Transcript Chapter 4

Chapter 4 - Demand





What is Demand?
Law of Demand
Determinants of Demand
Demand v. Quantity Demanded
Elasticity of Demand
DEFINITION:
Demand:


Displayed as a schedule or curve
The curve or schedule shows the relationship
between price and quantity:


the quantity consumers are willing and able to buy
at each of a series of prices
The Market System

Market consists of:


Demand



Consumers - create a demand for a product
the amount consumers desire to purchase at various
prices
Not what they will buy, but what they would like to
buy!
Effective demand – must be willing AND able to
pay
Individual and Market Demand




Market demand – consists of the sum of all
individual demand schedules in the market
Represented by a demand curve
At higher prices, consumers generally willing to
purchase less than at lower prices
Demand curve – negative slope, downward
sloping from left to right
Law of Demand:
As price increases,
quantity demanded decreases.



Assumption: everything else remains equal
Inverse relationship between price & quantity
Results in a downward sloping curve
Demand Curve:
Case Study: Black Logo Hats
Red hats with a unique black logo are currently fashionable on
campuses across North America. Following is the demand
schedule for these hats:
Price
$10
$9
$8
$7
Quantity Demanded per Week
10 thousand
12 thousand
13 thousand
14 thousand
QUESTION:
1. Draw the demand curve for Black Logo hats.
Case Study: Answer #1
Determinants of Demand:
Demand Shifters:
Buyers’ Incomes
1.


Increased incomes = increased demand
More buyers = increased demand
Buyers’ Preferences
2.

Stronger preference = increased demand
Buyers’ Expectations
3.


If price increase expected, buy sooner (increased
demand)
If price decrease expected, buying delayed (decreased
demand)
Determinants of Demand (cont’d):
Demand Shifters:
Price of Substitutes
4.


Price of coffee increases, demand for coffee decreases
BUT demand for tea increases
Coffee and tea are substitute goods
Price of Complementary Goods
5.


Price of coffee increases, demand for coffee decreases
AND demand for donuts decreases
Coffee and donuts are complementary goods
Change in Demand:
Change in Demand:
Demand v. Quantity Demanded:
Change in Demand:


Caused by change in one or more determinants of
demand
Shifts entire demand curve
Change in Quantity Demanded:


Caused by change in price
Movement from one point to another along an existing
demand curve
Case Study: Black Logo Hats
Price
$10
$9
$8
$7
Quantity Demanded per Week
10
12
13
14
thousand
thousand
thousand
thousand
2. (a) If the price were to increase from $8 to $10, the quantity
demanded would ______________ from ______ thousand to
______ thousand.
(b) What two factors would explain why the amount purchased
has changed in response to the price increase in (a)?
(c) What are consumers' two basic alternatives to paying the
higher price?
Case Study: Black Logo Hats
3. Indicate whether each of the following situations would cause the
demand curve for Black Logo hats to shift to the right, shift to the
left, or remain unchanged.
_____ (a) An increase in the income of the buyers of such products.
_____ (b) The rising popularity of blue hats worn by members of a
new rock
group.
_____ (c) Reports that some stores are sold out of Black Logo hats,
due to a
shortage of black material.
_____ (d) An increase in the price of Black Logo hats.
Case Study: Answers
2. (a) If the price were to increase from $8 to $10, the
quantity demanded would decrease from 13 thousand to 10
thousand.
(b) Some people are unable to pay the higher price, and
some are unwilling to pay it.
(c) Consumers can buy a substitute or "do without" it (buy
less of it, or even none).
3. (a) shift to the right -- an increase in demand.
(b) shift to the left -- a decrease in demand.
(c) shift to the right -- an increase in demand.
(d) no shift in the curve; rather, a movement along the
curve to a point at which the price is higher and the
quantity demanded is lower.
DEFINITION:
Elasticity of Demand:
•
A measure of how much quantity demanded
changes in response to a change in price.
Demand is ELASTIC if:
A change in Price causes buyers to make
large changes in the Quantity they purchase.
•
•
Buyers can easily switch to a substitute, OR
Buyers can easily do without the product
A price increase causes a
reduction in total sales revenue.
•
Large drop in quantity causes total sales to drop.
PRICE
QUANTITY
TOTAL REVENUE
$1.00
$2.00
10,000
4,000
$10,000
$ 8,000
Demand is INELASTIC if:
A change in Price causes buyers to make
small changes in Quantity purchased.
•
•
No close substitutes are available, AND
Buyers unable or unwilling to do without the product
A price increase causes an
increase in total sales revenue.
•
Small drop in quantity causes total sales to increase.
PRICE
QUANTITY
TOTAL REVENUE
$1.00
$2.00
10,000
6,000
$10,000
$12,000
Unitary (Unit) Elasticity:
A price increase causes
no change in total sales revenue.
•
Increase in price is exactly offset by decrease in
quantity.
PRICE
$1.00
$2.00
QUANTITY
10,000
5,000
TOTAL REVENUE
$10,000
$10,000
DEFINITION:
Elastic Demand:
Where a price increases causes a reduction in
total sales revenue.
Inelastic Demand:
Where a price increases causes an increase in
total sales revenue.
Case Study: Black Logo Hats
Price
$10
$9
$8
$7
Quantity Demanded per Week
10
12
13
14
thousand
thousand
thousand
thousand
4. (a) Is the demand for Black Logo hats elastic or inelastic over the
price ranges shown?
$7 to $8: _____________________________
$8 to $9: _____________________________
$9 to $10: _____________________________
(b) What could explain any change in the elasticity of demand as
the price increases?
Case Study: Answers
4. (a) From $7 to $8 – inelastic: total revenue increases from $98
000 to $104 000.
From $8 to $9 – inelastic: total revenue increases from $104
000 to $108 000.
From $9 to $10 – elastic: total revenue decreases from $108
000 to $100 000.
(b) The most likely explanation is that as the price gets higher
and higher, buyer resistance increases, making demand more
elastic. At higher prices, there may be more substitutes available.
Also, some buyers may be unable to afford the higher prices.
Coefficient of Elasticity:
A measure of the responsiveness of buyers to a
change in price.



If Ed is greater than 1, demand is elastic
If Ed is less than 1, demand is inelastic
If Ed is = 1, demand is unitary
Price Elasticity of Demand:
CALCULATING COEFFICIENT OF ELASTICITY:
Ed = % change in Q
% change in P
% change in Q = Q2–Q1
(Q2+Q1)/2
% change in P = P2–P1
(P2+P1)/2