Market structure

Market
Structure

•  Market
structure
–
iden0fies
how
a
market

is
made
up
in
terms
of:

–  The
number
of
firms
in
the
industry

–  The
nature
of
the
product
produced

–  The
degree
of
monopoly
power
each
firm
has

–  The
degree
to
which
the
firm
can
influence
price

–  Profit
levels

–  Firms’
behaviour
–
pricing
strategies,
non-‐price
compe00on,
output

levels

–  The
extent
of
barriers
to
entry

–  The
impact
on
efficiency

Market
Structure

Perfect Pure
Competition Monopoly

More competitive (fewer imperfections)

Market Structure
Perfect Pure
Competition Monopoly

Less competitive (greater degree
of imperfection)

Market Structure
Pure
Perfect
Monopoly
Competition

Monopolistic Competition Oligopoly Duopoly Monopoly

The further right on the scale, the greater the degree
of monopoly power exercised by the firm.

Market
Structure

•  Characteris*cs
of
each
model:

–  Number
and
size
of
ﬁrms
that
make
up

the
industry

–  Control
over
price
or
output

–  Freedom
of
entry
and
exit
from
the
industry

–  Nature
of
the
product
–
degree
of
homogeneity
(similarity)

of
the
products
in
the
industry
(extent
to
which
products

can
be
regarded
as
subs0tutes
for
each
other)

–  Diagramma0c
representa0on
–
the
shape

of
the
demand
curve,
etc.

Perfect
Compe00on

•  One
extreme
of
the
market
structure
spectrum

•  Characteris*cs:

–  Large
number
of
ﬁrms

–  Products
are
homogenous
(iden0cal)
–
consumer

has
no
reason
to
express
a
preference
for
any
ﬁrm

–  Freedom
of
entry
and
exit
into
and
out

of
the
industry

–  Firms
are
price
takers
–
have
no
control

over
the
price
they
charge
for
their
product

–  Each
producer
supplies
a
very
small
propor0on

of
total
industry
output

–  Consumers
and
producers
have
perfect
knowledge
about
the
market

Monopolis*c
or
Imperfect
Compe**on

•  Where
the
condi0ons
of
perfect
compe00on
do

not
hold,
‘imperfect
compe00on’
will
exist

•  Varying
degrees
of
imperfec0on
give
rise
to

varying
market
structures

•  Monopolis0c
compe00on
is
one
of
these
–
not
to

be
confused
with
monopoly!

Monopolis0c
or
Imperfect
Compe00on

•  Characteris*cs:

–  Large
number
of
ﬁrms
in
the
industry

–  May
have
some
element
of
control
over
price
due
to
the

fact
that
they
are
able
to
diﬀeren0ate
their
product
in

some
way
from
their
rivals

–  products
are
therefore
close,
but
not
perfect,
subs0tutes

–  Entry
and
exit
from
the
industry
is
rela0vely
easy

–  few
barriers
to
entry
and
exit

–  Consumer
and
producer
knowledge
imperfect

Monopolis*c
or
Imperfect
Compe**on

•  There
are
many
ﬁrms
in
the
industry

•  Each
can
try
to
diﬀeren0ate
its
product

in
some
way

•  Entry
and
exit
to
the
industry
is
rela0vely
free

•  Consumers
and
producers
do
not
have
perfect
knowledge
of

the
market

•  The
market
may
indeed
be
rela0vely
localised.

Oligopoly

•  Compe00on
between
the
few

–  May
be
a
large
number
of
firms
in
the
industry
but
the

industry
is
dominated

by
a
small
number
of
very
large
producers

•  Concentra*on
Ra*o
–
the
propor0on
of
total
market

sales
(share)
held
by
the
top
3,4,5,
etc
firms:

–  A
4
firm
concentra0on
ra0o
of
75%
means
the
top
4
firms

account
for
75%
of
all

the
sales
in
the
industry

Oligopoly

•  Example:

The music industry has
•  Music
sales
–

a 5-firm concentration
ratio of 75%.
Independents make up
25% of the market but
there could be many
thousands of firms that
make up this
‘independents’ group.
An oligopolistic market
structure therefore
may have many firms
in the industry but it is
dominated by a few
large sellers.
Market Share of the Music Industry 2002. Source IFPI: http://www.ifpi.org/site-content/press/20030909.html

Oligopoly

•  Features
of
an
oligopolis0c
market
structure:

–  Price
may
be
rela0vely
stable
across
the
industry

–  Behaviour
of
firms
affected
by
what
they
believe
their

rivals

might
do

–  Interdependence
of
firms

–  Goods
could
be
homogenous
or
highly
differen0ated

–  Branding
and
brand
loyalty
may
be
a
potent
source
of

compe00ve
advantage

–  Non-‐price
compe00on
may
be
prevalent

–  AC
curve
may
be
saucer
shaped

–  Minimum
efficient
scale

could
occur
over
large
range

of
output

–  High
barriers
to
entry

Duopoly

•  Market
structure
where
the
industry
is

dominated
by
two
large
producers

–  Price
leadership
by
the
larger
of
the
two
ﬁrms
may
exist
–
the

smaller
ﬁrm
follows
the
price
lead
of
the
larger
one

–  Highly
interdependent

–  High
barriers
to
entry

Monopoly

•  Pure
monopoly
–
where
only

one
producer
exists
in
the
industry

•  In
reality,
rarely
exists
–
always

some
form
of
subs0tute
available!

•  Monopoly
exists,
therefore,

where
one
ﬁrm
dominates
the
market

•  Firms
may
be
inves0gated
for
examples
of

monopoly
power
when
market
share
exceeds

25%

Monopoly

•  Monopoly
power
–
refers
to
cases
where
firms
influence

the
market
in
some
way
through
their
behaviour
–

determined
by
the
degree
of
concentra0on
in
the
industry

–  Influencing
prices

–  Influencing
output

–  Pricing
strategies
to
prevent
or
s0fle
compe00on

–  May
not
pursue
profit
maximisa0on

–  Encourages
unwanted
entrants
to
the
market

–  Some0mes
seen
as
a
case
of
market
failure

Monopoly

•  Origins
of
monopoly:

–  Through
growth
of
the
ﬁrm

–  Through
amalgama0on,
merger

or
takeover

–  Through
acquiring
patent
or
license

–  Through
legal
means
–
Royal
charter,

na0onalisa0on,
wholly
owned
group

Market structure

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