1.3 Price determination in a competitive market Flashcards
What is a market?
a voluntary meeting of buyers and sellers with exchange taking place
What is demand?
the quantity of a good or service that consumers and willing and able to buy at given prices in a given time period
What are normal goods?
one where, if price rises, demand will fall and vice versa
i.e. a negative correlation
What are veblen goods?
‘snob effect’ - people pay more when the price of products increase
due to increases status given to buyer
What are inferior goods?
one where demand decreases as incomes increase
own label products’ demand will decrease when incomes increase
What are substitute products?
acts as an alternative, creating competition
e.g. beef and lamb
What are complementary products?
bought along side a product or service
e.g. Fish & Chips
Printer & Ink
What are the determinants of demand?
- Price of the good
- Consumer income
- Prices of other goods and services
- Consumer taste or fashion
- Other factors
How does the price of a product determine demand?
normal goods - price rises, demand falls. vice versa
How does consumer income determine demand?
inferior goods - when incomes increase, demand decreases
or
when incomes increase demand for normal goods also increase.
How does the prices of other goods and services determine demand?
- substitutes
- complementary
How does consumer taste and fashion determine demand?
tastes and trends change overtime, often manipulated by advertising
if a product is more trendy and fashionable, the demand will increase
Other factors that determine demand?
- Population
- Advertising
- Competition
What is elasticity?
looks at the sensitivity of one variable in relationship to another
What is an elasticity coefficient?
the measure of response of one variable to changes in another variable
What is Price elasticity of demand (PED)?
measure the responsiveness of demand to a change in price
% change in qd / % change in p
What does it mean when a product is price inelastic?
a price change won’t significantly affect the quantity demanded. price inelastic products are usually necessities
coefficient of less than 1
What is PED determined by?
- Substitutes
- Time
- Definition of the market
What does it mean when a product is price elastic?
a price change will significantly affect the quantity demanded. price elastic products are usually luxury goods
coefficient of greater than 1
How do substitutes determine PED?
if there are no close or a lack of available substitutes the product is likely to be very price inelastic
and vice versa
How does time determine PED?
- Short run - products are likely to be more price inelastic as consumers find it difficult to change shopping habits
- Long run - products are likely to be price elastic as consumers adjust to changing market conditions
How does the definition of the market determine PED?
as we widen the market so PED becomes more inelastic
e.g. cigarettes are very price inelastic as there are no close substitutes
however, the demand for specific brands will have a higher PED
What is Income elasticity of demand (YED)?
measures the responsiveness of demand to a change in income
What is YED determined by?
- Whether the good is a necessity or luxury
- The level of income of a consumer
How does a necessity or luxury determine YED?
at higher standards of living, increased consumer incomes see additional demand tend towards luxury goods as demand for necessities is satisfied
How does the level of income of a consumer determine YED?
Poorer consumers spend on necessities, as they become wealthier YED for necessities moves towards zero
Normal goods that are necesities will have a lower positive YED coefficient (inelastic)
when incomes increase -> more likely to spend on luxuries
these will have a higher positive YED coefficient (elastic)
What is Cross-elasticity of demand (XED)?
measures the responsiveness of demand for one good, x, to a change in price of another good, y
% change in qd of good x / % change in price of good y
What is XED determined by?
- Substitutes
- Complements
- Has no relationship