100% tevredenheidsgarantie Direct beschikbaar na je betaling Lees online óf als PDF Geen vaste maandelijkse kosten
logo-home
CORE: The Economy Unit 7 summary €3,89
In winkelwagen

Samenvatting

CORE: The Economy Unit 7 summary

 0 keer verkocht
  • Vak
  • Instelling
  • Boek

Summary of Unit 7 of The Economy (CORE). Excluding the Einstein section

Voorbeeld 2 van de 6  pagina's

  • Nee
  • Unit 7
  • 10 januari 2021
  • 6
  • 2020/2021
  • Samenvatting
avatar-seller
UNIT 7: THE FIRM AND ITS CUSTOMERS
HOW A PROFIT-MAXIMIZING FIRM PRODUCING A DIFFERENTIATED PRODUCT INTERACTS WITH
ITS CUSTOMERS


KEY POINTS

• Product demand curve: Tells how many units consumers will buy at each price
• Firm’s marginal cost: The additional cost of making one extra unit of output
• Profit-maximizing point: In markets with differentiated products, each firm chooses its price
and quantity from the feasible set given the demand for its own brand. This is: demand curve
is tangent to highest isoprofit curve
• Deadweight loss: In markets with differentiated products, firms set a price higher than the
marginal costs → not all potential gains from trade are realized
• Impact of demand elasticity on price: In markets with differentiated products, the lower the
elasticity of demand (=steeper demand curve), the higher the firm’s price relative to its
marginal cost, the higher its profit margin, and the higher the deadweight loss.


7.1 BREAKFAST CEREAL: CHOOSING A PRICE

• For a firm to set a price, they need to know the willingness to pay of consumers
• In general: the lower the price, the more consumers wish to buy
• Consider how decisions will affect profits: to maximize profit, is to produce the quantity you
expect to sell, and no more
• Isoprofit curve: Curve that shows same profit for any choice of price and quantity. One is
indifferent between combinations of price and quantity that give same profit.
o The farther from the origin, the higher the profit level
o Slope = Trade-off one is willing to make between P and Q (=the MRS)
• Slope of demand curve: Trade-off one is constrained to make (=MRT).

• 𝑇𝑜𝑡𝑎𝑙 𝑐𝑜𝑠𝑡 = 𝑢𝑛𝑖𝑡 𝑐𝑜𝑠𝑡 ∗ 𝑞𝑢𝑎𝑛𝑡𝑖𝑡𝑦
• 𝑇𝑜𝑡𝑎𝑙 𝑟𝑒𝑣𝑒𝑛𝑢𝑒 = 𝑝𝑟𝑖𝑐𝑒 ∗ 𝑞𝑢𝑎𝑛𝑡𝑖𝑡𝑦
• 𝑃𝑟𝑜𝑓𝑖𝑡 = 𝑡𝑜𝑡𝑎𝑙 𝑟𝑒𝑣𝑒𝑛𝑢𝑒 − 𝑡𝑜𝑡𝑎𝑙 𝑐𝑜𝑠𝑡



7.2 ECONOMIES OF SCALE AND THE COST ADVANTAGES OF LARGE -SCALE PRODUCTION

ECONOMIES OF SCALE, DISECONOMIES OF SCALE AND CONSTANT RETURNS TO SC ALE

• Economies of scale / increasing returns to scale in production: Input increases output >
proportionally
• Diseconomies of scale / decreasing returns to scale in production: Input increases output <
proportionally


1

, o Dilbert law of firm hierarchy: When supervising production workers requires more
than a proportional increase in input of supervisors.
To increase inputs proportionally, the firm should reduce the intensity of supervision,
which correlates to loss of productivity
• Constant returns to scale in production: Input increases output proportionally

ADVANTAGES OF LARGE -SCALE FIRMS

• Large firms can produce its output at a lower cost per unit because of:
o Cost advantages: Ability to purchase input at lower cost due to bargaining power
when negotiating with suppliers
o Economies of scale / increasing returns: Technological advantages: Large-scale
production means often fewer inputs per unit of output.
Result from: Specialization among members of firm / engineering reasons
• Cost per unit falls if output increases (even with constant or decreasing returns to scale) due
to fixed costs (e.g. R&D, marketing expenses, lobbying, contributions to election campaign)
• Network effects: When people are more likely to buy a product/service if it has a lot of users
already. Thus large-scale production increases demand

Limits to firm growth: ‘make it or buy it choice’ when producing components: cheaper to outsource
or manufacture it in house?



7.3 PRODUCTION: THE COST FUNCTION

• Cost function (C(Q)): Total cost in relation to the quantity produced → average cost curve
(AC): Average cost per output

Decreasing average costs at low levels of output (AC curve slopes downward), and increasing
average costs at high levels of output (AC curve slopes upward). Happens because of scaling
(e.g. more numbers of shift on assembly line, pay overtime wages)

o Includes opportunity cost of capital
• Marginal cost: The additional cost of producing one more unit of output. Corresponds to the
slope of C(Q).
∆𝐶
𝑀𝐶 = ∆𝑄
• If at the value of Q: [AC > MC: AC slopes downward] and [AC < MC: AC curve slopes upwards]
• Firm’s owners (shareholders) only invest when: profits > opportunity cost of capital
• Economies of scope: Cost savings from producing several products (e.g. producing graduate
education, undergraduate education and research together)


7.4 SETTING THE PRICE FOR DIFFERENTIATED PRODUCTS

DEMAND


2

Dit zijn jouw voordelen als je samenvattingen koopt bij Stuvia:

Bewezen kwaliteit door reviews

Bewezen kwaliteit door reviews

Studenten hebben al meer dan 850.000 samenvattingen beoordeeld. Zo weet jij zeker dat je de beste keuze maakt!

In een paar klikken geregeld

In een paar klikken geregeld

Geen gedoe — betaal gewoon eenmalig met iDeal, Bancontact of creditcard en je bent klaar. Geen abonnement nodig.

Focus op de essentie

Focus op de essentie

Studenten maken samenvattingen voor studenten. Dat betekent: actuele inhoud waar jij écht wat aan hebt. Geen overbodige details!

Veelgestelde vragen

Wat krijg ik als ik dit document koop?

Je krijgt een PDF, die direct beschikbaar is na je aankoop. Het gekochte document is altijd, overal en oneindig toegankelijk via je profiel.

Tevredenheidsgarantie: hoe werkt dat?

Onze tevredenheidsgarantie zorgt ervoor dat je altijd een studiedocument vindt dat goed bij je past. Je vult een formulier in en onze klantenservice regelt de rest.

Van wie koop ik deze samenvatting?

Stuvia is een marktplaats, je koop dit document dus niet van ons, maar van verkoper JJ41221. Stuvia faciliteert de betaling aan de verkoper.

Zit ik meteen vast aan een abonnement?

Nee, je koopt alleen deze samenvatting voor €3,89. Je zit daarna nergens aan vast.

Is Stuvia te vertrouwen?

4,6 sterren op Google & Trustpilot (+1000 reviews)

Afgelopen 30 dagen zijn er 65646 samenvattingen verkocht

Opgericht in 2010, al 15 jaar dé plek om samenvattingen te kopen

Start met verkopen
€3,89
  • (0)
In winkelwagen
Toegevoegd