Do small firms breathe heavily down the necks of their larger brethren?: an empirical examination of the theory of strategic niches
Συγγραφείς
Λέξεις-κλειδιά:
Strategic niches, Large-small firms, Μικρές και μεγάλες επιχειρήσεις
Περίληψη
Empirical studies in Industrial Economics have shown that most industries are
characterized by the co-existence of a small number of large firms and a large
number of small firms. According to a recent line of thought, the theory of
strategic niches, small firms do not directly compete with large firms but prefer
to occupy fringe markets, where they can achieve high profits. In this paper we
test this hypothesis by comparing the relative specialization of small and large
firms (measured by a novel variation of the well-known Balassa index) in
Greek manufacturing. The results suggest that, contrary to the above-mentioned
theory, on average it is large firms that choose to produce in product
niches, and this is especially noticeable in industries with low concentration.