There have been several mergers of large firms within oligopolies. In this assignment, you are to select one merger that has been approved by the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) in the last five years; describe and analyze the impact of those mergers, on industry, on consumers, and on society as a whole. Complete the following:
Go to the Federal Trade Commission's Web site and select 1 merger that the FTC has approved in the last five years.
Write a paper that describes the principle firms, their industry, and that summarizes arguments in support of the merger and arguments opposing the merger. Include a title page, abstract, and bibliography.
Some Things to Consider: Industry Description
Consider the following:
- Describe the firms in the proposed merger. List their annual sales, and extent of their operations.
- From the firms' point of view, what are some of the incentives to consolidate?
- Describe the competitive environment within the industry.
- Some Things to Consider: Summaries
Consider the following:
- Explain whether the competitive environment in this industry benefits society or not.
- Is a high degree of market concentration a boon or threat to consumers? Explain.
- How would the merger benefit the firms?
- Would it benefit society or not? Explain.
- You might use one or more of the following concepts: productive efficiency or administrative efficiency.
Assignment Objectives
- Explain concepts of microeconomics
- Describe supply and demand from a microeconomics perspective
- Interpret various forms of competition
- Describe government policies on competition
- Explain market influences such as consumers, products, and profits on business strategies
- Predict the overall performance of an economic system
- Compose and present a research paper on economics