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Principles of economics (Chapter 7)
The document outlines chapters from a PowerPoint presentation on principles of economics, including sections on profit-maximizing firms, production processes, costs, and technologies. It provides definitions of key economic concepts and examples to illustrate production functions and the relationship between marginal product, average product, and total product. Graphs and tables are included to demonstrate costs and inputs for different production methods.
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Introduction to the PowerPoint Lectures for 'Principles of Economics, 9e' by Case, Fair, and Oster.
Introduction of Part II: The Market System, outlining concepts of profit-maximizing firms and key chapter topics such as production functions.
Definition of production process and firms, stating that firms aim to produce goods/services for profit.
Question posed about industries where perfect competition is likely to occur, listing options: Airlines, Energy, Agriculture, Satellite.
Discussion on profit-maximizing firm decisions, introducing concepts of economic profit, total revenue, and total cost formulas.
Definition of normal rate of return and its calculation in a profit computation context, illustrated with a practical example table.
Comparison between short-run (fixed production factors) and long-run (variable production factors) decision-making in firms.
Overview of key firm decisions based on market price of outputs, technology techniques, and input prices.
Definitions of production technology: labor-intensive vs capital-intensive technology, and implications based on labor costs.
Explanation of production functions, with tables showing total product, marginal product, and average product for labor.
Insights into production functions and the relationships between average and marginal products, including diminishing returns.
Discussion on production functions involving two variable factors, particularly in a trucking firm context with technology options.
Highlighting factors affecting production costs, emphasizing that profit-maximizing firms select the most cost-effective technologies.
A summary of essential terms and concepts related to the production process, including average product, marginal product, etc.
Overview of isoquants and isocosts concept, graphical representation of combinations of capital and labor for production.
Extended explanation of isoquants, isocosts, and the conditions for cost-minimizing technology including equilibrium conditions.
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Principles of economics (Chapter 7)
- 1. PowerPoint Lectures for Principlesof Economics, 9e ; ; By r P not c udo P eh T A HCi r Karl E. Case, Ray C. Fair & Sharon M. Oster © 2009 Pearson Education, Inc. Publishing as Prentice Hall Principles of Economics 9e by Case, Fair and Oster 1 of 42
- 2. r P notc udo P eh T A HCi r © 2009 Pearson Education, Inc. Publishing as Prentice Hall Principles of Economics 9e by Case, Fair and Oster 2 of 42
- 3. PART II THE MARKETSYSTEM Choices Made by Households and Firms 7 The Production Process: The Behavior of Profit-Maximizing Firms Prepared by: Fernando & Yvonn Quijano © 2009 Pearson Education, Inc. Publishing as Prentice Hall Principles of Economics 9e by Case, Fair and Oster
- 4. PART II THE MARKETSYSTEM Choices Made by Households and Firms The Production Process: The Behavior of Profit-Maximizing Firms 7 CHAPTER OUTLINE r P not c udo P eh T A HCi r The Behavior of Profit-Maximizing Firms Profits and Economic Costs Short-Run Versus Long-Run Decisions The Bases of Decisions: Market Price of Outputs, Available Technology, and Input Prices The Production Process Production Functions: Total Product, Marginal Product, and Average Product Production Functions with Two Variable Factors of Production Choice of Technology Looking Ahead: Cost and Supply Appendix: Isoquants and Isocosts © 2009 Pearson Education, Inc. Publishing as Prentice Hall Principles of Economics 9e by Case, Fair and Oster 4 of 42
- 5. The Production Process:The Behavior of Profit-maximizing Firms production The process by which inputs are combined, transformed, and turned into outputs. Production Is Not Limited to Firms r P not c udo P eh T A HCi r firm An organization that comes into being when a person or a group of people decides to produce a good or service to meet a perceived demand. Most firms exist to make a profit. © 2009 Pearson Education, Inc. Publishing as Prentice Hall Principles of Economics 9e by Case, Fair and Oster 5 of 42
- 6. r P notc udo P eh T A HCi r In which of the following industries is perfect competition more likely to prevail? a. Airlines. b. Energy. c. Agriculture. d. Satellite communications. © 2009 Pearson Education, Inc. Publishing as Prentice Hall Principles of Economics 9e by Case, Fair and Oster 6 of 42
- 7. r P notc udo P eh T A HCi r In which of the following industries is perfect competition more likely to prevail? a. Airlines. b. Energy. c. Agriculture. d. Satellite communications. © 2009 Pearson Education, Inc. Publishing as Prentice Hall Principles of Economics 9e by Case, Fair and Oster 7 of 42
- 8. The Behavior ofProfit-Maximizing Firms All firms must make several basic decisions to achieve what we assume to be their primary objective—maximum profits. r P not c udo P eh T A HCi r FIGURE 7.1 The Three Decisions That All Firms Must Make © 2009 Pearson Education, Inc. Publishing as Prentice Hall Principles of Economics 9e by Case, Fair and Oster 8 of 42
- 9. The Behavior ofProfit-Maximizing Firms Profits and Economic Costs profit (economic profit) The difference between total revenue and total cost. profit = total revenue - total cost r P not c udo P eh T A HCi r total revenue The amount received from the sale of the product (q x P). © 2009 Pearson Education, Inc. Publishing as Prentice Hall Principles of Economics 9e by Case, Fair and Oster 9 of 42
- 10. The Behavior ofProfit-Maximizing Firms Profits and Economic Costs total cost (total economic cost) The total of (1) out-of-pocket costs, (2) normal rate of return on capital, and (3) opportunity cost of each factor of production. The term profit will from here on refer to economic profit. So whenever we say profit = total revenue total cost, what we really mean is r P not c udo P eh T A HCi r economic profit = total revenue - total economic cost © 2009 Pearson Education, Inc. Publishing as Prentice Hall Principles of Economics 9e by Case, Fair and Oster 10 of 42
- 11. The Behavior ofProfit-Maximizing Firms Profits and Economic Costs Normal Rate of Return normal rate of return A rate of return on capital that is just sufficient to keep owners and investors satisfied. For relatively risk-free firms, it should be nearly the same as the interest rate on risk-free government bonds. TABLE 7.1 Calculating Total Revenue, Total Cost, and Profit Initial Investment: Market Interest Rate Available: Total revenue (3,000 belts x $10 each) $20,000 0.10 or 10% $30,000 Costs r P not c udo P eh T A HCi r Belts from Supplier Labor cost $15,000 14,000 Normal return/Opportunity Cost of Capital ($20,000 x 0.10) Total Cost 2,000 $31,000 Profit = total revenue - total cost −$1,000 © 2009 Pearson Education, Inc. Publishing as Prentice Hall Principles of Economics 9e by Case, Fair and Oster 11 of 42
- 12. r P notc udo P eh T A HCi r Among the components of total cost is: a. Total revenue. b. A normal rate of return. c. Economic profit. d. Productivity. e. None of the above. © 2009 Pearson Education, Inc. Publishing as Prentice Hall Principles of Economics 9e by Case, Fair and Oster 12 of 42
- 13. r P notc udo P eh T A HCi r Among the components of total cost is: a. Total revenue. b. A normal rate of return. c. Economic profit. d. Productivity. e. None of the above. © 2009 Pearson Education, Inc. Publishing as Prentice Hall Principles of Economics 9e by Case, Fair and Oster 13 of 42
- 14. The Behavior ofProfit-Maximizing Firms Short-Run Versus Long-Run Decisions short run The period of time for which two conditions hold: The firm is operating under a fixed scale (fixed factor) of production, and firms can neither enter nor exit an industry. r P not c udo P eh T A HCi r long run That period of time for which there are no fixed factors of production: Firms can increase or decrease the scale of operation, and new firms can enter and existing firms can exit the industry. © 2009 Pearson Education, Inc. Publishing as Prentice Hall Principles of Economics 9e by Case, Fair and Oster 14 of 42
- 15. The Behavior ofProfit-Maximizing Firms The Bases of Decisions: Market Price of Outputs, Available Technology, and Input Prices In the language of economics, I need to know three things: r P not c udo P eh T A HCi r 1. The market price of output 2. The techniques of production that are available 3. The prices of inputs Output price determines potential revenues. The techniques available tell me how much of each input I need, and input prices tell me how much they will cost. Together, the available production techniques and the prices of inputs determine costs. © 2009 Pearson Education, Inc. Publishing as Prentice Hall Principles of Economics 9e by Case, Fair and Oster 15 of 42
- 16. The Behavior ofProfit-Maximizing Firms r P not c udo P eh T A HCi r The Bases of Decisions: Market Price of Outputs, Available Technology, and Input Prices FIGURE 7.2 Determining the Optimal Method of Production optimal method of production The production method that minimizes cost. © 2009 Pearson Education, Inc. Publishing as Prentice Hall Principles of Economics 9e by Case, Fair and Oster 16 of 42
- 17. The Production Process productiontechnology The quantitative relationship between inputs and outputs. labor-intensive technology Technology that relies heavily on human labor instead of capital. r P not c udo P eh T A HCi r capital-intensive technology Technology that relies heavily on capital instead of human labor. © 2009 Pearson Education, Inc. Publishing as Prentice Hall Principles of Economics 9e by Case, Fair and Oster 17 of 42
- 18. r P notc udo P eh T A HCi r Firms in an economy with high labor costs have an incentive to use: a. Labor-intensive technologies. b. Capital-intensive technologies. c. Less than optimal production technologies. d. The production method than maximizes cost. © 2009 Pearson Education, Inc. Publishing as Prentice Hall Principles of Economics 9e by Case, Fair and Oster 18 of 42
- 19. r P notc udo P eh T A HCi r Firms in an economy with high labor costs have an incentive to use: a. Labor-intensive technologies. b. Capital-intensive technologies. c. Less than optimal production technologies. d. The production method than maximizes cost. © 2009 Pearson Education, Inc. Publishing as Prentice Hall Principles of Economics 9e by Case, Fair and Oster 19 of 42
- 20. The Production Process ProductionFunctions: Total Product, Marginal Product, And Average Product production function or total product function A numerical or mathematical expression of a relationship between inputs and outputs. It shows units of total product as a function of units of inputs. TABLE 7.2 Production Function r P not c udo P eh T A HCi r (1) Labor Units (Employees) (2) Total Product (Sandwiches per Hour) (3) Marginal Product of Labor (4) Average Product of Labor (Total Product + Labor Units) 0 1 2 3 4 5 6 0 10 25 35 40 42 42 − 10 15 10 5 2 0 − 10.0 12.5 11.7 10.0 8.4 7.0 © 2009 Pearson Education, Inc. Publishing as Prentice Hall Principles of Economics 9e by Case, Fair and Oster 20 of 42
- 21. The Production Process ProductionFunctions: Total Product, Marginal Product, And Average Product r P not c udo P eh T A HCi r FIGURE 7.3 Production Function for Sandwiches A production function is a numerical representation of the relationship between inputs and outputs. In Figure 7.3(a), total product (sandwiches) is graphed as a function of labor inputs. The marginal product of labor is the additional output that one additional unit of labor produces. Figure 7.3(b) shows that the marginal product of the second unit of labor at the sandwich shop is 15 units of output; the marginal product of the fourth unit of labor is 5 units of output. © 2009 Pearson Education, Inc. Publishing as Prentice Hall Principles of Economics 9e by Case, Fair and Oster 21 of 42
- 22. r P notc udo P eh T A HCi r The shape of the short-run production function is fundamentally attributed to: a. A labor constraint. b. A capital constraint. c. The assumption that not all workers are equally capable. d. All of the above. © 2009 Pearson Education, Inc. Publishing as Prentice Hall Principles of Economics 9e by Case, Fair and Oster 22 of 42
- 23. r P notc udo P eh T A HCi r The shape of the short-run production function is fundamentally attributed to: a. A labor constraint. b. A capital constraint. c. The assumption that not all workers are equally capable. d. All of the above. © 2009 Pearson Education, Inc. Publishing as Prentice Hall Principles of Economics 9e by Case, Fair and Oster 23 of 42
- 24. The Production Process ProductionFunctions: Total Product, Marginal Product, And Average Product Marginal Product and the Law of Diminishing Returns marginal product The additional output that can be produced by adding one more unit of a specific input, ceteris paribus. r P not c udo P eh T A HCi r law of diminishing returns When additional units of a variable input are added to fixed inputs after a certain point, the marginal product of the variable input declines. Diminishing returns always apply in the short run, and in the short run every firm will face diminishing returns. This means that every firm finds it progressively more difficult to increase its output as it approaches capacity production. © 2009 Pearson Education, Inc. Publishing as Prentice Hall Principles of Economics 9e by Case, Fair and Oster 24 of 42
- 25. The Production Process ProductionFunctions: Total Product, Marginal Product, And Average Product Marginal Product Versus Average Product average product The average amount produced by each unit of a variable factor of production. r P not c udo P eh T A HCi r average product of labor = total product total units of labor © 2009 Pearson Education, Inc. Publishing as Prentice Hall Principles of Economics 9e by Case, Fair and Oster 25 of 42
- 26. The Production Process ProductionFunctions: Total Product, Marginal Product, And Average Product Marginal Product Versus Average Product FIGURE 7.4 Total Average and Marginal Product r P not c udo P eh T A HCi r Marginal and average product curves can be derived from total product curves. Average product is at its maximum at the point of intersection with marginal product. © 2009 Pearson Education, Inc. Publishing as Prentice Hall Principles of Economics 9e by Case, Fair and Oster 26 of 42
- 27. The relationship betweenthe average product of labor (APL) and the marginal product of labor (MPL) is as follows: When MPL is below APL, APL rises. b. When MPL is above APL, APL rises. c. APL increases as long as MPL increases. d. MPL > APL when APL is declining. e. r P not c udo P eh T A HCi r a. When MPL is equal to APL, APL is minimum. © 2009 Pearson Education, Inc. Publishing as Prentice Hall Principles of Economics 9e by Case, Fair and Oster 27 of 42
- 28. The relationship betweenthe average product of labor (APL) and the marginal product of labor (MPL) is as follows: When MPL is below APL, APL rises. b. When MPL is above APL, APL rises. c. APL increases as long as MPL increases. d. MPL > APL when APL is declining. e. r P not c udo P eh T A HCi r a. When MPL is equal to APL, APL is minimum. © 2009 Pearson Education, Inc. Publishing as Prentice Hall Principles of Economics 9e by Case, Fair and Oster 28 of 42
- 29. The Production Process ProductionFunctions with Two Variable Factors of Production How Fast Should a Truck Driver Go? r P not c udo P eh T A HCi r Modern technology, in the form of on-board computers, allows a modern trucking firm to monitor driving speed and instructs drivers. © 2009 Pearson Education, Inc. Publishing as Prentice Hall Principles of Economics 9e by Case, Fair and Oster 29 of 42
- 30. Choice of Technology TABLE7.3 Inputs Required to Produce 100 Diapers Using Alternative Technologies Technology Units of Capital (K) Units of Labor (L) A B C D E 2 3 4 6 10 10 6 4 3 2 TABLE 7.4 Cost-Minimizing Choice Among Alternative Technologies (100 Diapers) (4) r P not c udo P eh T A HCi r (1) Technology A B C D E (2) Units of Capital (K) 2 3 4 6 10 (3) Units of Labor (L) 10 6 4 3 2 (5) Cost = (L X PL) + (K X PK) PL= $1 PK = $1 $12 9 8 9 12 © 2009 Pearson Education, Inc. Publishing as Prentice Hall Principles of Economics 9e by Case, Fair and Oster PL = $5 PK = $1 $52 33 24 21 20 30 of 42
- 31. Choice of Technology Twothings determine the cost of production: (1) technologies that are available and (2) input prices. Profit-maximizing firms will choose the technology that minimizes the cost of production given current market input prices. r P not c udo P eh T A HCi r UPS Technology Speeds Global Shipping New UPS Technologies Aim to Speed Worldwide Package Delivery Information Week © 2009 Pearson Education, Inc. Publishing as Prentice Hall Principles of Economics 9e by Case, Fair and Oster 31 of 42
- 32. REVIEW TERMS ANDCONCEPTS average product production capital-intensive technology production function or total product function firm labor-intensive technology law of diminishing returns long run marginal product normal rate of return r P not c udo P eh T A HCi r optimal method of production production technology profit (economic profit) short run total cost (total economic cost) total revenue Profit = total revenue – total cost total product Average product of labor = total units of labor © 2009 Pearson Education, Inc. Publishing as Prentice Hall Principles of Economics 9e by Case, Fair and Oster 32 of 42
- 33. APPENDIX ISOQUANTS AND ISOCOSTS NEWLOOK AT TECHNOLOGY: ISOQUANTS TABLE 7A.1 Alternative Combinations of Capital (K) and Labor (L) Required to Produce 50, 100, and 150 Units of Output QX = 50 QX = 100 QX = 150 K A B C D E L K L K L 1 2 3 5 8 8 5 3 2 1 2 3 4 6 10 10 6 4 3 2 3 4 5 7 10 10 7 5 4 3 r P not c udo P eh T A HCi r FIGURE 7A.1 Isoquants Showing All Combinations of Capital and Labor That Can Be Used to Produce 50, 100, and 150 Units of Output Isoquant A graph that shows all the combinations of capital and labor that can be used to produce a given amount of output. © 2009 Pearson Education, Inc. Publishing as Prentice Hall Principles of Economics 9e by Case, Fair and Oster 33 of 42
- 34. r P notc udo P eh T A HCi r Refer to the figure. Which of the following statements is correct? a. At points D, C, and B, the total cost of production is minimized. b. Points D, C, and B show different combinations of inputs that yield the same cost of production. c. At points D, C, and B, the amount of output produced is the same. d. All of the above. © 2009 Pearson Education, Inc. Publishing as Prentice Hall Principles of Economics 9e by Case, Fair and Oster 34 of 42 49
- 35. r P notc udo P eh T A HCi r Refer to the figure. Which of the following statements is correct? a. At points D, C, and B, the total cost of production is minimized. b. Points D, C, and B show different combinations of inputs that yield the same cost of production. c. At points D, C, and B, the amount of output produced is the same. d. All of the above. © 2009 Pearson Education, Inc. Publishing as Prentice Hall Principles of Economics 9e by Case, Fair and Oster 35 of 42 49
- 36. APPENDIX ISOQUANTS AND ISOCOSTS NEWLOOK AT TECHNOLOGY: ISOQUANTS FIGURE 7A.2 The Slope of an Isoquant Is Equal to the Ratio of MPL to MPK Slope of isoquant: r P not c udo P eh T A HCi r ∆K MPL =− ∆L MPK marginal rate of technical substitution The rate at which a firm can substitute capital for labor and hold output constant. © 2009 Pearson Education, Inc. Publishing as Prentice Hall Principles of Economics 9e by Case, Fair and Oster 36 of 42
- 37. APPENDIX ISOQUANTS AND ISOCOSTS FACTORPRICES AND INPUT COMBINATIONS: ISOCOSTS FIGURE 7A.3 Isocost Lines Showing the Combinations of Capital and Labor Available for $5, $6, and $7 r P not c udo P eh T A HCi r An isocost line shows all the combinations of capital and labor that are available for a given total cost. isocost line A graph that shows all the combinations of capital and labor available for a given total cost. © 2009 Pearson Education, Inc. Publishing as Prentice Hall Principles of Economics 9e by Case, Fair and Oster 37 of 42
- 38. APPENDIX ISOQUANTS AND ISOCOSTS FACTORPRICES AND INPUT COMBINATIONS: ISOCOSTS FIGURE 7A.4 Isocost Line Showing All Combinations of Capital and Labor Available for $25 One way to draw an isocost line is to determine the endpoints of that line and draw a line connecting them. r P not c udo P eh T A HCi r Slope of isocost line: ∆K TC / P P =− =− ∆L TC / P P K L L K © 2009 Pearson Education, Inc. Publishing as Prentice Hall Principles of Economics 9e by Case, Fair and Oster 38 of 42
- 39. APPENDIX ISOQUANTS AND ISOCOSTS FINDINGTHE LEAST-COST TECHNOLOGY WITH ISOQUANTS AND ISOCOSTS FIGURE 7A.5 Finding the LeastCost Combination of Capital and Labor to Produce 50 Units of Output r P not c udo P eh T A HCi r Profit-maximizing firms will minimize costs by producing their chosen level of output with the technology represented by the point at which the isoquant is tangent to an isocost line. Here the cost-minimizing technology—3 units of capital and 3 units of labor —is represented by point C. © 2009 Pearson Education, Inc. Publishing as Prentice Hall Principles of Economics 9e by Case, Fair and Oster 39 of 42
- 40. r P notc udo P eh T A HCi r Refer to the figure below. Which point shows the cost-minimizing equilibrium condition? a. Points D and B. b. Points D, C, and B. c. Point D only. d. Point C only. © 2009 Pearson Education, Inc. Publishing as Prentice Hall Principles of Economics 9e by Case, Fair and Oster 40 of 42 49
- 41. r P notc udo P eh T A HCi r Refer to the figure below. Which point shows the cost-minimizing equilibrium condition? a. Points D and B. b. Points D, C, and B. c. Point D only. d. Point C only. © 2009 Pearson Education, Inc. Publishing as Prentice Hall Principles of Economics 9e by Case, Fair and Oster 41 of 42 49
- 42. APPENDIX ISOQUANTS AND ISOCOSTS rP not c udo P eh T A HCi r FINDING THE LEAST-COST TECHNOLOGY WITH ISOQUANTS AND ISOCOSTS FIGURE 7A.6 Minimizing Cost of Production for qX = 50, qX = 100, and qX = 150 FIGURE 7A.7 A Cost Curve Shows the Minimum Cost of Producing Each Level of Output Plotting a series of cost-minimizing combinations of inputs—shown in this graph as points A, B, and C— on a separate graph results in a cost curve like the one shown in Figure 7A.7. © 2009 Pearson Education, Inc. Publishing as Prentice Hall Principles of Economics 9e by Case, Fair and Oster 42 of 42
- 43. APPENDIX ISOQUANTS AND ISOCOSTS THECOST-MINIMIZING EQUILIBRIUM CONDITION At the point where a line is just tangent to a curve, the two have the same slope. At each point of tangency, the following must be true: slope of isoquant = − Thus, MPL P = slope of isocost = − L MPK PK MPL PL = MPK PK r P not c udo P eh T A HCi r Dividing both sides by PL and multiplying both sides by MPK, we get MPL MPK = PL PK © 2009 Pearson Education, Inc. Publishing as Prentice Hall Principles of Economics 9e by Case, Fair and Oster 43 of 42
- 44. REVIEW TERMS ANDCONCEPTS isocost line Isoquant marginal rate of technical substitution ∆K MPL =− 1. Slope of isoquant: ∆L MPK 2. ∆K TC / P P =− =− Slope of isocost line: ∆L TC / P P L L r P not c udo P eh T A HCi r K K © 2009 Pearson Education, Inc. Publishing as Prentice Hall Principles of Economics 9e by Case, Fair and Oster 44 of 42