ASYMMETRY EFFECTS: HOW PRODUCT QUALITY TIER AFFECTS PRICE COMPETITION

不對稱性效果：產品品質層級如何影響價格競爭？

劉秀雯(Hsiu-Wen Liu) ； 任立中(Lichung Jen) ； 周建亨(Chien-Heng Chou)

《品質學報》 27卷2期 (2020/04) Pp. 109-127

https://doi.org/10.6220/joq.202004_27(2).0003

摘要

The literature on competitive asymmetry effects suggests that the effect of price promotion is not equal for all competing brands, yet still contains diverse arguments. Based on a literature review of the asymmetric effects of price competition, this article identifies two key dimensions for analyzing price competition patterns: (1) the level, inter-tier or intra-tier, of price/quality brand competition, and (2) the methods used to estimate the cross-price effects (cross-price elasticity or cross-price sensitivity). Both dimensions need to be considered to bring clarity to the inconsistent arguments in the literature. Four hypotheses were proposed to indicate how asymmetric effects work. The study adopts a choice-based conjoint analysis with a seemingly unrelated regression (SUR) model in order to consider the impact of price changes among focal and competing brands on the market shares of a given product (bottled water). One hundred and ten college students took part in this conjoint study. The results show that when cross-price elasticity is the measure adopted, the asymmetric share effect favors high-share brands in intra-tier competition, and the asymmetric price effect favors high-price brands in inter-tier competition. However, when cross-price sensitivity is the measure adopted, the asymmetric share effect favors low-share brands in inter-tier competition, and the neighborhood cross-price effect is observed in intra-tier competition. This paper concludes with a discussion of the implications of these findings.

關鍵字

product quality tier ； asymmetric price effect ； cross-price elasticity ； cross-price sensitivity

並列摘要

許多研究指出價格競爭的結果對所有品牌的影響是不同的，然而此領域仍然存在許多不一致的看法。基於對價格競爭不對稱性效果的文獻探討，本研究提出以下兩個因素有助於釐清與分析價格競爭的不對稱性效果：（1）品牌競爭發生的情境在產品與價位上相似的水準內，或產品與價位上有差異的兩個不同水準間；以及（2）衡量價格競爭的指標（交叉價格彈性或交叉價格敏感度）。作者分別針對以上兩個因素所組合出的四個情境提出相對應的假設以分析不同情境與指標下價格競爭的結果。本研究採用選擇式聯合分析法並透過近似無相關迴歸分析法（seemingly unrelated regression, SUR）統計模型估計自我與競爭品牌價格變化對所有品牌市場占有率的影響。110位大學生參與此聯合分析實驗。研究結果顯示，當以交叉價格彈性作為衡量方式時，在不同品質價位間的價格競爭對高品質價位的品牌有利，在相同品質價位間的競爭對高市占率的品牌有利。當以交叉價格敏感度作為衡量方式時，在不同品質價位間的價格競爭對低市占率的品牌有利，在相同品牌間的價格競爭則可觀察到鄰近品牌的交叉價格效應，亦即彼此具有相當的程度的影響效果。最後本研究針對研究發現與管理意涵進行討論。

並列關鍵字

產品品質層級 ； 不對稱性價格效果 ； 交叉價格彈性 ； 交叉價格敏感度

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