Game theory: An example of the prisoner's dilemma in the real world is when two competitors are battling it out in the marketplace. Often, many sectors of the economy have two main rivals. There can be rivalry such as between du and Etisalat in Telecommunications services, Coca-Cola and Pepsi-Cola in soft drinks. Suppose du plans to cut its price. Etisalat will likely follow suit to retain its market share. This may end up with low profits for both companies. A price drop by either company may thus be construed as defecting since it breaks an implicit agreement to keep prices high and maximize profits. Thus, if du drops its price but Etisalat continues to keep prices high, du is defecting, while Etisalat is cooperating (by sticking to the spirit of the implicit agreement). In this scenario, du may win market share and earn incremental profits by selling more.

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4. Game theory: An example of the prisoner's dilemma in the real world is when two
competitors are battling it out in the marketplace. Often, many sectors of the economy have
two main rivals. There can be rivalry such as between du and Etisalat in Telecommunications
services, Coca-Cola and Pepsi-Cola in soft drinks. Suppose du plans to cut its price. Etisalat
will likely follow suit to retain its market share. This may end up with low profits for both
companies. A price drop by either company may thus be construed as defecting since it
breaks an implicit agreement to keep prices high and maximize profits. Thus, if du drops its
price but Etisalat continues to keep prices high, du is defecting, while Etisalat is cooperating
(by sticking to the spirit of the implicit agreement). In this scenario, du may win market share
and earn incremental profits by selling more.
Assume that the incremental profits that accrue to du and Etisalat are as follows:
o If both keep prices high (Cooperate), profits for each company increase by AED300 million
(because of normal growth in demand).
If one drops prices (defects) but the other does not (cooperates), profits increase by AED550
million for the former because of greater market share and are unchanged for the latter.
o If both companies reduce prices (defect), the increase in tele services offsets the lower price, and
profits for each company increase by AED150 million.
The payoff matrix du vs. Etisalat (in millions)
Etisalat
High price
(Cooprate)
Low price
(Defect)
300
550
High price
(Cooprate)
300
du
150
Low price
(Defect)
550
150
Question: In the above strategic game, find the Nash equilibrium.
Transcribed Image Text:4. Game theory: An example of the prisoner's dilemma in the real world is when two competitors are battling it out in the marketplace. Often, many sectors of the economy have two main rivals. There can be rivalry such as between du and Etisalat in Telecommunications services, Coca-Cola and Pepsi-Cola in soft drinks. Suppose du plans to cut its price. Etisalat will likely follow suit to retain its market share. This may end up with low profits for both companies. A price drop by either company may thus be construed as defecting since it breaks an implicit agreement to keep prices high and maximize profits. Thus, if du drops its price but Etisalat continues to keep prices high, du is defecting, while Etisalat is cooperating (by sticking to the spirit of the implicit agreement). In this scenario, du may win market share and earn incremental profits by selling more. Assume that the incremental profits that accrue to du and Etisalat are as follows: o If both keep prices high (Cooperate), profits for each company increase by AED300 million (because of normal growth in demand). If one drops prices (defects) but the other does not (cooperates), profits increase by AED550 million for the former because of greater market share and are unchanged for the latter. o If both companies reduce prices (defect), the increase in tele services offsets the lower price, and profits for each company increase by AED150 million. The payoff matrix du vs. Etisalat (in millions) Etisalat High price (Cooprate) Low price (Defect) 300 550 High price (Cooprate) 300 du 150 Low price (Defect) 550 150 Question: In the above strategic game, find the Nash equilibrium.
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