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Total revenue
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Price x Quantity
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marginal revenue
answer
MR=change in TR/change in Q
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total cost
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fixed costs plus variable costs
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marginal cost
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MC=change in TC/change in Q
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average total cost
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total cost divided by the quantity of output
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economic profit
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total revenue minus total cost, including both explicit and implicit costs
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economic loss
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the situation in which a firm's total revenue is less than its total cost, including all implicit costs
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zero economic profit
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There is no economic profit. Said differently, accounting profit in every industry is the same. In a long run competitive equilibrium, there are zero economic profits.
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Characteristics of perfect competition
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1. Many buyers and many sellers.
2. The goods offered for sale are largely the same.
3. Firms can freely enter or exit the market.
2. The goods offered for sale are largely the same.
3. Firms can freely enter or exit the market.
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examples of markets of perfect competition
answer
agricultural
online shopping
online shopping
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output level that maximizes economic profit or minimizes economic loss
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profit=MR=MC
loss= MC<MR
loss= MC<MR
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profit-maximizing rule
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Profit is maximized by choosing the level of output such that MR=MC
Profit= (P - AVC) x Q
Profit= (P - AVC) x Q
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How should output change when MR > MC
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Increase
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How should output change when MR < MC
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Decrease
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The MC curve always
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leads (pulls) the ATC and AVC curves
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Operational rules
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short run
P<AVC=shutdown
AVC<P<ATC= operate at a loss
P>ATC=operate at a profit
P<AVC=shutdown
AVC<P<ATC= operate at a loss
P>ATC=operate at a profit
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Competitive markets
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-many buyers and sellers
-similar goods
-firms and price takers
-free entry and exit
-similar goods
-firms and price takers
-free entry and exit
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Profit equation
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=(price - average total cost) x Q
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P > ATC short-run outcome
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the firm makes a profit
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ATC > P > AVC short-run outcome
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the firm will operate to minimize loss
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AVC > P short-run outcome
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the firm will temporarily shut down
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P > ATC long-run outcome
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the firm makes a profit
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P < ATC long-run outcome
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the firm should shut down
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Sunk costs
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unrecoverable costs that have been incurred as a result of past decisions
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sunk cost fallacy
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Considering sunk costs when making new decisions at the margin
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Signals
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convey info about the profitability of various markets
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LR supply may be upward-sloping when
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aka long run
resources may be limited
opportunity costs of labor
resources may be limited
opportunity costs of labor
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In competitive markets,
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firms have no control over price
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Profits and losses
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act as signals in a perfectly competitive market
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competitive markets
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serve as an ideal benchmark we can compare other market structures to