MicroEconomics Chapters 10-13
sherman Antitrust act
1890, limits cartels and monopolies
The negative effects of Advertising
Cost and the possibility that the money you spend on advertising won't make you any more money
Conditions for price discrimination
Distinguishing Groups or buyers preventing resell
Problems with Monopolies
Inefficient Output and Price Few choices for customers Rent Seeking
example of perfect price discrimination
Jewelry store car dealership
Government created barriers
Licensing patents and copyrights
Name an example of preventing resale
Movie tickets are only good for a certain amount of time
tariffs, quotas, prohibitions limit gains from trade. reducing these allows for what solution to the problems of monopolies?
Reducing trade barriers
distinguishing buyers means you have to pick out who have different elasticities of demand (True/False)
True
When monopolies sell less of a product for more money they are making sure that their marginal revenue is maximized. (True/ False)
True. The less they sell for a higher price, the higher their marginal revenue
Price Discrimination on Campus
Tuition (FAFSA) Student Discounts (food places around campus)
mutual interdependence
actions of one firm ave an impact on the price and output of its competitors
collusion
agreement among rival firms that specifies the price firm shares and the quantity it produces (illegal)
Game Theory
analyze other companies decisions to know how to base yours to make the most money possible
antitrust law
attempt to p recent oligopolies from behaving like monopolies
Advertising and game theory (pepsi and coke)
both advertise= profit for both pepsi ad. coke doesn't= pepsi makes more $ coke ad. pepsi doesn't = coke makes more $ both don't advertise =MAKE THE MOST $
example of tit for tat
break a contract if your opponent does
New competition in the phone market is an example of what solution to the problems of monopolies?
breaking up the monopoly
Natural barriers to entry
control of resources problems in raising capital economies of scale
The best way to limit competition is to __________ that is essential to the production process of a good
control resources
location
convenient location, close to your house instead of how expensive they are
Switching cost
costs incurred when a consumer changes from one supplier to another ( switching from sprint to AT&T, sprint charges you $300 to end your contract)
Prisoner's dilemma
decision makers face incentives that make it difficult to achieve mutually beneficial outcomes (incentive to not go to jail if you rat someone out)
style
different stores in the mall
Why do firms advertise ?
drive additional demand for the product being sold
Monopolistic competition
free entry many different firms product differentiation
inefficiency of the monopoly versus the inefficiencies associated with government involvement. this is an example of what solution?
government oversight
cartel
group of two or more firms that act in unison
Economies of scale (natural barrier to entry)
in an industry that enjoys large economies of scale, production costs opera unit continue to fall as the firm expands. small rivals will have a much higher average cost that prevent them from competing with the large companies.
Trash companies are licensed to a certain area, anyone who tries to start a trash company in that area can not without a government issued license. this is an example of what type of barrier?
licensing
tit for tat
long run strategy that promotes cooperation among participants by mimicking the opponent's most recent decisions with repayment in kind (do whatever the opponent does)
Monopoly Power
measures the ability of firms to set the price for a good
examples of price discrimination
movie theater tickets restaurant menues college tuition airline reservations discounts on academic software coupons
Rent Seeking
occurs when resources are used to secure monopoly rights through the political process
Market Failure
occurs when the output level of a good is inefficient
When a pharmaceutical company develops a new drug, the company receives a patent. Granting patents and copyrights to them to create incentives to make more drugs. this is an example of what ?
patents and copyright laws
Price discrimination at the movies examples
price based on the showtime pricing based on age or status (get discount for being old or in college) concession pricing (expensive b/c you can't get food anywhere else)
to practice price discrimination a firm must be a what?
price maker
Monopolies are what? (control the price change of their product)
price makers
Price effect
price of a good/service is affected by the entrance of a rival firm in the market
Monopolies are usually big companies that took a a lot of money to start up. This is an example of what natural barrier to entry?
problems raising capital
product differentiation
process firms use to make product more attractive to potential customers
Barriers to entry
restrictions that make it difficult for a new firm to enter a market
Nash Equilibrium
second best outcome, occurs when an economic decision maker has nothing to gain by changing strategy unless it can collude
Oligopoly
small number of firms interact strategically barriers to entry differentiated products
Product differentiation
style or type location quality
quality
taco bell vs. baja fresh
clayton act
targets corporate behaviors that reduce competition
Bandwagon effect
when a buyer's preference for a product increases as the number of people buying it increases
Perfect price discrimination
when a firm sells the same good at a unique price to every customer
Price discrimination
when a firm sells the same good at different prices to different groups of customers
Natural Monopoly
when a single large firm has lower costs than any other smaller competitor.
Predatory Pricing
when firms deliberately set their prices below average variable costs with the intent of driving rivals from the market
dominant strategy
when one player chooses one strategy no matter what his competition chooses
output effect
when the entrance of a rival affects the amount produced
Network externalities
when the number of customers who purchase or use a good influences the quantity demanded (Facebook)
Solutions to the problems of monopolies
~ Breaking up the monopoly ~ Reducing trade barriers ~ Regulating markets Caveat about governmental oversight