In: Economics
According to some economists, horizontal merger may not always be profitable even though they reduce the number of suppliers. For example, assume a three-firm industry in which the firms behave according to the Cournot model. Let market demadn be Q = 20 −P. Each firm has a constant average cost of $4. Now assume that a merger reduces the number of firms to two. Calculate the combined profits of the two firms premerger, and then calculate the profit of the combined firm in the postmerger situations – a Cournot duopoly. Is a merger that converts the market structure from a triopoly to duoply profitable? What if all three firms merger that would create a monopoly?
substituting best response function for firm 3 in best repsonse function of firm 2 and best response function of firm 1
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in a cournot tripoly, each firm produces equal output of 4 units and earns a profit of $ 16
Now out of these 3 firms, firm 1 and firm 2 under go a merger. market structure changes tripoly from duopoly
substituting best response function of firm 3 in best response function of merged firm
after merger of firm 1 and firm 2, combined profit falls from 32 to 28.44
whereas the profits of unmerged firm increase from 16 to 28.44
suppose all 3 firms undergo merger and monopoly is created