DAYTON — McDonald’s has used its McRib sandwich as a powerful tool to throttle competitors who introduce a pork-based sandwich, according to a marketing study by a University of Dayton professor and a UD business school graduate.

“We see a noticeable trend that leads us to believe that McDonald’s uses the McRib to exert its dominance in the market when one of its competitors starts offering a pork-based sandwich,” wrote Serdar Durmusoglu, assistant marketing professor, and Matthew Larrick, a University of Dayton MBA graduate, in the Jan. 5 Marketing News Exclusives.

The researchers studied the history of the McRib and its releases between 1982 and 2011 in comparison to new product launch dates of McDonald’s major competitors, including Au Bon Pain, KFC, White Castle, Burger King and Quiznos.

McRib promotions appeared within months of the introduction of a pork-based product by a McDonald’s competitor, they found.

“McDonald’s seems to have a plan in recent revivals and muscled out the competition with some captivating promotions,” Durmusoglu and Larrick said

The researchers said they contacted McDonald’s representatives, who denied the product’s launches were aimed at suppressing the competition.