Transcript Chapter 16

Chapter 16
Check for understanding

How is the market for corn different than
the market for movies? How are they
similar?
Question for the day

When a firm’s demand curve is tangent to
its ATC curve, the:
Firms economic profit is 0
b. Firm must be earning economic profit
c. Firm must be incurring economic profit
d. Firm must be operating at an efficient
scale
a.
A
The answer is…

a.
b.
c.
d.
Suppose the point of tangency that
characterizes long-run equilibrium for a
MC firm occurs at Q1 units of output. This
level of output:
Exceeds the level of output at which MR =MC
Exceeds the level of output at which MC =ATC
Falls short of the level of output at which
Price=MC
Exceeds the firm’s efficient scale of output
C
The answer is…
Which of the following conditions is
characteristic of a MC firm in long-run
equilibrium:
a. P> MR and P = MC
b. ATC = demand and MR = MC
c. P< MC and demand = ATC
d. P> ATC and demand > MR

B
The answer is…

Professional organizations have been
active advocates for regulation to restrict
the right of professionals to advertise.
Describe what economic incentives might
exist for existing professionals to restrict
advertising.
Free response question
Firm Type
# of
firms
Perfectly
Competitive
Many
Monopoly
One
Product
Differentiation?
No
Yes, perfect
Entry or
Exit into
the
market?
Yes, both
No
Entry
Yes
Exit
Price
Vs. MC?
P = MC
P > MC
What does it mean when marginal cost is greater than price? How does that
relate to market power?
Chapter 14 / 15
Firm Type
Monopolistically
Competitive
# of
firms
Product
Differentiation?
Many
Yes, some
Entry or
Exit into
the
market?
Yes, both
Price
Vs. MC?
P > MC
• What does this firm type have in common with perfect competition? How
does that manifest itself in the market?
• What does this firm have in common with monopolies? How does that
manifest itself in the market?
ImperfectLimited
Competition
Market Power

Know what you know about the graph,
what can you tell me about these curves;
focus on direction of slope and relation to
other curves:
◦
◦
◦
◦
Demand
Marginal Revenue
Average Total Cost
Marginal Cost
Parts of the Graph
What about Profit?
Graphing Interlude

Short Run: Firms can earn economic
profit
◦ How does this compare to perfect competition
and monopolies?

Long run: Firms cannot earn economic
profit?
◦ Why?
◦ How does this compare to perfect competition
and monopolies?
Profit
Draw a Perfectly Competitive firm at LRE
 Draw a Monopoly at LRE

How do we know Perfectly Competitive
firm is operating at LRE?
 How do we know Monopoly is operating at
LRE?


Monopolistically Competitive firms operate
very similarly to Perfectly Competitive
firms
Long Run Equilibrium
Rules about ATC still app
Graphing Interlude

What is the purpose of advertising?

Why do some people think it is bad?

Why do people defend it?
Advertising
Quality
Why Advertise?
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BHaVW_FbFZ8
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8rWbg4-dw1g
Why Advertise?

What does it mean when something is a
name brand?

Why might they be good (economically)?

Why are they bad?
Name Brands

For each of the following pairs of firms,
explain which firm would be more likely
to engage in advertising:
1. A family owned farm or a family owned
restaurant
2. A manufacturer of forklifts or a manufacturer
of cars
3. A company that invented a very comfortable
razor or a company that invented a less
comfortable razor
Advertising