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fixed imput
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An imput whose quantity is fixed for a period of time and cannot be varied
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variable input
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an input whose quantity the firm can vary at any time
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production function
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the relationship between quantity of inputs used to make a good and the quantity of output of that good
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long run
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the time period in which all inputs can be varied
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short run
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the period of time during which at least one of a firm's inputs is fixed
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total product curve
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shows how the quantity of output depends on the quantity of the variable input, for a given quantity of the fixed input
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marginal product
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the extra output or change in total product caused by the addition of one more unit of variable input
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diminishing returns to an input
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when an increase in the quantity of that input, holding the levels of all other inputs fixed, leads to a decline in the marginal product of that input
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fixed costs
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Cost that does not depend on the quantity of output produced
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variable costs
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Cost that depends on the quantity of output produced
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total cost
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fixed costs plus variable costs
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marginal cost equation
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change in total cost / change in quantity
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average total cost
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total cost divided by the quantity of output
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average total cost formula
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ATC = TC/Q
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average fixed cost
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fixed cost divided by the quantity of output
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average variable cost
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variable cost divided by the quantity of output
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minimum-cost output
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is the quantity of output at which average total cost is lowest-- the bottom of the U-shaped average total cost curve
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long-run average total cost curve
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shows the relationship between output and average total cost when fixed cost has been chosen to minimize average total cost for each level of output
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increasing returns to scale
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when long-run average total cost declines as output increases
Tend to make firms larger
Tend to make firms larger
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decreasing returns to scale
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when long-run average total cost increases as output increases
Tend to make firms smaller
Tend to make firms smaller
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constant returns to scale
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the situation in which a firm's long-run average costs remain unchanged as it increases output
Scale has no effect
Scale has no effect
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price-taking producer
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a producer whose actions have no effect on the market price of the good or service it sells
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price-taking consumer
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a consumer whose actions have no effect on the market price of the good or service he or she buys
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perfectly competitive market
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A market that meets the conditions of (1) many buyers and sellers, (2) all firms selling identical products, and (3) no barriers to new firms entering the market.
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standardized product (commodity)
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when consumers regard the products of different producers as the same good
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market share
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a company's product sales as a percentage of total sales for that industry
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free entry and exit
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when new producers can easily enter into an industry and existing producers can easily leave that industry
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Monopoly
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A single producer that is able to dominate the market for a good or service without effective competition
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barriers to entry
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factors that make it difficult and costly for an organization to enter a particular task environment or industry
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natural monopoly
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a market that runs most efficiently when one large firm supplies all of the output
Creates a barrier to entry
Creates a barrier to entry
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network externality
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a situation in which the usefulness of a product increases with the number of consumers who use it
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patents and copyrights
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Barriers from government to create temporary monopoly
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imperfect competition
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a market structure that does not meet the conditions of perfect competition
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Oligopoly
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A market structure in which a few large firms dominate a market
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Oligopolists
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individual firms in an oligopoly market
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collusion
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cooperate to raise their joint profits rather than compete with one another.
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Herfindahl-Hirschman Index
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Adds up the sum of the squares of the largest firms in the market
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monopolistic competition
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a market structure in which many companies sell products that are similar but not identical
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optimal output rule
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profit is maximized by producing the quantity of output at which the marginal revenue of the last unit produced is equal to its marginal cost
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marginal revenue
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the additional income from selling one more unit of a good; sometimes equal to price
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price-taking firm's optimal output rule
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P=MC at the perfectly competitive firm's profit maximizing quantity of output
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profit determination rule
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Whether a producer is profitable depends on a comparison of the market price of the good to the producer's break - even price - its minimum average total cost
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break-even price
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The price where average revenue is equal to average total cost. Below this price, the firm will shut down in the long run.
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shut-down price
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The price where average revenue is equal to average variable cost. Below this price, the firm will shut down in the short run.
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shut down rule
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a firm should shut down if the price falls below the minimum AVC
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interim production decision rule
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The firm produces in the short run to minimize loss
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short-run industry supply curve
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a curve that indicates the quantity supplied by the industry at each price in the short run; in perfect competition, the horizontal sum of each firm's short-run supply curve
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industry supply curve
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a graphical representation that shows the relationship between the price of a good and the total output of the industry for that good
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short-run market equilibrium
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when the quantity supplied equals the quantity demanded, taking the number of producers as given
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long-run industry supply curve
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shows how the quantity supplied responds to the price once producers have had time to enter or exit the industry
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single-price monopolist
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offers its product to all consumers at the same price
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price discrimination
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division of customers into groups based on how much they will pay for a good
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perfect price discrimination
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takes place when a monopolist charges each consumer his or her willingness to pay—the maximum that the consumer is willing to pay