Duopoly Market Structure Analysis

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Duopoly market structure: A duopoly, only two competitors in the market, is the extreme basic form of an oligopoly, few competitors in a market. Duopolists engage in a non-cooperative game because firms are not allowed legally by many states to sit together and form a cartel where they can agree on certain prices, quantities, strategies, etc… Non-cooperative games can take the form of cournot, both firms move together and choose their quantities simultaneously, or stackelberg, the leader firm moves first and sets its output quantity and then the follower firm moves second based on the first firm's move. Given the assumption that each firm is able to have a full information of the other, they both realize the market power of each respective firm. Deviating from the plan/quantities will lead both firms to cheat and hence, the race to the bottom begins. This can be illustrated by showing the profit function of both firms by using Dixit (1979) equation: Πi(x1,x2) = xi U(x1,x2) – Ci(xi), i= 1,2 Where x is the quantity/output, Ci is the total cost, and U is the utility. A firm's action can have a substantial effect on the other. Civil aircraft industry: Gaining a substantial market power in the commercial aviation industry allows for significant impact on technological development, economic growth, employment, and national prestige (Carbaugh & Olienyk 2004). In 2010, more than any manufacturer sector, the value of aerospace industry shipment in the US accounted for more than $171 billion of civil aircraft and a trade surplus of more than $43 billion (Harrison 2011). Like any other industry, large commercial airplane industry gets affected by macro, endogenous, and exogenous factors. Several factors may influence the industry i... ... middle of paper ... ...ompetitive as more firms entered the market. Recently, Embraer and Bombarfier are the dominant producer of regional jets, <90 seats (Harrison, 2011). Although, entry to the aircraft industry is never been an easy task, government sponsored firms proved the opposite. Firms subsidized by Russia, Brazil, China, Canada, and Japan are announcing to enter the small aircraft industry by 2016. Because small aircraft manufacturing accounts for more than 50% of the total commercial aircraft produced, it can be seen as a gate way to enter the large commercial aircraft industry, hence, compete with Boeing and Airbus (Harrison, 2011). By closely analyzing the president of Boeing, Jim Albaugh, announcement, "the days of duopoly with Airbus are over in the small commercial jets", we have to realize that the future of the large commercial aircraft won't be as it looks like today.

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