By Jamie Barrie W hen you think of maple syrup on your pancakes or waffles in the morning do you envision something as complex as a cartel? Well a cartel in the simplest terms is an agreement between producers to control prices and keep new entrants out of the market. Members also use it to set minimum prices, control output, and a host of other activities designed to maximize individual profits for producers. When the government gets involved and manages the activity of producers it is called a public cartel and thus shielded from legal actions for things like price fixing.
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SPOTLIGHT ON BUSINESS • SEPTEMBER 2016
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