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Question

Which among the following is/are true for a Cartel ?
I. It aims at maximising of individual firm’s profit.
II. It decides the total output in the industry to which Cartel represents .
III. It does not fix the price at which members sell their output.
Answer from the code below :

The correct answer is
Only II is true.

Analyzing Cartel Characteristics

A cartel is a formal agreement among firms in an industry to coordinate their actions, acting essentially as a single entity to increase their collective profits. We need to evaluate the truthfulness of the given statements about cartels.

  • Statement I: It aims at maximising of individual firm’s profit.
    This statement is generally false. Cartels aim to maximize the *joint* or *collective* profits of all member firms. This often requires individual firms to restrain their output below the level that would maximize their own standalone profits.
  • Statement II: It decides the total output in the industry to which Cartel represents.
    This statement is true. A primary function of a cartel is to control the aggregate supply within the industry. By setting a total output limit, the cartel can restrict supply, reduce competition, and increase prices, similar to a monopoly.
  • Statement III: It does not fix the price at which members sell their output.
    This statement is generally false. To prevent competition among members and maintain higher prices, cartels typically establish a common pricing policy or fix the price at which all members must sell their products.

Conclusion on True Statements

Based on the analysis:

  • Statement I is false.
  • Statement II is true.
  • Statement III is false.

Therefore, only Statement II accurately describes a key characteristic of a cartel.

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Important Questions from Microeconomics

  1. Surge pricing takes place when a service provider

  2. What effect will a decrease in demand and an increase in supply have on equilibrium price?

  3. A situation where the expenditure of the government exceeds its revenue is called ______.

  4. Which of the following statements is NOT correct about the factors that gave rise to the Consumer Movement in India?

  5. The total value of goods and services traded is considered to be the _________ of trade.

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