"A" business by any other name: Firm name choice as a signal of firm quality
Publication
, Journal Article
McDevitt, RC
Published in: Journal of Political Economy
January 1, 2014
This paper considers when a firm's deliberately chosen name can signal meaningful information. The average plumbing firm whose name begins with A or a number receives five times more service complaints than other firms and also charges higher prices. Relatedly, plumbers with A names advertise more in the Yellow Pages and on Google, and doing so is positively correlated with receiving complaints. As the use of A names is more prevalent in larger markets, I reconcile these findings with a simple model in which firms have different qualities and consumers have heterogeneous search costs. © 2014 by The University of Chicago. All rights reserved.
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Published In
Journal of Political Economy
DOI
EISSN
1537-534X
ISSN
0022-3808
Publication Date
January 1, 2014
Volume
122
Issue
4
Start / End Page
909 / 944
Related Subject Headings
- Economics
- 38 Economics
- 35 Commerce, management, tourism and services
- 15 Commerce, Management, Tourism and Services
- 14 Economics
Citation
APA
Chicago
ICMJE
MLA
NLM
McDevitt, R. C. (2014). "A" business by any other name: Firm name choice as a signal of firm quality. Journal of Political Economy, 122(4), 909–944. https://doi.org/10.1086/676333
McDevitt, R. C. “"A" business by any other name: Firm name choice as a signal of firm quality.” Journal of Political Economy 122, no. 4 (January 1, 2014): 909–44. https://doi.org/10.1086/676333.
McDevitt RC. "A" business by any other name: Firm name choice as a signal of firm quality. Journal of Political Economy. 2014 Jan 1;122(4):909–44.
McDevitt, R. C. “"A" business by any other name: Firm name choice as a signal of firm quality.” Journal of Political Economy, vol. 122, no. 4, Jan. 2014, pp. 909–44. Scopus, doi:10.1086/676333.
McDevitt RC. "A" business by any other name: Firm name choice as a signal of firm quality. Journal of Political Economy. 2014 Jan 1;122(4):909–944.
Published In
Journal of Political Economy
DOI
EISSN
1537-534X
ISSN
0022-3808
Publication Date
January 1, 2014
Volume
122
Issue
4
Start / End Page
909 / 944
Related Subject Headings
- Economics
- 38 Economics
- 35 Commerce, management, tourism and services
- 15 Commerce, Management, Tourism and Services
- 14 Economics