ECO101H1 Lecture Notes - Lecture 10: Labour Economics, Marginal Product, W. M. Keck Observatory
ECO101H1 Full Course Notes
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1. In a market economy, the high salaries of some star baseball players such as Adrian Gonzalez, are determined by
| Ā | Ā |
Team owners, based on the total number of star athletes they plan to hire. |
| Ā | B |
advertising companies, based on what they are willing to pay to advertise their products at baseball games. |
| Ā | C |
the interaction of the demand for star athletes and the supply of star athletes. |
| Ā | D |
consumers, based on their willingness to watch baseball games. |
2. Demand in factor markets differs from demand in product markets in that
| Ā | A |
the demand for a factor of production is difficult to determine. |
|
B |
Ā |
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 |
Ā |
demand for a factor of production is based on the tastes and preferences of firms. |
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D |
Ā |
demand for a factor of production is based on the tastes and preferences of resource owners. |
| Ā | Ā | Ā |
3. The demand for labor is described as a derived demand because
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A |
Ā |
it is derived by workers seeking to earn income to fund the consumption of goods and services. |
|
B |
Ā |
it is derived by producers seeking to make profits by starting new businesses. |
|
C |
Ā |
it is derived from the demand for products that use labor in the production process. |
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D |
Ā |
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?
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A |
Ā |
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. |
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B |
Ā |
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 |
Ā |
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 |
Ā |
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 |
Ā |
the output price multiplied by the total product of labor. |
|
B |
Ā |
the output price multiplied by the number of workers hired. |
|
C |
Ā |
the change in total revenue that results from hiring another worker. |
|
D |
Ā |
the marginal cost of production. |
6. What is the difference between labor's marginal product and marginal revenue product?
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A |
Ā |
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 |
Ā |
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 |
Ā |
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 |
Ā |
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 |
Ā |
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 |
Ā |
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 |
Ā |
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 |
Ā |
There is no difference between the two terms. |
Considering the demand side of a market for a good, it is reasonable to expect that:
i. demand curves for a given good are identical between consumers
ii. demand curves for a given good differ between consumers
iii. an individual has identical demand curves for different goods
iv. an individual has different demand curves for different goods
| i |
| ii |
| iii |
| iv |
| i and iii |
| ii and iv |
Suppose the market demand curve for a good is represented by the linear equation Q = 60 - 0.75P. If the market price were to increase from P = $20 to P = $40, then holding all other factors constant:
| the quantity demanded would decrease by 10 units and total expenditures on the good would decrease by $400 |
| the quantity demanded would decrease by 15 units and total expenditures on the good would increase by $300 |
| the quantity demanded would decrease by 30 units and total expenditures on the good would increase by $1200 |
| the quantity demanded would increase by 20 units and total expenditures on the good would decrease by $800 |
| the quantity demanded would increase by 10 units and total expenditures on the good would increase by $100 |
| the quantity demanded would increase by 25 units and total expenditures on the good would increase by $1000 |
A perfectly competitive firms supply curve for a good identifies the:
i. minimum quantity supplied at each price, holding all other factors constant
ii. firms minimum willingness to accept for each incremental unit of the good (e.g., the first unit, second unit, etc.), holding all other factors constant
iii. maximum quantity supplied at each price, holding all other factors constant
iv. firms maximum willingness to accept for each incremental unit of the good (e.g., the first unit, second unit, etc.), holding all other factors constant
| i and ii |
| i and iv |
| ii and iii |
| iii and iv |
Considering the supply side of a market for a good, if a firms supply curve were vertical, then:
| the law of supply holds, and quantity supplied is completely insensitive to changes in price |
| the law of supply holds, and quantity supplied is highly sensitive to changes in price |
| the law of supply fails to hold, and quantity supplied is completely insensitive to changes in price |
| the law of supply fails to hold, and quantity supplied is highly sensitive to changes in price |
| none of the above |
The determinants of supply are:
i. factors other than price that will affect the quantity of a good or service a firm is willing and able to purchase
ii. factors that affect a producers maximum willingness-to-accept to produce various quantities of a good
iii. factors that affect a producers minimum willingness-to-accept to produce various quantities of a good
| i |
| ii |
| iii |
| i and ii |
| i and iii |
The market supply curve for a good is derived by:
i. horizontally summing the supply curves of the individual firms in the market
ii. vertically summing the supply curves of the individual firms in the market
iii. summing the quantity supplied by each firm at a given price and then repeating this over the range of prices
| i |
| ii |
| iii |
| i and ii |
| i and iii |
If the level of technology used in the production of a good improves, and assuming the quality of the good does not change, then:
i. more output may be obtained with a given amount of inputs compared to before the technological improvement
ii. a given amount of output may be obtained with fewer inputs compared to before the technological improvement
iii. the firm will increase its use of other inputs, such as the number of workers it employs
iv. market demand for the good will increase
| i |
| ii |
| iii |
| iv |
| i and ii |
| i, ii, and iii |
| i, ii, and iv |
| i, ii, iii, and iv |
Considering the market for gasoline, which of the following would result in an increase in market supply?
i. a decrease in the price of gasoline
ii. an improvement in oil extraction and refining technologies
iii. an increase in the wage rates paid to gasoline refinery workers
iv. a decrease in the price of crude oil, a key input used to produce gasoline
v. the imposition of a federal gasoline tax aimed a decreasing the emission of greenhouse gases
| i |
| ii |
| iii |
| iv |
| v |
| ii and iv |
| i, ii, and iv |
| i, ii, iii, and iv |
| i, ii, iii, iv and v |
Suppose a market has two identical sellers. If each sellers supply function is given by P = 20 + Q, then the market supply function is:
| P = 20 + 0.5Q |
| P = 20 + 2Q |
| P = 40 + Q |
| P = 40 + 2Q |
From the market framework discussed in class and the readings, it may be concluded that in order for a good to be exchanged between a seller and a buyer, it must be that:
| buyer maximum willingness-to-pay is greater than seller minimum willingness-to-accept |
| buyer maximum willingness-to-pay is greater than or equal to seller minimum willingness-to-accept |
| buyer minimum willingness-to-pay is greater than or equal to seller maximum willingness-to-accept |
| buyer minimum willingness-to-pay is greater than seller maximum willingness-to-accept |
If the market demand function is given by P = 80 - 0.3Q and the market supply is given by P = 20 + 0.1Q, then the equilibrium price and quantity are:
| P = $35 and Q = 150 |
| P = $65 and Q = 150 |
| P = $26 and Q = 60 |
| P = $28 and Q = 80 |
Of concern are the affects of sustained summer droughts on the domestic supply of wheat. Noting that wheat is a primary ingredient in the production of bread and that potatoes are a substitute for bread, if the supply of wheat declines then it is reasonable to expect:
| the price of wheat to fall, the supply of bread to increase, and the demand for potatoes to increase |
| the price of wheat to fall, the supply of bread to increase, and the demand for potatoes to decrease |
| the price of wheat to rise, the supply of bread to decrease, and the demand for potatoes to decrease |
| the price of wheat to rise, the supply of bread to decrease, and the demand for potatoes to increase |
| the price of wheat to rise, the supply of bread to increase, and the demand for potatoes to increase |
| the price of wheat to rise, the supply of bread to increase, and the demand for potatoes to decrease |
Suppose a perfectly competitive market is initially in equilibrium. If market demand and supply decrease simultaneously, then equilibrium:
| price will rise, but the equilibrium quantity may either rise, fall, or remain unchanged |
| quantity will rise, but the equilibrium price may either rise, fall, or remain unchanged |
| price will fall, but the equilibrium quantity may either rise, fall, or remain unchanged |
| quantity will fall, but the equilibrium price may either rise, fall, or remain unchanged |
Considering the demand side of a market for a good, the consumer surplus derived by an individual:
i. is the difference between the maximum amount the consumer is willing to pay on each unit and the minimum prices that producers are willing to accept
ii. is the difference between the minimum amount the consumer is willing to pay on each unit and the price he/she
actually pays
iii. is the difference between the maximum amount the consumer is willing to pay on each unit and the price he/she actually pays
iv. will decrease if price increases
| i |
| ii |
| iii |
| i and iv |
| ii and iv |
| iii and iv |
Suppose the market demand for a good is described by the equation P = 120 - 2Q. If a change in market supply results in price decreasing from P0 = $80 to P1 = $70, then the resulting change in consumer surplus is:
| $225 |
| $400 |
| $575 |
| $625 |
| $750 |
