mot en förändring så blir det möjligt att identifiera möjligheter att överkomma dem (Grant, 2010). Studien presenterar sedan områden barriärer befinner sig inom, som författaren anser viktigast, samt förslag på hur man kan bemöta dem. Den här studiens främsta bidrag till forskningen är en detaljerad och övergripande inblick i ett inflytelserikt företags inställning till Cirkulär Ekonomi, samt de barriärer de kan stå inför vid en eventuell övergång. / For organizations that aim to become sustainable, it is argued that an organizational transition is required rather than an optimization of the existing firm (Loorbach & Wijsman, 2013). Hence, applying a Circular Economy (CE) model and closing material loops implies changes that affects business models, logistics, offerings provided, services and manufacturing processes. Companies are currently struggling with applying CE since there is no general view today of how firms should include sustainability into their business models due to a lack of knowledge within the field (Bocken, Short, Rana, & Evans, 2013). In order to move into a sustainable circular business model, organizations needs to overcome internal barriers for performing the change and find transformation strategies for overcoming them. Based on extent literature eleven explorative in-depth interviews were conducted within one large, mature manufacturing business-to-business company in Sweden. The investigated company (hereinafter the Company) has an interest in CE but is still novel in the area and has its businesses based on a linear economy. This paper contributes to understanding the barriers that large mature organizations face when applying CE. The paper presents an interview investigation which explores a company’s strengths and weaknesses based on its capacity to apply CE. The aim is to provide a base for companies to tackle the challenges of transformation, to give them directions of where and how to start. By identifying the barriers of change it becomes possible to identify opportunities to overcome them (Grant, 2010). The study presents areas where barriers are located which the author considers most important, and provide suggestions for how to meet them. The foremost contribution of this study to science is a detailed and all-embracing insight into a powerful company’s attitude to CE, and barriers they might face in a potential transition.

In the early 1990s the South African automotive sector was regarded as ineffective, uncompetitive and dependent on heavy tariff protection for survival. The government’s policy support through the Motor Industry Development Programme lowered tariffs and provided strong support for exports, while the production incentives of the Automotive Production Development Programme reinforced the vision that the long-term development of the sector will best be served through considerable increases in production volumes and accelerated growth. The population consisted of the seven OEMs and the 110 First Tier Suppliers. The results indicate a difference in government support between the vulnerable and non-vulnerable suppliers. The government has shown its commitment to the future of the automotive industry by policy interventions such as the Motor Industry Development Programme and the Automotive Production Development Programme. The question arises as to what extent the government’s guarantees are keeping the domestic automotive manufacturing industry sustainable? The objective of this research was to investigate the relationship between government support and the sustainability of the South African automotive industry. The conclusion of the study is that the South African automotive industry and its suppliers would not be able to survive without continued government support. / Business Management / M. Com. (Business Management)

This thesis reconstructs the concept of International Non-Governmental Organization (INGO) accountability to beneficiaries through the development of a strategic model for INGO accountability to beneficiaries. It works through the history and arguments surrounding the rise of the debate around whether INGOs should be held accountable to their beneficiary populations. Unique definitions are developed for the terms and concepts related to this topic and a framework for understanding the strategic model for INGO accountability to beneficiaries is outlined: Accountable to whom? Accountable for what? Accountable how? A practical example of an internal assessment for measuring an INGO's accountability to beneficiaries is examined, analyzing data from Mercy Corps' internal accountability to beneficiaries survey conducted in 2010. This thesis defines accountability to beneficiaries as the process of justifying and being responsible for the manner and results of one's actions to any individual or group who is a member of the society whose interests the project or program is intended to promote. The main conclusions from this thesis are that the traditional model should be expanded to be more strategic and include a) a broader beneficiary and stakeholder population who may be affected, either positively or negatively, by the actions of an INGO, b) the actions of all members of the organization, and c) the enduring impacts of their work over time. Accountability to beneficiaries is a concept that can be applied to all INGO projects in a way that requires minimal resources and will ultimately improve the quality of the services delivered.

[pt] Este artigo estuda o papel de agregadores como intermediários no mercado de notícias online. Propomos um modelo onde firmas buscam consumidores com preferências heterogêneas, balaceando entre uma dimensão vertical de qualidade e uma dimensão horizontal de relevância. Nesse contexto, dependendo da intensidade relativa dessas forças, a presença de um agregador de notícias pode aumentar a qualidade e bem estar dos consumidores ou diminuir a qualidade com efeitos ambíguos no bem estar. Argumentamos que apesar do primeiro cenário se aproximar mais da literatura teórica existente sobre agregadores de notícias, o segundo cenário parece melhor sustentado pela evidência empírica. O impacto de agregadores neste segundo cenário pode sustentar preocupações sobre a qualidade da provisão de notícias na internet. / [en] This paper studies the role of aggregators as intermediaries in the online news industry. I propose a model where firms must appeal to consumers with differentiated tastes, trading off between a vertical dimension of quality and a horizontal dimension of relevance. In this context, depending on the relative strength of these forces, the presence of the news aggregator may either increase quality and welfare or decrease quality with an ambiguous effect on welfare. I argue that while the first scenario is more in line with the existing theoretical literature on news aggregators, the second seems to be more strongly supported by the empirical evidence. The impact of aggregators in this second scenario may substantiate concerns over the quality of news provision on the internet.

This thesis has been prepared as a partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of faster of Arts, prescribed by the College of the Pacific, Stockton, California. It is sincerely hoped that it will be found useful to all of those who are at all interested in the great industry of raisin making, which has played no small part in the building up of the great San Joaquin Valley and has been responsible for bringing the much needed irrigation system to the valley. Various types of data are here available, including personal opinions from the foremost leaders of the industry, from the results of numerous personal interviews, from technical information on acreages, prices, profits, and costs, from growers' opinions, from the California Raisin Association, the California Raisin Pool, and data from the Federal and State Departments of Agriculture. I have striven to picture the growth of the raisin industry as it actually occurred, in the building up of our state, from the most reliable sources. Efforts toward organization on the part of the grower, have been made significant and much space has bean allotted to the history of the raisin industry. It is readily evident that the producer, have had a difficult up-hill battle every step of the way, and that our present raisin organizations are the results of years of sacrifice and tireless effort, on the part of the few influential leaders. An introduction and definition of terns is placed in the first part of the thesis for the convenience of the reader. The state of California has been divided into four geographical sections, with a brief description of each. An Easterner coming to California for the first time end interested in the raisin business should have no trouble in seeing, with a small amount of reading, the relative importance of each section. What determines the California sales is discussed, a discussion which should be enlightening to the students of economics. The economic status of the raisin industry is another very significant chapter to the economist, because the results of years of research on the pert of the government and state officials ore here included. I have spent considerable tire in observing processes of growing, picking, drying and shipping of raisins; also in gathering information from, persons who were responsible for the propagation of the vines, and who were responsible for their distribution. Many growers, distributors, retailers and consumers were consulted, By account of these interviews are herein contained.

企業之生存、成長及績效，環境之影響至巨，若企業本身處於一個發展潛力甚高的產 業，則環境之優渥保證了企業的未來遠景，當然管理能力亦為一重要決定因素。 本研究的目的即是在探討企業環境對於企業本身之生存、成長及績效之影響關係。以 美國Edward H.Mason與J.S.Bain等人所發展的產業組織學（Industrial Organizatio n ）為架構，以多元迴歸分析（Multiple Regression Analgsis）為方法，研究我國 目前大型企業之環境與其績效間之關係，布冀從其中獲致企業良好投資環境之指引。 樣本包含了自民國６７年至７０年連續四年進入中華徵信所出版「全國最大民營企業 」排行之三百二十餘家民營製造業者，選出與績效與產業特色有關變數指標共十四個 ，如利潤率、成刁率、市場集中度、市場佔有率等。資源來源為：（一）中華徵信所 「全國最大民營企業」６８─７１年版。（二）經濟部統計處「中華民國工商業調查 報告」１１─１４輯。（三）財政部統計處「中華民國進出貿易統計月報」民國７２ 年三月版。

This thesis draws on the concept of product stewardship and its focus on incorporating all of the actors in a product’s lifecycle into steps to take responsibility for waste management. Extended Producer Responsibility (EPR) recognizes the producer’s distinct potential to consider and drive change in waste management. Producers often serve like mediators between the design and use phases of a product’s lifecycle. Through EPR policies, the producer takes on the costs of ensuring safe end-of-life waste disposal. In this way, EPR can be expected to help relieve the public of some of the costs of waste disposal, and to support consideration of social and environmental impacts that a product may incur. This thesis examines EPR policy adoption and effectiveness in order to understand its ability to meet its theoretical expectations. Exploring the consideration and implementation of EPR policy measures, and particularly a case study of these policies in California, this thesis identifies several emerging challenges and trends that define openness to, and the success of, EPR. EPR policy proposals often encounter resistance that limits their strength and reach. In order to realize the full potential benefits of EPR, regulatory bodies will need to wholeheartedly support competition and enforcement to preserve the incentives within these policies. This thesis suggests that EPR still holds strong potential to bring together the social, environmental, and economic costs of waste management, both in theory and in practice, and offers broad recommendations for efforts to support this alignment.

This thesis examines wage differentials between male and female faculty salaries at Western Kentucky University. A human capital model of salary determination is examined by using regression analysis on relevant personal and job characteristics of faculty members. A large portion of the wage gap between men and women is explained through differences in the personal and job characteristics. A portion of the wage gap remains unexplained, however, the probability of discrimination playing a substantial role in salary is very small.