Strategic Targeted Advertising and Market Fragmentation

This paper proves that oligopolistic price competition with both targeted advertising and targeted prices can lead to a permanent fragmentation of the market into a local monopoly. However, compared to mass advertising, targeting increases social welfare and turns out to be more beneficial for consumers than for firms.discount coupons.

Valuation of boundary-linked assets

This article studies the valuation of boundary-linked assets and their derivatives in continuous-time markets. Valuing boundary-linked assets requires the solution of a stochastic differential equation with boundary conditions, which, often, is not Markovian. We propose a wavelet-collocation algorithm for solving a Milstein approximation to the stochastic boundary problem. Its convergence properties are studied. Furthermore, we value boundary-linked derivatives using Malliavin calculus and Monte Carlo methods. We apply these ideas to value European call options of boundary-linked asset

Worst-case estimation and asymptotic theory for models with unobservables

This paper proposes a worst-case approach for estimating econometric models containing unobservable variables. Worst-case estimators are robust against the adverse effects of unobservables. In contrast to the classical literature, there are no assumptions about the statistical nature of the unobservables in a worst-case estimation. This method is robust with respect to the unknown probability distribution of the unobservables and should be seen as a complement to standard methods, as cautious modelers should compare different estimations to determine robust models. The limit theory is obtained. A Monte Carlo study of finite sample properties has been conducted. An economic application is included

Computing continuous-time growth models with boundary conditions via wavelets

This paper presents an algorithm for approximating the solution of deterministic/stochastic continuous-time growth models based on the Euler's equation and the transversality conditions. The main issue for computing these models is to deal efficiently with the boundary conditions associated. This approach is a wavelets-collocation method derived from the finite-iterative trapezoidal approach. Illustrative examples are give

Distinguished self-adjoint extensions of Dirac operators via Hardy-Dirac inequalities

We prove some Hardy-Dirac inequalities with two different weights including measure valued and Coulombic ones. Those inequalities are used to construct distinguished self-adjoint extensions of Dirac operators for a class of diagonal potentials related to the weights in the above mentioned inequalities.Comment: 16 page

Self-adjointness of Dirac operators via Hardy-Dirac inequalities

Distinguished selfadjoint extensions of Dirac operators are constructed for a class of potentials including Coulombic ones up to the critical case, $-|x|^{-1}$. The method uses Hardy-Dirac inequalities and quadratic form techniques.Comment: PACS 03.65.P, 03.3

Magazine sales promotion : a dynamic response analysis

This paper studies the impact and effectiveness of a type of non-price promotion often used in the European periodical magazines industry to stimulate sales, in which a value pack is sold containing the magazine issue plus another product. Magazines are sold simultaneously with and without promotion at different prices, and promotions are serialized by fractioning the additional product across different issues of the magazine. We find that promoted magazines contemporarily cannibalize non-promoted sales; but this loss is compensated by a medium term increase of non-promoted sales. These results show that this sales promotion strategy is an effective way to diminish the decline rate of periodical sales

Optimal duration of magazine promotions

The planning of promotions and other marketing events frequently requires manufacturers to make decisions about the optimal duration of these activities. Yet manufacturers often lack the support tools for decision making. We assume that customer decisions at the aggregated level follow a state-dependent Markov process. On the basis of the expected economic return associated with dynamic response to stimuli, we determine the ideal length of marketing events using dynamic programming optimization and apply the model to a complex promotion event. Results suggest that this methodology could help managers in the publishing industry to plan the optimal duration of promotion event