It faces a downward-sloping demand curve for its product.

When a monopoly increases production by one unit, it causes the price of its good to fall lover than the previously produced units.

A monopolist maximizes profits by producing the quantity at which the marginal revenue of the last unit is equal to its marginal cost.

The monopoly chooses the maximum price that consumers are willing to pay for the last unit produced, and this price is on the demand curve and greater than the marginal cost.

 A monopolist would like to form cartels, self-interests and the difficulty to enforce cartel agreements drive them toward competition.