Systems Competition and Challenges to Antitrust Thinking: An Introduction

• Author: Diana L. Moss,Gregory Gundlach
• DOI: 10.1177/0003603X1105600101
• Published date: 01 March 2011
• Date: 01 March 2011
• Subject Matter: Article

Systems competition and challenges to

antitrust thinking: An introduction

BYGREGORY GUNDLACH*

AND DIANA L. MOSS**

I. OVERVIEW

Systems are complex economic structures, often featuring multiple

complementary markets, transactional and relational links between

buyers and sellers, and complex interoperability issues at key inter-

faces. Systems are increasingly common in our economy. They are

present, for example, in agriculture (biotechnology and transgenic

seed), automotive (automobiles and crash parts and service), trans-

portation (airline alliances), the Internet (search and advertising),

and telecommunications (content and cable television distribution).

The importance of promoting competition in sectors where systems

are present, or in the formative stages of development, is punctuated

by the presence of other key policy objectives that depend on robust

rivalry. For example, health and human safety, supply chain stability,

diversity in the media, and even national security arguably depend

on a competitive innovative process, a diverse set of suppliers,

price and nonprice competition, and competitor access to important

bottlenecks.

THE ANTITRUST BULLETIN:Vol. 56, No. 1/Spring 2011 :1

* Visiting Eminent Scholar of Wholesaling and Professor of Marketing,

Director, Center for Research and Education in Wholesaling, Coggin College

of Business, University of North Florida.

** Vice President and Director, American Antitrust Institute.

© 2011 by Federal Legal Publications, Inc.