ECON 1020 Lecture Notes - Lecture 9: Homo Economicus, Pareto Efficiency, Perfect Competition

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13 Nov 2016

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Price-takers (markets determine prices not producers or consumers) Neoclassical economists generally believe that markets are efficient. Shows we use resources well in conditions of scarcity. No one can be made better off without making someone else worse off (trade a. D for an a - no, would be worse off) Conditions: a. efficient sharing of resources among firms b. efficient distribution of output among households. 1. what households want c. efficient mix of output (producing what we want) 1. out of date things - not what people want or best way to make profit. Neoclassical perspective of when markets are inefficient (market failure: imperfect markets (ie, not perfectly competitive) Price takers - competition - few firms - 1 seller, price maker. Efficient - many firms, - interdependent - inefficient different products. 2. imperfect info b. if we do not have perfect info, then resources wont be used efficiently.

Related Questions

21. The English word that comes from the Greek word for "one who manages a household" is

A- market
B- consumer
C- producer
D- economy

Question 22. 22. For a college student who wishes to calculate the true costs of going to college, the costs of room and board

A- should be counted in full, regardless of the costs of eating and sleeping elsewhere.
B- should be counted only to the extent that they are more expensive at college than elsewhere.
C- usually exceed the opportunity cost of going to college.
D- plus the cost of tuition, equals the opportunity cost of going to college.

Question 23. 23. The phenomenon of scarcity stems from the fact that

A- most economies' production methods are not very good.
B- in most economies, wealthy people consume disproportionate quantities of goods and services.
C- governments restrict the production of too many goods and services.
D- resources are limited.

Question 24. 24. Central planning refers to

A- markets guiding economic activity. Today many countries that had this system have abandoned it.
B- markets guiding economic activity. Today many countries that did not have this system have implemented it.
C- government guiding economic activity. Today many countries that had this system have abandoned it.
D- government guiding economic activity. Today many countries that did not have this system have implemented it.

Question 25. 25. Senator Brown wants to increase taxes on people with high incomes and use the money to help the poor. Senator Johnson argues that such a tax will discourage successful people from working and will therefore make society worse off. An economist would say that

A- we should agree with Senator Brown.
B- we should agree with Senator Johnson.
C- a good decision requires that we recognize both viewpoints.
D- there are no tradeoffs between equity and efficiency.

Question 26. 26. Max and Maddy charge people to park on their lawn while attending a nearby craft fair. At the current price of $10, seven people park on their lawn. If they raise the price to $15, they know that only five people will want to park on their lawn. Whether they have seven or five cars parked on their lawn does not affect their costs. From this information, it follows that

A- they should leave the price at $10.
B- it does not matter if they charge $10 or $15.
C- they would do better charging $15 than $10.
D- they should raise the price even more.

Question 27. 27. A circular flow diagram is a model that

A- helps to explain how participants in the economy interact with one another.
B- helps to explain how the economy is organized.
C- incorporates all aspects of the real economy.
D- Both (a) and (b) are correct.

Question 28. 28. In the markets for goods and services in the circular-flow diagram,

A- households provide firms with savings for investment.
B- households provide firms with labor, land, and capital.
C- firms provide households with output.
D- firms provide households with profit.

Question 29. 29. Incomes of U.S. households in the 1970s and 1980s

A- grew rapidly, due to the widespread success of labor unions in pushing up wages during those decades.
B- grew rapidly, due to several increases in the minimum wage during those decades.
C- grew rapidly, due to government policies that discouraged the importation of foreign products during those decades.
D- grew slowly, due to the slow growth of the output of goods and services per hour of U.S. workers' time during those decades.

Question 30. 30. For economists, statements about the world are of two types:

A- assumptions and theories.
B- true statements and false statements.
C- specific statements and general statements.
D- positive statements and normative statements.

marooncat628

Market Analysis Market Participants Market participants act as if they are rational, self-interested, and forward-looking. For example, financial managers try to maximize the present value of profits for their particular companies, rather than ignore future values. Companies pursue many goals, but it is a financial mistake for managers to pursue any goal that conflicts with the primary goal of maximizing their firm's profits. Decentralized decision making by individual market participants is more economically efficient that centralized decision making by government policymakers. For example, it is more economically efficient to have financial managers obtain financing for their particular companies than to have government obtain it. A high degree of competition among market participants is the most economically efficient disciplining mechanism. For example, highly competitive financial markets discipline financial managers to pay fair market interest rates on the debt securities issued by their particular companies. The market system of prices is the most economically efficient allocative mechanism. For example, it is more economically efficient to distribute a firm's corporate stock to those buyers who are willing and able to pay the market price of the stock than to have the government distribute the stock. It is economically efficient for market participants to buy low and sell high globally. For example, it is economically efficient for U.S. firms to sell their financial securities to the highest bidders, no matter where they live in the world economy. Market imperfections can create considerable risk to market participants. For example, because of market imperfections, firms operating in the international financial markets encounter foreign exchange rate risk, political risk, interest rate risk, and default risk. Consumer Sovereignty The principle of consumer sovereignty tells us that by making their dollar votes, consumers indirectly determine the quantity and quality of products that firms will produce. For example, it is not economically efficient for financial managers to obtain more financing for their particular firms than is needed for their firms to produce the profit-maximizing level of output demanded by consumers. Market Economy A highly competitive market economy is largely self-regulating, in the absence of substantial market imperfections, in that economic conditions cannot be substantially improved by government regulation or other types of government intervention beyond laissez-faire policies. For example, if a firm's corporate stock is overvalued by a market economy, market forces will tend to drive down the value of the stock to a market price at which it is neither overvalued nor undervalued. As if by an invisible hand, highly competitive market forces will tend to create a harmony of interests among individual market participants, in the absence of substantial market imperfections. Consequently, the interests of shareholders and other stakeholders are compatible. For example, in trying to maximize profits, firms produce employment, income, consumer products, and wealth for households, as well as tax revenue for government, which helps maximize consumer utility and maximize social welfare. In a market economy, resources, products, and assets flow to their highest valued uses among alternative uses. For example, the shares of firms' corporate stocks will be acquired by those market participants who most highly value them, as indicated by the fact that they are willing to pay the most to acquire them. The efficient economic role of government is limited to Laissez-Faire ("hands off") policies, which create very little intervention in a market economy. For example, government regulations of banking and securities industries to maintain healthy, reasonably profitable, consumer-oriented financial markets would not be needed in a highly competitive market economy in the absence of substantial market imperfections. In a market economy, it is economically efficient for each market participant to specialize according to comparative advantage in producing what they can produce relatively better than other market participants, rather than produce all the outputs they can produce absolutely better than others. For example, it is economically efficient for people who are relatively better at being financial managers than others, to specialize in financial management even if they are absolutely better than others in doing many other types of work. If all labor were allocated to its comparative advantage, then no possible reallocation of labor would exist that could increase the rate of return to labor (i.e., the wage). There is no such thing as a free lunch, because all resources, products, and assets in a market economy are scarce. For example, current federal government budget deficits are not free to current market participants in that the deficits must be financed by future tax increases and/or future decreases in government spending and/or future inflation. For additional information on the Market Economy click here. Marks, R. E. (2006, December). There Is No Such Thing As Free Lunch. Australian Journal of Management. 31(2). 1-7. Financial Decisions An efficient financial decision, practice, transaction, or condition is one that is optimal -- meaning best; it cannot be improved, from society's perspective. If there is some profitable way to improve some business practice that would benefit society, that practice is somewhat inefficient. Any change in a financial decision, practice, transaction, or condition that improves society is an efficiency improvement. For example, it is an efficiency improvement for a business to cut production costs by reducing waste (e.g., by reducing spending on unprofitable activity. A financial decision, practice, transaction, or condition is fair-- meaning just or equitable, if the financial benefits are distributed to those involved in proportion to how much they each voluntarily contributed to produce those benefits. For example, a financial practice that discriminates against some people on the basis of race, age, gender, nationality, or religion is unfair. For example, an unethical business practice is unfair. For additional information relating to Market Analysis and fair financial decisions, click on the following: Teaching Ethical Economic Practices to Business Managers. Johnston, C. (2009, October). The Proceedings of the Annual Conference of The International Academy of Business and Economics. Fairness is a necessary condition, but not a sufficient condition, for efficiency. All efficient financial practices are fair, but some fair practices may still fail to be efficient. For example, embezzling company funds is an unfair and inefficient, criminal financial activity. As another example, an ethical business practice that could be improved is fair but not efficient. Opportunity Cost Principle Opportunity cost principle: The efficient measure of the cost of any allocation of resources, products, money income, wealth, or time is its opportunity cost -- the value of the next best use. The opportunity cost of how one uses his or her resources is the value of the highest valued alternative use. The opportunity cost of one investment is the expected return on the next best investment available to the firm. For example, the opportunity cost of a firm using some of its profits to pay dividends to its stockholders would be the present value of future income those profits could have earned if invested in the firm's highest valued investment project.

Discussion Questions These questions stem from the Class Discussion Questions you will be anwering in the Discussion Board. Think about the questions and how they relate to the financial management principles above.

2. Applications: State the financial management principle that appears to be violated in each of the following cases and explain how it is violated:

(a) A corporation is maximizing sales growth and the price of its corporate stock is falling.

(b) A highly paid financial manager in the auto industry quit his job to set up his own small auto repair shop, which is expected to incur a loss for the first three years then earn normal profits.

1. A reason why there is more competition in the restaurant industry than in the music streaming industry is that restaurants

A.unlike music streaming? companies, have to abide by government sanitation rules.

B.have to cater to a variety of consumer tastes while music streaming companies do not.

C.have more elastic demand for their product compared to music streaming companies.

D.unlike music streaming? companies, do not have significant economies of scale.

2. Why would a government use a patent to block entry to some markets if this hinders competition especially when governments generally promote? competition?

A.Patents are justified because they are an important means for creating network externalities.

B.Patents encourage firms to spend money on research necessary to create new products.

C.Politicians sometimes succumb to pressure from lobbyists to grant favors to businesses for political reasons.

D.Patents are an important source of government revenue.

3.Suppose we can divide all the goods produced by an economy into two? types: consumption goods and capital goods. Capital? goods, such as? machinery, equipment, and? computers, are goods used to produce other goods.

Suppose a technological advance occurs that affects the production of consumption goods but not capital goods.

If a technological advance occurs that affects the production of consumption goods but not capital?goods, then the production possibilities frontier will

A.remain unchanged.

B.shift outward along the consumption goods axis.

C. shift outward along the capital goods axis.

D. shift outward along both axes.

The new production possibilities frontier will indicate that with the technological? advance, more (CAPITAL GOODS /// CONSUMPTION GOODS /// OF BOTH GOODS) can be produced.

4. Market failure is best described as

A.All of the above.

B.when consumption occurs at low social benefit.

C.when the market fails to produce the efficient level of output.

D.when the market fails to produce deadweight loss.

E.when production occurs at high social cost.

The market will fail when which of the following? happen????(Check all that? apply.)

A.When property rights are incomplete.

B.When there is a market surplus.

C.When there is scarcity.

D.When it is difficult to enforce property rights.

E.When there is a market shortage

5.In which of the following market structures is price discrimination? possible?

??????a. perfect competition

??????b. monopoly

??????c. oligopoly

??????d. monopolistic competition

A.?b, c, and d only

B.?a, b,? c, and d

C.c and d only

D.b and c only

6. How do market economies ultimately determine what goods and services are? produced, how the goods and services will be? produced, and who will receive the goods and? services?

A.The government determines what goods and services are? produced, how to produce? them, and who will receive them.

B.Firms determine what goods and services are produced and how to produce? them, and markets determine who will receive them.

C.Consumers determine what goods and services are? produced, firms determine how to produce? them, and equity determines who will receive them.

D.Consumers determine what goods and services are? produced, firms determine how to produce? them, and markets determine who will receive them.

E.Firms determine what goods and services are? produced,technology determines how to produce? them, and consumers determine who will receive them.

7. For monopolistically competitive firms is it always likely in the? long-run to have? zero-economic profit?

Monopolistically competitive firms in the? long-run

A.may continue to earn profit by convincing consumers their products are differentconvincing consumers their products are different.

B.will not continue to earn profit because the cost of production will rise as new firms enter the market.

C.will not continue to earn profit because monopolistically competitive firms produce identical products.

D.will continue to earn profit due to barriers to new firms entering the market.

E.may continue to earn profit by instead beginning to produce a product identical to competitors.

8. In monopolistically competitive? markets, what is a factor under a? firm's control that determines whether it will be? successful?

A. Upper A firm's ability to differentiate its productA firm's ability to differentiate its product.

B.Consumer preferences.

C.Factors that affect all firms in a market.

D.Chance events.

E.Both a and b.

9. From the list? below, select the necessary condition in order to achieve successsful price discrimination.

A. The seller must possess market power.

B. Buyers must have identical inelastic demands.

C. Transactions costs must be zero.

D.The buyer must possess market power.??

10.Suppose Dell is currently selling 3,000,000 computers per year. However, managers at Dell are considering whether to increase production by 300,000 computers. One manager explains that after increasing production by this? amount, total profit would be? $100 million. Given this? information, should Dell increase production by 300,000 computers??

A.?Yes, because Dell would earn a profit.

B.Information about the additional cost incurred from producing 300,000additional computers is required to answer this question.

C.?No, because increasing production by 300,000 computers would decrease the price of computers.

D.Information about the additional revenue earned and the additional cost incurred from producing 300,000 additional computers is required to answer this question.

E. Information about the total revenue earned and the total cost incurred from producing 3,300,000 computers is required to answer this question.

11. The Majestic box office sells tickets for the same play at different? prices: a lower price to those who opt for the seats at the back of the theatre and a higher price for those who purchase seats in the? front, around the stage. Which of the following statements is? true?

A. This is an example of product differentiation not price discrimination.

B. The theatre practices first degree price discrimination by setting prices based on willingness to pay.

C. Charging two different prices is an effective way to avoid an excess demand for play? tickets; the higher price lowers quantity demanded to some extent.

D. Since the cost of producing the play does not change with the seating? configuration, this is evidence of price discrimination based on market segmentation.

ECON 1020 Lecture Notes - Lecture 9: Homo Economicus, Pareto Efficiency, Perfect Competition

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