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Leasing is an important mode of service-oriented manufacturing where a manufacturer may lease machines from multiple suppliers to form a manufacturing system. While the suppliers provide machine maintenance, their individual interests may not be necessarily optimal to the system. Therefore, we propose a maintenance modeling and lease pricing (MMLP) framework to find the optimal maintenance policy for the system, and make a lease pricing scheme as an incentive mechanism to promote the realization of the cooperative maintenance among the suppliers. An optimization model is established to obtain a long-term maintenance policy by minimizing a cost rate function. And then, the grey lease pricing scheme based on the fair allocation of the benefits from the cooperation is suggested, with the marginal contribution of each supplier in the cooperation measured by the grey Shapley value method. Finally, a case study is used to show the application of the MMLP framework, presenting that the joining of the suppliers can make maintenance cost reduced and that the lease prices determined by using the grey Shapley value demonstrate the emergence and risk of the cooperation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Extending the access to cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR) training to a wider public is an important step in increasing survivability of out-of-hospital cardiac arrest. However, often price and maintenance of CPR manikins are barriers that prevent training at schools. This study aims to evaluate the learning of hands-only (HO) CPR by practicing with a low-cost manikin (LoCoMan) with visual qualitative feedback and to compare the results with the skills acquired by practice on a conventional manikin. A quasi-experimental study with 193 schoolchildren (10 to 12 years old) who were allocated to two groups: the LoCoMan group was taught via an integrative approach (science combined with physical education (PE)) and practiced on a handmade manikin, and a control group practiced in a traditional setting with a commercial manikin (Resusci Junior, Laerdal, Norway). All participants practiced for 1 hands-on skill session before performing a post-test on an instrumented CPR manikin. The outcomes including HO-CPR performance variables were compared between groups. The LoCoMan and control groups both achieved acceptable percentage of HO-CPR quality (57% and 71%, p = 0.004). Among 6th-graders, there were no significant differences in HO-CPR quality between LoCoMan 68% and control 71%, p = 0.66. The control group achieved better chest compression depth while the LoCoMan group showed more compressions with adequate chest recoil. Conclusion: Schoolchildren are able to build and use a low-cost manikin with visual feedback. The integrative learning approach used in this study may be a feasible alternative methodology for training and learning HO-CPR in schools when commercial manikins are not available. What is Known: • Access to CPR training should be universal and independent of age, location, financial means, or access to qualified instructors. • Scientific societies promote the implementation of CPR in schools, so that teachers and schoolchildren can play a multiplier role in their environment, but the gap in CPR learning is related to cultural, economic factors or access to resources and materials. What is New: • LoCoMan may be a useful device for teaching and learning CPR in schoolchildren from the age of 10 and upwards. • LOCOMAN shows that it is feasible and possible to build a low-cost manikin (about €5 in the European Region) and to integrate it into an integrative educational project, and outlines how this could be done. this approach can be an incentive for teachers to attempt teaching CPR, but also for education outside the formal environment. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article addresses the legal and procedural complexities in handling resale price maintenance practices as continuing offences within Czech competition law. Topics include the distinction between continuing and lasting offences, the requirement for detailed evidence of cartel agreements, and the necessity of clearly identifying individual acts in administrative penalties.

With the widespread attention on hydrogen energy, the operation optimization of the coupling system of hydrogen energy and transportation has become a critical issue. Therefore, this study develops a hydrogen-containing energy transportation coupling system for the system collaborative operation framework, operation mode and equipment modelling of the system. Furthermore, a medium- to long-term operation optimization model and a short-term operation optimization model were constructed considering the differences in the operation of coupled systems at different timescales and operating costs as the objective function and power balance and system equipment as constraints. In the medium- and long-term operation optimization model, the planning scenario reduction method is used to reduce the wind power generation scenario. In the short-term operation optimization model, a multivariate uncertainty model is constructed to represent the uncertainty in the coupling system. Subsequently, the solution method of the model is proposed. Finally, a coupled system is simulated to verify the effectiveness of the model. (i) When the initial scene set is 600, the typical scene reduction method using Latin hypercube sampling and the Wasserstein distance can reduce operating costs by 7.60% and 9.49% compared with K-means reduction and K-media reduction methods. (ii) The sensitivity coefficients of hydrogen sales price, electricity sales price and maintenance rate to operating costs are –0.031%, –1.009% and 0.0105%, respectively. (iii) Considering multiple uncertainties can help make optimal decisions based on the overall consideration of disadvantage scenarios, thereby reducing system operating costs. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We explain why a manufacturer may impose a minimum resale price in a successive monopoly setting. Our argument relies on the retailer having noncontractible choice variables such as the price of a substitute good and/or the retailer's service effort. Our explanation for minimum resale prices is empirically distinguishable from alternative justifications that rely, for instance, on retailer competition and service free riding among retailers. Whether a min RPM benefits or harms consumers depends on its effects: if it softens competition with the substitute product, it tends to harm consumers, and if it secures service provision, it tends to benefit consumers. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article focuses on the evolution of the streaming industry towards an oligopolistic structure driven by consumer data, leading to anticompetitive practices that disadvantage independent creators. Topics include the historical context of antitrust in the entertainment sector, the modern dominance of streaming giants, and proposals for updating antitrust laws to foster competition and protect both consumers and smaller content creators in the digital entertainment market.

This paper investigates the effects of Resale Price Maintenance (RPM) agreements in Europe by studying a legally permitted form of RPM in the book market. In particular, we study the effects of such agreements on prices and sales, finding that countries which have Fixed Book Prices policies witness higher book sales, relative to countries without such a policy, with no noticeable effect on the average price of books. We suggest that the mechanism for these findings is that FBP policies promote non-price competition and a diverse network of retailers, increasing quantity, whereas a change in bargaining power reduces double marginalisation, offsetting upward pricing pressure from RPM. While these results are limited to the book sector and are based on a limited number of countries changing policy, they nonetheless highlight that RPM agreements have the ability to confer positive competition effects and absolute prohibition of such agreements may not always be warranted. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We develop a benchmark model to study the equilibrium consequences of indexing in a standard rational expectations setting. Individuals incur costs to participate in financial markets, and these costs are lower for individuals who restrict themselves to indexing. A decline in indexing costs directly increases the prevalence of indexing, thereby reducing the price efficiency of the index and augmenting relative price efficiency. In equilibrium, these changes in price efficiency in turn further increase indexing, and raise the welfare of uninformed traders. For well-informed traders, the share of trading gains stemming from market timing increases relative to stock selection trades. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We study how dynamic research affects information acquisition in financial markets. In our strategic trading model, the trader performs costly research to generate private information but does not always succeed. Optimal research activity responds to market conditions and generates novel implications. First, more frequent public disclosures can "crowd in" private information acquisition, increase price informativeness, and harm liquidity, instead of "leveling the playing field." Second, observed research activity does not necessarily imply that traders are better informed. Finally, improvements in research effectiveness or higher market participation by uninformed investors can simultaneously increase price informativeness and liquidity. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article provides an overview of the United Kingdom's new block exemption on vertical agreements, with a specific focus on its implications for franchising. The UK's Vertical Agreements Block Exemption Order (VABEO) came into effect on June 1, 2022, after Brexit. The VABEO outlines provisions that should not be included in vertical agreements, including franchise agreements, in order for them to be exempt from competition law regulation. The article highlights the key differences between the UK's VABEO and the EU's Block Exemption Regulation on Vertical Agreements (VBER) and explores various competition law issues that arise in the context of franchising. It emphasizes the importance for franchisors operating in both the UK and EU markets to understand these differences in order to comply with competition regulations. [Extracted from the article]

Background: Medical devices are instruments, apparatus, appliances, software, implants, reagents, materials or other articles that are intended for use in the treatment or diagnosis of disease or injury in humans. Concerning medical endoscope devices, which enable doctors to observe and manipulate the area under examination through a puncture hole in the body cavity or organ, hospitals predominantly consider the quality and cost of maintenance services when making their selection. The effective and efficient provision of maintenance services plays a crucial role in ensuring cost-effective and high-quality management of medical devices. In this study, we have developed an innovative decision tool that analyzed key factors impacting the choice of medical devices' maintenance service. This tool assists hospitals in evaluating and selecting appropriate maintenance services for medical device, specifically endoscopy devices. Moreover, it also serves as a valuable resource for manufacturers and suppliers to enhance their after-sales service offerings. Methods: A cross-sectional survey was undertaken in 50 Chinese hospitals, including primary and tertiary hospitals. Moreover, 56 medical staff and 65 medical engineers were recruited from 50 Chinese hospitals to participate the survey. A comprehensive set of factors were defined and investigated. Conjoint analysis and orthogonal design were used for survey design and statistical analysis. Results: Factors importance and utility values of decision-making factors were analyzed at the aggregate, occupation, and medical institution levels. (1) At the aggregate level, the most critical factor is "maintenance response" and the least important one is "maintenance efficiency". (2) At the occupation level, medical staff paid more attention to "maintenance response" while medical engineers paid more attention to "maintenance quality". (3) At the medical institution level, Primary hospitals paid more attention to "maintenance price", while tertiary hospitals paid more attention to "maintenance quality". Conclusions: In general, this study provides a more scientific decision-making tool to both hospitals in choosing maintenance service for medical device such as endoscopy, and it also helps manufacturers and suppliers improve the after-sales service. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Discussions around formalism have made a comeback in the competition law community. This paper seeks to clarify, first, what term means – and does not mean. It is, in essence, an approach to the identification and the evaluation of the lawfulness of practices that relies on their formal features - and their formal features alone. Formalism should not be conflated with, inter alia, the ‘by object’ treatment of conduct and with the use of legal categories (which are a necessity). Second, the paper shows that the Court has consistently placed substance above form in its case law - as cases like Super Bock and Slovak Telekom show. On the other hand, competition authorities appear to favour formalism. The tension between the Court’s and authorities’ favoured approaches might be a source of legal uncertainty and might result in the fragmentation of the legal system along several dimensions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We study the effect on housing values of cutting funding for the maintenance of local parks and recreational areas. It is the first study we find on house prices and park maintenance spending, and only the second open space study we find that uses regression discontinuity. We study tax votes with exogenous timing for renewing current expense spending on parks and recreation, adding to the vibrant literature on house price capitalization of environmental amenities. We find that otherwise similar communities that barely vote to cut taxes suffer an 11% drop in house prices, compared to communities that barely vote to renew tax funding. The capitalization discount grows to 13% and 16% in later periods. Voting against spending saves $70 a year for a typical house but cuts house values by over $30,000. We find stronger effects for large tax levies and more expensive houses. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article explores recent amendments to India's Competition Act and their potential effects on the Indian economy. These changes include commitments and settlements, faster merger review timelines, and a leniency-plus regime. The goal is to strike a balance between business-friendly measures and stricter regulatory oversight. The article emphasizes the need for the Competition Commission of India (CCI) to adopt a balanced approach that promotes economic growth. The introduction of commitments and settlements is seen as a way to save time and resources and achieve quicker market correction. The article also discusses the introduction of a deal value threshold for notifying transactions exceeding INR 20 billion, which aims to capture acquisitions by large digital companies. However, the effectiveness of this threshold in maintaining healthy competition remains uncertain. Overall, the impact of these amendments will depend on how the CCI prioritizes enforcement. [Extracted from the article]

The Polish Competition Authority has fined Dahua Technology Poland and its six distributors over PLN 37 million for engaging in vertical restrictive agreements, including resale price maintenance (RPM) and market sharing. The Authority found that Dahua had influenced pricing policies through an RPM system and had implemented a mandatory policy that allowed the first distributor to benefit from special rebates, effectively dividing the market. The Authority's approach towards RPMs has been criticized for not conducting a detailed economic analysis. The decision has important implications for the interpretation of Article 101 in the context of vertical agreements and rebate systems. [Extracted from the article]

Annotation on the Judgment of the Court (Third Chamber) of 29 June 2023 in Case C-211/22 Super Bock Bebidas SA and Others v Autoridade da Concorrência In its judgment of 29 June 2023, following six questions referred for a preliminary ruling, the Court of Justice of the EU provided clarity in dealing with a vertical case involving resale price maintenance (RPM).1 A topic that had already undergone considerable evolution in existing case law, from a phenomenon that was considered as restrictive by object, following among others the Binon case, to a much more nuanced view in which the Court noted that the agreements should be assessed in their appropriate legal and economic context where the restrictive effect should be established first. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article describes the peculiarities of accounting for the cost of international freight transportation. The purpose of the article is to generalize the cost accounting experience and develop proposals for improving the pricing algorithm under different conditions. The results of the study are based on questionnaire data of 20 enterprises and entrepreneurs-carriers of the Volyn region, whose main type of service is international transportation. Most of them (18 out of 20 enterprises) belong to the general classification of micro- and small enterprises, which characterizes this business as small, 2 enterprises belong to the average in terms of the number of employees and the currency of the balance sheet. For the purpose of research, they were divided into 3 groups: small (0 –10 employees), medium (11–20 employees), large (21–30 employees). In order to study the peculiarities of cost formation, their distribution was carried out by the number of cars, as this affects the number of transportations. The main principles of formation and calculation of the cost of freight transportation, types of cost of freight transportation, composition of cost items that form the cost of transportation are considered. The main influencing factors that led to changes in the cost of road transportation are characterized: the influence of military actions, the influence of the size of the enterprise, the influence of the volume of work performed by a unit of motor vehicles. According to the results of the assessment of the factors affecting the cost of road transportation, it was established that the share of production costs decreases with the increase in the size of the enterprise, while the share of general production and other costs increases, that is, micro-enterprises are more flexible. It is substantiated that the practice of pricing, which is based on the calculation of the amount of necessary fuel according to the mileage and the mark-up according to the calculations of previous years, is not always effective, because the share of fuel consumption in the company's expenses changes not only during the year, but also depends on the size of the company. A model for accounting for the cost of international freight transportation and an algorithm for its calculation are proposed for pricing, as well as a separate stage of analyzing the cost structure of the previous month for consideration in pricing. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This Essay considers antitrust and consumer protection liability for coercive practices vis-à-vis drivers that are prevalent in the rideshare industry. Resale price maintenance, nonlinear pay practices, withholding data, and conditioning data access on maintaining a minimum acceptance rate all curtail platform competition, sustaining a high-price, tacitly collusive equilibrium among the few incumbents. Moreover, concealing relevant trip data from drivers is both deceptive and unfair when the platforms are in full possession of the relevant facts. In the absence of these coercive practices, customers too would be better off due to platform competition, which would lower average prices by sharpening competition between incumbents, enable entry by rivals charging lower take rates, and unravel pervasive price discrimination. Coercive practices in the rideshare industry and elsewhere, and the business models they enable, result from the preference for hierarchy and domination inherent in the contraction of liability for vertical restraints since the 1970s. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Strategic deterrence through the use of sanctions in the international system is gaining support among major players. This is despite widespread scepticism over the instrument's efficacy, as seen by the widespread opposition to its use immediately following its implementation in Iraq in the immediate aftermath of the end of the Cold War. The takeover of Ukraine is the first opportunity since World War II to analyse the results of sanctions on a major power and permanent member of the UN Security Council. The issue raises the question of whether or not sanctions on Russia would be an effective strategy in stopping their aggressiveness in Ukraine. In this article, we analyse how targeted sanctions against Russia's economy can alter the course of the conflict in Ukraine. Given the energy linkages that most of these governments have with Russia, we see the sanctions' proponents the United States, the European Union, and the Baltic States suffering increasingly negative consequences. We also contextualise the acts of sanction busters empowered by the United States' inability to develop a consensus at the United Nations General Assembly and by Russia's veto to thwart the criminalization of their conduct in the United Nations Security Council. Despite this, it is becoming apparent that Russia's economy is feeling the effects of the sanctions, which is substantially diminishing their ability to properly prosecute the war. Methodologically, the study used a historical approach, meaning that it relied on information gathered from previously existing sources including encyclopaedias, encyclopaedia articles, and news stories. In conclusion, the data appears to bolster the view that the possible risk spawned in the harsh reality of targeted or comprehensive sanctions on Russia given the extent of the punishment regime is an acceptable price for the maintenance of the rule-based international order. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose: The purpose of this study was to examine the macroeconomic impact of mobile money in Somalia using quarterly data from 2010 to 2020. Design/methodology/approach: This study applied the structural vector autoregressive approach to examine the response of the macroeconomic variables to the mobile money shocks. Findings: The results show that mobile money increases consumer spending by reducing transaction costs and enhancing access to finance, which promotes the expansion of aggregate output. This study also finds that mobile money helps exchange rate stability and price level maintenance, boosting trade openness. Moreover, mobile money is linked to the rise in real income due to productivity improvement and price stability. The results of this study indicated that mobile money has a short-run relationship with aggregate output, household consumption, price level, trade openness and real income. Through the Granger causality test, this study finds that mobile money has a unidirectional relationship with the exchange rate, price level, household consumption and trade openness. Originality/value: The empirical findings of this study imply that mobile money can create a wide range of financial services to improve the financial system in rural and urban areas; hence, it enables poor and rural members of society to make payments and receive-and-transfer money using their mobiles. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Thus, even if the undertaking concerned implements the best possible compliance programme, effectively excluding the possibility of future infringements, the CCA would not be able to reward it with price reduction if the undertaking is unwilling to settle the infringement under investigation. Broader Context of the CCA's Setting of Fines The final condition of a leniency or settlement application calls for a clarification, as the CCA is currently reviewing these policies as well. Keywords: compliance; NCA; mitigating circumstance; antitrust EN compliance NCA mitigating circumstance antitrust 49 52 4 04/04/23 20230101 NES 230101 In September 2022, the Czech Competition Authority issued a decision finding an infringement, wherein it decreased the fine because the undertaking in question introduced a compliance programme. [Extracted from the article]

The consumer seller's expected price for their old product in the resale online market is most of the time significantly higher than the potential buyer transaction price, which results in fewer chances of transaction closure. The proposed work aims to analyze the consumer seller and buyer behavior to drive a relationship among the seller expected price, transaction price, and probability of deal closure of resale product. Data of online resale platform are analyzed and used to develop machine learning models. The consumer seller expected and transaction price model results have been compared to derive the relationship with the probability of transaction closure. The change in predicted and the actual prices is judged by using statistical parameter's mean absolute percentage error (MAPE). This research can help businesses to understand customer expectations of resale price and helps customers to put right price for a high probability of the transaction. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A good operating state of large equipment in construction projects is the key to ensuring the construction period, improving the project performance, and effectively reducing project costs. Hence, the problem of supplier selection for large equipment maintenance of construction enterprises has elicited extensive attention from scholars in the industry. The uncontrollable factors affecting large equipment maintenance in construction projects are numerous due to the complicated construction conditions of construction projects. Scientific selection of appropriate equipment maintenance suppliers can provide more reliable technical support and maintenance services for the operation safety and safety of large equipment during construction. In this study, the main factors influencing supplier selection for large equipment maintenance of construction enterprises were comprehensively combed. With the supplier selection of a top-10 Chinese construction enterprise for large equipment maintenance as a case, the factors influencing supplier selection were analyzed using analytic hierarchy process (AHP) and VlseKriterijumska Optimizacija I Kompromisno Resenje (VIKOR). The group benefit value, individual regret value, and profit ratio were calculated, and schemes were compared and sorted. Results showed that the weights of the first-level indexes influencing supplier selection for large equipment maintenance of construction enterprises were sorted as enterprise competence (0.3321)>enterprise performance (0.2205)>service level (0.1748)>maintenance price (0.1381)>equipment quality (0.1345). Among the second-level indexes, the timely equipment maintainability, informatization level, and equipment maintenance price achieved the maximum weights. VIKOR-based calculation results revealed that supplier D ranked first, so it was selected by the construction enterprise as the supplier for large equipment maintenance of construction enterprises. On this basis, the practicability and operability of AHP and VIKOR in the scientific selection of suppliers were proved. The obtained conclusions are of important reference values for enriching the evaluation index system for construction enterprises to select large equipment suppliers, improving the quality of suppliers cooperating with construction enterprises, and enhancing the equipment management and maintenance efficiency of construction enterprises. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article offers information on reconstruction of the monopolization offense, and conduct requirement in the United States. It discusses the few claims considering components including a concern with a wrong exclusion, as distinct from mere competitive failure, price discrimination, a concern with the harms of monopoly and a concern to protect competitive freedom for monopolists.

Metallic antimony production from antimony-bearing materials is a research hotspot. The conventional electrowinning technology of antimony is a challenging problem due to the sulfur compounds that come from both the ore itself and the leaching solution in the electrolysis system. The electro-production of antimony in modified non-diaphragm cells is of interest because of the high price and maintenance issues associated with diaphragm cells. A sulfur-based problem in non-diaphragm cells was the focus of this study, which investigated the effects of various salts on this problem and also optimized antimony production conditions. Various salts (i.e., BaCl2, CaCl2, Ba(OH)2, Ca(OH)2) were used as a precipitating agent for the formation of insoluble salts (BaSO4/CaSO4 and BaSO3/CaSO3). Sb concentration, amount of NaOH and Na2S in the bath, electrowinning time, and temperature were investigated to optimize reaction parameters. The Taguchi experimental design was used to determine the effect of each factor on the Sb deposition. The phases and structures formed during electroproduction were identified with the help of various measurement techniques. This study found that in the presence of 96 mM BaCl2, 45 g/L of Sb concentration, 100 g/L of NaOH, and 60 g/L of Na2S were the most suitable factors. It was found that 40 °C was the optimal electrowinning temperature. This result also demonstrated that increasing concentrations of BaCl2 reduced specific energy consumption. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We study the average treatment effect of inflation targeting on the likelihood of financial crisis with a large panel of countries over 1980–2017. To address the self-selection problem of inflation targeting, we adopt propensity score matching. Various matching estimators show consistent evidence that inflation targeting has significantly reduced the probability of a financial crisis. When decomposing financial crisis into various types, the effects are pronounced for the banking crisis, inflation crisis, external debt crisis, and stock crash. Our results are largely unaltered to a battery of robustness checks when controlling for legal origins, governance quality, financial development, capital account openness, fiscal balance, debt-to-GDP ratio, financial regulations, and central bank independence. This paper suggests that price-stability-oriented monetary policy frameworks, such as inflation targeting, also have non-negligible 'side effects' on financial stability. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Illegal wildlife trade is a criminal act of enormous value, almost equivalent to drug trafficking. One species vulnerable to being traded illegally is the moluccan eclectus which has a high number of enthusiasts. Law enforcement in cases of illegal wildlife trade in Indonesia is difficult because there is no standardization in calculating the economic value of wild animals. The economic valuation approach is one approach in quantifying the economic value of wildlife. This study aims to analyze the economic value of moluccan eclectus based on the market price approach, analyze the economic value of moluccan eclectus based on the maintenance cost approach, and compare the two approaches in the economic valuation of moluccan eclectus. Data were collected by two methods, namely literature study and interviews. The literature study collects data in the form of moluccan eclectus market prices circulating in the domestic and international markets. Meanwhile, interviews were conducted with managers of conservation institutions at Siantar Zoo, Medan Zoo, Tasikoki Animal Rescue Center (PPS) Manado, Taman Mini Indonesia Indah Bird Park in Jakarta, Kekewang Zoo in North Sulawesi, and Andy Hoo Captivity in East Java to obtain data on maintenance cost. Data analysis was carried out quantitatively and qualitatively. The results showed that the economic value of moluccan eclectus based on the market price approach reached IDR 16,138,820/individual. Meanwhile, based on the maintenance cost approach, the economic value of moluccan eclectus reaches IDR 6,313,333/individual. Based on the accuracy of the results, both approaches have the same level of accuracy. Meanwhile, based on the effectiveness and cost-efficient aspects of data collection and analysis, the market price approach is relatively better than the maintenance cost approach. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In order to ensure that maximum or recommended sales prices communicated to the buyer do not become minimum or fixed prices, price lists or packaging of the product must clearly indicate that the prices concerned are maximum or recommended prices. For instance, an obligation introduced for all buyers to report those buyers who sell at prices different from those included in the standard price lists would significantly facilitate the control of the supplier over the prices implemented in the market. Moreover, '..'. not only tracked the prices of the products that it had sold but also monitored and reported whether prices of those products were under or over the recommended prices determined by '..'. and, within this framework, in cases where it was understood that the relevant buyer's sales price was under the [recommended] price of '...', there were various attempts by '..'. to raise the prices. However, when the statements of the buyer undertakings given above are scrutinized, it is seen that any act of pressure or encouragement of '..'. was not exhibited, beyond its reproach of the undertakings who are characterized as "price breakers" and who sell below the recommended prices. [Extracted from the article]

In this study, we consider the pricing of energy derivatives when the evolution of spot prices follows a tempered stable or a CGMY-driven Ornstein–Uhlenbeck process. To this end, we first calculate the characteristic function of the transition law of such processes in closed form. This result is instrumental for the derivation of nonarbitrage conditions such that the spot dynamics is consistent with the forward curve. Moreover, we also conceive efficient algorithms for the exact simulation of the skeleton of such processes and propose a novel procedure when they coincide with compound Poisson processes of Ornstein–Uhlenbeck type. We illustrate the applicability of the theoretical findings and the simulation algorithms in the context of pricing different contracts, namely strips of daily call options, Asian options with European style and swing options. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Competition policy and law toward price maintenance (e.g., resale price maintenance, unilateral price policies, minimum advertised prices) draws on scholarly perspectives and theory developed over a half century ago. Since that time, changes to marketing practice have caused scholars to question the practical relevance of the perspectives and theory and to call for the modernization of competition policy and law toward price maintenance. Responding to these calls, the authors examine three important developments in contemporary marketing practice and assess their impact on the legal treatment of price maintenance in the three largest economies: the United States, the European Union, and China. Their analysis reveals significant differences in how each jurisdiction is responding to (1) increasing market concentration and accompanying shifts in interfirm power, (2) advances in information technology and the commercial use of the internet, and (3) developments in cross-channel shopping and the rise of omnichannel distribution. Their findings pose implications for future public policy, marketing practice, and academic scholarship and contribute to the modernization of competition policy and law. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In the following sections, we indicate the main differences in the EU and the Authority's approaches towards investigation of vertical arrangements as it will certainly be interesting to monitor the final outcome of the Dell case and see whether the OCCP will make a shift from its current enforcement policy. Keywords: vertical restraints; 'by object" restriction; "by effect" restriction; economic assessment; market sharing EN vertical restraints 'by object" restriction "by effect" restriction economic assessment market sharing 261 265 5 10/07/22 20220701 NES 220701 In early August 2022, the President of the Office of Competition and Consumer Protection ( I Prezes Urzedu Ochrony Konkurencji i Konsumentów i , OCCP or the Authority) released press information that it initiated antitrust proceedings against Dell, one of the key manufactures of IT infrastructure products. Poland • The Office of Competition and Consumer Protection Investigates Vertical Restraints in the IT Sector - Does the EU Approach Prevail?. [Extracted from the article]

The article presents a summary of the principal developments in the competition laws of Austria, Belgium, France, Germany, Israel, Poland, Portugal, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, United Kingdom, and the U.S. from January 1, 2022 to March 31, 2022. Topics include an amendment to the Federal Act on Improvement of Local Supply and Competitive Conditions of Austria, and the opening by the French Competition Authority of an in-depth examination phase of the TF1/M6 merger.