Chapter I
PREAMBLE
1.1.1 A broad definition of Competition is “a situation in a market in which firms or sellers independently strive for the buyers’ patronage in order to achieve a particular business objective for example, profits, sales or market share” (World Bank, 1999).
1.1.2 A prerequisite for good competition is trade. In the 19th century, Philip Harwood, the journalist theologian defined Trade as “the mutual relief of wants by the exchange of superfluities” (Mulji, 1999). He added that Free trade as opposed just to Trade is “the unrestricted liberty of every man to buy, sell and barter, when, where and how, of whom and to whom he pleases”. “To buy in the cheapest market he can find and sell in the dearest market he can find” he said
…show more content…
One approach is to have totally free and unfettered competition in the belief that it will drive out all unfair practices. The other approach is to assert that the process of free competition should be supported by regulations which preclude any attempt at subversion of free trade and competition. It may be pertinent here to note that in most parts of the world, free competition is supported by relevant rules and regulations to ensure free trade and absence of unfair practices.
1.1.8 The legislative enforcement of healthy trade practices necessitates the promulgation of the Competition Law. Free competition means total freedom to develop optimum size without any restriction. The limitation, if at all necessary, is not limitation of size but of competition power.
1.1.9 The ultimate raison d’etre of competition is the interest of the consumer. The consumer’s right to free and fair competition cannot be denied by any other consideration. There is also a need for supportive institutions to strengthen a competitive society notably, adequate spread of information throughout the market, free and easy communication and ready accessibility of goods. A free press, worthy advertisement and even such modern institutions as the Internet could support a modern competitive society. Without them, competition cannot thrive in a kind of
Summary of Facts Federal Trade Commission v. Phoebe Putney Background. In an attempt to increase access to affordable care, the Hospital Authority Law, in Georgia (GA), states that “hospital authorities” can be developed to provide healthcare services in multiple counties. These hospital authorities can acquire, purchase, and lease multiple healthcare facilities. However, all actions of the hospital authority must benefit the community it serves. Phoebe Putney Memorial Hospital is owned by the Hospital Authority of Albany-Dougherty County (Authority).
Founded in 1912, Nederlander is the oldest and most respected concert management company. The company’s headquarters was strategically selected in Los Angles where major talent agencies are located and has a favorable market. Nederlander owns many award-winning venues such as Greek Theatre and has booked some of the biggest artist. (Nederlander) The role of capitalism is very significant for companies especially for Nederlander Concerts.
Missouri Law and Monopolies America is a nation that is founded on the belief that personal freedoms are important. This notion certainly extends to the realm of business decisions as well--as such, early on in America’s history, there were not many regulations placed on businesses. However, over time, monopolies began to develop. These monopolies were considered to be bad for the market, because they discouraged competition, and as a result, led to over inflated prices on various goods and services.
For any country that wants to survive in the toughest of times, they need to have good trading capabilities. Very few countries are able to sustain themselves without indulging in intensive trade with other countries. Trading has been considered a good thing in the past, but with the changing world, there are doubts about the benefits of trading. There are some factors that lead to the development of trade networks between countries. When people started to settle in larger towns, the idea that you had to produce absolutely everything for survival, began to fade.
Andrew Carnegie starts to make clear that the societies are ultimately paying for the law of competition. He then states that it is not essentially a depraved thing because it has prepared us to progress as a
To maintain fair competition in the thousands of businesses and industries throughout the United States, antitrust laws and trade regulations were created. Antitrust laws have been enacted at both the state and the federal level. These laws prohibit unfair competition between individuals and entities, as well as unfair or deceptive practices that may cause harm to consumers. What times of behaviors and actions does the government prohibit? The Sherman Antitrust Act, or the Sherman Act, is a law that was created over a century ago to stop businesses from combining in such a way that may damage competition.
In 1991, Leegin Creative Leather Products, Inc. (Leegin) (defendant), started selling belts and other women’s accessories under the Brighton brand (). The Brighton label was a success, and Leegin utilizes a “dual distribution system” for its Brighton products. It distributes Brighton goods at the wholesale level to independent retailers through periodic trade shows. It also owns and controls over one hundred Brighton retail stores. The company thus is both manufacturer and retailer ().
Whether it was the Greeks and Romans trading across the Mediterranean, or the Chinese trading along the Silk Road, when groups of people meet to trade, they see what the other group is doing well and attempt to replicate it. This leads to the improvement of products on both sides, as the parties attempt to outdo each other for dominance of the marketplace. As markets become more competitive, the result for the consumer is lower prices and better products, which has a huge impact on the way we live today. If competition wasn’t a thing, I would still be typing this paper on a typewriter instead of a MacBook. This
3. Threat of new entrants High barriers to entry in the industry. Licensing requirements are high. There is a minimum size requirement to achieve profitability and the initial investment is required and fixed costs of operating. How much of the control is in the hands of existing players of the market or key resources?
The term “Washington Consensus” was created in 1989. It was first used in a background paper for a conference to examine the extent to which the old ideas of development economics (Williamson 2010). In order to ensure that it addresses the common set of issues, John Williamson made a list of ten policies that he thought the majority in Washington would agree were needed and labelled it the “Washington Consensus.” Williamson thinks that it would be a good policy to help the debtor countries overcome their debt burden with the changes in economic policy. 1.2
The reasoning stands that regulation of a monopoly obstructs competitiveness, stunting the industry’s growth. It is a competitive market that creates innovative solutions and furthers human progress. Friedman’s main example is the US railway, where the 19th century had great need for the railway system, yet with the emergence of cars and planes, railroads nearly became obsolete. Thus not only do monopolies hinder the freedom of choice they also hinder the industry by depriving it of innovation. Notably, Friedman clarifies that each case of a monopoly needs to be studied independently.
External Environment The Five Forces of Competitive Analysis The industry market is considering a large pool with significant of competitors competing with each other. The stronger the forces of competition, the harder it becomes for industry members to earn attractive profits. The ideal competitive environment for earning outstanding profits is when both suppliers and customers are in weak bargaining positions. Suppliers Bargaining Power Vera Bradley as a company that provides luggage and accessories industry gets raw material from many suppliers that have differentiated inputs.
The model of the Five Competitive Forces, developed by Michael E. Porter, is based on corporate strategy, industry structure and the way they change. Porter has identified five competitive forces that shape every industry and every market and they determine the intensity of competition and hence the profitability and attractiveness of an industry. We further look into how the strategy and industry structure is placed in the field of healthcare and hospitals and analyze the attractiveness of the overall industry. 2.2 Rivalry among competitors Industry Rivalry is one of the 5 forces used to determine the intensity of competition in the industry. Competition in health care is the potential to provide with a mechanism to reduce cost and hence accessible
Holiday Inn is a world wide chain and its international functional strategies will always yield profitable returns. The potential customers are from all over the world. It has been noted that the holiday inn company has given the market such as Europe, Asia, America with regards to their social-cultural needs. Holiday Inn, like all other hotels has established a good system in determining the needs of the market. The company uses the concept of product, personality, behaviour of the customer and purchasing to its advantage.
1.0 INTRODUCTION In an economy, there exists different market structures to accommodate different industries and firms. This study will be made to understand in further depth the market power of different market structures, and in particular an example of using case studies of agricultural sector of the French markets to explain how an ideal perfectly competitive market works. This will then be further strengthened with several references linked to the case study. 1.1 Monopoly market