| Abstract [eng] |
In this Master’s thesis “Buyer market power assessment in cases of dominant position abuse” you’ll find an analysis of one of many possible competitive pressure types, i.e. buyer’s market power. In the first part, lawful term “domination” unfolds how important evaluation of buyer’s market power is. Economic analysis of buyer market power shows that depending on market structure there are two types of buyer power: monopsony power and bargaining power. The most important evaluating buyer’s pressure on dominant seller is bargaining power. This thesis provides factors that impacts strength of buyer bargaining power which are important to Competition Agencies and case law when analyzing abuse of dominant position. From the analysis of buyer market power effects on competition we can see, that countervailing buyer power affects not only supply market, but also consumers market. This shows regulation expediency, that if this countervailing buyer power will protect all consumers from the dominating firm behavior in the market, then competitive buyer pressure in the cases of dominance will be considered sufficient. This paper presents examples of real cases associated with buyer power assessment. Also this analysis demonstrates reluctance of Competition Agencies and Courts to admit that buyer market power is sufficient to force pressure on dominating firm in a market. These examples of cases unfold important factors that play crucial role in buyer power assessment. Also, this paper demonstrates problems, which arises in investigation of these cases. |
