Will a profit-maximising firm in a competitive market produce a positive level of output in the long run if the market price is less than the minimum of AC? Give an explanation.
It is not possible for a firm to produce positive level of output in the long run if the market price falls short of the minimum of AC. This is because in the long run there is free entry and exit of firms and all firms earn normal profit. Therefore any firm making losses in long run will stop production.
Let us understand this concept through an example:
At oq1 level of output
Price charged by the firm = OP.
Revenue generated by the firm (TR) = P × Q
= OP × Oq1
= area (rectangle Oq1LP)
Cost of producing Oq1 level of output (TC)= LAC × Quantity of output
ON × Oq1
TC = area (rectangle Oq1KN)
Profit earned by the firm = TR-TC
= area (rectangle Oq1Lp)-area (rectangle Oq1KN)
= - area (rectangle NKLP )
Thus the loss incurred by the firm is equal to the area of the rectangle NKLP.
In the long run all firms earn zero economic profit and if any firm earns loss or negative profit then the firm will shut down its production thus if the firm earn loss i.e. if price is lesser than LAC at any level of output it will not be the profit maximising output level of the firm.
The market price of a good changes from Rs 5 to Rs 20. As a result, the quantity supplied by a firm increases by 15 units. The price elasticity of the firm’s supply curve is 0.5. Find the initial and final output levels of the firm.
A firm earns a revenue of Rs 50 when the market price of a good is Rs 10. The market price increases to Rs 15 and the firm now earns a revenue of Rs 150. What is the price elasticity of the firm’s supply curve?
How does the imposition of a unit tax affect the supply curve of a firm?
What is the supply curve of a firm in the long run?
What is the relation between market price and average revenue of a price-taking firm?
What is the relation between market price and marginal revenue of a price-taking firm?
How does an increase in the number of firms in a market affect the market supply curve?
Compute the total revenue, marginal revenue and average revenue schedules in the following table. Market price of each unit of the good is Rs 10.
Quantity Sold | TR | MR | AR |
---|---|---|---|
0 1 2 3 4 5 6 |
How does an increase in the price of an input affect the supply curve of a firm?
Can there be a positive level of output that a profit-maximising firm produces in a competitive market at which market price is not equal to marginal cost? Give an explanation.
Explain the concept of a production function
What would be the shape of the demand curve so that the total revenue curve is?
(a) A positively sloped straight line passing through the origin?
(b) A horizontal line?
Explain market equilibrium.
Discuss the central problems of an economy.
What do you mean by the budget set of a consumer?
What is the total product of input?
From the schedule provided below calculate the total revenue, demand curve and the price elasticity of demand:
Quantity |
1 |
2 |
3 |
4 |
5 |
6 |
7 |
8 |
9 |
Marginal Revenue |
10 |
6 |
2 |
2 |
2 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
- |
When do we say that there is an excess demand for a commodity in the market?
What do you mean by the production possibilities of an economy?
What is budget line?
At which point does the SMC curve intersect the SAC curve? Give a reason in support of your answer.
If the price of a substitute Y of good X increases, what impact does it have on the equilibrium price and quantity of good X?
Explain price elasticity of demand.
What will happen if the price prevailing in the market is?
i. Above the equilibrium price
Ii. Below the equilibrium price
Suppose the market determined rent for apartments is too high for common people to afford. If the government comes forward to help those seeking apartments on rent by imposing control on rent, what impact will it have on the market for apartments?
Suppose the demand and supply curves of salt are given by:
(a) Find the equilibrium price and quantity.
(b) Now, suppose that the price of an input that used to produce salt has increased so, that the new supply curve is qs = 400 + 3p
How does the equilibrium price and quantity change? Does the change conform to your expectation?
(a) Suppose the government has imposed at ax of Rs 3 per unit of sale on salt. How does it affect the equilibrium rice quantity?
Will the monopolist firm continue to produce in the short run if a loss is incurred at the best short run level of output?
When does a production function satisfy decreasing returns to scale?
If the monopolist firm of Exercise 3 was a public sector firm. The government set a rule for its manager to accept the government fixed price as given (i.e. to be a price taker and therefore behave as a firm in a perfectly competitive market). And the government has decided to set the price so that demand and supply in the market are equal. What would be the equilibrium price, quantity and profit in this case?
What do the long-run marginal cost and the average cost curves look like?