COMPETITION: In general, the actions of two or more rivals in pursuit of the same objective. In the context of markets, the specific objective is either selling goods to buyers or alternatively buying goods from sellers. Competition tends to come in two varieties -- competition among the few, which is market with a small number of sellers (or buyers), such that each seller (or buyer) has some degree of market control, and competition among the many, which is a market with so many buyers and sellers that none is able to influence the market price or quantity exchanged.

     See also | market | fourth rule of competition | efficiency | market control | market structure | perfect competition | monopoly | monopolistic competition | oligopoly | unfair competition | market share | antitrust laws |

COMPETITION, AmosWEB GLOSS*arama, http://www.AmosWEB.com, AmosWEB LLC, 2000-2026. [Accessed: February 8, 2026].

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The demand curve for the output produced by a perfectly competitive firm is perfectly elastic at the going market price. The firm can sell all of the output that it wants at this price because it is a relatively small part of the market. As a price taker, the firm has no ability to charge a higher price and no reason to charge a lower one. The market price facing a perfectly competitive firm is also average revenue and, most important, marginal revenue.

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Today, you are likely to spend a great deal of time flipping through mail order catalogs looking to buy either a package of 4 by 6 index cards, the ones with lines or a 50 foot extension cord. Be on the lookout for empty parking spaces that appear to be near the entrance to a store.
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