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Microeconomics

McConnell, Campbell R, Thomas Paul Barbiero, Stanley L. Brue

Chapter 9

Pure Competition - all with Video Answers

Educators


Chapter Questions

05:17

Problem 1

Briefly state the basic characteristics of pure competition, pure monopoly, monopolistic competition, and oligopoly. Under which of these market classifications does each of the following most accurately fit? (a) a supermarket in your home town; (b) the steel industry; (c) a Satskatchewan wheat farm; (d) the chartered bank in which you or your family has an account; (e) the automobile industry. In each case justify your classification.

Brandon Miskanic
Brandon Miskanic
Numerade Educator
02:21

Problem 1

"No firm is completely sheltered from rivals; all firms compete for consumer dollars. If that is so, then pure monopoly does not exist." Do you agree? Explain. How might you use Chapter 6's concept of cross elasticity of demand to judge whether monopoly exists?

Marcus Esteban
Marcus Esteban
Numerade Educator
01:03

Problem 2

Strictly speaking, pure competition has never existed and probably never will. Then why study it?

Brandon Miskanic
Brandon Miskanic
Numerade Educator
05:28

Problem 2

Discuss the major barriers to entry into an industry. Explain how each barrier can foster either monopoly or oligopoly. Which barriers, if any, do you feel give rise to monopoly that is socially justifiable?

Marcus Esteban
Marcus Esteban
Numerade Educator
01:30

Problem 3

How does the demand curve faced by a purely monopolistic seller differ from that confronting a purely competitive firm? Why does it differ? Of what significance is the difference? Why is the pure monopolist's demand curve not perfectly inelastic?

Marcus Esteban
Marcus Esteban
Numerade Educator
05:00

Problem 3

Use the following demand schedule to determine total revenue and marginal revenue for each possible level of sales:
$$
\begin{array}{llll}
\begin{array}{l}
\text { Product } \\
\text { price }
\end{array} & \begin{array}{l}
\text { Quantity } \\
\text { demanded }
\end{array} & \begin{array}{l}
\text { Total } \\
\text { revenue }
\end{array} & \begin{array}{l}
\text { Marginal } \\
\text { revenue }
\end{array} \\
\hline \$ 2 & 0 & \$- & \$ \\
2 & 1 & - & - \\
2 & 2 & - & - \\
2 & 3 & - & \\
2 & 4 & \\
2 & 5 & - &
\end{array}
$$
a. What can you conclude about the structure of the industry in which this firm is operating? Explain.
b. Graph the demand, total-revenue, and marginal-revenue curves for this firm.
c. Do the demand and marginal-revenue curves coincide? If so, why? If not, why not?
d. "Marginal revenue is the change in total revenue associated with additional units of output." Explain in words and graphically, using the data in the table.

Brandon Miskanic
Brandon Miskanic
Numerade Educator
13:02

Problem 4

Assume the following cost data are for a purely competitive producer:
$$
\begin{array}{lrrrr}
\begin{array}{l}
\text { Total } \\
\text { product }
\end{array} & \begin{array}{l}
\text { Average } \\
\text { fixed } \\
\text { cost }
\end{array} & \begin{array}{l}
\text { Average } \\
\text { variable } \\
\text { cost }
\end{array} & \begin{array}{l}
\text { Average } \\
\text { total } \\
\text { cost }
\end{array} & \begin{array}{l}
\text { Marginal } \\
\text { cost }
\end{array} \\
\hline 0 & & & & \\
1 & \$ 60.00 & \$ 45.00 & \$ 105.00 & \$ 45 \\
2 & 30.00 & 42.50 & 72.50 & 40 \\
3 & 20.00 & 40.00 & 60.00 & 35 \\
4 & 15.00 & 37.50 & 52.50 & 30 \\
5 & 12.00 & 37.00 & 49.00 & 35 \\
6 & 10.00 & 37.50 & 47.50 & 40 \\
7 & 8.57 & 38.57 & 47.14 & 45 \\
8 & 7.50 & 40.63 & 48.13 & 55 \\
9 & 6.67 & 43.33 & 50.00 & 65 \\
10 & 6.00 & 46.50 & 52.50 & 75
\end{array}
$$
a. At a product price of $$\$ 56$$, will this firm produce in the short run? Why or why not? If
it does produce, what will be the profitmaximizing or loss-minimizing output? Explain. What economic profit or loss will the firm realize per unit of output?
b. Answer the questions in $4 \mathrm{a}$ assuming product price is $$\$ 41$$.
c. Answer the questions in 4 a assuming product price is $$\$ 32$$.
d. In the table below, complete the short-run supply schedule for the firm (columns 1 and 2) and indicate the profit or loss incurred at each output (column 3).
$$
\begin{array}{llll}
\begin{array}{l}
\text { (1) } \\
\text { Price }
\end{array} & \begin{array}{l}
\text { (2) } \\
\text { Quantity } \\
\text { supplied, } \\
\text { single firm }
\end{array} & \begin{array}{l}
\text { (3) } \\
\text { Profit (+) } \\
\text { or loss (-) }
\end{array} & \begin{array}{l}
\text { (4) } \\
\text { Quantity } \\
\text { supplied, } \\
1500 \text { firms }
\end{array} \\
\hline \$ 26 & - & \$- & - \\
32 & - & - & - \\
38 & - & - & - \\
41 & - & - & - \\
46 & - & - & - \\
56 & - & -
\end{array}
$$
e. Explain: "That segment of a competitive firm's marginal-cost curve that lies above its average-variable-cost curve constitutes the short-run supply curve for the firm." Illustrate graphically.
f. Now assume that there are 1500 identical firms in this competitive industry; that is, that there are 1500 firms, each of which has the cost data shown in the table. Complete the industry supply schedule (column 4).
g. Suppose the market demand data for the product are as follows:
$$
\begin{array}{rl}
\text { Price } & \text { Total quantity demanded } \\
\hline \$ 26 & 17,000 \\
32 & 15,000 \\
38 & 13,500 \\
41 & 12,000 \\
46 & 10,500 \\
56 & 9,500 \\
66 & 8,000
\end{array}
$$
What will be the equilibrium price? What will be the equilibrium output for the industry?for each firm? What will profit or loss be per unit? per firm? Will this industry expand or contract in the long run?

Lindsay Bur
Lindsay Bur
Numerade Educator
03:25

Problem 4

Use the demand schedule that follows to calculate total revenue and marginal revenue at each quantity. Plot the demand, total-revenue, and marginal-revenue curves, and explain the relationships between them. Explain why the marginal revenue of the fourth unit of output is $$\$ 3.50$$, even though its price is $$\$ 5.00$$. Use Chapter 6's total-revenue test for price elasticity to designate the elastic and inelastic segments of your graphed demand curve. What generalization can you make about the relationship between marginal revenue and elasticity of demand? Suppose the marginal cost of successive units output were zero. What output would the profit-seeking firm produce? Finally, use your analysis to explain why a monopolist would never produce in the inelastic region of demand.
$$
\begin{array}{cl|rl}
\text { Price }(\boldsymbol{P}) & \begin{array}{l}
\text { Quantity } \\
\text { demanded }(\boldsymbol{Q})
\end{array} & \text { Price }(\boldsymbol{P}) & \begin{array}{l}
\text { Quantity } \\
\text { demanded }(\boldsymbol{Q})
\end{array} \\
\hline \$ 7.00 & 0 & \$ 4.50 & 5 \\
6.50 & 1 & 4.00 & 6 \\
6.00 & 2 & 3.50 & 7 \\
5.50 & 3 & 3.00 & 8 \\
5.00 & 4 & 2.50 & 9
\end{array}
$$

Marcus Esteban
Marcus Esteban
Numerade Educator
02:30

Problem 5

Why is the equality of marginal revenue and marginal cost essential for profit maximization in all market structures? Explain why price can be substituted for marginal revenue in the MR = MC rule when an industry is purely competitive.

Brandon Miskanic
Brandon Miskanic
Numerade Educator
01:40

Problem 5

Suppose a pure monopolist is faced with the demand schedule shown in the next column and the same cost data as the competitive producer discussed in question 4 at the end of Chapter 9. Calculate the missing total-revenue and marginal-revenue amounts, and determine the profit-maximizing price and profitearning output for this monopolist. What is the monopolist's profit? Verify your answer graphically and by comparing total revenue and total cost.
$$
\begin{array}{rccc}
\text { Price } & \begin{array}{l}
\text { Quantity } \\
\text { demanded }
\end{array} & \begin{array}{l}
\text { Total } \\
\text { revenue }
\end{array} & \begin{array}{l}
\text { Marginal } \\
\text { revenue }
\end{array} \\
\hline \$ 115 & 0 & \$- & \$- \\
100 & 1 & - & - \\
83 & 2 & - & - \\
71 & 3 & - & - \\
63 & 4 & - & - \\
55 & 5 & - \\
48 & 6 & - & -\\
42 & 7 & - \\
37 & 8 & - & - \\
33 & 9 & - & - \\
29 & 10 & - & -\\
\end{array}
$$

Marcus Esteban
Marcus Esteban
Numerade Educator
03:51

Problem 6

Using diagrams for both the industry and a representative firm, illustrate competitive long-run equilibrium. Assuming constant costs, employ these diagrams to show how (a) an increase and (b) a decrease in market demand will upset that long-run equilibrium. Trace graphically and describe in words the adjustment processes
by which long-run equilibrium is restored. Now rework your analysis for increasing-cost and decreasing-cost industries and compare the three long-run supply curves.

Oluwadamilola Ameobi
Oluwadamilola Ameobi
Numerade Educator
07:40

Problem 6

If the firm described in question 5 could engage in perfect price discrimination, what would be the level of output? of profits? Draw a diagram showing the relevant demand, marginal-revenue, average-total-cost, and marginal-cost curves, and the equilibrium price and output for a nondiscriminating monopolist. Use the same diagram to show the equilibrium position of a monopolist that is able to practise perfect price discrimination. Compare equilibrium outputs, total revenues, economic profits, and consumer prices in the two cases. Comment on the economic desirability of price discrimination.

Md.Daniyal Arshad
Md.Daniyal Arshad
Numerade Educator
01:52

Problem 7

In long-run equilibrium, $P=$ minimum $\mathrm{ATC}=\mathrm{MC}$. Of what significance for economic efficiency is the equality of $P$ and minimum ATC? the equality of $P$ and MC? Distinguish between productive efficiency and allocative efficiency in your answer.

Brandon Miskanic
Brandon Miskanic
Numerade Educator
02:09

Problem 7

Assume that a pure monopolist and a purely competitive firm have the same unit costs. Contrast the two with respect to (a) price, (b) output, (c) profits, (d) allocation of resources, and (e) impact on the distribution of income. Since both monopolists and competitive firms follow the $M C=M R$ rule in maximizing profits, how do you account for the different results? Why might the costs of a purely competitive firm and a monopolist be different? What are the implications of such a cost difference?

Marcus Esteban
Marcus Esteban
Numerade Educator
04:03

Problem 8

Suppose that improved technology causes the supply curve for oranges to shift rightward in the market discussed in this The Last Word (see the figure there). Assuming the location of the demand curve does not change, what will happen to consumer surplus? Explain why.

Xiaomin Bian
Xiaomin Bian
Numerade Educator
01:21

Problem 8

Critically evaluate and explain:
a. "Because they can control product price, monopolists are always assured of profitable production by simply charging the highest price consumers will pay."
b. "The pure monopolist seeks the output that will yield the greatest per-unit profit."
c. "An excess of price over marginal cost is the market's way of signalling the need for more production of a good."
d. "The more profitable a firm, the greater its monopoly power."
e. "The monopolist has a pricing policy; the competitive producer does not."
f. "With respect to resource allocation, the interests of the seller and of society coincide in a purely competitive market but conflict in a monopolized market."
g. "In a sense the monopolist makes a profit for not producing; the monopolist produces profit more than it does goods."

Marcus Esteban
Marcus Esteban
Numerade Educator
01:08

Problem 9

Assume a monopolistic publisher has agreed to pay an author 15 percent of the total revenue from the sales of a text. Will the author and the publisher want to charge the same price for the text? Explain.

Marcus Esteban
Marcus Esteban
Numerade Educator
02:04

Problem 10

Explain verbally and graphically how price (rate) regulation may improve the performance of monopolies. In your answer distinguish between (a) socially optimal (marginal-cost) pricing and (b) fair-return (average-total-cost) pricing. What is the "dilemma of regulation"?

Marcus Esteban
Marcus Esteban
Numerade Educator
00:57

Problem 11

It has been proposed that natural monopolists should be allowed to determine their profit-maximizing outputs and prices and then government should tax their profits away and distribute them to consumers in proportion to their purchases from the monopoly. Is this proposal as socially desirable as requiring monopolists to equate price with marginal cost or average total cost?

Marcus Esteban
Marcus Esteban
Numerade Educator
01:34

Problem 12

How was De Beers able to control the world price of diamonds over the past several decades even though it produced only 50 percent of the diamonds? What factors ended its monopoly? What is De Beers' new strategy for earning economic profit, rather than just normal profit?

Marcus Esteban
Marcus Esteban
Numerade Educator