Question
Use the following game to answer questions 8-10. Be sure to show all of your math step-by-step. Alcoa and Kaiser, duopolists in the market for
Use the following game to answer questions 8-10. Be sure to show all of your math step-by-step.
Alcoa and Kaiser, duopolists in the market for primary aluminum ingot, choose prices of their 500 foot rolls of sheet aluminum on the first day of the month. The following payoff table shows their monthly payoffs resulting from the pricing decisions they can make.
Alcoa | |||
High price | Low price | ||
Kaiser | High price | A $400, $500 | B $175, $575 |
Low price | C $525, $200 | D $273, $250 |
Suppose Alcoa and Kaiser repeat their pricing decision on the first day of every month. Suppose they have been cooperating for the past few months, but now the manager at Kaiser is trying to decide whether to cheat or to continue cooperating. Kaiser's manager believes Kaiser can get away with cheating for two months, but he also believes that Kaiser would be punished for the next two months after cheating. After punishment, Kaiser's manager expects the two firms would return to cooperation. Kaiser's manager ignores the time-value of money and does not discount future benefits or costs.
8.
What is the monthly gain to Kaiser from cheating? What is the present value of the benefit from cheating for the two months of cheating?
9.
What is the monthly cost of punishment to Kaiser? What is the present value of the cost of cheating for the two months of punishment?
10.
Will Kaiser cooperate or cheat? Explain.
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