Research Project 1 in a Word document, , and then submit it in the Assignment section of the classroom by midnight, EST, Day 7.

Research Project 1 in a Word document, , and then submit it in the Assignment section of the classroom by midnight, EST, Day 7.

The instructions concerning this assignment as well as the grading rubric are reproduced below.

Pricing strategy varies significantly across different market structures. The pricing guidelines in a monopoly market are relatively straightforward. Since the company is the only producer offering the product, it can mark-up the price as far as the customer can bear. The pricing strategies for a producer operating in a perfect competition structure are also fairly intuitive. They are price takers, and hence price is set at the marginal cost of the product. This is due to the fact that there are many firms offering nearly identical products. However, there is optimal pricing for the market structures offering differentiated products with many competitors (oligopoly) or a few producers (monopolistic competition). These are much more complex and involved. It has been stated that differentiation in products that creates differences in customer valuation is the most prevalent type of competition. In such markets pricing strategies may include the three C's of cost, competition, and customer.

Develop a paper detailing an analysis of market structures and relating pricing strategies that are suitable for each of these structures. Furthermore, include a real world example of pricing strategy for a specific company by identifying its market structure. 

Your paper should be around 10 pages, in and structured as follows:

with a running head

Abstract


1.  Perfect Competition   

    1.1. Description   

    1.2. Pricing Strategies


2. Monopolistic competition   

    2.1. Description   

    2.2. Pricing Strategies


3. Oligopoly    

    3.1. Description   

    3.2. Pricing Strategies


4. Monopoly   

    4.1. Description   

    4.2. Pricing Strategies


5. Case Study


6. Conclusion


References

Your paper needs to include at least three scholarly sources, i.e. peer reviewed articles. I strongly recommend the use of the APUS library for these sources, as most acceptable resources can only be found in protected databases.

If you are not familiar with the library, its Welcome Slideshow is a good place to start:

https://apus.adobeconnect.com/_a795569749/LibraryWelcome2010/

I also strongly advise you to check the material specific to our class, under the Business Course Guides. I trust you will enjoy the two videos posted there. The Guide can be found at:

http://apus.campusguides.com/index.php?gid=564