Monopoly: Maximizing Profits

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There is no question that a monopoly can set prices in order to maximize profits, as well as impose costs upon society by such price setting. One example of this is with the recent Canadian bank mergers. There exists a great deal of contrasting opinions with regard to the issue of Canadian bank mergers; however, for the most part, it appears as though Canadian officials and private citizens alike are not favoring the marriages between and among

the big banks. Cited for a number of reasons including lost jobs and higher costs for various transactions, the proposed merging of five of Canada's most influential financial institutions has caused a great deal of concern with regard to monopolizing profits at consumers' expense. In an age when bigger does not always equate to better, Canadians are worried that such unification will be a terribly costly mistake.

"With the deregulation of the financial services in the Canadian market and speculative capital flowing impeded across national borders abroad, banks are increasingly making their money out of their international transactions.

It is much more difficult to regulate their activities. We have no clue how much money they make in places like the Caribbean" (Weinberg, 1998, p. PG).

As long as the proposed bank mergers have been expected to take place, opponents from all walks of life have urged such unification not to transpire. As such, the Canadian government has been victim to a barrage of pressure from both its public and private constituency encouraging the disapproval of such an undertaking. The primary argument with regard to the opposition of the bank mergers is that it would leave seventy percent of the country's banking industry in the hands of just two megabanks; when such a monopoly is created, that often means cuts in employment, increases in...