Marketing Papers
Document Type
Working Paper
Date of this Version
February 2006
Abstract
Competitor-oriented objectives, such as market-share targets, are promoted by academics and are commonly used by firms. A 1996 review of the evidence, summarized in this paper, indicated that competitor-oriented objectives reduce profitability. However, we found that this evidence has been ignored by managers. We then describe evidence from 12 new studies, one of which is introduced in this paper. This evidence supports the conclusion that competitor-oriented objectives are harmful, especially when managers receive information about market shares of competitors. Unfortunately, we expect that many firms will continue to use competitor-oriented objectives to the detriment of their profitability.
Date Posted: 26 June 2006
Comments
Forthcoming in International Journal of Business. The author has asserted his/her right to include this material in ScholarlyCommons@Penn.