What makes competition imperfect




















The entry and exit in perfect market competition is not regulated, which means the government has no control over the players in any given industry. When it comes to their bottom lines, companies typically make just enough profit to stay in business. No one business is more profitable than the next. That's because the dynamics in the market cause them to operate on an equal playing field, thereby canceling out any possible edge one may have over another.

Since perfect competition is merely a theoretical concept, it is difficult to find a real-world example. But there are instances in the market that may appear to have a perfectly competitive environment.

A flea market or farmer's market are two examples. Consider the stalls of four crafters or farmers in the market who sell the same products. This market environment is characterized by a small number of buyers and sellers. There may be little to differentiate between the products each crafter or farmer sells, as well as their prices, which are typically set evenly among them.

Imperfect competition occurs in a market when one of the conditions in a perfectly competitive market are left unmet. This type of market is very common. In fact, every industry has some type of imperfect competition. This includes a marketplace with different products and services, prices that are not set by supply and demand, competition for market share, buyers who may not have complete information about products and prices, and high barriers to entry and exit.

Imperfect competition can be found in the following types of market structures: monopolies, oligopolies, monopolistic competition, monopsonies, and oligopsonies. In monopolies, there is only one dominant seller. That company offers a product to the market that has no substitute. Monopolies have high barriers to entry, a single seller which is a price maker.

That means the firm sets the price at which its product will be sold regardless of supply or demand. Finally, the firm can change the price at any time, without notice to consumers.

In an oligopoly, there are many buyers but only a few sellers. Oil companies, grocery stores, cellphone companies, and tire manufacturers are examples of oligopolies. Because there are a few players controlling the market, they may bar others from entering the industry.

The firms in this market structure set prices for products and services collectively or, in the case of a cartel, they may do so if one takes the lead. Monopolistic competition occurs when there are many sellers who offer similar products that aren't necessarily substituted. Although the barriers to entry are fairly low and the companies in this structure are price makers, the overall business decisions of one company do not affect its competition. Examples include fast food restaurants like McDonald's and Burger King.

Although they are in direct competition, they offer similar products that cannot be substituted—think Big Mac vs. Monopsonies and oligopsonies are counterpoints to monopolies and oligopolies.

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Introduction Imperfect competition is a competitive market environment where there are many vendors. Conditions that lead to imperfect competition include: A limited flow of cost and price information Monopoly control of some suppliers Collusion of sellers to keep prices high Maintain discrimination by sellers among buyers based on the buying power Forms of Imperfect Competition Imperfect competition is, in economic theory, a form of market structure that demonstrates some but not all features of competitive markets.

Types of imperfect competition include: Monopolistic competition: This is a situation in which many firms compete with slightly different goods. Monopsony: A single-buyer market and many sellers. When firms reach verbal understandings with one another on product price - frequently through interaction on golf courses, cocktail parties, via phone, or at trade association meetings. Historically, these understandings are referred to as Gentlemen's Agreements. Tacit understandings are in violation of antitrust laws, but their elusive nature makes them difficult to detect.

Price leadership in oligopoly occasionally breaks down and sometimes results in a price war. Allocative and productive efficiency are not realized because price will exceed marginal cost and, therefore, output will be less than minimum average-cost output level.

Oligopolistic firms may keep prices lower and more efficient in the short run to deter entry of new firms. Over time, oligopolistic industries may foster more rapid product development and greater improvement of production techniques than would be possible if they were purely competitive.

Oligopolists have substantial financial resources with which to support advertising and product development. Advertising can affect prices, competition, and efficiency both positively and negatively.



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