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Accounting Cost
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The direct cost of operating a business, including costs for raw materials, wages paid to workers, rent paid for office or retail space, and the like
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Economic Cost
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The sum of a producer's accounting and opportunity costs
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Opportunity Cost
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The value of what a producer gives up by using an input
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Economic Profit
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A firm's total revenue minus its economic cost
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Accounting Profit
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A firm's total revenue minus its accounting cost
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Fixed Cost
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An input cost that does not vary with the amount of output, even if it's zero
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Sunk Cost
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A cost that, once paid, cannot be recovered
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Operating Revenue
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The money a firm earns from selling its output
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Operating Cost
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The cost a firm incurs in producing its output
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Variable Cost
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The cost of inputs that change as the firm changes its quantity of output
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Total Cost
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The sum of a firm's fixed and variable costs
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Average Fixed Cost
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A firm's fixed cost per unit of output
AFC= FC/Q
AFC= FC/Q
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Average Variable Cost
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A firm's per unit variable cost of production
AVC= VC/Q
AVC= VC/Q
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Average Total Cost
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A firm's total cost per unit of output
ATC= TC/Q
OR ATC= AFC + AVC
ATC= TC/Q
OR ATC= AFC + AVC
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Marginal Cost
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A firm's cost of producing one more unit of output
MC= (change in TC)/(change in Output)
MC= (change in TC)/(change in Output)
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Economies of Scale
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Total cost rises at a slower rate than output rises
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Diseconomies of Scale
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Total cost rises at a faster rate than output rises
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Economies of Scale vs. Returns to Scale
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Measure of economies of scale does not impose constant input ratios. Returns to scale do.
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Perfect Competition
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A market (or industry) in which many firms produce an identical product and there are no barriers to entry
(1) no company holds a substantial market share
(2) the industry output is standardized
(3) there is freedom of entry and exit.
(1) no company holds a substantial market share
(2) the industry output is standardized
(3) there is freedom of entry and exit.
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Market Structure
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The competitive environment in which firms operate
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Profit
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The difference between a firm's revenue and its total cost
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Marginal Revenue
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The additional revenue from selling one additional unit of output
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Shut Down Decision
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Operate if TR>(or equal to)VC
Shut down if TR<VC
OR
Operate if P>(or equal to)AVC
Shut down if P<AVC
Shut down if TR<VC
OR
Operate if P>(or equal to)AVC
Shut down if P<AVC
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Free Entry
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The ability of a firm to enter an industry without encountering legal or technical barriers
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Long-Run Competitive Equilibrium
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The point at which the market price is equal to the minimum average total cost and firms would gain no profits by entering the industry
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Free Exit
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The ability of a firm to exit an industry without encountering legal or technical barriers
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Constant Cost Industry
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An industry whose firms' total costs do not change with total industry output
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Increasing Cost Industry
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An industry whose firms' total costs increase with increases in industry output
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Decreasing Cost Industry
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An industry whose firm's total costs decrease with increases in industry output
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Producer Surplus
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A firm's total revenue minus its variable cost
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Short Run Supply Curve For A Competitive Firm
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Upward Sloping
As price increases, industry output increases
As price increases, industry output increases
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Profit Maximization by a Perfectly Competitive Firm
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Where marginal revenue equals marginal cost
A firm should increase production as long as revenue increases by more than cost, and vice versa (decreasing production)
A firm should increase production as long as revenue increases by more than cost, and vice versa (decreasing production)
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Demand Facing a Perfectly Competitive Firm
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Perfectly elastic at the market equilibrium price