How is the optimal amount of labor determined in a perfectly competitive market?
A profit maximising firm will employ labour up to the point where the extra cost incurred by employing the last unit of labour (wage) equals the additional benefit it earns by employing that unit of labour.
That is, Marginal cost of labour = Marginal benefit by labour
Or, Wage rate = Marginal Revenue ProductL
Or, w = MRPL
Or, w = MR × MPL (as MRPL =MR ×MPL)
Or, w = P× MPL (in Perfect Competition Price = MR)
Or, w = VMPL (because VMPL= P ×MPL)
The demand for labour is derived from VMPL and the supply of labour is positively sloped. The equilibrium exists at E, where the demand for labour and the supply of labour intersect each other. The equilibrium wage rate is w and optimal amount of labour is qL.
How will a change in the price of coffee affect the equilibrium price of tea? Explain the effect on equilibrium quantity also through a diagram.
When do we say that there is an excess demand for a commodity in the market?
Suppose the price at which the equilibrium is attained in exercise 5 is above the minimum average cost of the firms constituting the market. Now if we allow for free entry and exit of firms, how will the market price adjust to it?
When do we say that there is an excess supply for a commodity in the market?
Explain through a diagram the effect of a rightward shift of both the demand and supply curves on equilibrium price and quantity.
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?
Explain market equilibrium.
Explain how price is determined in a perfectly competitive market with a fixed number of firms.
In what respect do the supply and demand curves in the labor market differ from those in the goods market?
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?
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?
Discuss the central problems of an economy.
What are the characteristics of a perfectly competitive market?
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 |
- |
What do you mean by the production possibilities of an economy?
How are the total revenue of a firm, market price, and the quantity sold by the firm related to each other?
What is budget line?
The market demand curve for a commodity and the total cost for a monopoly firm producing the commodity are given in the schedules below.
Quantity |
0 |
1 |
2 |
3 |
4 |
5 |
6 |
7 |
8 |
Price |
52 |
44 |
37 |
31 |
26 |
22 |
19 |
16 |
13 |
Quantity |
0 |
1 |
2 |
3 |
4 |
5 |
6 |
7 |
8 |
Price |
10 |
60 |
90 |
100 |
102 |
105 |
109 |
115 |
125 |
Use the information given to calculate the following:
(a) The MIR and MC schedules
(b) The quantities for which MIR and MC are equal
(c) The equilibrium quantity of output and the equilibrium price of the commodity
(d) The total revenue, total cost and total profit in the equilibrium
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?
Will a profit-maximising firm in a competitive market ever produce a positive level of output in the range where the marginal cost is falling? Give an explanation.
How does technological progress affect the supply curve of a firm?
What is the marginal product of an input?
Suppose the price elasticity of demand for a good is – 0.2. If there is a 5 % increase in the price of the good, by what percentage will the demand for the good go down?
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 |
What is the relation between market price and average revenue of a price-taking firm?
At which point does the SMC curve intersect the SAC curve? Give a reason in support of your answer.
What do you mean by the budget set of a consumer?