Does Competition Favor Delegation?

28 Pages Posted: 29 Jul 2009

See all articles by Christian A. Ruzzier

Christian A. Ruzzier

University of San Andres (UMSA) - Department of Economics

Date Written: July 29, 2009

Abstract

This paper studies the consequences of product-market competition on firms' decisions to delegate more or fewer decision-making responsibilities to managers. By simultaneously addressing the choice of both competitive actions and organizational design, the paper makes an attempt at bringing economic theory and management strategy closer together.
     An increase in substitutability between the products of the different firms triggers a different response depending on the size of the firm: larger firms delegate more responsibility, whereas smaller firms centralize decision making. The increase in substitutability also causes some firms to exit the market, which pushes in the direction of reduced managerial autonomy. Stronger competition also leads to less discretion in markets in which the possibilities for product differentiation are important.
For a given number of firms, an increase in market size increases centralization, as the owner of the firm finds it more costly to accept rent seeking by the managers. However, this increase in market size will lead to the entry of more firms, which calls for more decentralized decision making. Under reasonable conditions, the aggregate effect leads to a U-shaped relationship where firms in both small and large markets are characterized by high levels of discretion, while there is less discretion for intermediate market sizes. Finally, a reduction in entry barriers leads unambiguously to an increase in the level of discretion given to the agent, as it results in a larger number of firms entering the market and, for a given market size, in lower concentration or expected firm-level demand, which reduces the value of having control and pushes in the direction of increased autonomy.

Keywords: product-market competition, delegation, authority, oligopoly, firm organization

JEL Classification: D43, L13, L22, M21

Suggested Citation

Ruzzier, Christian A., Does Competition Favor Delegation? (July 29, 2009). Harvard Business School Research Paper Series No. 10-009, Available at SSRN: https://ssrn.com/abstract=1440893 or http://dx.doi.org/10.2139/ssrn.1440893

Christian A. Ruzzier (Contact Author)

University of San Andres (UMSA) - Department of Economics ( email )

Vito Dumas 284
B1644BID Victoria, Buenos Aires
Argentina

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