The demand for carpet-cleaning services is P=130-Q. There are 20 identical firms that clean carpets. The marginal cost for cleaning a carpet is $30. Firms in this industry compete in quantities. a. Show that in a Cournot equilibrium the profit of each firm is $22.67. b. Now suppose that six firms in the industry merge. Show that the profit of each firm in postmerger equilibrium is $39.06. Show that the profit earned by the merged firm is insufficient to compensate all the owners who owned the six original firms and earned profit from them in the pre-merger market game. c. Show that if fewer than 17 firms merge, the profit of the merged firm is not great enough to buy out the owners of the firms who merge.

Microeconomic Theory
12th Edition
ISBN:9781337517942
Author:NICHOLSON
Publisher:NICHOLSON
Chapter15: Imperfect Competition
Section: Chapter Questions
Problem 15.6P
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The demand for carpet-cleaning services is
P=130-Q. There are 20 identical firms that
clean carpets. The marginal cost for cleaning
a carpet is $30. Firms in this industry compete
in quantities.
a. Show that in a Cournot equilibrium the
profit of each firm is $22.67.
b. Now suppose that six firms in the industry
merge. Show that the profit of each firm in
postmerger equilibrium is $39.06. Show that
the profit earned by the merged firm is
insufficient to compensate all the owners who
owned the six original firms and earned profit
from them in the pre-merger market game.
c. Show that if fewer than 17 firms merge, the
profit of the merged firm is not great enough
to buy out the owners of the firms who
merge.
Transcribed Image Text:The demand for carpet-cleaning services is P=130-Q. There are 20 identical firms that clean carpets. The marginal cost for cleaning a carpet is $30. Firms in this industry compete in quantities. a. Show that in a Cournot equilibrium the profit of each firm is $22.67. b. Now suppose that six firms in the industry merge. Show that the profit of each firm in postmerger equilibrium is $39.06. Show that the profit earned by the merged firm is insufficient to compensate all the owners who owned the six original firms and earned profit from them in the pre-merger market game. c. Show that if fewer than 17 firms merge, the profit of the merged firm is not great enough to buy out the owners of the firms who merge.
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