The Dominance of Diversified Versus Specialized Firms Across Industries

Abstract

Some industries are populated primarily by diversified firms, while other industries are dominated by specialized firms, which are present only in such a given industry. In this study, we analyze what factors determine the dominance of diversified versus specialized firms, and its effect on firm performance. In line with transaction cost economics, we show that market concentration and the degree of variability in the diversification pattern of firms in the industry are negatively associated with the importance of the activity accounted by specialized firms across the 720 industries in our study.