INITIAL POST $($by WEDNESDAY $11$:$59$pm$)$: After having done the above, answer the following questions for your post. NOTE: Oligopoly's are messy and studying them is an inexact science. Your grade will be based much more on whether it show an understanding of those messy characteristics from the book, notes and assignments rather than the accuracy of your analysis of the industry you select.

Consider the characteristics of an oligopoly industry. Identify an industry that you think might fit into the Oligopoly category. Be sure to make clear the scale you are analyzing $($i$.$e$.,$ Global, National, or local$).$ An industry may not be accurately described as an oligopoly globally or nationally but it may fit the characteristics of an oligopoly here locally in Dutchess County or in the Hudson Valley. Be creative. As the book specifically discusses smartphones, cell phone service providers, Internet Search Engines, Oil industry, Toothpaste, Beer, Tires, you cannot pick any of these industries $($you will lose many points if you do$).$

Identify the main companies in this industry, in the scale you have chosen, as best as you are aware with a few minutes of thinking and web browsing $($here is one discussion where web browsing needed;$-).$ Find estimates for the market share of each company $($or guestimate it yourself if you can't find much$).$ MAKE SURE YOU ESTIMATES$/$GUESTIMATES OF MARKET SHARE ADD UP TO $100\%.$ Use these estimates$/$guestimates to calculate the Herfindahl$-$Hirschman Index $($HHI$)$ based upon those market shares. The intent is to have you be able to calculate an HHI and answer the question: Based upon the course materials, does the HHI value you calculated suggest this is an Oligopoly industry $($explain why or why not$)?$

Define Tacit Collusion. Do you see any behaviors $($from a few internet searches$)$ suggesting tacit collusion $($like price match guarantees $($or other tit for tat behavior$),$ price leadership: one company usually changing price first and other's matching etc$)).$ The answer may be no$,$ but consider it and provide your conclusions.

Do you see any characteristics of the industry that may limit the success of the companies tacitly colluding $($refer to the types of conditions from the second to last lecture slide #$17).$

REPLY POSTS: By Saturday $11$: $59pm.$ Select a classmate's initial post to review that HAS NOT already been reviewed $($i$.$e$.,$ there is only their initial post in the thread$).$ You can only select someone's post that has already been reviewed by someone IF there are none without a review. For your review critique how clearly and accurately they answered the questions above in their post.

Offer constructive advice in terms of thinking about these ideas, and answering the questions asked. You can suggest rewording a part that is unclear, offer suggestions that would strengthen someone's explanations, etc.