[Word count 2509]
Implications of market structure for business and consumers
In a nutshell, economists define a market structure as the characteristics of the market which encompass competitive and organizational characteristics. However, a salient feature used in describing market structures is the number of firms in the market, which in turn dictates the nature of competition and pricing mode. As such, there exist four market structures, which are oligopolistic, monopolistic, perfect competition, and monopoly market structures. Each of the four market structures reflects a generic characterization of a real type market (Nancy and Kamien, 1982). Undeniably, the market structures direct the behavior of firms in the market. ...
