Market Competition

“For example, the federal government regulates the quality of food and water, the safety of workplaces and airspaces, and the integrity of the banking and finance system.” (Bianco, Canon 2011, p 582) Regulations find out if the product is a market failure. There are two types of regulations, which are economic and social. “Economic regulations sets prices or conditions on entry of firms into an industry, where as social regulation address issues of quality and safety.” (Bianco, Canon 2011, p 582) Economic regulations are concerned with the price regulation of monopolies.

Some challenge that the most efficient regulator is free-market competition among those seeking to attract the buying public. They argue that government regulation is intrusive with the marketplace and works to the disadvantage of both consumers and producers. Advocates of government regulation, however, see a better need to observe and guide the path of competition. They believe that an entirely unrestrained market will unavoidably lead to monopolistic practices, higher costs, underserved segments of society, and lower-quality goods and

The reasoning behind the three is to control pricing so the public can benefit from the economies of scale that occur with monopolies and do so in a way that provides a fair return for those producers. Specifically, this intent is covered in the public interest theory of regulation which protects consumers from unfair

B) The intended purpose of Industrial or Economic regulation as applied to Oligopolies and Monopolistic market structures is used to reduce the market power of both! A government commission regulates the prices charged by “natural monopolists.” Industrial Regulation is necessary to prevent natural monopolies from charging monopoly rates which may harm consumers/ society. Industrial Regulation tries to establish pricing that will cover production costs and provide a fair amount of return to businesses. Price=Average Total Cost, where normal profit is accomplished. (governs pricing, output, & profits in specific industries).

The numbers of firms that produce identical products or goods which are homogenous are called market structure. Industrial regulation is the government regulation on an entire industry with the objective of keeping a close eye on the industry prices and take advantage of consumers. Rules set by government and agencies that help control the operations of businesses who may demonstrate monopoly power in their organization. Monopoly may lead to consumers being exploited (higher prices) and consumers paying way too much for a product.

The antitrust laws are the basis of this national policy. These laws, enforced by both the federal and state governments, require companies to compete in the marketplace. The Sherman Act, the first federal "antitrust law," was enacted in 1890, at a time when there was enormous concern about "trusts" -- combinations of companies that were able to control entire industries. Since then, other laws have been enacted to supplement the Sherman Act, including the Federal Trade Commission Act and the Clayton Act (1914). With some revisions, these laws still are in effect today. They have the same basic objective: making sure there are strong economic incentives for businesses to operate efficiently, keep prices down, and keep quality up.

The public interest theory of regulation, or economic theory of regulation states that industrial regulation is essential in maintaining a natural monopoly. Natural monopolies turning into a regular monopoly charging monopoly prices can be harmful to society. Something that everyone most generally uses or needs like public resources i.e. electricity and water. Almost every person in our society requires these resources. The initial cost for creating a firm that can provide these services is high. Some startup cost can include power stations as well as power lines, labor costs, the cost of producing the power, and many other costs. These naturally occurring costs can often bar entry or discourage entry into the industry. In the event that a firm does make it into the industry and starts producing these public resources such as

There are two types of regulations: economic and social. An Economic regulation is the prescription of price and output for a specific industry, as Social regulation is the prescription of health, safety, performance, and environmental standards that apply across several industries. Most economic regulations happened after the Great Depression, under the leadership of President Franklin D. Roosevelt, in which a natural monopoly, like utilities, railroads, and communication would match that of a competitive market, thus setting a market-price cap. Understanding that in some aspects the government cannot stop a monopoly without causing market harm in some cases, so they attempt to rectify it. The government gives companies fair rates of returns, which is a price that allows a monopoly firm to earn a normal profit, similar to one gained when a companies marginal cost matches their marginal revenue. This is especially important, because when the government calls for the deregulation of a company, it leaves behind stranded assets, properties that lose values after the intervention. Other ways government can aid in the deregulation of a business is through privatization and contracting out; the government can either enlist a private firm to do a service on their behalf, or even transferring the public enterprise to private

Monopolies defied the principles of a free market by promoting income inequality and giving individuals an opportunity to control the price. Roosevelt said concerning them, “[W]here, in either [unions] or [corporations], there develops corruption or mere brutal indifference to the rights of others, and short-sighted refusal to look beyond the moment’s gain, then the offender, whether union or corporation, must be fought” (These United States 73). The Sherman and Clayton antitrust acts were Congress’s attempt to fight back. However, the Sherman Act failed to define monopoly and the Clayton Act was merely a civil statute which carried no criminal penalties.

Natural monopolies are cases in which production costs, infrastructure, and demand structure lead to a single monopolizing firm producing the good at lower cost than any other arrangement. Under such situations, firms will tend to over-charge and under-supply, causing a reduction in social surplus and an inefficient distribution of goods. A lack of competition is a fundamental violation of the idealized market assumptions. Little or no competition leads to inefficiencies of production and operation (Weimer and Vining p. 102). Furthermore, natural monopolies give an unfair and non-competitive advantage to firms that have entered the industry first. In cases of natural monopolies, government must typically regulate private industry in an attempt to maximize surplus, or, alternatively, government may provide the good or service publicly.

The curiosity on rather or not government regulation is good or bad has been in circulation. Government regulation is a rule of order having the force of law, authorized by a superior or competent of authority. On one side you may hear that government regulation is a totally good idea and on the other side, you have those who oppose. Those who oppose believe that government regulation is a bad idea and should be put to an end. When dealing with the government and the law every rule and regulation serve a purpose. Embellishing the business world government regulation helps protect businesses and increase the productivity of the business. Government regulation is a way to not only to help and support businesses but also to keep our environment

They didn’t give up in the early years when sales were very slow because they believed in their product.

Among other things, effective monopolies are characterized by relatively high price levels, by extensive price discrimination, and by rates of return on investment exceeding those attainable if the firm operated in a competitive market structure. Thus, the producer-protection hypothesis implies that following the implementation of regulation over natural monopolies, the price level will be essentially unchanged and will be above marginal costs, price discrimination will continue to be widely practiced, and rates of return will remain above those which would exist under competition.

Nonetheless, the government will enforce regulation in the market if they feel it will be a benefit to society as in the case of public utilities. If these types of services were deregulated, it would increase the cost and the consumer would suffer (Valkonen, 2006).

To identify an appropriate strategy for a given industry one must look into the external and internal factors influencing the company. This Schnell Air report has been conceived with a triple objective in mind: to provide the Schnell Air Board with (i) a brief and compelling synthesis of Schnell Air’s competitive market environment overview since it entered the Innsbruck – Turin route in January 1997 as compared to prior to its entry, (ii) analyse the available data to establish the extent of predatory pricing strategies being plotted by the two existing duopolies – Air Turin and Innsbruck Air and (iii) by using a Game Theoretic approach model and highlight the affect of a 4th daily service on the same route given the