Verified Document

Oligopolies Part 1 One Proposed Merger Is Essay

Oligopolies Part 1) One proposed merger is Omnicare's bid to purchase Pharmerica (FTC, 2012). The FTC has defined the industry as "long-term care pharmacy" and these are the two largest firms in that industry. The FTC has sued to block this proposed takeover. Pharmerica is the only national competitor for Omnicare. Firms in this industry work with institutions to provide pharmacy services. The industry has some fragmentation, but there are only two national players in Omnicare and Pharmerica. The FTC feels that the combined entity would have such strong bargaining power that consumers would not have adequate choice, prices would rise and suppliers would also suffer from this extreme leverage.

From Omnicare's point-of-view, the merger would give it a dominant position in its industry. Pharmerica is resisting the takeover, as this is a hostile takeover. Pharmerica would likely be absorbed into Omnicare to the detriment of its own operations. Suppliers are major pharmaceutical firms, and they also sell to retail pharmacies and through other channels, so the impact on them would be less disastrous than the impact on end users, who are typically...

Medicare Part D plans would in particular suffer, as they would need to buy from the combined entity, which would be the only one in the industry with national scope. There are structural issues within this industry -- in particular with respect to consumers using Part D Medicare plans, that prevent them from acquiring their drugs from sources outside of the long-term care pharmacy industry. Omnicare is already the dominant firm in this industry and has been accused of abusive practices. They use their size to bargain better deals from their suppliers but do not pass those savings along to consumers.
Part 2) There is no rational argument under existing trade laws for the merger. The combined firm would be more of a monopoly than an oligopoly, and the market would be subject to considerable abuse from Omnicare if this merger goes through. The industry…

Sources used in this document:
Works Cited:

FTC.gov. (2012). FTC sues to block Omnicare's bid to buy rival pharmacy provider Pharmerica. Federal Trade Commission. Retrieved February 3, 2012 from http://www.ftc.gov/opa/2012/01/omnicare.shtm

Investopedia. (2011). Herfindahl-Hirschman Index. Investopedia. Retrieved February 3, 2012 from http://www.investopedia.com/terms/h/hhi.asp#axzz1lFGk3bQ3

Sentementes, G. (2011). I, robot, in the pharmacy. The Baltimore Sun. Retrieved February 3, 2012 from http://articles.baltimoresun.com/2011-04-18/business/bs-bz-bronfein-pharmacy-20110418_1_institutional-pharmacy-robots-michael-g-bronfein
Cite this Document:
Copy Bibliography Citation

Related Documents

AT&T & T-Mobile Merger. In Order to
Words: 3617 Length: 10 Document Type: Essay

AT&T & T-Mobile merger. In order to analyze this move properly, we will compare this merger with a case study of the merger of Frito-lay and Pepsi to create PepsiCo. At that time, the federal government of the United States was much more supportive of corporate mergers than currently. Without such hostility at the time to hinder it, the PepsiCo company has grown into a very competitive, innovative and healthy

Merger From the Perspective of the Firm,
Words: 632 Length: 2 Document Type: Essay

Merger From the perspective of the firm, Pfizer and Wyeth can combine their diverse strengths and capabilities, and merge their talents and skills thus enabling them to become more profitable and lucrative. Doing so, they will be able to reach more clients, solidify their already existent client base, and, possibly, expand into other areas whilst establishing themselves in other states and/or in other parts of the globe. More specifically, advantages to

Difference Between Monopoly and Oligopoly
Words: 1247 Length: 4 Document Type: Term Paper

Oligopoly and a Monopoly: Viewed in Light of the AT& T. And SBC Prospective Merger Since the Gilded age of the robber barons ended with the enforcement of the Sherman Anti-Trust Act, corporate monopolies have had a bad name in American commerce. However, a monopoly is not synonymous with the abuse of consumer welfare. A monopoly is simply is the exclusive control by one group, often a company, of the

Economics a Price Discrimination Strategy Is One
Words: 1288 Length: 4 Document Type: Essay

Economics A price discrimination strategy is one where different customers are charged different amounts. The price charged for my shop's submarine sandwiches will therefore be different for locals than for visitors. There are a number of ways to achieve this. In the context of a sandwich shop, the prices are going to be listed publicly on the menu, so it is impossible to openly discriminate with respect to prices. One technique

Private University Is Selling a Share, or
Words: 1077 Length: 4 Document Type: Term Paper

Private University is selling a share, or something else. At the outset of the Act, "security" is defined as "any note, stock, treasury stock, security future, security-based swap, bond, debenture, evidence of indebtedness, certificate of interest or participation in any profit-sharing agreement, collateral-trust certificate…" and many others are subject to the law. The key is that the security creates a share of income for the holder, whether in the

Microeconomics Over the Last Few Years, It
Words: 2027 Length: 6 Document Type: Essay

Microeconomics Over the last few years, it is evident that the airline industry in the U.S. has been experiencing long standing as well as novel challenges (The American Antitrust Institute, 2012). These includes the increase in the price of fuel, slowing demand for air travel and pressures to expand globally. Consolidation among various airlines across the country is the most common remedy that most of the airline firms are applying. In

Sign Up for Unlimited Study Help

Our semester plans gives you unlimited, unrestricted access to our entire library of resources —writing tools, guides, example essays, tutorials, class notes, and more.

Get Started Now