a) When Kodak leased large photocopiers to businesses, they also bundled a maintenance contract for periodic repairs. Third-party repair firms claimed that Kodak violated antitrust laws because this bundle guaranteed Kodak a monopoly on repairs and excluded competitors’ access. Why might the bundle have created value over what third-party repair shops could offer?
b) Kroger Groceries provides store managers flexibility to determine prices for a number of popular items they carry because demand is affected primarily by local conditions that managers are more aware of. To make sure managers use this discretion wisely, managers are rewarded with bonuses based on quarterly sales. With improvements in data collection and analysis, the “quants” in corporate headquarters can run many small experiments. Doing so allows them to understand nuanced patterns in consumer demand that had been un-noticed previously. How does this affect manager compensation?
c) Explain economic reasoning behind certain industries use of incentive pay versus hourly/salary systems
d) In most departments, Macy’s clerks are paid an hourly rate. As a consequence, they would prefer to spend the time goofing off than helping customers. The store developed a number of policies to combat this preference. For example, supervisors roam the store breaking up congregations of employees who are gossiping. However, with the advent of smartphones, employees can pass the time surfing the web, playing games, or posting to social media. How can Macy’s alter compensation so as to combat this new form of shirking?