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200911 Lecture Notes - Lecture 11: Monopolistic Competition, Perfect Competition, Substitute Good

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School
UWS
Department
University of Western Sydney
Course
200911
Professor
anonymous

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Document Summary

Monopolistic competition characterizes an industry in which many firms offer products or services that are similar, but not perfect substitutes. Barriers to entry and exit in a monopolistic competitive industry are low, and the decisions of any one firm do not directly affect those of its competitors. Monopolistic competition is a middle ground between monopoly and perfect competition (a purely theoretical state), and combines elements of each. All firms in monopolistic competition have the same, relatively low degree of market power; they are all price makers. In the long run, demand is highly elastic, meaning that it is sensitive to price changes. In the short run, economic profit is positive, but it approaches zero in the long run. Firms in monopolistic competition tend to advertise heavily. Monopolistic competition is a form of competition that characterizes a number of industries that are familiar to consumers in their day-to-day lives. Examples include restaurants, hair salons, clothing, and consumer electronics.

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Related Questions

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.

2. Analyze the differences and similarities among firms for two different market structures: Monopoly and Monopolistic Competition. Clearly demonstrate how both types of firms determine the quantity (Q) to produce that maximizes profit.

Contrast the long-run profit levels that prevail in Monopoly with those of Monopolistic Competition, and explain clearly why the differences occur.

How do the long-run end-results of Monopoly and Monopolistic Competition compare with the end-results of perfect competition, in terms of the impacts on efficient resource used in the overall economy?

Why do economists make a distinction between “natural monopoly” and “artificial monopoly”? In your answer, be sure to identify how these types of monopoly differ from each other, and why government responses (especially in the US) to these types of monopoly are quite divergent.

Provide an example of an industry that you think is either a monopoly or is monopolistically competitive, and provide reasons as to why you think the category fits that industry.

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 firm’s 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