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Index: Managerial Economics
Index: Managerial Economics
Game Theory
Index
1. Game Theory
2. Assumptions
3. Flow chart
4. Classification
5. Elements
6. Significance
7. Limitations
8. Prisoner's dilemma
9. Methods of solving 2 person zero sum games
10. Solution of pure strategy games
11. Principle of Dominance
12. Method of solving mixed strategy problems.
13. Arithmetical Method
14. Graphical Method for solving 2*n and m*2
games
15. Solution of game by linear programming
approach
16. Nash equilibrium
GAME THEORY
ASSUMPTIONS
• There are finite number of competitors.
• There is conflict of interests between them.
• Each player has available with him finite
courses of action.
• Players know all possible available choices but
does not know which one is going to be chosen.
• Players simultaneously select their respective
courses of action.
• The payoff is fixed and determined in advance.
• Players have to make individual decisions
without direct communication.
Decision making
Competitive
Non Competitive
situations (Games
Situations
Theory)
Pure Strategy
Mixed Strategy
(Saddle Point exist)
M*n strategies
2*2 Strategies 2*n or 2*m
(Linear
Game (Arithmetic strategies game
Programming
Method) (Graphical Method)
Method)
CLASSIFICATION
o Two-Person Game – A game with 2 number of
players.
o N-Person Game – A game with N number of
players, where >2.
o Zero-Sum Game – A game in which sum of
amounts won by all winners is equal to sum of
amounts lost by all losers.
o Non-Zero Sum Game – A game in which the
sum of gains and losses is not equal.
o Pure-Strategy Game – A game in which the best
strategy for each player is to play one strategy
throughout the game.
o Mixed-Strategy Game – A game in which each
player employs different strategies at different
times in the game.
ELEMENTS
Pay off - It is the outcome of playing a game. It
is the net gain, the strategy brings to the firm
for any given counter-strategy of the
competitor. The net gain is measured in terms
of the objective of the firm i.e., increase in
profits, etc.
Pay-off Matrix – It is the table showing
outcomes or pay-offs of different strategies of
the game. E.g., pay-off matrix of a two-person
zero sum game
PLAYER Y
Y1 Y2 Y3
X1 24 36 8
X2 32 20 16
In this pay-off matrix, positive pay-off is the
gain to maximizing player (X) and loss to minimizing
player (Y).E.g., if X chooses strategy X1 and Y
chooses strategy Y1, then X’s gain is 32 and Y’s loss
is 32.
In this pay-off matrix, positive pay-off is the
gain to maximizing player (X) and loss to minimizing
player (Y).E.g., if X chooses strategy X1 and Y
chooses strategy Y1, then X’s gain is 32 and Y’s loss
is 32.
Rule of dominance: A strategy is called
dominant if each pay-off in the strategy is superior
to each corresponding pay-off matrix, for player Y
(who is minimize) , strategy Y3 dominates both
strategies Y1 and Y2. The rule of dominance is used
to reduce the size of pay-off matrix and thereby
ease the computational effort.
Optimal strategy: A course of action or plan
which puts the player in the most preferred position
irrespective if the strategy of his competitors, is
called an optimal strategy. Any deviation from this
strategy results in a decreased pay-off for the
player.
Value of the game: it is the expected pay –off of
the play when all the players of the game follow
their optimal strategies. The game is called fair if
the value of the game is zero and unfair if it is non-
zero.
SIGNIFICANCE
1. Helps in decision making: Game theory
develops a framework for analysing decision-
makings under the situations of inter-
dependence of firms with existing uncertainties
about the competitor’s reactions to any course
of action adopted by a firm.
2. Provide scientific quantitative technique: This
theory outlines a scientific quantitative
technique which can be fruitfully used by
players to arrive at an optimal strategy, given
firm’s objectives.
3. Gives insight into situation of conflicting
interests: game theory gives insight into several
less-known aspects which arise in situations of
conflicting interests. For example, it describes
and explains the phenomena of bargaining and
coalition-formation.
LIMITATIONS
1. The assumption that the players have the
knowledge about their own pay-offs and pay-
offs of others is rather unrealistic. He can only
make a guess of his own and his rivals’
strategies.
2. As the number of maximum and minimax show
that the gaming strategies becomes increasingly
complex and difficult. In practice, there are
many firms in an oligopoly situation and game
theory cannot be very helpful in such situation.
3. The assumptions of maximum and minimax
show that the players are risk-averse and have
complete knowledge the strategies. These do
not seen practical.
4. Rather than each player in an oligopoly
situation working under uncertain conditions,
the players will allow each other to share the
secrets of business in order to work out a
collusion. Thus, the mixed strategies are also
not very useful.
Prisoners’ Dilemma
In order to understand prisoners’ dilemma let us
suppose that there are 2 persons, A & B who are
partners in an illegal activity of match fixing. The
CBI arrests them and lodges them in separate jails
with no possibility of communication between
them. They are being interrogated separated by
CBI officials with. Following conditions are
disclosed to them:
1. If you confess your involvement in match
fixing, you will get a 5 year imprisonment.
2. If you deny your involvement and your
partner denies too, you will be set free for lack of
evidence.
3. If one of you confesses and turns approver,
and other does not, then one who confesses gets a
2 year imprisonment, and the other one gets 10
year imprisonment.
Both persons have 2 options:
1. To confess
2. Not to confess.
But both have a common objective to
minimize the period of imprisonment. Thus,
following pay-off matrix is derived
B’soptions
con fess de ny
Confess A B A B
A’s 5 5 2 10
options
Deny A B A B
10 2 0 0
Firm B Row
B1 B2 B3 minimum
Firm A A1 2
2 18 4
A2 8
16 10 8
Column - maximum
16 18 8
B1 B2 B3 B4
A1 7 6 8 9
A2 -4 -3 9 10
A3 10 2 -5 0
A1 7 6 8 6
A2 -4 -3 9 -4
A3 10 5 -2 -2
Column 10 6 9
maxima
Player B
Strategy-1 B1 strategy-2 B2
Player A Strategy-1 A1 3 5
Strategy-2 A2 4 1
Strategy 3 5 3
A1(p=2/5)
Player A Strategy A2 4 1 1
(1-p=3/5)
Maximum 4 5
B1 B2 B3
Player A A1 8 4 -2
A2 -2 -1 3
Company B
3 -4 2
Company A 1 -3 -7
-2 4 7
Company B
6 -1 5
Company A 4 0 -4
1 7 10
0 s1 1 6 - 5 1 0 01/6
6* -1 5 1 0 0
0 S2 1 4 0 - 0 1 0¼
4 0 -4 0 1 0
0 S3 1 1 7 1 0 0 11
1 7 10 0 0 1
1 Y2 8/43 1 0 45/43 7/43 0 1/4
3
Nash Equilibrium
Nash equilibrium technique seeks to establish
that each firm does the best it can, given the
strategy of its competitor and a nash equilibrium is
1 in which none of the players can improve their
pay-off given the strategy of the players. In case of
Ad game, explained below, nash equilibrium can be
defined as 1 in which none of the firms can increase
its pay-off (sales) given the strategy of the rival firm.
It could be understood by following example:
B’s
options
Increase Don’t
ad increase
Increase ad A B A B
A’s 20 10 30 0
strategy
Don’t A B A B
increase
10 5 15 5
B’s
b’soptions
Increase Don’t
Ad increase
Increase ad A B A B
A’s strategy 20 10 30 0
Don’t A B A B
increase
10 15 25 5