Week 3 Flashcards

1
Q

There are three principal questions that arise when it comes to maximizing a company’s profits, name them:

A
  1. What price should be set?
  2. What quantities should be produced?
  3. When should the industry be entered and when should it be left?
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2
Q

An industry is competitive when companies have little influence on the price of their product, while satisfying at least the following conditions:

A
  • The product to be sold is almost identical among different sellers
  • There are many sellers and many buyers, all relatively small compared to the total market
  • There are many potential sellers
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3
Q

Define the ‘long run’

A

We define the long run as the time after an entry or exit has taken place

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4
Q

Define the ‘short run’

A

We define the short run as the period before an entry or exit.

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5
Q

Profit formula;

A

Profit = Total revenue - total cost

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6
Q

How must the difference between total revenue and total cost be to maximize profit?

A

The difference must be as large as possible

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7
Q

Define explicit costs

A

Literal money expenditure

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8
Q

Define implicit costs

A

Costs which do not require any monetary expenditure (opportunity costs)

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9
Q

What are opportunity costs

A

Opportunity costs refer to the possibility that you could have made more profit from another project.

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10
Q

Define Economic profit

A

Economic profit is total revenue minus total costs including implicit costs

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11
Q

Define Accounting profit

A

Accounting profit is total revenue minus explicit costs

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12
Q

Why is calculating economic profit important for entrepreneurs?

A

Calculating economic profit is important for entrepreneurs, who have to think about the future of the company.

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13
Q

Define Fixed costs

A

Fixed costs are those costs that do not change when output changes

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14
Q

Defnine variable costs

A

Variable costs are costs that do change when output changes.

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15
Q

Define total costs

A

Total of fixed and variable costs.

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16
Q

Formula average cost

A

Total cost / quantity

17
Q

Profit formula including average costs

A

Profit = (P-AC) x Q”

18
Q

The lowest price a company can offer without incurring losses is the minimum point of the…

A

… average cost curve

19
Q

What does AVC stand for?

A

Average variable cost

20
Q

Average variable cost Formula

A

(VC/Q)

21
Q

What happens in an increasing-cost industry?

A

Costs are rising at higher output levels which leads to an upward-rising supply curve.

22
Q

What happens in a constat cost industry?

A

Costs remain the same when changes in industrial output occur and this ensures a flat supply curve.

23
Q

What happens in a decreasing-cost industry

A

Costs decrease with higher output, which is very rare.

This results in a downward slope curve

24
Q

Name the first principal of price discrimination:

A

If demand curves differ, it is more profitable to apply different prices in different markets than a single price covering all markets.

In order to maximize profits, the monopolist must set a higher price on markets with more inelastic demand.

25
Q

Define arbitrage

A

The difference in prices on markets can cause trade between markets outside the company.

26
Q

Name the second principle of price discrimination

A

Arbitrage makes it difficult for a company to set different prices in different markets, thereby reducing the benefits of price discrimination.

27
Q

Is price discrimination common?

A

Yes

28
Q

Describe perfect price discrimination (PPD)

A

In perfect price discrimination, consumers pay exactly what they are willing to pay, and consumers have no consumer surplus.

29
Q

Is price discrimination always bad?

A

Not always, a PPD monopolist produces more output than a single price monopolist, which is good.

30
Q

When is price discrimination bad?

A

Price discrimination is bad when overall output falls or remains the same, but if output increases under price discrimination, the overall surplus will usually increase

31
Q

Whats the advantage of price discrimination in industries with high fixed costs?

A

Profit increases when the market is larger.

32
Q

Why are printers relatively cheap and cartridges so expensive?

A

HP sells printers below cost price, and cartridges above cost price.

33
Q

Define the concept of tying in a business

A

To use one good, consumers must use a second good which is only sold by the same firm these companies sell the product as a package.

34
Q

Describe the concept of bundling

A

Goods are bundled if they have to be purchased in a package.

35
Q

What is a firm?

A
  • Many different things to many different people
  • Many different sources of inspiration to many different scholars
  • The sole property of its owners
  • The collaborative property of its stakeholders