The present thesis is an empirical analysis of lobbying in the United States. First, it analyses an added value of lobbyists' specialisation and connections to congressmen using a method of matching. Second, it extends the analysis by studying the impact of competition for access to congressmen on the added value of lobbyists. Third, it analyses lobbying from the point of view of congressmen by studying the impact of their specialisation on committee assignments on the amount of campaign financing they obtain from lobbyists. The analysis is done using data about lobbying reports as well as committee assignments of congressmen and campaign contributions they obtain from lobbyists in the 106th to 110th congress, corresponding to years 1999-2008. The present thesis also provides a brief summary of related literature analysing different aspects of lobbying.

Cette thèse est une contribution à l'étude de la nécéssaire articulation entre théorie économique, droit et politique de la concurrence / This thesis is a contribution to the study of the necessqary link between economic theory, law and compétition polict

Horizontal relationships between subsidiaries within an MNC are rarely shown on an organisation chart but the interactions along this dimension are critical to the achievement of an MNC’s global operations and strategic activities. Different interaction logics of social relationships and economic exchanges in horizontal relationships induce simultaneous competition and collaboration between the subsidiaries. Collaboration and competition is a business reality in inter-subsidiary relationships as they collaborate to share resources and knowledge, but ultimately compete for resources, customers and profits. While much research has focused on the effects of internal collaboration, and to a lesser extent internal competition, on organisational performance, little is known about the antecedents of competition and collaboration and the interplay of simultaneously occurring interactions. By focusing on one or the other, any understanding of the inherent tensions between the two is overlooked. This research explores the coopetitive nature of the inter-subsidiary relationship using a qualitative approach within three MNCs, where internal competition and collaboration are more salient. Data were gathered from 98 semi-structured interviews with top and senior management, top management focus groups and a body of secondary data including internal reports, policy documents and external publications, among others, has been referenced. The study makes three key contributions. First, by extending Luo’s (2005) theoretical model of intra-MNE coopetition, the study identifies additional respective antecedents of competition and collaboration. Second, the study locates inherent tensions arising from inter-subsidiary coopetition and explicates how the tensions are managed by the HQ and subsidiaries using spatial, balancing and assessing mechanisms and specific interventions. Third, the study offers an empirically-based model of inter-subsidiary coopetition with a more dynamic and temporal set of multiple relationships among the subsidiaries within the MNCs. Management implications include that senior management teams be aware of the opportunities and constraints of promoting a culture of collaboration while simultaneously fostering inter-subsidiary competition through internal accounting policies and incentive systems, and that the capability of senior managers to work effectively within dual organisational structures be developed and incorporated into executive development programmes.

Master of Science / Department of Agricultural Economics / Arlo Biere / A major story in the recent history of US agriculture is the evolution and growth of the ethanol industry. A crucial factor in the profitability of an ethanol plant is the choice of its fixed location, as this has implications in the transportation costs associated with the acquisition of grain and sale of distiller’s grains. When the industry was in its infancy, where to locate, often, was based on strictly local factors. Primary considerations were local availability of grain and producer and community investment interests. Today, the ethanol industry is more mature and consolidated. As such, investment criteria have broadened from a localized to a total systems perspective. The focus of this study was to analyze construction, abandonment, and expansion of plant locations in ethanol producing regions, and the effects of regional transportation costs on the geographic growth of the industry. Comparison to previous research provided the basis to evaluate industry change. Current ethanol plant locations and their capacities were complied and compared with earlier data to identify plant exits, expansions and new construction. Aggregating those plant capacities by USDA crop reporting districts, feedstock consumption by biorefineries were calculated by crop reporting district, as was livestock feed demand from livestock numbers. Those data along with coarse grain production by crop reporting district were used to calculate excess feedgrain demand (supply) by region. Those regional data were used to construct linear programming network-flow models for the transportation of feedstock and for DDGS, respectively. Two models were used; the first was used minimize the interregional cost to transport feedstocks from excess supply regions to excess demand regions. The second was used to minimize the interregional cost to transport DDGS from excess supply regions to excess demand regions. These regional transportation costs were combined to find the total interregional transport by crop reporting district. Differences in such interregional transport costs affect the competitiveness of plants across crop reporting districts and should affect the strategic position of each plant location. Current plant locations and transportation cost results were compared with those from previous research and, with additional consideration to changes in production factors, provided further understanding of the recent growth and development of the ethanol industry.

Master of Science / Department of Agricultural Economics / John M. Crespi / The objective of this analysis is to derive several econometric estimates of the Panzar-Rosse statistic of industry structure in order to determine whether the dried plums market resembles that of a firm collusion (monopoly or tightly structured oligopoly), a hybrid of monopolistic and competitive tendencies (monopolistically competitive), or perfectly competitive. The result of the Panzar-Rosse test is the H-Statistic: the sum of all elasticities of a firm’s total revenue with respect to factor prices focusing on the long run equilibrium. This study looks at data from a previous study conducted by Alston et al (1998) that includes firm level data for three of the participating firms in the dried plums industry from September 6, 1992 through July 7, 1996 and data provided from Sunsweet Cooperative encompassing firm level data from six firm participants from July 20, 2008 through June 13, 2010. Ordinary least squares regression equations were estimated to determine the elasticities of firm level input costs and other exogenous variables. A total of four regression equations per data set were tested in order to compile the necessary information for the formulation of the Panzar-Rosse H-Statistic. Adjusting for econometric concerns, overall the results show an H-Statistic commensurate with that of an industry that is operating as monopolistically competitive. In examining the evolution of firm-level changes from the time period of the first data set to that of the second, the results suggest the industry, while remaining monopolistically competitive, has also become more competitive; a finding consistent with the decreased concentration noted in the industry over time.

This thesis focuses on the impact of a mega-store on the existing businesses in a specific area--Magazine Street in New Orleans. The potential mega-store is a 200,000 square foot Wal-Mart Supercenter that is part of the retail component of the St. Thomas housing re-development. The focus of this project is the retail competition that might be generated by this mega-store. Businesses were studied and placed into categories as either direct or indirect competitors to the mega-store. Previous research identified certain categories of store types that could be impacted (either positively or negatively) by the location of national stores in their communities. These categories were used to determine the impact that Wal-Mart might have on businesses on Magazine Street. Business owners were surveyed to determine how they thought they would be impacted. In the opinions of the business owners, the overall impact that a Wal-Mart would have on Magazine Street businesses would be negative. The surveys do show, however, mixed attitudes among the Magazine Street business owners toward Wal-Mart's coming.

M.Com. (Commerce) / The fundamental goal of this thesis is to assess the level of international competitiveness of the South African textile industry. implementation of GATT guidelines over the proposed period, will have a considerable impact on the South African Textile as welI as relevant industries. The Textile Industry will be faced with an increasing level of international competition. The protection enjoyed by the industry over the past 35 years has contributed to the low level of international competitiveness of the South African textile industry...

<p>The aim of this dissertation is to examine, model and estimate firm responses to</p><p>demand shocks by focusing on specific industries where demand shocks are well</p><p>identified. Combining reduced-form evidence and structural analysis, this dissertation</p><p>extends the economic literature by focusing on within-firm responses of firms</p><p>to two important demand shocks that are identifiable in empirical settings. First,</p><p>I focus on how firms respond to a decrease in effective demand due to competition</p><p>shocks coming from globalization. By considering China's accession to the World</p><p>Trade Organization in 2001 and its impact on the apparel industry, the aim of these</p><p>chapters is to answer how firms react to the increase in Chinese import competition,</p><p>what is the mechanism behind these responses, and how important they are in explaining</p><p>the survival of the Peruvian apparel industry. Second, I study how suppliers'</p><p>survival probability relates to the sudden disruption of their main customer-supplier</p><p>relationships with downstream manufacturers, conditional on suppliers' own idiosyncratic</p><p>characteristics such as physical productivity.</p> / Dissertation

Paper analyse retail banking fees in Czech Republic. It depicts bank methods of pricing retail banking fees and selected fees are compared across the market. Competition at similar foreign markets is shortly analysed as comparison tool. Testing the demand side of this market surprisingly revealed that the lack of competition between retail banks is not the main reason of low pressure on retail banking fees decrease. The same testing shows the significant passivity of customers as main cause.

Doctor Legum - LLD / Anti-dumping measures, safeguards and countervailing measures are trade remedies within the context of the World Trade Organisation (WTO). More specifically, the imposition of anti-dumping measures is a remedial measure, which may be evoked when dumped imports cause or threaten to cause injury to the domestic market. Article VI of the General Agreement on Tariffs and Trade (GATT) defines dumping as a situation where products of one country are introduced into the commerce of another country at less than the normal value of the products, and causes or threatens material injury to an established industry in the territory of a contracting party or materially retards the establishment of a domestic industry. In such a situation, the WTO allows countries to take action, if there is a causal link between injury to the domestic market and dumping. Zimbabwe has been a Member of the GATT since July 1948 and subsequently it became a Member of the WTO in March 1995. It also has anti-dumping legislation since 2002 namely Competition (Anti-Dumping and Countervailing Duty) (Investigation) Regulations, 2002 (Statutory Instrument 266 of 2002). Despite this, dumping remains a challenge in Zimbabwe. Different stakeholders in Zimbabwe have lobbied for anti-dumping laws to be strengthened and applied, to protect the domestic industry from dumped imports. Regardless of the lobbying, the Competition and Tariff Commission (CTC) which is the institution that deals with unfair trade practises in Zimbabwe, has to date not conducted any investigation in dumping. This study ascertains what the shortfalls in Statutory Instrument 266 of 2002 are, and the measures to be taken, to develop a sound framework that paves way for effective anti-dumping regime in Zimbabwe. The study highlights the need for an overhaul in Zimbabwe’s anti-dumping system. This study also engages in a discussion of anti-dumping laws in the European Union (EU) and South Africa, both whom have developed anti-dumping systems, which Zimbabwe can learn from. In addition, EU used to be Zimbabwe’s largest trading partner, but has since been replaced by South Africa.