In the theories of competition in economics, strategic entry deterrence is when an existing firm within a market acts in a manner to discourage the entry of new potential firms to the market. These actions create greater barriers to entry for firms seeking entrance to the market and ensure that incumbent firms retain a large portion of market share or market power. Deterring strategies, might include an excess capacity, limit pricing, predatory pricing, predatory acquisition (hostile takeovers) and switching costs. Although in the short run, entry deterring strategies might lead to a firm operating inefficiently, in the long run the firm will have a stronger holder over market conditions.