When Mergers Fail: A Pedagogical Case Study of the Proposed Merger of Staples and Office Depot

Bob Carbaugh and Toni Sipic

Journal for Economic Educators, 2017, vol. 17, issue 1, 30-39

Abstract: Major corporate mergers in the office supplies retail industry have been blocked by the US government on two occasions in the last 20 years. This article presents a pedagogical treatment of the recently proposed, and ultimately failed, merger of Staples and Office Depot. The Williamson economic model of horizontal mergers is discussed and the 2015 and 1996 merger proposals of Staples and Office Depot are compared. We develop classroom materials for economics instructors who teach introductory and intermediate applied microeconomics courses.

Keywords: Mergers; Williamson Model; Antitrust Laws; Office Supplies (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: A20 A22 G34 L41 L44 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2017
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Persistent link: https://EconPapers.repec.org/RePEc:mts:jrnlee:v:17:y:2017:i:1:p:30-39

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