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Antitrust Practices

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1. Why was the firm investigated for antitrust behavior?
Back around 2003 there were complaints made by dentists to the North Carolina State Board of Dental Examiners about non-dentists that were providing teeth whitening services at low cost. The Board, after hearing the complaints, issued cease and desist letters to all twenty nine teeth whitening providers who weren’t dentists. This effectively ousted all non-dentists from the teeth whitening market.
2. Identify some of the costs (pecuniary and non-pecuniary) associated with the antitrust behavior (firms having power in the market). Additionally, note the specific antitrust act (Sherman Act, Clayton Act, etc.) under which the violation was investigated.
When it comes to antitrust with the sense of a dollar figure, it can be a bad when it comes to fix pricing. Back in the day it was a big problem when companies were monopolized over things such as steel, tobacco, railroads, etc. The Federal Trade Commission Act of 1914 is being violated in this case as making the non-dentist teeth whitening’s prohibited; it was an unfair method of competition. The dentists didn’t like the competition and thus removed them entirely to make sure that only they could provide the service this would also give them the choice of whatever price they wanted if they so choose.
3. Given your research and findings, are monopolies and oligopolies (firms demonstrating power) always bad for society? Be sure to provide real world examples of where this may be the case to strengthen your position.
Some bad things about monopolies are for the consumer and for society. Things along the lines of less incentives, decline in consumer surplus, higher prices than the competitive markets, etc. On the other hand the firms benefit from the power behind a monopoly because they can make more profit by charging higher prices in the competitive market.

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