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Monopolistic Competition: Pricing Decisions and Product Differentiation

This chapter explores the nature of pricing decisions and product differentiation in monopolistically competitive industries such as downloadable digital music files. It discusses the key characteristics of monopolistic competition, the implications of a large number of firms, and the role of brand names and advertising. Additionally, it evaluates how prices are determined for information products under monopolistic competition.

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Monopolistic Competition: Pricing Decisions and Product Differentiation

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  1. Chapter 26 Monopolistic Competition

  2. A number of firms, including Hewlett-Packard, Wal-Mart, Microsoft, and Amazon all are trying to earn profits from downloadable digital music files. The theory of monopolistic competition explains the nature of the pricing decisions they face. Introduction

  3. Learning Objectives • Discuss the key characteristics of a monopolistically competitive industry • Contrast the output and pricing decisions of monopolistically competitive firms with those of perfectly competitive firms

  4. Learning Objectives • Explain why brand names and advertising are important features of monopolistically competitive industries • Describe the fundamental properties of information products and evaluate how the prices of these products are determined under monopolistic competition

  5. Chapter Outline • Monopolistic Competition • Short-Run and Long-Run Equilibrium in Monopolistic Competition • Comparing Perfect Competition with Monopolistic Competition • Brand Names and Advertising • Information Products and Monopolistic Competition

  6. Did You Know That... • Nearly all of the quarter-million fast-food restaurants in the U. S. offer some type of salad item on the menu? • The advertising that promotes these salads helps each fast-food chain differentiate its products from those of its competitors?

  7. Monopolistic Competition • Monopolistic Competition • A market situation in which a large number of firms produce similar but not identical products • Entry into the industry is relatively easy

  8. Monopolistic Competition • Characteristics of monopolistic competition • Significant number of sellers in a highly competitive market • Differentiated products • Sales promotion and advertising • Easy entry of new firms in the long run

  9. Monopolistic Competition • Implications of the large number of firms • Small market share • Lack of collusion • Independence

  10. Monopolistic Competition • Product Differentiation • The distinguishing of products by brand name, color, and other minor attributes

  11. Monopolistic Competition • Product differentiation and price • Differentiate perfectly • Producer is a monopoly • Significant influence on price • Differentiation is not perfect • Producer is a monopolistic competitor • The more successful it is at differentiation, the more control it has over price

  12. Example:Product Differentiation in Toothpaste • How do toothpaste manufacturers differentiate their particular product from other brands? • By flavor, whitening effects, and type of packaging.

  13. Monopolistic Competition • Sales promotion and advertising • Can increase demand for a firm • Can differentiate a firm’s product • Should be continued to the point at which the additional revenue from one more dollar of advertising just equals that one dollar of marginal cost

  14. Monopolistic Competition • What do you think? • Would a perfect competitor have any incentive to advertise? • Why would a monopolistically competitive firm advertise? • Can advertising lead to efficiency?

  15. MC ATC P1 d ATC A Profits MR q Short-Run and Long-RunEquilibrium with Monopolistic Competition Panel (a) • Price (P1) > ATC • Economic profit Dollars per Unit Quantity Figure 26-1, Panel (a)

  16. ATC MC ATC P1 d Losses A MR q Short-Run and Long-RunEquilibrium with Monopolistic Competition Panel (b) Dollars per Unit -Price (P1) < ATC -Economic loss Quantity Figure 26-1, Panel (b)

  17. ATC MC T P1 = ATC d A MR q Short-Run and Long-RunEquilibrium with Monopolistic Competition Panel (c) Dollars per Unit -Price (P1) = ATC -Normal rate of return Quantity Figure 26-1, Panel (c)

  18. Comparing Perfect Competitionwith Monopolistic Competition • Perfect competitors and monopolistic competitors earn zero economic profit. • How are they different?

  19. MC ATC MC ATC Minimum ATC Minimum ATC d P 2 P 1 MR = P d MR q q 1 2 Comparison of the Perfect Competitorwith the Monopolistic Competitor Panel (a) Panel (b) Perfect Competition Monopolistic Competition Dollars per Unit Dollars per Unit Quantity per Time Period Quantity per Time Period Figure 26-2, Panels (a) and (b)

  20. Comparing Perfect Competitionwith Monopolistic Competition • In perfect competition, the long-run equilibrium occurs where average total cost is minimized. • This does not occur in monopolistic competition. • Some have argued that this is not necessarily a waste of resources, as the added cost arises from product differentiation that allows consumers to have more choice.

  21. Brand Names • Firms use trademarks, words, symbols, and logos to distinguish their product brands from goods or services sold by other firms • A successful brand image contributes to a firm’s profitability

  22. Advertising • Forms of advertising • Direct marketing • Mass marketing • Interactive marketing

  23. Advertising • Search goods have characteristics that can be evaluated prior to purchase • Experience goods, such as movies and haircuts, don’t fully reveal their value until they have been consumed • Advertising for experience goods is more likely to be persuasive rather than informational

  24. Information Products and Monopolistic Competition • Information products, such as computer operating systems, software, and digital music and videos, have a unique cost structure • Product development entails high fixed costs, but the marginal cost of producing a copy for one more customer is low

  25. E-Commerce Example:Pop-Up Ads • There have been court cases involving the use of pop-up ads to promote competing products when internet customers place online orders. • The legal rulings have been moving in the direction of allowing more interactive advertising.

  26. Cost Curves for Information Products Figure 26-4

  27. Cost Curves for Information Products • Sellers of information products experience short-run economies of scale. • The average total cost continually declines as quantity increases.

  28. Monopolistic Competition and Information Products • Computer game manufacturers operate in a monopolistically competitive market. • In monopolistic competition, marginal cost pricing results in losses for the firm, even though it creates efficiencies for the economy as a whole.

  29. Infeasibility of Marginal Cost Pricing of an Information Product Figure 26-5, Panels (a) and (b)

  30. Pricing for Information Products • In the long-run, price will equal average total cost. • This yields the long-run equilibrium condition of zero economic profit. • Firms selling information products in a monopolistically competitive industry will recover all their production costs. • Customers will pay more than marginal cost, but they will pay the minimum price necessary to call forth the product to market.

  31. Issues and Applications:Selling Music Online • The online distribution of music is now a monopolistically competitive market. • To supply downloadable music to internet customers, firms must pay to acquire the music, to provide the bandwidth and other customer services, and to process credit cards.

  32. Issues and Applications:Selling Music Online • More firms have been entering the industry of late, supplementing their revenues with pop-up ads. • Currently, there is a legal battle involving the use of Apple’s iPod technology. • Apple is trying to maintain some product differentiation within the online music industry.

  33. Summary Discussion of Learning Objectives • Key characteristics of monopolistic competition • Large number of small firms • Differentiated products • Easy entry and exit • Advertising and sales promotion

  34. Summary Discussion of Learning Objectives • Contrasting the output and pricing decisions of monopolistically competitive firms with those of perfectly competitive firms • Monopolistically competitive firm • MR = MC determines output • Price set on demand curve • P > MC • P = ATC in the long run

  35. Summary Discussion of Learning Objectives • Monopolistically competitive firms attempt to boost demand for their products through product differentiation • Providing an information product entails incurring relatively high fixed costs but low marginal costs

  36. End of Chapter 26 Monopolistic Competition

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