GBBA10028
09/10/2013
Advantages and Disadvantages of a Duopolistic Market structure
A duopolistic market structure is a form of oligopoly in which two main companies dominate most of the market share of a particular product or a service. The impact on the market is quite similar to that of a monopoly.
In a duopolistic market structure the companies that have a duopoly reap the full benefits of controlling the price and output in the market. But this makes it very difficult other companies to enter the market or survive in the long run
In Australia the best example of a duopoly is perhaps Woolworths and Coles. Lets take the case of the Woolworths and Coles Duopoly to explain the advantages and disadvantages of a duopolistic market structure that exists in the Australian Market
Advantages of a Duopoly from a company viewpoint
Price Power- Woolworths and Coles collectively control about 80% of the country’s grocery market and they exploit their market share to the fullest. The supermarket power what these two retailers have achieved is mainly because of their ability to have a control on the pricing of the products they sell. Any consumer’s main concern is to get the best quality and maximum amount of quantity in the money that they spend on groceries. The home brand product that these supermarkets offer considerably cost less than the other brands, which they offer of the similar products. . Supplying the home band products that Coles and Woolies have been offering has been beneficial to the both in many ways. A lot of suppliers have been forced to cut down on their prices so as to match the price range of the home brand products. Most of the substitutes of the products from companies like Coca-cola, Heinz, Kwality walls, Nestle can be easily found. The products of these kinds of suppliers are easily discriminated if these suppliers do not cut down their prices. . For example The
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