Section 1 - Economic Concepts & Strategy Flashcards
Demand or Demand Curve (Quantity Demanded)
Demand Curve (Starts with a D, slopes Down .) Shows the inverse relationship between the price and the quantity of a product or service that a group of consumers are willing and able to buy at a particular time (i.e. the quantity demanded.)
Demand Curve Shift
The precise placement of the demand curve on the graph may change regularly. These changes are known as demand curve shifts. A demand curve shifts if there are changes in relevant factors other than a change in price.
Demand Curve Shifted Upward
Changes in the demand curve where quantity demanded becomes larger for each and every price are described as “the demand curve sifted upward,” the demand curve shifted outward, “the demand curve shifted to the right,” or “demand increased.”
Demand Curve Shifted Downward
Changes in the demand curve where quantity demanded becomes smaller for each and every price are described as “the demand curve shifted downward,” “the demand curve shifted inward,” “the demand curve shifted to the left,” or “demand decreased.”
Direct Relationships with Demand Curve
Some factors exhibit direct relationship with the demand curve, meaning that increases in that factor cause the demand curve to shift upward (or demand to increase) - The price of a substitute good, expectations of price changes, income (for normal goods), and extent of the market. (Positive shift outward due to these changes.)
The Price of a Substitute Good
When product A may be an acceptable alternative to product B, an increase int he price of product A will make product B more attractive. Example: an increase in the price of hamburgers will increase the demand for hotdogs.
Expectations of Price Changes
Consumers are more likely to buy now if they think prices will increase in the future. Example: if cigarette taxes are expected to double next year, some will bring forward some of their purchases, increasing the demand this year until the tax increase goes into effect.
Income for Normal Goods
For many goods (e.g., cars or smartphones) when income increases (wealth increase), demand increase. All goods are not normal goods.
Extent of the Market
New consumers may increase demand, therefore increasing the size of the market. Example: the remove of trade barriers by foreign governments will increase the demand for American products that can be exported. A baby boom will increase demand for baby food. A large inflow of immigrants from a country to the U.S. will increase demand for that country’s ethnic food in the U.S.
Inverse Relationships
Inverse relationships with the demand curve, meaning that increases in that factors cause the demand curve to shift downward ( or demand to decrease, negatively). Examples are the price of a complement good, income (for inferior goods), and consumer boycott.
The Price of a Complement Good
When products are normally used together, an increase int he price of one of the goods decreases demand for the other. Example: an increase in the price of chips will cause downward shift in the demand for salsa.
Income for Inferior Goods
For some goods (e.g., used cars) when income increase (wealth), demand decreases as consumers shift their spending to other goods (e.g., new cars).
Consumer Boycotts
An organized boycott will, if effective, temporarily decrease the demand of a product. Example: members of unions commonly refuse to buy from businesses that are involved in labor disputes.
Change in Consumer Tastes
Change in consumer taste may, of course, affect demand but whether demand increases or decreases as a result depends on whether the change in tastes favor or disfavors the specific product. These are said to have an indeterminate relationship.
Elasticity
How flexible is the economic.
Whether total revenue will increase or decrease when prices change turns out tot depend on the Price Elasticity of Demand.
The concept of price elasticity of demand measures how responsive the quantity demanded (of a good or service) is to a change in price. Economists often refer to the “price elasticity of demand” simply as “elasticity of demand.”
Elastic, Inelastic, or Unit Elastic
For example, goods that represent a larger fraction of consumers’ budgets tend to be elastic (automobiles) and those that represent a smaller fraction of consumers’ budgets tend to be inelastic (table salt).
Income Elasticity of Demand
Measures the effect of changes in (consumer) income on changes int he quantity demanded of a product.
A positive income elasticity indicates a normal good, which means that as consumer income increases the quantity demanded of the normal good also increases. A negative number indicates an inferior good, so as income increases, the quantity demanded of the inferior good will decrease.
Example: if incomes increase and the quantity demanded of a new cars also increases, new cars are a normal good. However, incomes increase and the quantity demanded of used cars decreases, used cars are an inferior good.
Cross-Elasticity of Demand
Measures the change in the quantity demanded of a good to a change in the price of another good, and is used to determine if two different goods are substitutes (competition - butter and margarine), which would result in a direct relationship (positive number), or complements (relationships - chips and salsa), which would result in an inverse relationship (negative number). If the coefficient is zero, the products are unrelated.
Supply or Supply Curve (Quantity Supplied)
Supply Curve includes the letters UP, slopes up. A supply curve shows the direct relationship between the price of a product or service and the quantity that a group of producers and/or sellers are wiling to supply at a particular time (i.e., the quantity supplied).
Supply Curve Shifted Outward
Changes in the supply curve where quantity supplied becomes larger for each and every price are described as “the supply curve shifted outward” (not upward), “the supply curve shifted to the right,” or “supply increased.”
Supply Curve Shifted Inward
Changes in the supply curve where quantity supplied becomes smaller for each and every price are described as “the supply curve shifted inward” (not downward), “the supply curve shifted to the left,” or “supply decreased.”
Some factors exhibit a direct relationship with the supply curve, meaning the increases in that factor cause the supply curve to shift outward (or supply to increase)
Number of producers, government subsides, price expectations, and reductions in costs of production and technological advances.