utility Flashcards
utility
satisfcation derived from consuming a good
marginal utility
the additional satisfaction derived from consuming an extra unit of a good
maximise satisfcation
assume consumers aim to maximise utility when purchasing (rational choice theory)
law of diminishing marginal utility
assumption that utility falls every additional unit of good consumed and the first consumption is the max utility
eventually the consumer switches to an alternative or stops
limits to utility maximisation
limited budget
limited time
given set of prices - may switch to alternatives
margin
the current state of the consumer before purchase (helps decide whether they will make a gain or loss)
total utility
the aggregate satisfactiona consumer recieves
when total utility is max it is 0
disutility
negative feelings/loss made from consuming a good
e.g. spam advertising, long queues, unhealthy foods
total utility max
0
no extra satisfaction will occur