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Haydn W

The Motorship - Shipbuilding competition promotes efficient working - 0 views

  • In order to compete in a crowded market, efficiency is the key to success in shipbuilding
  • We spoke to Malaysian offshore specialist shipyard Shin Yang Shipbuilding to see how the company was faring in difficult times.
  • Our recent orders over the past few years have come from returning customers in UAE and Malaysia.
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  • We are looking at downsizing our present build capacity and to keep a lean workforce.
  • The speculative market is not looking positive right now due to Chinese yards churning out huge numbers of OSVs, with brokers trying to capitalise on the competitive vessel price and flexible payment and finance terms offered by these Chinese yards.
  • I don’t have a strong view at this stage as market prices are predominantly controlled by brokers and the bigger shipyards which monopolise the global market, and affected by growing regulatory pressures on safety and energy efficiency.
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    This article details how competition in the shipbuilding market is promoting firms to strive to be both market and energy efficient. The article relates to the economic concepts of market efficiency and theories of competition and monopoly. It also briefly relates to the concepts of externalities of production too, discussing measures imposed by governments like fuel sulphur limits.
Pietro AA

Breaking America's meat monopoly - Chicago Sun-Times - 0 views

  • Breaking America’s meat monopoly
  • The quest for cheap meat has resulted in a ruthless market that has left 85 percent of supply in the hands of five companies.
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    I found this article interesting even if it still has to do with microeconomics. I tals about the meat monopolistic competition in U.S. that is more of a monopoly than a perfect competition. It describes how the monopoly have negative externalitites because of poor animal treatment and conludes by stating that the market should become more competitive and differentiated.
Pietro AA

Gov't urged to abolish NFA monopoly | Inquirer Business - 1 views

  • “costly, impractical and discredited” rice self-sufficiency policy and has sought the abolition of the monopoly of the National Food Authority (NFA) on rice importation.
  • reforms in the country’s policy on rice procurement were necessary to “improve the welfare of consumers, to foster agricultural growth, to reduce graft and corruption and truly implement ‘Daang Matuwid’ (righteous path).”
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    I just read this incredibke article that has to do with many things in microecon. It talks aboup the rice industry in the philippines. More specifically, about the competition between the local producers and a monopoly that involves importation. It is an actual situation where you have Monopoly vs. perfect competition. You should read it!!!
Marenne M

HPGCL starts process of slimming power generation bills - Economic Times - 0 views

  • improve efficiency of its thermal power stations and bring down cost of generation.
  • power distribution utilities in the state were turning to non-state players due to the high variable cost.
  • ring down the cost of generation at Panipat, Hisar and Yamunanagar.
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  • analyse performance parameters, cost, heat rate, efficiency and safety at the plants every month.
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    This article describes how the Haryana Power Generation Corporation Ltd (HPGCL) is trying to bring down the cost of generation after an increase of competition due to the electricity act of 2003. Power Distribution companies in the state are turning to non-state generators due to the high variable costs of HPGCL. They are now trying to bring down these costs by more closely monitoring the heat rate, the efficiency and the cost.
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    This article describes how the Haryana Power Generation Corporation Ltd (HPGCL) is trying to bring down the cost of generation after an increase of competition due to the electricity act of 2003. Power Distribution companies in the state are turning to non-state generators due to the high variable costs of HPGCL. They are now trying to bring down these costs by more closely monitoring the heat rate, the efficiency and the cost.
Daniel B

Internet supplier monopoly - 2 views

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    This article discusses how monopolies are not efficient and real competition would be more efficient.
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    The greatest supplier of the Internet behaves in the anti-competitive way as a result that they want to swall up second biggest company on this market in the US. We have here typical situation of inefficiency on monopolistic market. The supplier provide services for high price as well as the provided services are well below the standards in comparison with other advanced countries.
Haydn W

Comcast-Time Warner Cable: How a monopoly can get even worse for you - latimes.com - 1 views

  • Comcast's $45-billion offer for Time Warner Cable, a deal that will cement Comcast's position as the dominant cable operator in America.
  • The idea is that already the cable industry is a web of monopolies -- no neighborhood in the country has more than one cable operator to choose from.
  • the merger "will in effect turn two medium-size regional monopolists into a big sprawling monopolist.
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  • Comcast CEO Brian Roberts tried to finesse the issue Thursday by arguing that the deal "does not reduce competition in any market or in any way,"
  • But the ramifications of the cable monopoly go beyond mere access to channels on your set-top box. As we observed back in August, the more damaging consequence of the cable monopoly is in broadband Internet access, where the power of the cable firms' monopolies is magnified by the lack of practical alternatives to their Internet services.
  • n general, the U.S. has the lowest connection speeds and the highest prices in the developed world. The New America Foundation serveyed the world in 2012 to determine what customers could get for the equivalent of $35 a month. In Hong Kong, they could download from the Internet at 500 megabits per second (a half a gigabit); in Tokyo 200 Mbps; in Seoul, Paris, Bucharest (Romania) and Berlin 100. In Los Angeles, 10. Los Angeles is a Time Warner Cable monopoly.
  • The constraint here isn't technological, but commercial. Our fat and secure cable monopolies simply don't feel competitive pressure to provide customers with the fastest speeds at reasonable, affordable rates.
  • We need more competition, not less; and allowing Comcast and Time Warner Cable to merge means much, much less.
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    This article discusses the ramifications of the Comcast - Time Warner Cable merger in America. The two biggest internet and cable providers in the country are set to merge effectively creating one monopoly firm. The market has the charactersists of a monopoly in the fact that new firms can not really enter, even huge phone providers like Verizon and Sprint are having to stop rolling out fibre optic broadband, meaning internet speeds for there customers are set to remain slow. The cable industry is often a typical example of a monopolistic market and it looks set to stay this way. 
Amanda Anna G

Kansas's mid-term elections are a referendum on supply-side economics - The Washington ... - 1 views

  • Kansas’s mid-term elections are a referendum on supply-side economics
  • Brownback has signed major tax breaks into law, reduced state spending and arguably made it harder for people in poverty to receive welfare.
  • "I don't consider this an experiment," he told The Post recently. "This is a long-term strategy to make us more competitive."
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  • Voters are upset. Eliminating taxes doesn't guarantee victory at the polls -- not even in a red state like Kansas.
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    This article deals with Kansas economy. Gov. Sam Brownback has increased taxes for the lowest- income families while the high- income families have a reduction in their taxes. He believes that it is a long- term strategy to make Kansas more competitive. 
Haydn W

NBRD: Belarus pursues balanced exchange rate policy | Economy | Headlines - 1 views

  • MINSK, 14 November (BelTA) - Belarus pursues a balanced exchange rate policy and has been reducing the exchange rate of the Belarusian ruble gradually
  • Deputy Chairman of the Board of the Belarus National Bank Sergei Kalechits said at the Belarus-UK investment forum in London on 14 November
  • "We pursue quite a balanced exchange rate policy which is aimed at gradual reduction of the exchange rate. On the one hand, this is a reaction to the devaluation of the currencies of Belarus' major trading partners, which allows us to maintain the competitiveness of domestic exports,"
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  • Sergei Kalechits also noted the National Bank pays great attention to the efficiency of credit resources. "This, too, is a key to the monetary stability," he said.
  • In general, an important element in raising foreign investment and improving the investment climate is the macroeconomic and monetary stability, primarily due to the lower inflation. "This is what our monetary policy is aimed at. Due to objective reasons, this rate is still fairly high,” he said.
  • The second goal that our monetary policy is aimed at maintaining the country's international reserves,” Sergei Kalechits noted.
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    This article from Belarusian news agency BeITA explains the exchange rate policy of the Belarusian National Bank, as described by Deputy Chairman Sergei Kalechits. It explains policy regarding the managed float status of the Belarusian Ruble and how the government pursues a balanced policy surrounding the currency, aiming to reduce the interest rate whilst maintaining competitive advantage with domestic exports.
Daniel B

Trucks - 0 views

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    This article shows the best current example of perfectly competitive market which occurs in India on the market of buses, trucks, lorries and light vehicle. It is caused by the great number of companies which take part in this market.
Hardy Hewson

Google Buys Waze for $1bn - 0 views

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    This article published in the Telegraph regards the purchase of up-and-coming Israeli mapping program Waze for an estimated $1bn. The move is one that serves to increase Google's monopolistic stance in the digital mapping industry, as the purchase restricts the availability of effective substitutes to map services owned by Google.
Yassine G

BBC News - Apple, Microsoft and Adobe summoned by Australia - 1 views

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    This article talks about price discrimination. In Australia, the government things that the prices are higher than anywhere else in the world ( prices charged by foreign companies). In my opinion, this is because these major companies had the ability to discriminate, due to income, which is found to be higher and the geographical destination. It is a third degree discrimination. All the required conditions for discrimination were available. The companies have ability to set prices, as they are in an oligopoly competition. The consumers in other parts in the world are not likely to by the product and sell it to Australians. And price elasticity in Australis is found to be higher due to the higher income they have, 
Fiete M

Q&A: Dave Hakkens, designer of Phonebloks, on reinventing smartphone design - 0 views

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    This article shows that there clearly is a demand for a phone which will not be dated after only about one or two years. If this project will be realized and the phone goes into series then it will be a serious competitor to the iphone, and the demand curve for iphones will move to the left because now there is an alternative product which is cheaper.
John B

Biz/ed - Price Elasticity | Biz/ed - 0 views

  • Oil plays a big part in its energy costs - energy accounts for around 30 - 40% of its refining costs and with oil prices having risen it has had a big impact on the company.
  • they are in a competitive market and it is likely that if they increased their prices, people would look elsewhere at rivals products or they would simply put off purchasing the items until a later stage.
  • Recent econometric research into the price elasticity of demand for sugar suggests that it is nearly zero
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    This article is about how the rising oil prices affect the companies that produce sugar. The article tells us that sugar is inelastic because of many factors, for example very few substitutes so by rising the prices of sugar in the market, it does not really affect the demand for it.
Haydn W

Fossil fuel subsidies 'killing UK's low-carbon future' | Environment | The Guardian - 0 views

  • Fossil fuel subsidies 'killing UK's low-carbon future'
  • despite commitments to cut carbon emissions and reduce "perverse" fossil fuel subsidies.
  • Britain is "shooting itself in the foot" by subsidising its coal, oil and gas industries by $4.2bn (£2.6bn) a year even as government reviews the "green levies" on energy bills which support energy efficiency and renewable power, according to a report published on Thursday.
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  • The figures from the Overseas Development Institute suggest that Britain is now the world's fifth largest subsidiser of fossil fuels
  • For every $1 spent to support renewable energy, another $6 were spent on fossil fuel subsidies
  • In 2011, the latest year for which data is available, Britain gave tax breaks of £280m to oil and gas producers and reduced VAT on fossil fuels by several billion pounds
  • Rich countries have committed to phase out "inefficient" fossil fuel subsidies but the ODI figures, drawn from the International energy agency, OECD and other sources, suggest global subsidies to fossil fuel producers totalled $523bn a year in 2011 – dwarfing subsidies to renewable energies.
  • £2.6bn yearly incentive favours investment in carbon at the expense of green energy, says thinktank
  • In effect, each of the 11.6bn tonnes of carbon emitted from the top 11 developed countries comes with an average subsidy of $7 a tonne – around $112 for every adult
  • The figures have been released as ministers prepare to go to Poland for the deadlocked UN climate talks and as uncertainty surrounds the future of government-mandated levies on energy bills that support fuel poverty schemes and renewable energy.
  • G20 governments accepted in 2009 that fossil fuel subsidies encourage wasteful consumption, reduce energy security, and undermine efforts to deal with the threat of climate change.
  • The report said: "Investors are being sent the wrong signals on two fronts as carbon prices decline and fossil fuel subsidies increase."
  • The report argues that fossil fuel subsidies also fail in one of their core stated objectives, which is to to benefit the poorest.
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    This article describes how the UK government is heavily subsidising fossil fuel producers instead of prioritising and investing money in renewable sources of energy. Although it is essential to keep crude oil and fossil fuel prices low, as they are essential to many businesses, consumers and indeed the country itself, the G20, of which the UK is part of, has made a commitment to phasing out fossil fuels in favour of greener and more sustainable energy sources. 
Haydn W

The return of the US dollar | Mohamed El-Erian | Business | theguardian.com - 4 views

  • The return of the US dollar The resurgence of the US currency could be the first promising step in steering the world economy away from crisis
  • The US dollar is on the move. In the last four months alone, it has soared by more than 7% compared with a basket of more than a dozen global currencies, and by even more against the euro and the Japanese yen.
  • Two major factors are currently working in the dollar’s favour
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  • Second, after a period of alignment, the monetary policies of these three large and systemically important economies are diverging, taking the world economy from a multi-speed trajectory to a multi-track one.
  • First, the United States is consistently outperforming Europe and Japan in terms of economic growth and dynamism – and will likely continue to do so – owing not only to its economic flexibility and entrepreneurial energy, but also to its more decisive policy action since the start of the global financial crisis.
  • With higher US market interest rates attracting additional capital inflows and pushing the dollar even higher, the currency’s revaluation would appear to be just what the doctor ordered when it comes to catalysing a long-awaited global rebalancing – one that promotes stronger growth and mitigates deflation risk in Europe and Japan.
  • ECB President Mario Draghi signalled a willingness to expand his institution’s balance sheet by a massive €1 trillion ($1.25 trillion).
  • Furthermore, sudden large currency moves tend to translate into financial-market instability.
  • There is also the risk that, given the role of the ECB and the Bank of Japan in shaping their currencies’ performance, such a shift could be characterized as a “currency war” in the US Congress, prompting a retaliatory policy response.
  • Today, many of these countries have adopted more flexible exchange-rate regimes, and quite a few retain adequate reserve holdings.
  • an appreciating dollar improves the price competitiveness of European and Japanese companies in the US and other markets
  • But a new issue risks bringing about a similarly problematic outcome: By repeatedly repressing financial-market volatility over the last few years, central-bank policies have inadvertently encouraged excessive risk-taking, which has pushed many financial-asset prices higher than economic fundamentals warrant.
  • This is not to say that the currency re-alignment that is currently underway is necessarily a problematic development; on the contrary, it has the potential to boost the global economy by supporting the recovery of some of its most challenged components. But the only way to take advantage of the re-alignment’s benefits, without experiencing serious economic disruptions and financial-market volatility, is to introduce complementary growth-enhancing policy adjustments, such as accelerating structural reforms, balancing aggregate demand, and reducing or eliminating debt overhangs.
  • The US dollar’s resurgence, while promising, is only a first step. It is up to governments to ensure that the ongoing currency re-alignment supports a balanced, stable, and sustainable economic recovery. Otherwise, they may find themselves again in the unpleasant business of mitigating financial instability.
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    This article details the so called resurgence of the US dollar, in terms of currency value. The currency itself has risen by around 7% against other currencies but Guardian economist Mohamed El-Erian warns that without the appropriate accompanying central bank policies, the rise of the dollar could cause further market volatility and at worst a new crash. El-Erian calls for governments to enact policy to support balance the current currency realignment. 
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