Competitive Planned Obsolescence
Volume: Volume 36, No. 3
Issue: Autumn 2005
Pages: 596-612
Authors: Paul A. Grout and In-Uck Park
Title: Competitive Planned Obsolescence
Abstract: We provide a model of planned obsolescence in a competitive market. A feature of the model is that there are configurations where a firm cannot survive in the competitive market unless its product exhibits planned and known obsolescence. This form of obsolescence is complementary to that of existing models and arises from the ability of planned obsolescence to minimize the lemons problem.