Revenues, Costs and Profits Flashcards
What is TR and the calculation
total revenue and is quantity x price
what is AR calculation
is equal to demand so = total revenue / output
what is MR calculation
change in total revenue / change in output
Why will some firms have a perfectly elastic (horizontal) demand curve
They are in perfect competition so have no price setting powers
why do firms have a downward sloping demand curve
price decreases as output increases this is imperfect competition so firms have some price setting powers
If Marginal revenue is positive what happens to elasticity of the demand curve
It is elastic
If MR is negative what happens to elasticity of the demand curve
It is inelastic
If MR=0 what happens to the demand curve
It is unitary elastic
Why does MR = AR in perfect competition
demand is perfectly elastic so price is the same no matter the output level, cost of producing another is the same every time as all goods are the same price
Why is TR curved in imperfect competition
At first total revenue rises with output when marginal revenue is positive, but when marginal revenue is negative so the cost of producing another is more than the revenue then total revenue will begin to fall as output rises
What is always fixed in the short run
At least one factor of production so some costs
What does the cost of production consist of
- monetary cost of factors of production having to be paid for
- opportunity cost of the factor of production and moneys next best use
What happens to costs in the long run
All costs are variable
TC what is it and formula
Total cost, cost at a given level of output
Fixed + variable
TFC what is it
Total fixed cost, don’t change with output
give examples of fixed costs
machinery or rent or salary
TVC what is it
Total variable cost, change directly with output
examples of variable costs
raw materials
ATC,AFC,AVC formula
average costs
formula is always / output
MC what is it and formula
marginal cost, extra cost of producing another unit
change in total cost / change in output
What is the law of diminishing returns
If one variable factor of production is increased while other factors stay fixed, marginal returns from the variable factor will begin to decrease
What is the other name for the law of diminishing returns
diminishing marginal productivity
Explain the law of diminishing returns in context
- Labour as a variable factor can be changed by employing more workers
- To begin with this may increase productivity and efficiency as more workers operate machines
- Eventually the firm will employ too many workers so there isnt space on any more machines and workers getting each others way which decreases productivity and thus decreases output.
What is the relationship between marginal returns and marginal cost and why does this happen
inverse because less additional output from each unit of input means costs are higher
Why does the AFC curve fall over time
the cost stays the same but output increases so the proportion of the cost is smaller
why is the ATC a U curved
costs fall initially because resources are used more efficiently, until resources are overused and efficiency falls so costs rise
Why is AVC a U curved that increases with output
The same reason as ATC but it increases with output because AFC stays the same throughout so AVC holds a larger proportion of the costs as output increases