This basically states the following: - if the average cost in decreasing in the quantity produced, or the output, the marginal cost is lower than the average costs

- if the average cost increasing in terms of produced quantities, the marginal cost is larger than the average costs

- if the average cost remains constant, the marginal cost equals the average cost; the situation is similar when the average cost is minimal

- in the case of scale economies, the average cost decreases as the produced quantity increases

- in the case of diseconomies of scale, the situation is reversed as the average cost increases with the increase of the output (Zhao, 2008)

2. Factors in Favour of Monopoly

The practice of monopolistic operations emerges from a multitude of reasons and it often materializes in an organization, or a cartel of organizations, detaining the ultimate power upon a given market. Once it has occurred, the monopolistic organizations may find it easy to consolidate its position due to several factors which favour it. These forces could refer to the creation of economies of scale, the offering of low prices or the legislative regulations. To best understand how these work, take the example of a contemporaneous firm, often engaged in monopolistic discussions.

Microsoft is possibly the ultimate epitome of corporate success, with its founder Bill Gates leading the list of the wealthiest men alive. But what exactly are the factors which still ensure its position? First of all, there is the company's international strength, though...

This basically means that the software organization has increased access to numerous resources. And this access if often better facilitated than the competitions'. These resources could refer to labor force, technologies, strategic partnerships or marketing resources. This then results in an increased capacity to deliver the highest quality products and services, managing as such to attract the largest numbers of customers. The created economy of scale, alongside with its access to resources, ensures a lower price than that forwarded by the competition. Another factor that supports the monopolistic firm is its brand. Microsoft has created a universal image, which continues to attract large numbers of customers and employees. Finally, in terms of legislative regulations, some state governments have encouraged the creation of monopolies as these are usually easier to regulate. They can be controlled through antitrust policies or through the government's purchasing of corporate stocks and turning as such the organization into a publicly owned one. The latter in not the case of Microsoft, but it has been subjected to antitrust policies and numerous judicial trials. Governments may also encourage monopolistic organizations and they are able to offer lower price goods to the population, reducing as such their overall expenditures and increasing their living standards.
All in all, the economies of scale created by Microsoft ensured the crushing of the competition. The corporate strength and comparative advantages have also ensured a large demand from the consumers, and they…