Which of the following is not an oligopolist? (LO4 a) ExxonMobil b) General Motors c) Your local phone company d) Xerox

An oligopolist is a company or firm that is part of a market structure called oligopoly. In this market, few dominant players control the majority of the market share, resulting in limited competition and potential control over prices. They usually produce homogeneous products, and decisions made by one firm will have a noticeable impact on other firms in the industry.

a) ExxonMobil - This is one of the largest oil and gas companies in the world, with a significant market share in the industry, which consists of a few giants like Shell, BP, and Chevron dominating the market. As they are one of the leaders in the oil and gas sector, ExxonMobil fits the criteria of an oligopolist. b) General Motors - General Motors is an automaker with a significant market share, competing with a few other large companies such as Ford, Toyota, and Volkswagen. The automobile industry is also an oligopoly, with few large firms dominating the market. Thus, General Motors can also be considered an oligopolist. c) Your local phone company - Depending on the country and region, the local phone company can either be part of a duopoly (two dominant firms), oligopoly (few dominant firms), or even a monopoly (single dominant firm). In most cases, however, the telecommunications industry is an oligopoly, with few dominant firms like AT&T, Verizon, and T-Mobile in the US. Therefore, your local phone company can potentially be seen as an oligopolist too. d) Xerox - The company Xerox is a dominant player in the printing and office technology market, competing with other big firms such as Canon, HP, and Ricoh. This industry, too, can be deemed as an oligopoly due to the presence of very few dominant firms. However, it has more competition than the other options mentioned.

Among the options given, the company that seems to have the highest level of competition and a lesser degree of market dominance compared to others would be Xerox. While they are still a prominent player in the printing and office technology market, there are more competitors than in the other industries mentioned in the exercise. Therefore, the answer is: d) Xerox