1:2:1 - How Markets Work Flashcards
What is meant by a Market?
Where consumers and producers come into contact with each other to exchange goods and services
What must be agreed for an exchange to take place?
A price
What do Buyers/Consumers represent?
Represent the Demand side of the market
What do sellers/producers represent?
Represent the supply side of the market
Consumers are assumed to make [……….] decisions
Rational
What does it mean when consumers make rational decisions?
Consumers will allocate their income to maximise their utility or satisfaction from the goods and services they purchase
What is meant by the term Utility?
Refers to the amount of satisfaction obtained from consuming a good or service
What do economists assume about utility?
Utility can be measured
Do we assume that producers make rational decisions?
Yes
How do firms make rational decisions?
This means firms will use their resources to maximise profits from the goods and services produced. - Producing at a level of output where total revenue exceeds total cost by the largest amount.
The buyers or consumers in a market are said to what?
Demand goods or services
What is meant by Demand?
Refers to the quantity of a good or service purchased at a given price over a given time period.
What is meant by effective demand?
A want backed up by the ability to pay
What does the Demand curve show?
Shows the quantity of a good or service that would be bought over a range of different price levels in a given period of time.
What is the shape of a Demand curve?
Slopes downwards from left to right.
Why is the Demand curve sloped downwards from left to right?
The good becomes cheaper compared to substitute goods and also more can be purchased with a given level of income
When is there a movement along the Demand curve?
When a good ONLY changes in price
What does a fall in price cause on the Demand curve?
An extension in demand
How does a rise a rise in demand affect the Demand curve?
Causes a contraction in demand
The downward sloping Demand curve can also be explained by the concept of what?
Diminishing marginal Utility
What is meant by Diminishing Marginal Utility?
As more units of a good are consumed, the utility gained from each extra unit will fall
What is meant by Marginal Utility?
The utility or satisfaction obtained from consuming one extra unit of a good or service
As more is consumed what happens to total utility?
Will increase at a diminishing rate.
As marginal utility [……] from each extra good consumed, it means consumers will only buy more of it if price […….]
1-Falls 2-Falls
Which way does the Demand curve shift if there is an increase in demand?
Shifts to the right
Which way does the Demand curve shift if there is a decrease in demand?
Shifts inwards to the left.
Factors which can shift the demand curve for a good.
- A fall in the price of complementary goods - Rise in the price of substitute goods - Change In fashion or tastes - Increased advertising - Increase in real incomes - Decrease In income tax - Demographic Changes - Increase in credit facilities
A change in [……] of a good will lead to a movement along the Demand curve for that particular good.
Price
A decrease in demand is shown by a [………] shift in the demand curve.
Leftward
An increase in demand is demonstrated by a [……..] shift by the demand curve
Rightward
What is meant by Price Elasticity of Demand?
The responsiveness of demand for a good / service to a change in price
What is the Price Elasticity of Demand Formula?
(% change in Quantity Demanded of Good A) / (% change in price of Good A)
Price Elasticity of Demand - If the value you get is greater than 1 what does this mean?
Good is relatively price elastic
Price Elasticity of Demand - If the value you get is less than 1 what does this mean?
The good is relatively price inelastic
Price Elasticity of Demand - What does it mean if you get a value of 1?
The good has unit Elasticity
Price Elasticity of Demand - What does it mean if the value you get is 0?
The good is perfectly inelastic
Price Elasticity of Demand - What does it mean if the value you get is infinite?
The good is perfectly elastic
What is meant by relatively price elastic?
The percentage change in demand is less than the percentage change in price
What is meant by Relatively Price Inelastic?
The percentage change in demand is less than the percentage change in price
What is meant by Unit Elasticity?
Percentage change in demand is the same as the percentage change in price.
What is meant by perfectly inelastic?
A change in price has no effect on the quantity demanded
What is meant by perfectly elastic?
A rise in the price causes demand to fall to 0, Curve is horizontal
How do you calculate percentage change?
(New Value - Old Value) / Old Value x 100
What is meant by total revenue?
The price per unit of a good Multiplier by the quantity sold.
What is total revenue equal to?
Total amount consumers spend on that good
A Firms Total Revenue will Increase as long as…
Price is moving towards the mid-position of the Demand curve (unit Elasticity)
Why is important for firms to know the Price Elasticity of Demand of their output when making price decisions?
Because this affects revenue and profitability
If demand is elastic then a cut in prices mean that?
Total consumer spending increases causing firms revenue to increase. (Think about the Demand curve, think of it to understand it)
If demand is elastic then a rise in prices causes what?
- Causes Total consumer spending to fall and firms lose revenue. (Think about the Demand curve, think of it to understand it)
What does it mean if a firm is at unit Elasticity?
The firm is maximising total revenue.
As long as Marginal Revenue is Positive….
Demand is price elastic
When marginal revenue is zero demand is….
Demand is unit elastic
When marginal revenue is negative demand is…
Demand is elastic
What are the determinants of Price Elasticity of Demand (PED)?
- Availability of substitutes - Luxury and Necessity goods - Proportion of Income spent on the Good - Addictive and habitual - Time Period - Brand image
Determinants of Price Elasticity of Demand - Availability of Substitutes?
- The more narrowly a good is defined, the more substitutes it has (eg, cod has many substitutes, like haddock etc, but fish in general doesn’t)
Determinants of Price Elasticity of Demand - Luxury and Necessity Goods.
Luxury goods tend to have an elastic demand, whereas necessity goods, tend to have an inelastic demand
Determinants of Price Elasticity of Demand - Proportion of Income Spent on the Good.
- If a high percentage of income is spent on the Good demand tend to be price elastic. - Goods that take up a small percentage of income such as newspapers demand will tend to be price inelastic in demand
Determinants of Price Elasticity of Demand - Addictive and Habitual.
These kinds of goods tend to be Price Inelastic in Demand
Determinants of Price Elasticity of Demand - The Time Period.
- Demand is less elastic for goods in the short run than in the long run.
Determinants of Price Elasticity of Demand - Brand Image.
- Goods with a strong brand image have a price inelastic demand as consumers are often willing to pay a premium price for them.
What is meant by the term Price Elasticity of Demand (YED)?
The responsiveness of demand for a good or service to a change in income.
What is the Price Elasticity of Demand Equation?
(Percentage Change In Demand for a good) / (percentage change in real income)
What value for Price Elasticity of Demand (YED) gives a normal good?
A positive value
What does a value that is Positive when calculating Income Elasticity of Demand (YED)?
Gives a Normal Goods
What does a value that is More than 1 when calculating Income Elasticity of Demand (YED)?
Luxury good
What does a good with a YED less than 1 tell us about the good?
It is relatively income inelastic
What does a good with a YED above mean tell us about the good?
Relatively income elastic in demand
What does a YED of 1 tell us about a good?
The good has Unitary Elasticity
What is meant by the term normal good?
A good with a positive income Elasticity of Demand. As income rises, so too does demand for the good.
What is meant by an Inferior good?
A good with a negative income Elasticity of Demand. As income rises, demand for the good falls.
What does a YED value which is negative tell us about a good?
It is an Inferior Good