01:220:102 Chapter Notes - Chapter 15: Monopolistic Competition, Product Differentiation, Market Power

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mauveporcupine901

8 Sep 2016

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01:220:102 Full Course Notes

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Intro to microeconomics 15. 1 the meaning of monopolistic competition. Monopolistic competition - a market structure in which there are many competing producers in an industry, each producer sells a differentiated product, and there is free entry into and exit from the industry in the long run. Monopolistic competition involves 3 conditions: large numbers of competing producers differentiated products free entry into and exit from the industry in the long run each producer has some ability to set the price of her differentiated product. But exactly how high she can set it is limited by the competition she faces from other existing and potential producers that produce close, but not identical, products. The result of this differentiation is that each seller has some ability to set his own price: each producer has some albeit limited market power. Notes: differentiation by style or type differentiation by location differentiation by quality.

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1 How does monopolistic competition differ from the pure competition in its basic characteristics? From pure monopoly? Explain fully what product differentiation may involve. Please explain how the entry of firms into its industry affects the demand curve facing a monopolistic competitor and how that, in turn, affects its economic profit.

2 "Competition in quality and service may be just as effective as price competition in giving buyers more for their money." Do you agree? Why? Explain why monopolistically competitive firms frequently prefer nonprice to price competition.

3 Critically evaluate and explain:
a. In monopolistically competitive industries, economic profits compete away in the long run; hence, there is no valid reason to criticize such industries' performance and efficiency.
b. In the long run, monopolistic competition leads to a monopolistic price but not to monopolistic profits.

amethystjellyfish726

1) A natural monopoly exists when:

a. A few firms collude to make one large firm

b. Firms enter the industry as a result of profit incentives

c. Economies of scale provide large cost advantages to having one firm produce the industry's output

d. Firms naturally maximize regardless of market structure

2) A(n) ____ is a single firm with ___, whereas a(n) ___ implies an industry with ____ firm(s) and ____ .

a. Monopoly; barriers to entry; oligopoly; few; no barriers to entry

b. Oligopoly; no barriers to entry; monopoly; many; easy entry and exit

c. Monopoly; barriers to entry; monopolistic competition; many; easy entry and exit

d. Monopolistic competitor; barriers to entry; monopoly; one; barriers to entry

3) In monopolistic competition:

a. Each firm produces a product identical to that of every other firm in the industry

b. Firms are aware of their strategic interdependence

c. Firms earn large economic profits in the long run

d. Firms earn zero economic profits in the long run

4) A monopolistically competitive industry, such as corn snack chips, and a perfectly competitive industry, like wheat farming, are alike in that:

a. There are many firms in each industry

b. Firms in both types of industries produce similar but not identical products

c. Barriers to entry in both industries are large

d. Firms in both types of industries produce identical products

byzantiumfish483

If I were to open a business, I would choose the monopolistic competitive market.

Under monopolistic competition, with low barriers to entry and low capital requirements, firms are free to enter into or exit from the industry at any time. In addition, in monopolistic competition, large numbers of sellers offer closely related but not homogeneous products. This is the reason why each firm has a limited share of the market and has limited control over the market price. Thus, changes in one firmâs output have only a slight impact on market price or it also means that firms in monopolistic competition are price setters rather than price takers. In the short run, firms can make excess economic profits. However, as barriers to entry are low, other firms have an incentive to enter the market, increasing the competition, until overall economic profit is zero.

In order to yield the greatest profit, a firm engaged in monopolistic competition will focus on product quality, location, service, and advertising, since the major tool of competition is product differentiation. For example, if I opened a restaurant, the restaurant would have a menu with different dishes and different prices to other restaurants nearby and the prices of the dishes also would depend on its location, the food ingredients, the food quality, and the speed of service. With the purpose of gaining profit for the restaurant, I would try to be dynamically efficient, innovative and develop new ways to attract and retain local custom as well as maintain cost efficiency, which could keep the cost below the average profit.

I need a peer reply for this discussion and it should be 250 at least

bronzefrog162

01:220:102 Chapter Notes - Chapter 15: Monopolistic Competition, Product Differentiation, Market Power

01:220:102 Full Course Notes

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