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Type of goods (Micro)


Cash for Clunkers - Used Cars (4/14/2000)

Used cars are but one example of used goods that embody older environmentally unfriendly technology. Ideally, they should be deprived of a second life. But such capital punishment often creates hardship for people who must depend on such used goods for their livelihood.

Keywords: air pollution, clunkers, environment, Ford, material flow, pollution quotas, recycling, smog credits, used cars

Cheap Pearls (2/16/2001)

Far from increasing consumer surplus, falling prices for luxury goods such as freshwater pearls due to overproduction reduce both consumer surplus and producer profit.

Keywords: cartel, De Beers, diamonds, fresh water pearls, luxury appeal, monopoly, paradox of plenty, prices, scarcity, Shanxiahu, snob appeal, snob effect, tragedy of the commons

Complements and Substitutes (1/2/2012)

Complements and substitutes illustrate the difference between changes in quantity demanded vs changes in demand.

Keywords: complements, demand, quantity demanded, substitutes

Complements and Substitutes (transcript) (3/27/2007)

Complements and substitutes illustrate the difference between changes in quantity demanded vs changes in demand.

Keywords: complementary goods, complements, demand shift, quantity demanded, substitute goods, substitutes

Drinking Experience (6/22/2006)

Starbucks commands premium prices for its lifestyle coffee because of its status cachet.

Keywords: coffee, commodities, competition, demand elasticity, Dunkin’ Donuts, experience goods, lifestyle goods, pricing power, service, social status, Starbucks, value chain

Extreme Image Makeover (6/22/2006)

The successful emergence of once-slighted digital cameras has reshuffled the cast of major players in the photography business.

Keywords: competition, complementary goods, digital cameras, disruptive technology, film cameras, flash memory, Fuji, Kodak, Konica Minolta, photography, product category, product differentiation, Sony

Free Riding on Preventive Health Care (8/16/2000)

Individual health insurers may be reluctant to aggressively offer smoking cessation treatment to their insured members because of high turnover of treated patients to other health insurers

Keywords: free rider, health care, HMO, insurance, preventive service

From Seahorses to Viagra (9/3/2005)

Viagra and other similar western impotence remedies might have affected the demand for and prices of traditional substitutes.

Keywords: endangered species, impotence remedy, market demand, Pfizer, reindeer antlers, seahorses, seals, substitutes, tigers, Viagra

Genericization as a Market Maker (1/14/2006)

The creation of a new market typically involves the simultaneous development of interlocking parts. Sacrificing the short-term gain for at least one part is often necessary to overcome initial supplier or buyer inertia.

Keywords: Apple, critical mass, Dell, genericization, IBM, Mac, Microsoft, open system, PC, proprietary system, standardized parts, two-sided market

He Who Pays the Piper (2/27/2007)

How on-the-air radio is indirectly funded affects the quality of radio programming as a public good.

Keywords: ads, commercial, consumption rivalry, donations, free rider, free-rider, fund raising, fund-raising, indirect funding, public goods, public radio, quality programming, sponsorship

Lounging in Luxury - Can You Afford It? (1/29/2014)

The value of luxury goods can be preserved only if access to them is restricted.

Keywords: airport lounge, airport lounge, Delta, elastic demand, elasticity of demand, experience good, inelastic demand, luxury good, membership, price hike

More Money, More Options (2/25/2000)

Fast foods are inferior goods that are used more when income is low. "Sit down" restaurant meals are normal goods that are consumed more when income is high.

Keywords: demand curve shift, fast food, income, inferior goods, normal goods, restaurant

Noodle Price-hike Conspiracy (6/22/2006)

Price hike is difficult to sustain in commodity business with many competitors.

Keywords: conspiracy, free entry., homogeneous products, noodle, perfect competition, price hikes

Premium from Freemium (12/30/2014)

Free public goods with close to zero marginal cost could profit from partial excludability.

Keywords: consumption rivalry, digital goods, excludability, freemium, premium, private goods, public goods

Private Goods vs Public Goods (11/2/2011)

Public goods cannot or do not exclude non-paying users and your consumption does not reduce others' consumption.

Keywords: consumption rivalry, excludability, private goods, public goods

Private goods vs. public goods (transcript) (3/27/2007)

Narrated lecture on the difference between private goods and public goods. Demand schedules for private goods and public goods are generated using Flash animation.

Keywords: aggregate demand curve, excludability, horizontal summation, marginal utility, market demand curve, private goods, public goods, rivalry, tax, vertical summation

Raiders of the Net (2/8/2005)

Controlling the distribution of products and the provision of after-sale service considerably reduce free riding of online shoppers on offline stores for product information.

Keywords: after-sale service, channel conflict, discount store, discounts, distribution channel, DVD, fragrances, free ride, free riding, online vs offline, perfumes, product availability, product information, product pricing, retailers, sales effort, virtual store, warranty

Rivalry and Excludability in Goods (8/15/2006)

Goods can be classified by their consumption rivalry and ability to exclude non-payers.

Keywords: advertisement, apple, Commons good, enforcement cost, excludability, indirect funding, low-congestion good, private good, property right, public good, radio, rivalry, school, tax

Roemer's Law of Demand (9/7/2005)

Supply may induce its own demand where a third party practically guarantees reimbursement of usage.

Keywords: capacity, excess supply, hospitals, market demand, medical services, Medicare, Roemer's law, supply-induced demand, supply-sensitive care, utilization

Self-Competition (6/22/2006)

Durability of capital goods poses challenge to producers in a mature market.

Keywords: capital goods, cars, Dell, durability, GM, Intel, median age, Microsoft, obsolescence, replacement, Toyota, trucks, vehicles

Shovelers Keepers? (6/7/2004)

Uncertain property rights will lead to either underinvestment or unnecessary disputes.

Keywords: claim, commons goods, parking space, private goods, property rights, snow

Streaming Revenues (6/22/2006)

Many companies earn more revenues from selling replacement parts than selling the complementary products.

Keywords: complementary goods, Dell, Hewlett-Packard, IBM, ink cartridges, printer, profit, razor, razor blades, replacement parts, third-party supplier

Supply-chain Births (6/22/2006)

Caesarean sections, which are preferred for their predictability, are more prevalent when reimbursement policy favors their practice even when they are not medically necessary.

Keywords: abdominal delivery, Brazil, C-sections, Caesarean sections, funding, health care, incentives, lifestyle choice, medical necessity, reimbursement, vaginal delivery

Systems Competition and Network Effects (9/26/2000)

A dominant network based on a near universal standard can internalize a great deal of system externality to the benefits of network users and can persist even in the face of technically superior competing networks.

Keywords: compatibility, complementary products, coordination, expectation, network externality, system

Taxes and Commercials, Necessary Evils? (11/28/2000)

Taxes and TV commercial take away what we could have otherwise, but are necessary to support 'free services'.

Keywords: disposable income, free lunches, necessary evils, personal income, taxes, TV commercials

The Rise of Dogs (9/11/2007)

Rising affluence and other social factors have led to the emergence of the dog care industry.

Keywords: Beijing, dog care, dog registration, income distribution, job creation, luxury good, normal good, Pet Chauffeur, vet

The Sharing Economy (3/11/2014)

The peer-to-peer rental and sharing economy could lead to more efficient allocation of scarce resources and a cleaner economy.

Keywords: access, AirBnB, capital goods, Coase, insurance, liability, Lyft, ownership, peer-to-peer rental, regulation, RelayRides, shareable goods, sharing economy, transaction cost, Zipcar

There Are no Widgets - Types of Goods (7/7/2006)

The law of supply and demand applies differently depending on the exact types of goods.

Keywords: capacity, closed-standard goods, complementary goods, durable goods, first-party payment goods, independently-used goods, inferior goods, innovative products, mature products, networked goods, normal goods, open-standard goods, Perishable goods, price discrimination, private goods, public goods, replacement, single pricing, substitute goods, third-party goods, widgets

Tuned out (6/22/2006)

The popularity of iPods locks in customer loyalty to the closed iPod-iTunes portable music playing system.

Keywords: Apple, closed system, copy protection, FairPlay Fair Play, iPods, iTunes, lock-in, MP3 player, music, open system, songs