Transcript Power Point
Chapter 5
The Law of Supply
The Law of Supply
When prices go up, supply goes
up
When prices go down, supply
goes down
Why Does it Work That
Way?
Let’s say
you’re selling
ska CDs…
Ska isn’t very
popular, so
you sell yours
for $8 each
Why Does it Work That
Way?
Suddenly,
everyone who
is cool is
listening to ska
and wearing
ties to school
What happens
next?
Why Does it Work That
Way?
You are now
free to charge
$16.99 for a
CD, and make
a killing
What happens
next?
Why Does it Work That
Way?
All sorts of
record labels
start signing
every ska
band there is
Supply has
gone up!
Why Does it Work That
Way?
Every company has a certain
amount of resources
Companies will use the resources
they have to produce the most
profitable goods and services
If the price goes up and people still
buy it, businesses make more
money!
This reminds
me of when
Saddam tried
to kill my dad.
Like I said
before, “Don’t
Mess with
Texas.”
Supply Schedule
Works just like a demand
schedule, with a column for price
and a column for quantity
supplied
Supply Curve
Graphs the
supply
schedule
The line is
opposite the
demand curve!
Supply Curve
You can make a
supply curve for
just your
business or for
the entire market
– a market
supply curve
Supply and Elasticity
Supply is elastic when a small
price change leads to a big
change in quantity supplied
Supply is inelastic when a big
price change still has little effect
on quantity supplied
Elasticity in the Short Run
Some business
cannot respond
to price changes
quickly
Producers of
goods (farmers,
factories, etc.)
Elasticity in the Short Run
Other business
respond very
quickly to price
changes
Service industry
can hire more
workers to
produce more
immediately
Elasticity in the Long Run
When businesses have a long
time to respond to price
changes, supply is even more
elastic
Time is the most important factor
in determining elasticity of supply
Costs of Production
Labor and Output
How do companies decide how
many people to hire?
Marginal Product of Labor – the
change in production output from
hiring one more worker
Marginal Product of Labor
Let’s say you’re
making delicious
Sweet Onion
Chicken Teriyaki
sandwiches…
How many
sandwiches can
1 Subway
employee make
in 5 minutes?
Marginal Product of Labor
Let’s say you’re
making delicious
Sweet Onion
Chicken Teriyaki
sandwiches…
How many
sandwiches can
2 Subway
employees make
in 5 minutes?
Marginal Product of Labor
Increasing Marginal Returns –
when adding workers increases
production
Marginal Product of Labor
Diminishing Marginal Returns –
when adding workers still
increases production, but at a
slower rate
Marginal Product of Labor
Negative Marginal Returns –
when adding more workers
decreases production
Production Costs
Production costs are any
expenses that go into making a
product
Electricity, Worker’s Wages,
Worker’s Benefits, Rent, Gas,
Raw Materials, etc.
Production Costs
Fixed Cost – does
not change, no
matter how little
or much is
produced
For example:
machinery
repairs, rent,
salaried
employees
Production Costs
Variable Costs –
costs that rise or
fall based on
how much is
produced
For example:
Raw Materials,
Hourly Workers,
Gas, Electricity
Calculating Total Cost
Total Cost = Fixed Cost + Variable
Cost
TC = FC + VC
Calculating Average Total
Cost
Average Total Cost = Total Cost
Total Output
ATC = TC / Qs
With President George W. Bush
Production Costs
Marginal Cost – the additional
total cost of producing one more
unit
So if producing one Sweet
Onion Chicken Teriyaki costs
$1.50, and producing two costs
$2.50, marginal cost is $1.00.
Production Costs
At first, the more you produce,
the cheaper it is per item to
produce them
Later on, increasing production
will actually hurt the company’s
profits
That’s Right!
Because eventually, diminishing
and negative marginal returns
set in when you have too many
workers!
Setting Output
Businesses, thus, base their
hiring decisions on maximizing
profit – they study marginal cost
How can I line my
pockets with more
indescribable wealth?
Marginal Revenue and
Marginal Cost
Marginal Revenue is the
additional income from selling
one more product
Typically, MR = Price
The best formula for a business
to use is for their marginal
revenue to = their marginal cost
How does this work?
If it will cost you $.30 to make
another bag of Reese’s Pieces
that you will sell for $.60…
How does this work?
How does this work?
If it will cost you $.45 to make
another bag of Reese’s Pieces
that you will sell for $.60…
How does this work?
How does this work?
If it will cost you $.60 to make
another bag of Reese’s Pieces
that you will sell for $.60…
How does this work?
Responding to Price
Changes
When the price goes up for a
good, how do businesses
respond?
What if Reese’s Pieces suddenly
cost $1.00?
Responding to Price
Changes
Remember: Your marginal
revenue is now way above
marginal cost
When to Shutdown
If marginal revenue = marginal
cost and you are still losing
money…
You are in big trouble!
Profit is already maximized and
you are still behind!
Changes in Supply
Hey, class! What
kinds of things do
you think might
affect supply?
5 Factors that Shift Supply
1. Input Costs – costs that go into
producing your good
The business would naturally produce
less if the product is less profitable
Higher input costs shift supply left,
lower input costs shift it right
5 Factors that Shift Supply
2. Technology - can decrease
input costs
Email has virtually eliminated
many long distance phone bills
and mail delivery charges for
some businesses
Better technology shifts supply to
the right
5 Factors that Shift Supply
3. Number of suppliers
New businesses entering the
market shifts supply to the right
Businesses closing down and
leaving the market shift supply to
the left
5 Factors that Shift Supply
4. Government
Can encourage
or discourage
production of
certain goods
5 Factors that Shift Supply
I want your
If the government
money!!
wants to shift supply
left, it uses:
Excise Taxes – a
tax on the
production or
sale of a good
5 Factors that Shift Supply
If the government
wants to shift supply
left, it uses:
Regulations –
government
intervention that
affects the price,
quantity, or quality
of a good
5 Factors that Shift Supply
If the government wants to push
the supply curve to the right, it
uses:
Subsidies- pays the producer a
set amount per good
Deregulation – gets rid of
existing gov. regulations
5 Factors that Shift Supply
5. Producer Expectations
If producers expect prices to
go up in the future, they store
their goods now until they can
sell them for the higher price
Shifts current supply left
5 Factors that Shift Supply
5. Producer Expectations
If producers expect prices to
go down in the future, they
flood the market now to get rid
of them before the price drops
Shifts current supply right