The author studies the pricing of information with private value (e.g., management consulting, legal advice, medical diagnosis). Anecdotal evidence shows that in some of these markets, competing information sellers split the business to sell only first or second opinions to their customers. The author explains this pricing practice by showing that second-opinion markets are a result of temporal differentiation.
Get full access to this article
View all access options for this article.
References
1.
Business Marketing (1987), “Ad ‘Doctors’ Push Second Opinions,” (November), 36–38.
2.
BusinessWeek (1985), “Why Should You Get a Second Opinion?” (April 15), 162–63.
3.
ChuAmelia, LavoieVictoria, and McCarthyEugene G. (1992), “Second Opinion Programs: Continued Savings from Nonconfirmed Surgeries,”Employee Benefits Journal, (September), 35–40.
4.
ChuWujin, and MessingerPaul R. (1997), “Information and Channel Profits,”Journal of Retailing, 73(4), 487–99.
5.
Computer World (1997), “Gurus Hire,” (October 20), 690–98.
6.
EmonsWinand (1997), “Credence Goods and Fraudulent Experts,”RAND Journal of Economics, 28(1), 107–19.
7.
IyerGanesh, and SobermanDavid (2000), “Markets for Product Modification Information,”Marketing Science, 19(Summer), 203–26.
8.
KlausnerMichael, MillerGeoffrey, and PainterRichard (1998), “Second Opinions in Litigation,”Virginia Law Review, 84(8), 1411–37.
9.
Marketing & Media Decisions (1985), “Second Thoughts on Campbell-Mithun's Second Opinion Service,” (March), 66–68.
Medical Economics (1994), “How to Get a Second Opinion on Your Investments,” (September 26), 131.
12.
MoorthyK.S. (1988), “Product and Price Competition in a Duopoly,”Marketing Science, 7(Spring), 141–68.
13.
PasaMehmet, and ShuganSteven M. (1996), “The Value of Marketing Expertise,”Management Science, 42(3), 370–88.
14.
RajuJagmohan S., and RoyAbhik (2000), “Market Information and Firm Performance,”Management Science, 46(8), 1075–84.
15.
RosenbergStephen N., PerlisHarold, LynneDonna, and LetoLeonard (1991), “A Second Look at Second Surgical Opinions,”Business and Health, (February), 14–28.
16.
SarvaryMiklos, and ParkerPhilip M. (1997), “Marketing Information: A Competitive Analysis,”Marketing Science, 16(1), 24–38.
17.
SchatzbergJeffrey W. (1994), “A New Examination of Auditor ‘Low Ball’ Pricing: Theoretical Model and Experimental Evidence,”Auditing, 13, 33–55.
18.
ViolinoBob, and LevinRich (1997), “Analyzing the Analysts,”Information Week, (November 17), 38–56.
19.
WeitzmanMartin L. (1979), “Optimal Search for the Best Alternative,”Econometrica, 47(3), 641–54.
20.
WernerfeltBirger (1996), “Efficient Marketing Communication: Helping the Customer Learn,”Journal of Marketing Research, 33(May), 239–46.
21.
WolinskyAsher (1993), “Competition in a Market for Informed Experts' Services,”RAND Journal of Economics, 24(3), 380–98.
22.
ZettelmeyerFlorian (1999), “The Strategic Use of Consumer Search Costs,” working paper, Haas School of Business, University of California at Berkeley.