ECON 1B03 Lecture Notes - Lecture 9: Monopoly Profit, Natural Monopoly, Competitive Equilibrium

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31 Mar 2016

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ECON 1B03 Full Course Notes

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A single firm can supply a good to an entire market at a lower cost than other firms can. This arises when: monopoly by good management. Because the monopolist"s demand curve is downward sloping, if (cid:1) (cid:1) (cid:1) (cid:1) the firm wants to increase the quantity sold, it has to lower its price not just on the additional output but on all units of output. It can sell more but only at a lower price. The change in total revenue from selling one more good is the price of that good the amount that price had to be reduced on all earlier goods. The profit-maximizing monopolist will always choose to produce a level of output q such that: mr = mc < p. Use the demand curve to find thep rice that will induce consumers to buy that quantity. Monopoly profit is derived the same way as perfect competition profit. Pi = (p-atc) * q (cid:1) (cid:1)

Related Questions

Answer the following questions pertaining to monopolist production.

1) If a monopolist is producing in the inelastic portion of its demand curve, which of the following will occur if the monopolist decreases its price?

a. Marginal revenue will decrease, but profits will increase.

b. Marginal revenue will increase, but profits will decrease.

c.Total revenue will decrease, but profits will increase.

d.Both total revenue and profits will decrease.

e. Both total revenue and profits will increase.

2) Which of the following statements is true for a perfectly competitive firm but not true for a monopoly?

a.The firm's price is equal to its average revenue.

b.The firm cannot affect the market price for its good.

c.It is difficult for other firms to enter the industry.

d. The demand for the firm's product is unit elastic.

e.The firm must lower its price in order to sell more of its product.

3) Monopolies are inefficient for which of the following reasons?

a. They produce too little of the good.

b.They produce too much of the good.

c. They do not produce an output level at which marginal cost equals marginal revenue.

d. The marginal cost of producing the good is too low.

e. The firm is too large.

4) Which of the following is necessarily true of the profit-maximizing equilibrium of a monopolist who sets a single price?

a. Price equals average total cost.

b. Price is greater than the marginal cost.

c. Average total cost is at its minimum level.

d. Marginal revenue is greater than marginal cost.

e. Marginal cost is minimized.

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Select the correct answer:

A (legal; natural) monopoly exists when one firm can meet the entire market demand at a lower average total cost than two or more firms could.

A monopoly that is able to sell different units of a good or service for different prices is a (natural-price; price-discriminating) monopoly.

The act of obtaining special treatment by the government to create an economic profit is called (government surplus; rent seeking).

Regulated firms have an incentive to inflate their costs under (rate of return; price cap) regulation.

The U.S. Postal Service has a (natural; legal) monopoly on first class mail delivery.

A (single-price; price discriminating) monopoly maximizes profit by producing the quantity at which marginal revenue equals marginal cost and then charging the maximum price that consumers are willing to pay for that quantity.

The key idea behind price discrimination is to convert (consumer surplus; producer surplus) into economic profit.

1.
A monopolist faces the following demand curve:

Price Quantity Demanded

$51 1

$47 2

$42 3

$36 4

$29 5

$21 6

$12 7

The monopolist has total fixed costs of $60 and has a constantmarginal cost of $15. What is the profit-maximizing level ofproduction?

A) 5 units
B) 3 units
C) 2 units
D) 4 units
2.
A monopolist faces the following demand curve:

Price Quantity Demanded

$10 5

$9 10

$8 16

$7 23

$6 31

$5 49

$4 52

$3 60

The monopolist has total fixed costs of $40 and a constant marginalcost of $5. At the profit-maximizing level of output, themonopolistâs average total cost is

A) $6.74
B) $9.00
C) $7.50
D) $5.82
3.
A monopoly market

A) generally fails to maximize total economic well-being.
B) generally fails to maximize producer surplus.
C) always maximizes total economic well-being.
D) always minimizes consumer surplus.
4.
For a monopoly, the supply curve is a portion of its
A) none of the above; a monopoly does not have a supplycurve.
B) average total cost curve.
C) marginal revenue curve.
D) marginal cost curve.
5.
A monopoly firm can sell 200 units of output for $36.00 per unit.Alternatively, it can sell 201 units of output for $35.80 per unit.The marginal revenue of the 201st unit of output is
A) $â35.80.
B) $4.20.
C) $â4.20.
D) $35.80.
6.
If a monopolist sells 100 units at $8 per unit and realizes anaverage total cost of $6 per unit, what is the monopolist'sprofit?
A) $800
B) $400
C) $600
D) $200
7.
A monopolist is a price
A) setter, and therefore has no demand curve.
B) setter, and therefore has no supply curve.
C) taker, and therefore has no supply curve.
D) setter, and therefore has no variable cost curve.
8.
To define a monopoly, we cite the following characteristics: (i)The firm is the sole seller of its product. (ii) The firmâs productdoes not have close substitutes. (iii) The firm generates a largeeconomic profit. (iv) The firm is located in a small geographicmarket.
A) (ii) and (iv)
B) All of the above are correct.
C) (i) and (ii)
D) (i) and (iii)
9.
Consider a transportation corporation named C.R. Evans that hasjust completed the development of a new subway system in amedium-sized town in the Northwest. Currently, there are plenty ofseats on the subway, and it is never crowded. Its capacity farexceeds the needs of the city. After just a few years of operation,the shareholders of C.R. Evans experienced incredible rates ofreturn on their investment, due to the profitability of thecorporation.

Which of the following statements are most likely to be true? (i)New entrants to the market know they will earn a smaller piece ofthe market than C.R. Evans currently has. (ii) C.R. Evans is mostlikely experiencing increasing average total cost. (iii) C.R. Evansis a natural monopoly.

A) (ii) and (iii)
B) All of the above are correct.
C) (i) and (iii)
D) (i) and (ii)
10.

Quantity
Price
Total Revenue
Average Revenue
Marginal Revenue
1
$35
$35

2

64
32
29
3
$29

4

17
5
$23

11
6

120

7
$17

-1
8

-7
9

99
11
-13
10

80
8

If the monopolist sells 8 units of its product, how much totalrevenue will it receive from the sale?

You wil have to complete the entries in this table to get ananswer. It is a wothwhile exercise and I encourage you to completethe table.

HINT: (a.) Total Revenue = Price x Quantity. (So for quantity of 3x price of $29 = 87 total revenue)

(b) Average Revenue is the same as Price. (So column 2 and column 4would be the same. Calculate to see if that is correct)

(c) Marginal Revenue = Change in TR divided by change in quantity.(You calculated TR = 87 for Q=3. Thus to find MR for Q = 3, findthe change in TR= 87 - 64 and divided by one).

A) 112
B) It cannot be determined from the information provided.
C) 164
D) 40
11.
What conditions need to be present for a firm to be able to use'price discrimination?'
A) Firm should not be perfectly competitive; the market can beseparated according to different elasticities; items can beresold
B) Firm should be perfectly competitive; the market can beseparated according to different elasticities; resale of the itemsis not possible.
C) Firm should not be perfectly competitive; buyers should havesame elasticities;; resale of the items is not possible.
D) Firm should not be perfectly competitive; the market can beseparated according to different elasticities; resale of the itemsis not possible.
12.
If the government regulates the natural monopoly by asking it tocharge a price that is equal to its marginal cost (P=MC) theregulated monopoly will -------- so instead the government ends upletting it charge a price equal to its ------
A) have a profit; fixed cost
B) have a profit; average cost
C) have a loss; variable cost
D) have a loss; average cost

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ECON 1B03 Lecture Notes - Lecture 9: Monopoly Profit, Natural Monopoly, Competitive Equilibrium

ECON 1B03 Full Course Notes

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