Technology Choice and Market Structure: strategic aspects of flexible manufacturing
研究了企业采用柔性制造技术如何导致更激烈的价格竞争，但可能因阻止进入而损害消费者利益，并分析了阻止进入与容纳利基企业两种策略下的产品多样性差异。
This paper shows that the adoption of flexible manufacturing techniques by firms leads to a tougher price regime. However, consumers may not benefit since the tougher regime deters entry. Flexible manufacturing’s ability to deter entry is moderated by two factors: non‐prohibitive costs of re‐anchoring flexible manufacturing processes and the possibility that entrants choose to produce niche products using designated technologies rather than adopt flexible manufacturing. Market preemption that deters entry will be characterized by excessive product variety. Alternatively, flexible manufacturers may prefer to accommodate entry by small‐scale, niche firms. Moreover, ownership matters in determining equilibrium product configurations.