Managerial Economics &

Business Strategy
Chapter 6
The Organization of the Firm

Michael R. Baye, Managerial Economics and Business Strategy, 5e.

McGraw-Hill/Irwin Copyright ©Copyright © 2006
2006 by The by The McGraw-Hill
McGraw-Hill Companies,
Companies, Inc. Inc.
AllAll rightsreserved.
rights reserved.
 Overview
I. Methods of Procuring Inputs

Spot Exchange

Contracts

Vertical Integration
II. Transaction Costs

Specialized Investments
III. Optimal Procurement Input
IV. Principal-Agent Problem

Owners-Managers

Managers-Workers
Michael R. Baye, Managerial Economics and Business Strategy, 5e. Copyright © 2006 by The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc. All rights reserved.
 Manager’s Role
• Procure inputs in the least
cost manner, like point B.
Costs C(Q)
• Provide incentives for
workers to put forth effort. A
$100
• Failure to accomplish this 80
B

results in a point like A.

• Achieving points like B
managers must

Use all inputs efficiently.

Acquire inputs by the least Q
costly method. 0 10

Michael R. Baye, Managerial Economics and Business Strategy, 5e. Copyright © 2006 by The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc. All rights reserved.
 Methods of Procuring Inputs
• Spot Exchange

When the buyer and seller of an input meet, exchange,
and then go their separate ways.
• Contracts

A legal document that creates an extended relationship
between a buyer and a seller.
• Vertical Integration

When a firm shuns other suppliers and chooses to
produce an input internally.

Michael R. Baye, Managerial Economics and Business Strategy, 5e. Copyright © 2006 by The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc. All rights reserved.
 Key Features
• Spot Exchange

Specialization, avoids contracting costs, avoids costs of
vertical integration.

Possible “hold-up problem.”
• Contracting

Specialization, reduces opportunism, avoids skimping
on specialized investments.

Costly in complex environments.
• Vertical Integration

Reduces opportunism, avoids contracting costs.

Lost specialization and may increase organizational
costs.
Michael R. Baye, Managerial Economics and Business Strategy, 5e. Copyright © 2006 by The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc. All rights reserved.
 Transaction Costs
• Costs of acquiring an input over and above
the amount paid to the input supplier.
• Includes:

Search costs.

Negotiation costs.

Other required investments or expenditures.
• Some transactions are general in nature
while others are specific to a trading
relationship.
Michael R. Baye, Managerial Economics and Business Strategy, 5e. Copyright © 2006 by The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc. All rights reserved.
 Specialized Investments
• Investments made to allow two parties to exchange
but has little or no value outside of the exchange
relationship.
• Types of specialized investments:

Site specificity.

Physical-asset specificity.

Dedicated assets.

Human capital.
• Lead to higher transaction costs

Costly bargaining.

Underinvestment.

Opportunism and the hold-up problem.
Michael R. Baye, Managerial Economics and Business Strategy, 5e. Copyright © 2006 by The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc. All rights reserved.
 Specialized Investments
and Contract Length
$
MC

MB1
Due to greater need for
specialized investments
MB0

Longer Contract

Contract
0 L0 L1 Length
Michael R. Baye, Managerial Economics and Business Strategy, 5e. Copyright © 2006 by The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc. All rights reserved.
 Optimal Input Procurement

Spot Exchange
No
Substantial
specialized
investments
relative to Yes Complex contracting
contracting costs? environment relative to
costs of integration?

No Yes

Vertical
Contract Integration

Michael R. Baye, Managerial Economics and Business Strategy, 5e. Copyright © 2006 by The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc. All rights reserved.
 The Principal-Agent Problem
• Occurs when the principal cannot observe the effort of
the agent.

Example: Shareholders (principal) cannot observe the effort of the
manager (agent).

Example: Manager (principal) cannot observe the effort of workers
(agents).
• The Problem: Principal cannot determine whether a
bad outcome was the result of the agent’s low effort or
due to bad luck.
• Manager’s must recognize the existence of the
principal-agent problem and devise plans to align the
interests of workers with that of the firm.
• Shareholders must create plans to align the interest of
the manager with those of the shareholders.

Michael R. Baye, Managerial Economics and Business Strategy, 5e. Copyright © 2006 by The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc. All rights reserved.
 Solving the Problem Between
Owners and Managers
• Internal incentives

Incentive contracts.

Stock options, year-end bonuses.
• External incentives

Personal reputation.

Potential for takeover.

Michael R. Baye, Managerial Economics and Business Strategy, 5e. Copyright © 2006 by The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc. All rights reserved.
 Solving the Problem Between
Managers and Workers
• Profit sharing
• Revenue sharing
• Piece rates
• Time clocks and spot checks

Michael R. Baye, Managerial Economics and Business Strategy, 5e. Copyright © 2006 by The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc. All rights reserved.
 Conclusion
• The optimal method for acquiring inputs
depends on the nature of the transactions
costs and specialized nature of the inputs
being procured.
• To overcome the principal-agent problem,
principals must devise plans to align the
agents’ interests with the principals.

Michael R. Baye, Managerial Economics and Business Strategy, 5e. Copyright © 2006 by The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc. All rights reserved.