question
What does the business firm do ?
answer
- Convert resources into products
product value > resource cost
product value > resource cost
question
What is the incentive for the business firm to convert resources into products?
answer
Owners have the right to any revenue after costs have been paid
- profit
- profit
question
What is profit?
answer
the difference between revenue and costs
question
What is total revenue?
answer
the amount a firm receives from the sale of goods and services
question
What is total costs?
answer
the amount a firm spends in order to produce and sell those goods and services
question
How is profit (or loss) calculated?
answer
TR - TC
question
What are explicit costs?
answer
Tangible, out-of- pocket expenses
- wages, food costs, utilities
- wages, food costs, utilities
question
What are implicit costs?
answer
- opportunity costs of doing business
- opportunity cost of capital
- opportunity cost of owner's time
- opportunity cost of capital
- opportunity cost of owner's time
question
How do you calculate the accounting profit?
answer
Revenues - explicit costs
question
How do you calculate Economic Profit?
answer
Revenues - (Explicit + Implicit costs)
Accounting Profit - Implicit costs
Accounting Profit - Implicit costs
question
Which of the following is an example of an
implicit cost?
A. wages paid to employees
B. Cost of food delivery
C. The opportunity cost of the owner's time
D. monthly insurance premiums
implicit cost?
A. wages paid to employees
B. Cost of food delivery
C. The opportunity cost of the owner's time
D. monthly insurance premiums
answer
C. The opportunity cost of the owner's time
question
What is output?
answer
the product that the firm creates
question
What are factors of production?
answer
- Resources used in the production process
question
What is production function?
answer
Describes the relationship between inputs and outputs
question
What is marginal product?
answer
the change in output associated with one additional unit of an input
question
What is Diminishing Marginal Product?
answer
Occurs when successive increases in inputs are associated with a slower rise in output
question
Total output with seven workers is Q = 70. Total
output with eight workers is Q = 82. What is the
marginal product of the eighth worker?
A. 12
B. 10
C. 82
D. 8
output with eight workers is Q = 82. What is the
marginal product of the eighth worker?
A. 12
B. 10
C. 82
D. 8
answer
A. 12
question
short run
answer
period of production in which at least one input is fixed
- defined by how long it takes to change all factors
- defined by how long it takes to change all factors
question
Long run
answer
period of production in which all inputs are variable
question
What are the costs firms consider in the short run?
answer
- variable costs (
- fixed costs
- fixed costs
question
Why will the economic profit always be less than the accounting profit?
answer
because the calculation of economic profits starts with accounting profit and subtracts more costs
question
Variable costs _______ with output
answer
vary
question
Fixed costs are _____ in the short run. They do not change no matter what the level of output
answer
fixed
question
What is the formula for the total cost in the short run?
answer
TC = TVC + TFC
question
What is the formula for the average total costs for short run?
answer
AVC + AFC
just divide the total costs by the number of units
just divide the total costs by the number of units
question
What is marginal costs? forumula?
answer
Change in total costs to produce 1 more unit
change in total cost divided by the change in quantity of output
change in total cost divided by the change in quantity of output
question
My marginal _ _ starts going up when the marginal ______ starts going down
answer
cost, output
question
Increasing input = ______ total costs
answer
increasing
question
Average Fixed Costs go _____ for every unit of additional production
answer
down
question
What costs are U shaped on the curve? Why?
answer
AVC, ATC, And MC
- those costs go down initially due to specialization allowing increasing marginal output. Then diminishing returns cause the cost to turn up
- those costs go down initially due to specialization allowing increasing marginal output. Then diminishing returns cause the cost to turn up
question
The lowest point on the Average Total Cost Curve is the most _____________
answer
efficient point
question
What is the most efficient point on the ATC Curve?
answer
the scale of business that allows you the best chance to make the most profit
question
How do we make the decision about how big we want our business to be?
answer
use a Long Run Average Total Cost Curve
question
True or False: there are no fixed cost in the long run
answer
True
question
Where is the efficient point on the LRATC?
answer
the level of output where ATC is minimized
question
What are the economic of Scale (long run)?
answer
when getting bigger givers a lower cost
- workers specialization
- mass production techniques
- Purchasing Leverage
- workers specialization
- mass production techniques
- Purchasing Leverage
question
What are Diseconomies of scale (long run)?
answer
When getting bigger gives a higher cost
- More managers
- Highly specialized workers
- Coordination process to pull everything together
- Layers of management expand (Bureaucracy)
- More managers
- Highly specialized workers
- Coordination process to pull everything together
- Layers of management expand (Bureaucracy)
question
True or False: the idea is to get bigger until you reach the lowest point
answer
true
question
What does economies of scale look like?
answer
building more than one house at the same time
question
What does diseconomies of scale look like?
answer
the Bureaucracy of a large hospital makes the cost higher and price to patience higher
question
What does a constant economy of scale look like?
answer
the local Olive Garden restaurant may. be larger than Mario's nerighborhood restaurant but the prices are very similar
question
Economies of scale
answer
ATC falls when production expands
question
Diseconomies of scale
answer
ATC rises when production expands
question
Constant returns to scale
answer
ATC doesn't change when production expands
question
What is total costs?
answer
the amount a firm spends in order to produce and sell those goods and services
question
How is profit and loss calculated?
answer
Profits = revenues - cost
- costs can be explicit or implicit
- accounting profit versus economic profit
- costs can be explicit or implicit
- accounting profit versus economic profit
question
How much should a firm produce?
answer
Firms must effectively combine labor and capital in the right quantities
- In the short run with a fixed amount of capital, the marginal product of labor begins to decline
- Even if the MPL falls, it may still be profitable to hire additional workers
- In the short run with a fixed amount of capital, the marginal product of labor begins to decline
- Even if the MPL falls, it may still be profitable to hire additional workers
question
What costs do firms consider in the short run and the long run?
answer
- In the short run, firms consider both variable and fixed costs
- MC, AVC, and ATC are U-shaped
- MC initially decreases due to increased specialization, and when the point of diminishing marginal product is reached, MC begins to increase
- AFC always declines
- So the difference between ATC and AVC gets smaller and smaller
- In the long run, firms can experience economies of scale, constant returns to scale, or diseconomies of scale
- MC, AVC, and ATC are U-shaped
- MC initially decreases due to increased specialization, and when the point of diminishing marginal product is reached, MC begins to increase
- AFC always declines
- So the difference between ATC and AVC gets smaller and smaller
- In the long run, firms can experience economies of scale, constant returns to scale, or diseconomies of scale
question
What are characteristics of a competitive market?
answer
1. There is no control over price since there are a large number of firms, each selling identical products
2. Profits lead to other firms entering the market; losses lead to exit
3. If the market is competitive , social welfare is maximized. you achieve efficiency
4. A perfectly competitive market is one in which: There are large numbers of buyers and sellers producing identical goods, There is easy entry and exit from the market, Firms are price takers
2. Profits lead to other firms entering the market; losses lead to exit
3. If the market is competitive , social welfare is maximized. you achieve efficiency
4. A perfectly competitive market is one in which: There are large numbers of buyers and sellers producing identical goods, There is easy entry and exit from the market, Firms are price takers
question
What is the profit-maximizing rule?
answer
- A firm will maximize profit by producing where MR= MC
- Profit = (P-AVC) x Q
- Profit = (P-AVC) x Q
question
What are the operational rules in the short run?
answer
In the short run there are 3 profitable cases:
P>ATC : Economic profit
P<ATC, but > AVC economic loss, but can stay open
P < AVC : Firm should shut down
P>ATC : Economic profit
P<ATC, but > AVC economic loss, but can stay open
P < AVC : Firm should shut down
question
What does the Long Run Adjustment process ensure?
answer
That firms earn zero economic profit in the long run
question
competitive market
answer
- Many buyers and sellers
- Similar goods
- Firms are price takers
- free entry and exit
- Similar goods
- Firms are price takers
- free entry and exit
question
Profit maximizing rule
answer
profit is maximized by choosing the level of output such that MR = MC
question
True or False: Shutting down is not the same as going out of business and exiting the industry
answer
true
question
When should a firm shut down?
answer
if it can not cover variable costs
question
Short run :
P > ATC whats the outcome
P > ATC whats the outcome
answer
the firm makes a profit
question
Short run:
ATC > P > AVC whats the outcome
ATC > P > AVC whats the outcome
answer
The firm will operate to minimize loss
question
Short run:
AVC > P whats the outcome
AVC > P whats the outcome
answer
The firm will temporarily shut down
question
Long run:
P > ATC what is the outcome
P > ATC what is the outcome
answer
The firm makes a profit
question
Long run:
P < ATC what is the outcome
P < ATC what is the outcome
answer
The firm should shut down
question
What are sunk costs?
answer
Unrecoverable costs that have been incurred as a result of past decisions
question
What is sunk cost fallacy?
answer
Considering sunk costs when making new decisions at the margin
question
A competitive firm will shut down and produce output level Q = 0 if
answer
price < min. AVC
question
Steve runs a competitive sandwich shop. Right now, he is producing output at a level where MR > MC.
answer
A.produce more output.
question
Suppose a competitive firm is faced with a price in the short run that is below ATC but above AVC. In the short run, this firm should
answer
A.produce at the output level where MR = MC.
question
When firms make zero economic profit, the market is in _____________ equilibrium.
answer
long-run
question
________________ convey information about the profitability of various markets
answer
signals
question
LR supply may be upward-sloping:
answer
•Resources may be limited.
•Opportunity costs of labor.
•Opportunity costs of labor.
question
If a competitive industry is making positive economic profits, what will eventually happen in this industry?
answer
The market supply will shift to the right.
question
What do you suppose is one of the main reasons that competitive firms all earn zero economic profits in the long run?
answer
Free entry and exit in the industry.
question
In the long run, a firm in a perfectly competitive market earns
answer
- positive accounting profits
- Zero economic profits
- Zero economic profits
question
Profits and losses act as ______________ in a perfectly competitive market
answer
signals
question
What is marginal revenue?
answer
Additional revenue from selling one more unit
MR = change in total revenue divided by change in quanity
MR = change in total revenue divided by change in quanity
question
What is marginal cost?
answer
additional costs of producing one more unit
MC = change in total costs divided by change in quanity
MC = change in total costs divided by change in quanity
question
What is marginal analysis?
answer
compare the revenue (MR) from one more unit to the cost (MC) of one more unit
question
Profit is maximized by choosing the level of output such that
answer
MR = MC
question
What should a firm do if MR > MC?
answer
product that unit
question
What should the firm do if MR<MC do not produce
answer
...
question
P* stands for
answer
profit max rule for perfect competition
question
When should you forget sunk costs?
answer
when you are making decisions about what to do next
question
Postive profits
answer
more firms will enter the industry
question
Negative profits
answer
firms will exit the industry
question
What do economist do?
answer
break cost into explicit costs and implicit costs and consider economic profit
question
When is economic profit earned?
answer
when value of production is greater than cost of all resources used
question
True or False: Implicit costs are always paid out of pocket
answer
false, implicit costs are opportunity cost and explicit costs are out of pocket
question
true or false: accounting profit is equal to explicit costs plus implicit costs
answer
false, accounting profit is total revenue minus explicit costs
question
true or false: Total revenue minus total cost is equal to profit
answer
true
question
true or false: the three primary factors of production are capital, interest, and savings.
answer
false: land, labor, and capital
question
true or false: the change in total output divided by the change in input is known as marginal cost
answer
false: marginal product
question
true or false: if a firm's long-run average total costs increase as it increases its scale of production, the firm is experiencing diminishing marginal product
answer
false: diseconomies of scale
question
True or false: an example of a long - run cost for a manufacturing firm is the purchase of additional raw materials.
answer
false: short run
question
true or false: in competitive markets, market forces are much stronger than individual firms are.
answer
true
question
true or false: a Perfectly competitive firm's break-even output level is where MR = MC
answer
false: P=ATC
question
True or false: When revenue is greater than variable costs, the firm will earn a profit.
answer
False: atc
question
True or False: Firms will always make a positive economic profit if P>ATC.
answer
true
question
True or False: In the short run, a firm does NOT have any fixed costs
answer
false: long run
question
True or False: in the long run, if a firm is making a loss, it will continue to operate if it covers its fixed costs.
answer
false: short-run, variable
question
true or false: A firm's accounting profit is always greater than its economic profit.
answer
true because economic profit considers implicit costs
question
true or false; a restaurant owner just found out that his pizza bistro is losing money because the costs and the revenue aren't both being maximized
answer
false: costs minimized
question
True or false: as a firm hires more labor and each worker is able to specialize, each additional worker's marginal productivity decreases continuously.
answer
false: it increases then diminishes over time
question
true or false: by looking at the full set of short-run cost curves for a firm, we can determine the level of output with the cost-minimizing level of output
answer
true
question
true or false: a firm in a competitive market selling a homogenous product and captures some market power
answer
false: no market power
question
True or false: a competitive market has many buyers and sellers, differentiated products, easy entry into the market
answer
false: similar products
question
True or false: in the short run, a firm should shut down when MR<MC
answer
False: should reduce output