ECON 10010 Lecture Notes - Lecture 21: Opportunity Cost, Outsourcing, Economic Rent

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sangriacoyote110

22 Jan 2016

School

Department

Economics

Course

ECON 10010

Professor

Flannery Mary

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Document Summary

Derived demand- factors that are inputs a firm uses to supply a good in another market o. Demand for labor helps regulate labor market in the same way demand for products. The demand for the resources used to make a product regulates the marketplace worker output it produces. Marginal product of labor- change in output associated with adding one additional. Each successive worker adds less value (diminishing marginal product) Value of the marginal product (vmp)- marginal product of an input x price of. Firm"s willingness to pay for each laborer (labor demand curve) Firm hires more workers if value of marginal product > market wage. A way to measure is by seeing what happens to stock. Things that could increase marginal product of labor: Labor demand curve o o productivity, and innovation. When wages of workers change, quantity of workers demanded also changes. Shifts in the demand curve occur from changes in demand for product, labor.

Related Questions

(1)

Which of the following employment situations would most closely approximate a monopsony?

	a steel mill in Yokahama, Japan.
	a fast food restaurant in a big city.
	a farmer hiring seasonal workers.
	a large factory in a small town.

(2)

If a monopsonist hires labor, it will choose to hire that quantity at which ___________ and pay a wage rate that is _______________.

	MR = MC; equal to the MRP curve.
	the supply curve intersect the MRP; less than MFC
	MRP = MFC; less than MRP
	the supply curve intersect the MRP; equal to MRP

(3)

Suppose a firm employs both labor and capital. If the ratio of marginal product to price of labor is 50/$10 and the ratio of marginal product of capital to price of capital is 60/$12, the firm should

	maintain the current combination capital and labor.
	buy more labor and less capital because labor is cheaper.
	buy more capital and less labor because capital is cheaper.
	buy more capital because it is more productive than labor.

(4)

Derived demand for labor means that when a firm hires labor, it has to derive its demand

	mathematically.
	based on the labor supply.
	from the demand for the product that the labor produces.
	based on the minimum wage.

(5)

For a firm in perfect competition, the value of the marginal product is

	the value of an additional unit of output measured in terms of additional cost.
	the total value of the total output output divided by the total output.
	additional revenue minus additional cost as a result of an increase in output.
	the price of the product multiplied by the additional output resulting from an additional unit employed.

(6)

A firm that is perfectly competitive will hire labor as long as which of the following is true?

	VMP < W.
	VMP > W.
	MC > MR.
	VMP < MRP.

(7)

The VMP curve slopes downward at some point because

	congestion in the work place lowers marginal product.
	teamwork in the work place increases marginal product.
	the firm hires less labor as the wage rate rises.
	labor supplies less amounts of labor as the wage rate falls.

(8)

Which of the following would not be considered capital in a business?

	The employees
	The factory
	A machine
	Tools

(9)

The increase in the value of a firmâs capital as it increases in age and use is depreciation.

	true
	false

(10)

On a labor market graph, a firmâs demand for labor is

	the wage rate.
	the marginal revenue product curve.
	the marginal product curve.
	indeterminant.

(11)

Why may a householdâs labor supply curve bend backwards at some wage rate?

	The household substitutes labor for leisure.
	The household substitutes leisure for labor.
	Employers demand fewer employees at higher wage rates.
	Households want to supply more labor as the wage rate decreases to maintain incomes.

(12)

The substitution effect is usually stronger than the income effect, thus creating an upward sloping labor supply curve.

	true
	false

(13)

An inelastic demand for labor means that an increase in the wage rate causes a less than proportionate decrease in the quantity of labor demanded.

	true
	false

(14)

Marginal revenue product is

	marginal revenue divided by marginal product.
	marginal revenue times marginal product.
	marginal product minus marginal revenue.
	marginal product plus marginal revenue.

(15)

A firm obeys the least-cost rule by equating the ratios of ___________________ to the ________________ price.

	marginal product; product
	marginal product; factor
	marginal cost; product
	marginal revenue; product

(16)

Suppose the MP of the last unit of capital hired equals 12 and the MP of the last unit of labor hired equals 16.If the price of capital is $8 per unit and the price of labor is $8 per unit, then the firm

	is maximizing its costs with this combination of factors.
	is maximizing its profits with this combination of factors.
	should hire more labor and less capital in order to minimize its costs.
	should hire more capital and less labor in order to minimize its costs.

(17)

For a firm to minimize its costs with more than one factor of production, for every factor, the ratio of the

	marginal product to factor price must be equal.
	marginal revenue product to factor price must be equal.
	marginal revenue product to output must be equal.
	marginal cost to factor price must be equal.

(18)

A monopsony is a firm that, in a specific market, is the only

	seller of a product.
	buyer of a product.
	seller of a factor of production.
	buyer of a factor of production.

(19)

Which of the following businesses would most closely approximate a monopsonist?

	A steel mill in Pittsburgh
	A fast food franchise in a large city
	A large manufacturer in a rural county
	A rancher who hires ranch help

(20)

A firm has the opportunity to buy a machine that costs $2500. It has found the present value of the income generated by the machine to be $2487. It should purchase the machine.

	true
	false

(21)

An increase in the market rate of interest causes

	a leftward shift in the demand for capital curve.
	a rightward shift in the demand for capital curve.
	a movement up the demand for capital curve.
	a movement down the demand for capital curve.

(22)

The characteristic of capital that makes it different from labor is its

	high cost.
	durability.
	rotunda.
	relatively low cost compared to labor.

(23)

The present value of $1000 one year in the future at a 10 percent interest rate is approximately

	$870.
	$909.
	$1000.
	$1909.

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1. In a market economy, the high salaries of some star baseball players such as Adrian Gonzalez, are determined by

		Team owners, based on the total number of star athletes they plan to hire.
	B	advertising companies, based on what they are willing to pay to advertise their products at baseball games.
	C	the interaction of the demand for star athletes and the supply of star athletes.
	D	consumers, based on their willingness to watch baseball games.

2. Demand in factor markets differs from demand in product markets in that

	A	the demand for a factor of production is difficult to determine.
B		the demand for a factor of production is influenced by workers' productivity and by the producers' expected sales revenues, not by tastes and preferences of consumers.
C		demand for a factor of production is based on the tastes and preferences of firms.
D		demand for a factor of production is based on the tastes and preferences of resource owners.

3. The demand for labor is described as a derived demand because

A		it is derived by workers seeking to earn income to fund the consumption of goods and services.
B		it is derived by producers seeking to make profits by starting new businesses.
C		it is derived from the demand for products that use labor in the production process.
D		it is derived from government institutions that rely on labor markets for the purpose of raising tax revenue.

4. Which of the following is not an example of a derived demand?

A		Several of the animated films released between 1999 and 2001 failed to earn a profit, which caused some companies to stop making these films, thereby decreasing the demand for animators.
B		Seth Bullock, a personal injury attorney, complains that he is earning far less now than a few years ago largely because personal injury cases have been undercut by state laws limiting class-action suits and payouts on damages.
C		Millicent Manning, the owner of a furniture store, is concerned that her sales have fallen for the past six months. She attributes this to the downturn in the real estate market.
D		As advancements in medical technology increase the safety and success of laser eye surgery, the demand for opticians has decreased.

5. Marginal revenue product for a perfectly competitive seller is equal to

A		the output price multiplied by the total product of labor.
B		the output price multiplied by the number of workers hired.
C		the change in total revenue that results from hiring another worker.
D		the marginal cost of production.

6. What is the difference between labor's marginal product and marginal revenue product?

A		The marginal product of labor is the increase in output as a result of hiring an additional worker while the marginal revenue product of labor is the increase in profit as a result of hiring an additional worker.
B		The marginal revenue product of labor is the dollar value of hiring an additional worker while the marginal product of labor is the increase in the firm's physical output as a result of hiring an additional worker.
C		The marginal product of labor is the additional labor's contribution to the firm's total output while the marginal revenue product is the additional labor's contribution to the firm's total sales revenue.
D		Labor's marginal product is a measure of labor's productivity while labor's marginal revenue product is a measure of labor's ability to sell the firm's products.

7. What is the difference between a firm's marginal revenue and its marginal revenue product?

A		Marginal revenue is the change in sales revenue from selling one more unit of output while marginal revenue product is the profit earned from hiring one more worker.
B		Marginal revenue is the change in sales revenue from selling one more unit of output while marginal revenue product is the change in total revenue from hiring one more worker.
C		Marginal revenue is the increase in revenue when a firm raises its output price while marginal revenue product is the increase in the marginal product when a firm hires an additional worker.
D		There is no difference between the two terms.

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Question 1

A firm should hire workers up to the point where

Question 1 options:

	MP = P.
	MFC = P.
	MFC = MRP.
	MP = MRP.

Question 2

If the additional revenue from hiring an additional worker equals the additional costs from hiring the extra worker, then we know that

Question 2 options:

	MFC/MPP_L = wage.
	MFC/MRP_L = 1.
	MFC = MPP_L.
	MRP_L/P = MFC.

Question 3

A firm that maximizes profits also

Question 3 options:

	pays input prices lower than other firms do.
	cuts corners in production processes so that its products are made too cheaply.
	is inefficient.
	uses the least-cost combination of resources.

Question 4

The demand curve for labor slopes down because

Question 4 options:

	firms value less efficient workers less than they value more efficient workers.
	firms must lower prices to sell the additional units of its product that the extra workers produce.
	of profit maximizing behavior.
	of the law of diminishing marginal product.

Question 5

If MFC > MRP_L, the firm should

Question 5 options:

	get rid of some capital.
	reduce the number of workers.
	lower wages.
	hire more workers.

Question 6

Which of the following will not lead to an increase in the demand for labor for a firm producing automobiles?

Question 6 options:

	A decrease in labor productivity.
	A decrease in the price of automobiles.
	A decrease in the price of robots that are used to solder parts of the car together.
	An increase in the demand for automobiles.

Question 7

The marginal revenue product gives

Question 7 options:

	the additions to total cost when an additional unit of a variable input is hired.
	the additional revenue obtained when an additional unit of a variable input is hired.
	the change in total product for an additional unit of a variable input.
	the amount that other inputs must increase by when labor increase by one unit.

Question 8

The monopolist's input demand curve is the

Question 8 options:

	marginal physical product curve.
	marginal revenue product curve.
	marginal revenue curve.
	marginal factor cost.

Question 9

An increase in product price implies that

Question 9 options:

	the firm's demand for labor increases.
	the firm's demand for labor decreases.
	the wage rate the firm pays will increase.
	the firm's marginal factor cost will increase.

Question 10

Which of the following will not lead to a change in the demand for labor?

Question 10 options:

	A change in the supply of labor.
	A change in demand for the final good.
	A change in the price of a substitute input.
	A change in labor productivity.

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