Fundamentals of Business

The correct sequence of the mar market structure ket from most

The correct sequence of the mar market structure ket from most to least competitive is perfect competition, monopolistic, oligopoly, and pure monopoly.

The main criteria by which one can distinguish between different market structures are:
I) the number and size of producers and consumers in the market market.
II) The type of goods and services being traded traded.
III) The degree to which information can flow freely.

Monopsony
single customer market: a situation in which a product or service is only bought and used by one customer. Oligopsony
small number of buyers: an economic condition in which there are so few buyers for a product that one buyer's actions can have a significant impact on prices and the market in general.

Anti-competitive practices
Are business or government practices that prevent and/or reduce competition in a market.
These can include:
. Dumping, where a company with a lot of cash invests it to wipe out their competitors in a market.
. Exclusive dealing, where a retailer or wholesaler is obliged by contract to only purchase from the contracted supplier.
. Barriers to entry (to an industry) designed to avoid the competition that new entrants would bring.
. Price fixing, where companies collude to set prices, effectively dismantling the free market.
. Refusal to deal, e.g., two companies agree not to use a certain vendor.
. Limit Pricing, where the price is set by a monopolist to discourage economic entry into a market.
. Tying, where products that aren't naturally related must be bought together.
. Resale price maintenance, where resellers are not allowed to set prices independently.
. Coercive monopoly all potential competition is barred from entering the market.
. Government granted monopoly a private individual or firm to be the sole provider.
. Government monopoly the state is the sole provider.
. Absorption of a competitor or competing technology, where the powerful firm effectively coopts or swallows its competitor rather than see it either compete directly or be absorbed by another firm.
. Subsidies from government which allow a firm to function without being profitable, giving them an advantage over competition or effectively barring competition
. Regulations which place costly restrictions on firms that less wealthy firms cannot afford to implement
. Protectionism, Tariffs and Quotas which give firms insulation from competitive forces
. Patent misuse and copyright misuse, such as fraudulently obtaining a patent, copyright, or other form of intellectual property; or using such legal devices to gain advantage in an unrelated market.
. Monopolies and oligopolies are often accused of, and sometimes found guilty of, anti competitive practices. For this reason, company mergers are often examined closely by government regulators to avoid reducing competition in an industry.