Question

Table 17-29 Suppose that two firms, Wild Willy's Wonderdrink (Firm W) and Hyper Hank's Hydration (Firm H), comprise the market for energy drinks. Each firm determines that it could lower its costs and increase its profits if both firms reduced their advertising budgets. But for the plan to work, each firm must agree to refrain from advertising. Each firm believes that advertising works by increasing the demand for the firm's energy drinks, but each firm also believes that if neither firm advertises, the cost savings will outweigh the lost sales. The table below lists each firm's individual profits:
Firm W

Breaks agreement Maintains agreement and advertises and does not advertise

Firm H Breaks agreement and advertises Firm W's profit = $16,500 Firm H's profit = $5,000 Firm W's profit = $14,000 Firm H's profit = $11,000
Maintains agreement and does not advertise Firm W's profit = $24,000 Firm H's profit = $4,000 Firm W's profit = $22,500 Firm H's profit = $10,000
Refer to Table 17-29. Which of the following statement(s) correctly characterizes the outcome of this game?

A. Although both firms collectively would earn higher profits by maintaining the agreement not to advertise, self-interest will cause each firm to break the agreement.
B. There is a Nash equilibrium when both firms advertise.
C. Both Firm W and Firm H have a dominant strategy to advertise.
D. All of the above are correct.

Answer 1

Both Firm W and Firm H have a dominant strategy to advertise.

Explanation:

Dominant strategies, never despite what other competitors do, are treated similarly than others. In game theory, two forms of strategic supremacy exist:

-a strategy that is purely dominant is a strategy which provides the player with often better advantage, regardless of what the another player's strategy is ;

- a strategy that is weakly dominant, which gives all these other player's strategies the very same value, and which makes certain strategies more stringent.

Especially if one game is only weakly dominant (this means that it also does at least the same thing as any other strategy, but it just can in certain situations match other strategies, not beat them), and the same wages would apply to the player may be applied to more than one dominant strategy per player.