production theory
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Transcript production theory
Production Function
Production Function
States the relationship between inputs and outputs
Inputs – the factors of production classified as:
Land – all natural resources of the earth – not just ‘terra firma’!
Price paid to acquire land = Rent
Labour – all physical and mental human effort involved in
production
Price paid to labour = Wages
Capital – buildings, machinery and equipment
not used for its own sake but for the contribution
it makes to production
Price paid for capital = Interest
Production Function
Inputs
Process
Land
Labour
Capital
Product or
service
generated
– value added
Output
Production Function
Production function is the technical relationship
between the output of a commodity and the input
factors required to produce that commodity
Production involves transformation
of inputs such as capital, equipment,
labor, and land into output - goods
and services
In this production process, the
manager is concerned with
efficiency in the use of the inputs
- technical vs. economical efficiency
Production Theory
Production is the process through
which one can change a given good
or commodity from its current
status of non-final consumable
good to a finished product or good,
using technology and other input
factors
Analysis of Production Function:
Short Run
In the short run at least one factor fixed in supply but all
other factors capable of being changed
Reflects ways in which firms respond to changes
in output (demand)
Can increase or decrease output using more or less of some
factors but some likely to be easier
to change than others
Increase in total capacity only possible
in the long run
Relationship Between Total, Average, and
Marginal Product: Short-Run Analysis
Total Product (TP) = total quantity of
output
Average Product (AP) = total product per
total input
Marginal Product (MP) = change in
quantity when one additional unit of input
used
Total, marginal and Average Product
Short-Run Analysis of Total,
Average, and Marginal Product
If MP > AP then AP
is rising
If MP < AP then AP
is falling
MP = AP when AP is
maximized
TP maximized when
MP = 0
Law of Diminishing Returns
(Diminishing Marginal Product)
Holding all factors constant except one, the law
of diminishing returns says that:
As additional units of a variable input are
combined with a fixed input, at some point the
additional output (i.e., marginal product) starts
to diminish
e.g. trying to increase labor input without also
increasing capital will bring diminishing returns
Nothing says when diminishing returns will
start to take effect, only that it will happen at
some point
All inputs added to the production process
are exactly the same in individual
productivity
Three Stages of Production in Short Run
AP,MP
Stage I
Stage II
Stage III
APX
Fixed input grossly
underutilized; specialization
and teamwork cause AP to
increase when additional X
is used
MPX
Specialization and teamwork
continue to result in greater
output when additional X is used;
fixed input being properly utilized
Fixed input capacity is
reached; additional X causes
output to fall
X
Production Intensity
The production intensity is measured by the
ratio of labor parameter α to capital parameter β
or (α/ β). The lower the ratio, the more capital
intensive is the output and vice versa