📚 Learning Guide
Dominant Strategies in Game Theory
easy

If a firm in an oligopoly consistently chooses to lower its prices regardless of competitors' actions, which of the following best explains this behavior?

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Choose the Best Answer

A

The firm has identified a dominant strategy that maximizes its payoff.

B

The firm is responding to a specific market demand that requires lower prices.

C

The firm believes that competitors will also lower prices, leading to a price war.

D

The firm is trying to increase its market share by following a competitive pricing model.

Understanding the Answer

Let's break down why this is correct

Answer

In an oligopoly, firms are interdependent, meaning the actions of one firm can significantly affect others. If a firm consistently lowers its prices without considering what competitors do, it might be following a dominant strategy, which is a choice that leads to the best outcome for the firm regardless of what others do. For example, if Firm A lowers its price, it may attract more customers, even if Firm B keeps its price the same. However, this could lead to a price war where all firms lower their prices, ultimately reducing profits for everyone. Thus, the firm might believe that lowering prices is the best way to gain market share, even if it risks provoking similar actions from competitors.

Detailed Explanation

The firm has found a way to always do better by lowering prices. Other options are incorrect because This suggests the firm is only reacting to customers wanting lower prices; This implies the firm thinks others will follow and start a price war.

Key Concepts

Dominant Strategies
Oligopoly
Market Competition
Topic

Dominant Strategies in Game Theory

Difficulty

easy level question

Cognitive Level

understand

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