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total revenue
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_______ _________ is the full amount of total sales of goods and services. It is calculated by multiplying the total amount of goods and services sold by their prices.
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total cost
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_______ ______ is the sum of all the fixed and variable costs.
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production function
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A ________ _________ shows the relationship between the quantity of inputs used to produce a good and the quantity of output of that good.
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marginal product
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The _________ _________ of any input is the increase in output arising from an additional unit of that input, holding all other inputs constant.
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Diminishing marginal product
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_________ ______ _______ is the marginal product of an input declines as the quantity of the input increases (other things equal).
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Marginal cost
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_______ _______ is the increase in total cost that results from producing one more unit.
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Fixed costs
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______ _______ are those costs that do not vary with the quantity of output produced.
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Variable costs
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________ ______ change, depending on the quantity of output produced.
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average fixed cost
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The ________ ______ _______ tells us the fixed cost per unit, when producing a certain amount of output.
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average variable cost
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The ________ _______ _____ tells us the variable cost per unit, when producing a certain amount of output.
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average total cost
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The ________ _______ _______ tells us the total "cost per unit" when producing a certain amount of output.
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profit
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_______ equals total revenue minus total cost.
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Accounting profit
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_______ _____ is calculated by subtracting total explicit costs from total revenue.
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Accounting Profit equation
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Accounting Profit = Total revenue — Total explicit costs
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Economic profit equation
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Economic Profit = Total revenue — Total Cost
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Economic profit
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______ _______ is calculated by subtracting total cost from total revenue, where total cost includes both explicit and implicit costs.
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efficient scale
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_________ ________ is the quantity that minimizes ATC. (Average Total Cost)
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economies of scale
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A firm exhibits _________ ___ ________ when ATC decreases as Q increases.
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Implicit costs
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_______ _____ are those costs that do not require a cash outlay
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Explicit costs
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__________ ______ are those costs that require an outlay of money
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profits.
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Economists assume that the goal of the firm is to maximize total
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lease payments for the land on which a firm's factory stands.
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An example of an explicit cost of production would be the
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implicit cost
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The amount of money that a wheat farmer could have earned if he had planted barley instead of wheat is an
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the manner in which costs are defined
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The difference between accounting profit and economic profit relates to
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quantity of output obtained from an additional unit of that input.
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The marginal product of an input in the production process is the increase in
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diminishing marginal product
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As Bubba's Bubble Gum Company adds workers while using the same amount of machinery, some workers may be underutilized because they have little work to do while waiting in line to use the machinery. When this occurs, Bubba's Bubble Gum Company encounters
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quantity of output produced and the total cost of production.
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A total-cost curve shows the relationship between the
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less
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When MC is ________ than ATC, ATC is falling.
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greater
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When MC is _______ than ATC, ATC is rising.
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equals
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MC ________ ATC at the firm's efficient scale of production.
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fixed costs plus variable costs
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total cost is equal to
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divided
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average fixed cost is equal to fixed costs ___________ by quantity
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divided
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average variable cost is equal to variable costs ___________ by quantity
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variable cost
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is equal to average variable cost times quantity
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average total cost
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is equal to total cost divided by quantity
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marginal cost
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is equal to change in total cost divided by change in quantity
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Marginal cost equals average total cost.
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Which of the following is true at the output level where the average total cost is at its minimum?
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fixed
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As output increases, average _______ cost gets smaller and smaller.
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Constant returns to scale
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a firm exhibits constant returns to scale when ATC stays the same as Q increases.
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Diseconomies of scale
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a firm exhibits diseconomies of scale when ATC increases as Q increases.
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time horizon under consideration.
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The nature of a firm's cost (fixed or variable) depends on the
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how many workers to hire
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In the short run, a firm that produces and sells house paint can adjust
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specialization of labor
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The most likely explanation for economies of scale is
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economies of scale
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If long-run average total cost decreases as the quantity of output increases, the firm is experiencing
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long-run average total costs rise as output increases.
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Diseconomies of scale occur when
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perfectly competitive market
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A ________ ________ _______ is a market with many buyers and sellers trading identical products, so that each buyer and seller is a price taker. Firms can freely enter or exit perfectly competitive markets.
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marginal revenue
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__________ ________ is the change in total revenue from an additional unit sold.
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total revenue
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_______ _______ is the amount paid by buyers and received by sellers of a good, computed as the price of the good times the quantity sold,
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average revenue
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______ _______ is how much revenue a firm receives for the typical unit sold, computed as the total revenue divided by the quantity sold. This always equals the price, for all types of firms.
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shutdown
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A ________ is a short-run decision by the firm not to produce anything during a specific period of time because of current market conditions.
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exit
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An _____ is a long-run decision by the firm to not produce any output for the rest of time, and leave the market completely.
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sunk cost
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A ____ _____ is a cost that has already been committed and cannot be recovered.
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positive economic profit
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A firm is earning ______ ______ ______ if the total revenue they are earning is greater than their total cost of production (i.e. TR>TC). In a perfectly competitive market, new firms will enter if current firms are earning positive economic profit.
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negative economic profit
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A firm is earning _______ _______ _______ (i.e. incurring economic losses) if the total revenue they are earning is less than their total cost of production (i.e. TR<TC). In a perfectly competitive market, firms will eventually exit the market if they are earning negative economic profit.
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zero economic profit
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A firm is earning ______ _____ _____ if the total revenue they are earning is equal to their total cost of production (i.e. TR=TC). In a perfectly competitive market, firms will neither enter nor exit if firms are earning zero economic profit.
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long run equilibrium
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_______ ____ ________ occurs when no new firms are entering, and no existing firms are exiting the market. This only occurs when zero economic profit is being earned by each firm.
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profit
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________ is total revenue minus total cost (i.e. Profit = TR-TC). Can also be calculated as Profit = (P-ATC) x Q where P stands for the price, ATC is the average total cost, and Q is the quantity of output being produced.
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characteristics of perfect competition
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-Many buyers and sellers
-Identical (or nearly identical) goods being offered for sale
-Free market entry and exit for firms
-Identical (or nearly identical) goods being offered for sale
-Free market entry and exit for firms
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Total Revenue Equation
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Price x Quantity
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average revenue equation
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total revenue/quantity
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marginal revenue equation
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change in total revenue / change in quantity
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equal
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price is always going to be ______ to average revenue
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greater
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If MR is _________ than MC, then increase Q to raise profit.
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less
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If MR is _________ than MC, then decrease Q to raise profit.
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equal
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If MR is _______ to MC, then Q is at maximum profit.
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a one-unit increase in output will increase the firm's profit.
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If a competitive firm is currently producing a level of output at which marginal revenue exceeds marginal cost, then _______.
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marginal revenue equals marginal cost.
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At the profit-maximizing level of output, _______.
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profit is maximized.
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The intersection of a firm's marginal revenue and marginal cost curves determines the level of output at which _______.
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shutdown
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a firm will __________ in the short run if the revenue per unit (aka the price) is less than the variable cost per unit (aka the AVC).
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exit
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a firm will _______ the market (and eventually go out of business) if the revenue per unit is less than the cost per unit.
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Zero economic profit
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_______ _____ _______ occurs when the price of a good is equal to the firm's average total cost (P = ATC). In other words, when the revenue per unit equals the cost per unit.
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When profit-maximizing firms in competitive markets are earning profits, _______.
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When profit-maximizing firms in competitive markets are earning profits, _______.
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price is greater than average variable cost.
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In the short run, a firm operating in a competitive industry will produce the quantity of output where price equals marginal cost as long as the _______.
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Less than average variable cost.
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In the short run, a firm operating in a competitive industry will shut down if price is _______.
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its fixed costs but not its variable costs.
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A firm that shuts down temporarily has to pay _______.
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average total cost exceeds the price.
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In the long run, a firm will exit a competitive industry if _______.
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monopoly
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A ________ is a firm that is the sole seller of a product without any close substitutes.
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natural
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A ________ monopoly is a type of monopoly that arises because a single firm can supply a good or service to an entire market at a lower cost than could two or more firms.
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market power
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_______ _______ is the ability of a single economic actor (like a monopolist) to have a substantial influence on market prices.
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output effect
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__________ _______ is the effect that increasing output has on total revenue for the monopolist. When more output is sold, Q is higher, which increases total revenue (where TR=PxQ).
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Price effect
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______ _______ is the effect that decreasing price has on total revenue for the monopolist. When the price falls, P is lower, which decreases total revenue (where TR=PxQ).
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price discrimination
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________ __________ is the business practice of selling the same good at different prices to different customers.
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perfect price discrimination
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______ _______ ______ is a situation in which the monopolist knows exactly each customer's willingness to pay and can charge each customer a different price.
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antitust laws
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_______ ________ are a group of statutes aimed at curbing monopoly power and promoting competition. They allow the government to prevent mergers, break up a large company into a group of smaller ones, and prevent companies from coordinating their activities in ways that make markets less competitive.
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A competitive firm
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_______ ______ ______ is a price taker, whereas a monopolist is a price maker.
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a monopoly
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___ _________ can set the price it charges for its output but faces a downward-sloping demand curve so it cannot earn unlimited profits.
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not in the best interest of society, one that fails to maximize total economic well-being, inefficient
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Because monopoly firms do not have to compete with other firms, the outcome in a market with a monopoly is often
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entry is limited
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Which of the following is not a characteristic of a competitive market?
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dairy farming
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Which of the following industries is most likely to exhibit the characteristic of free entry?
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buyers will go elsewhere
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When firms are said to be price takers, it implies that if a firm raises its price,
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double
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If a firm in a competitive market doubles its number of units sold, total revenue for the firm will
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total revenue is constant
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For a firm operating in a competitive industry, which of the following statements is not correct?
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marginal revenue
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a monopolist maximizes profit by producing the quantity where ______ ________ = Marginal Cost
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supply
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A monopoly does not have a _____ curve; quantity and price are determined by MC, MR, and the demand curve.
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profit equation
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(P-ATC) x Q
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price always exceeds marginal revenue.
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For a monopoly firm,
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how a monopolist maximizes profit
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producing an output level where marginal revenue equals marginal cost, and charging a price that is greater than marginal revenue
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a monopolist produces
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less than the socially efficient quantity of output but at a higher price than in a competitive market.
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produces an output level less than the socially optimal level.
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The deadweight loss associated with a monopoly occurs because the monopolist
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Synergies
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strategic relationships between media and information companies
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selling the same good at different prices to different customers.
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Price discrimination is the business practice of
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separate customers according to their willingness to pay.
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Price discrimination requires the firm to
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higher than if the firm charged just one price because the firm will capture more consumer surplus.
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A monopolist's profits with price discrimination will be
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eliminate consumer surplus and deadweight loss, and maximize profits
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If a monopolist can practice perfect price discrimination, the monopolist will