ECON1101 Lecture Notes - Marginal Revenue, Opportunity Cost, Marginal Product

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16 May 2018

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Labour Markets

Labour Demand

• Labour demand (LD) - the relationship between the Q of labour demanded by firms and the

wage.

• The demand for labour is a derived demand.

• LD is downward-sloping due to diminishing MPL.

A Firm's Employment Decision

• MPL – additional output from additional unit of labour → declines as L increases.

• Marginal revenue product of labour (MRPL) – additional revenue from additional (or last) unit

of labour.

• MRPL = MR x MP

• Demand for labour:

• Employer thinks on the margin:

o MC = MC for employer

o MPRL = wage

o w increases → LD decreases

• Output supply: produce where P (=MR) = MC so P = w/MPL or P x MPL = w.

• If a firm maximises profits, it will hire the largest number of workers for which MRPL > W.

• Firms will hire workers up to the point at which the MRPL = W (the wage).

Labour Supply (LS)

• Tie alloatio deisio: alloate 24 hours i a day either i laour arket ork or leisure

non-market work, i.e. labour supply or leisure demand.

• Wage rate is the price of labour or the opportunity cost of not working (leisure).

Effect of Wage Changes: Income and Substitution Effects

• Because the wage is the price of leisure, the higher the wage, the less attractive leisure will

seem relative to work.

• Substitution Effect:

o W increases → opportunity cost of leisure increases → leisure demand decreases →

labour supply increases.

• Income Effect:

o W increases → earnings or labour income increases → leisure demand increases (if

leisure is normal) → labour supply decreases.

• Net Effect:

o If sub > income effect → w increases and LS increases (upward sloping LS curve).

o If sub < income effect → w increases and LS decreases (downward sloping LS curve).

o You can increase or decrease the wage but LS does’t change that much as it is

inelastic.

Union-Nonunion Wage Differentials

• Workers ho a’t fid ork i the uio arket spill oer ito the o-union market.

• An increase of wages in unions lead to a decrease of wages in the non-union markets.

• Inefficient allocation of labour at LU, LN

o MRPL (LU) = $40

o MRPL (LN) = $25

o Switch the workers from U → N

o → Total revenue or value of goods increases.

16. Capital and Financial Markets

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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.

skyox48

(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.

coffeemouse295

1. Most people would prefer to drive a luxury car that has all the options, but more people buy less expensive cars even though they could afford the luxury car because:

A. luxury cars cost a lot more than non-luxury cars.

B. the total utility of less expensive cars is greater than that of luxury cars.

C. car buyers are irrational.

D. the marginal utility per dollar spent on the less expensive car is higher than that spent on luxury cars.

2. The labor market is considered as one of the more important markets in an economy because

A. most people typically earn the bulk of their income from wages and salaries.

B. the usual market forces do not hold in the labor market.

C. the labor market does not reach an equilibrium.

D. most people are concerned that wages determined in the labor market are unfair.

3. Table 17-1
Quantity of Labor Output (units)
1 80
2 170
3 240
4 300
5 350
6 390
7 420

Refer to Table 17-1. The marginal product of the fourth unit of labor is

A. 300.

B. 75.

C. 60.

D. 15.

4. Carolyn spends her income on popular magazines and music CDs. If the price of a CD is four times the price of a magazine and if Carolyn is maximizing her utility, she buys:

A. both goods until the marginal utility of the last CD purchased is four times the marginal utility of the last magazine purchased.

B. both goods until the marginal utility of the last magazine purchased is four times the marginal utility of the last CD purchased.

C. four times as many magazines as CDs.

D. four times as many CDs as magazines.

5. Marginal utility is the:

A. average satisfaction received from consuming a product.

B. total satisfaction received from consuming a given number of units of a product.

C. extra satisfaction received from consuming one more unit of a product.

D. satisfaction achieved when a consumer has had enough of a product.

6. What is behavioral economics?

A. the study of how people behave in the face of scarcity

B. the study of how people make decisions at the margin

C. the study of situations in which people act in ways that are not economically rational

D. the study of how people make wealth-maximizing decisions

7. Suppose a competitive firm is paying a wage of $12 an hour and sells its product at $3 per unit. Assume that labor is the only input. If hiring another worker would increase output by three units per hour, then to maximize profits the firm should:

A. not hire an additional worker.

B. hire another worker.

C. not change the number of workers it currently hires.

D. There is not enough information to answer the question.

8. Consumers have to make tradeoffs in deciding what to consume because:

A. they are limited by a budget constraint.

B. there are not enough of all goods produced.

C. not all goods give them the same amount of satisfaction.

D. the prices of goods vary.

9. Table 17-1
Quantity of Labor Output (units)
1 80
2 170
3 240
4 300
5 350
6 390
7 420

Refer to Table 17-1. If the output price is $3, what is the marginal revenue product of the fifth unit of labor?

A. $1,050

B. $360

C. $210

D. $150

10. At low wages, the labor supply curve for most people slopes upward because:

A. as wages increase income also increases unless hours worked decrease.

B. the demand for labor is perfectly elastic at low wages.

C. as wages increase the opportunity cost of leisure increases.

D. the supply of labor is perfectly inelastic at low wages.

11. A negative externality exists if:

A. the marginal social cost of producing a good or service exceeds the private cost.

B. the marginal private cost of producing a good or service exceeds the social cost.

C. there are quantity controls in a market.

D. there are price controls in a market.

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ECON1101 Lecture Notes - Marginal Revenue, Opportunity Cost, Marginal Product

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