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The latter is a significant factor in searchers' choices of databases and consequently encourages hosts to compete by acquiring additional databases. This type of non\u2010price competition plays a key role as it is difficult to make accurate comparisons of the costs of using different hosts. Parallels are drawn with other industries in which competition is, or was, expressed chiefly in the form of capacity. The structure of one sector of the online information industry was investigated by applying Q\u2010analysis to data on medical databases and hosts. Changes over a three\u2010year period are identified and are interpreted using concepts derived from ecological niche theory. Finally, the question of what would constitute an optimum structure is considered and it is argued on the basis of an economic theory originally propounded by H. Hotelling that free competition would be unlikely to produce optimal results.<\/jats:p>","DOI":"10.1108\/eb026810","type":"journal-article","created":{"date-parts":[[2008,1,19]],"date-time":"2008-01-19T07:42:57Z","timestamp":1200728577000},"page":"236-260","source":"Crossref","is-referenced-by-count":0,"title":["NON\u2010PRICE COMPETITION AND THE STRUCTURE OF THE ONLINE INFORMATION INDUSTRY: Q\u2010ANALYSIS OF MEDICAL DATABASES AND HOSTS"],"prefix":"10.1108","volume":"43","author":[{"given":"ROY","family":"DAVIES","sequence":"first","affiliation":[]}],"member":"140","reference":[{"volume-title":"The production and distribution of knowledge in the United States","year":"1962","author":"MACHLUP F.","key":"p_1"},{"volume-title":"Office of Telecommunications","year":"1977","author":"PORAT M. U.","key":"p_2"},{"volume-title":"Transportation: management, economics, policy","year":"1977","author":"HAZARD J. 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