ECO100Y1 Lecture Notes - Lecture 9: Price Discrimination, Allocative Efficiency, Economic Surplus

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bluegrasshopper710

18 Jan 2018

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1,000 adults willing to pay and 2,000 students willing to pay . Strategy 1: set a single price for all customers. Strategy 2: price discriminate by allowing students to pay with proof of student status. To price discriminate, monopolist (or any firm that faces a downward-sloping demand curve) must find way to segment (separate) its customers. Example: student discounts, with student identification, travel restrictions (weekends, 2 week advance booking) for low air fares. Students have high price elasticity of demand (cid:894)are (cid:862)poor(cid:863)(cid:895) To prevent business travelers, with low price elasticity, from getting low fares. Bank indicates (web site and elsewhere) that the 5-year mortgage rate is 4. 5%. You (cid:373)eet (cid:449)ith a (cid:271)a(cid:374)k (cid:373)a(cid:374)ager a(cid:374)d ask if the (cid:271)a(cid:374)k (cid:272)a(cid:374) (cid:862)do (cid:271)etter(cid:863). The (cid:373)a(cid:374)ager i(cid:373)(cid:373)ediatel(cid:455) offers a lower rate, 4. 25%. Answer: price discrimination (cid:894)custo(cid:373)er (cid:449)ho asks if the (cid:373)a(cid:374)ager (cid:272)a(cid:374) (cid:862)do (cid:271)etter(cid:863) re(cid:448)eals a higher pri(cid:272)e elasti(cid:272)it(cid:455) of demand.

Related Questions

PLEASE ANSWER EACH QUESTION WITH A, B, C, and D. NOT ANSWERING ALL QUESTIONS OR INCORRECT ANSWERS WILL RESULT IN A THUMBS DOWN.

Question 1: Which of the following is not needed for price discrimination to be possible?

		A. The firm must have market power.
		B. The firm must be able to prevent resale and arbitrage.
		C. The firm must eventually learn about its customers' demands.
		D. The firm's customers must have different demand curves.

Question 2: Relative to standard monopoly pricing, first-degree price discrimination results in:

	A.	higher consumer surplus, higher producer surplus, and higher total surplus.
	B.	lower consumer surplus, higher producer surplus, and higher total surplus.
	C.	lower consumer surplus, higher producer surplus, and lower total surplus.
	D.	lower consumer surplus, lower producer surplus, and lower total surplus.

Question 3: Relative to perfect competition, first-degree price discrimination results in:

		A. higher consumer surplus, higher producer surplus, and higher total surplus.
		B. lower consumer surplus, higher producer surplus, and equal total surplus.
		C. lower consumer surplus, higher producer surplus, and equal total surplus.
		D. lower consumer surplus, lower producer surplus, and lower total surplus.

Question 4: If market demand is P = 100 - Q and the firm has a constant marginal cost of 20, then with first-degree price discrimination, the firm's producer surplus will be:

A.	$800.
B.	$1,600.
C.	$2,400.
D.	$3,200.

Question 5: For third-degree discrimination to be possible, which of the following features is not required?

		A. market power
		B. prevention of resale
		C. identification of each customer's demand before purchase
		D. customers with different demand curves

Question 6: A golf course has frequent players whose demand is Q_f = 260 - 0.4P and infrequent players whose demand is Q_i = 10 - 0.1P. The combined market demand is Q = 34 - 0.4P. The marginal cost and average total cost of providing a round of golf are $20. How much higher will the profit be if the golf course uses third-degree price discrimination instead of charging all golfers the same price?

A.	$0
B.	$7.50
C.	$10
D.	$110

Question 7: An airline sells seats on its flights to business travelers whose demand is Q_B = 300 - P and vacation travelers whose demand is Q_V = 150 - 0.5P. The combined market demand is Q = 450 - 1.5P. The marginal cost and average total cost of providing a seat on a flight are $200. How much higher will profit be if the airline uses third-degree price discrimination instead of charging all travelers the same price?

A.	$0
B.	$250
C.	$400
D.	$1,000

Question 8: If a firm practices third-degree price discrimination, the price charged should be higher in the market where demand is:

	A.	Higher.
	B.	Lower.
	C.	More price elastic.
	D.	Less price is elastic.

Question 9: The key difference between markets where third-degree price discrimination is possible and markets where second-degree price discrimination is possible is whether:

		A. resale is possible.
		B. customers have the same demand curves.
		C. firms have market power.
		D. firms can identify customers' demand before the customers make a purchase.

Question 10: For price discrimination via a quantity discount to work:

		A. customers who purchase larger quantities must have relatively elastic demand.
		B. customers who purchase larger quantities must have relatively inelastic demand.
		C. customers who pay a relatively high price must have relatively elastic demand.
		D. customers who pay a relatively low price must have relatively inelastic demand.

Question 11: A firm wants to offer a quantity discount to price-discriminate between buyers who are relatively uninterested in the product and buyers who are obsessively interested in it. The uninterested customers have a demand of Q_U = 30 - 0.5P. The package offered to them contains 10 units of the good at a price of $40 each. Which of the following packages designed for obsessed customers is incentive compatible?

	A.	60 units at a price of $10 each
	B.	40 units at a price of $10 each
	C.	60 units at a price of $20 each
	D.	40 units at a price of $20 each

Question 12: Which of the following conditions do not have to be met in order for indirect price discrimination by versioning to work?

		A.The firm's customers must have different demand curves.
		B. The marginal costs of producing each version of the product must be the same.
		C. The firm must be able to prevent resale.
		D. The firm must have market power.

	Willingness to pay (per month)
	Weight machines	Indoor pool
Abe	$60	$50
Betty	50	125
Chris	25	140

QUESTION 13
This table shows the willingness to pay off the only three potential customers of a firm that runs both a weight room and an indoor swimming pool. The weight room and pool each have a constant marginal cost of $20 per month. Which of the following pricing strategies yields the highest producer surplus?

		A. $60 for the weight room, $140 for the pool, or $175 for both
		B. $50 for the weight room, $125 for the pool, or $165 for both
		C. $25 for the weight room, $50 for the pool, or $70 for both
		D. $60 for the weight room, $130 for the pool, or $175 for both

Question 14: Which of the following features is needed to make bundling a possible price discrimination strategy but is not required for any other price discrimination strategies?

		A. Customers must have identical demand curves.
		B. The firm does not learn about customer demand until after purchase.
		C. Demand for two products must be negatively correlated.
		D. The firm must not have market power.

Question 15: Which of the following features is not needed for price discrimination using a two-part tariff to work?

		A. The firm must have market power.
		B. The firm must be able to prevent resale.
		C. The firm must learn about its customers' demands before purchases are made.
		D. The firm's customers must have different demand curves.

Question 16: A firm faces a market demand curve P = 50 - 5Q. It has a constant marginal cost of $10. Relative to standard monopoly pricing, how would a block pricing strategy where the first four units can be purchased for a price of $30 each, but two more units can be purchased for an additional $20 each change consumer surplus and producer surplus?

		A. Consumer surplus would decrease by $10, and producer surplus would increase by $20.
		B. Consumer surplus would increase by $10, and producer surplus would increase by $20.
		C. Consumer surplus would increase by $20, and producer surplus would increase by $10.
		D. Consumer surplus would increase by $20, and producer surplus would increase by $20.

Question 17: Relative to standard monopoly pricing, block pricing:

		A. decreases consumer surplus, increases producer surplus, and increases total surplus.
		B. increases consumer surplus, increases producer surplus, and increases total surplus.
		C. decreases consumer surplus, increases producer surplus, and decreases total surplus.
		D. decreases consumer surplus, decreases producer surplus, and decreases total surplus.

Question 18: Which of the following results in the highest amount of producer surplus?

	A.	bundling
	B.	third-degree price discrimination
	C.	block pricing
	D.	two-part tariffs

Question 19: Which of the following results in the highest amount of consumer surplus?

	A.	first-degree price discrimination
	B.	third-degree price discrimination
	C.	block pricing
	D.	two-part tariffs

Question 20: Which of the following results in the highest amount of total surplus?

	A.	third-degree price discrimination
	B.	block pricing
	C.	first-degree price discrimination
	D.	bundling

crimsonbadger400

In a perfectly competitive market, in the long run, the marginal cost of a firm becomes equal to its minimum average total cost.

A) True
B) False

Generally, The price a firm charges for its product is equal to its total revenue divided by the number of units sold.

A) True
B) False

In a perfectly competitive firm to maximize profit a firm must make sure that the price it charges does not exceed its marginal cost.

A) True
B) False

Firms in a competitive market can never make economic profits while they may make biasness (accounting) profits.

A) True
B) False

When a perfectly competitive firm is making a positive economic profit its average revenue must be greater than its average total cost.

A) True
B) False

To maximize its profit a firm always produces at the quantity level where it can charge the highest price and earn the greatest revenue; this strategy is consistent with setting is MC equal to price.

A) True
B) False

When a firm in a competitive market is making a positive economic profit its business profit may be positive or negative.

A) True
B) False

In a perfectly competitive market new entries could result in increases in input prices thus making production costs go up.

A) True
B) False

In a perfectly competitive market, in the long run, each firm produces the maximum amount it can produce and charges the lowest price possible. That is why we consider competitive markets efficient.

A) True
B) False

10.

A monopolist always under-produces and charges a price higher than its MC.

A) True
B) False

11.

As the only supplier in the market a monopolist can charge any price it wishes and buyers have no choice but to pay.

A) True
B) False

12.

The marginal revenue is the additional revenue generated by the last unit of labor hired.

A) True
B) False

13.

The price a monopolist charges may or may not be above its average cost but it is always above its MR.

A) True
B) False

14.

When demand curve is a downward-sloping straight line (linear) marginal revenue will be greater than MC at all output leveles.

A) True
B) False

15.

By setting its MR equal to its MC a monopolist determines the output that would maximize its profit.

A) True
B) False

16.

In the long run each competitive firm would produce at the quantity level where its MC is equal to its MR as well as its ATC.

A) True
B) False

17.

A monopoly always makes an economic profit.

A) True
B) False

18.

When a monopoly's ATC is equal to the price it charges it is making normal economic profits.

A) True
B) False

19.

When a monopoly is making a zero economic profit still its MR>ATC.

A) True
B) False

20.

An increase in demand would enable a monopolist to raise its price while reducing its output.

A) True
B) False

21.

The market supply curve in an increasing-cost industry is:

A) a. upward sloping
B) b. downward sloping
C) c. vertical
D) d. horizontal
E) e. none of the above

22.

The total producer surplus is measured by:

A) a. the area between supply and demand curves.
B) b. the difference between the price the consumer is willing and able to pay and the price suppliers wish to charge to maximize their profits.
C) c. the area between the price consumers actually pay and the demand curve.
D) d. the area between the equilibrium market price and the supply curve.
E) e. the consumer willingness to pay as reflected by the equilibrium market price.

23.

. Economists measure economic (social) welfare by the

A) a. net consumer surplus
B) b. sum of consumer and producer surplus
C) c. sum of the net profits made by the industry's competitive firms
D) d. price consumers are willing to pay for one additional unit of a good
E) e. difference between the total consumer surplus and total producer surplus

lilacfish21

1) Assume that two firms (Firm A and Firm B) operate in the U.S. steel industry. The owner of Firm A writes the following letter to the owner of Firm B:

Dear Owner of Firm B,

I have concluded that if we both restrict output such that we each produce only 3 million tons of steel per year, we can both charge a price that will allow us to effectively monopolize the steel market and to maximize our joint profits. If you would like to enter into this agreement with me, please draft a contract that specifies this agreement and I will be more than willing to meet with you and sign it.

Sincerely,

Owner of Firm A

If this letter were sent in the year 1944, the:

a) Owners of both Firm A and Firm B would not be guilty of violating antitrust laws because antitrust laws in 1944 contained exceptions for certain nationally important industries like the steel industry.

b) Owners of both Firm A and Firm B would not be guilty of anything because there were no antitrust laws in existence in 1944.

c) Owner of Firm A would be guilty of violating antitrust laws only if she met with the owner of Firm B and signed the contract, but she would not be guilty if the attempt to monopolize the market failed because the owner of Firm B never responded to the letter.

d) Owner of Firm A would be guilty of violating antitrust laws because she merely attempted to monopolize the steel industry.

e) Owners of both Firm A and Firm B would not be guilty of violating antitrust laws because antitrust laws in 1944 applied only to industries made up of three or more firms.

2) Entry of new firms will continue in a monopolistically competitive industry until:

a) Marginal cost = 0 (zero).

b) Economic profit is negative.

c) Marginal revenue = marginal cost.

d) Economic profit equals zero.

e) Marginal Revenue = 0 (zero).

3) A monopolistically competitive firm usually charges less than a monopoly firm because:

a) It is part of a group of firms that have formally agreed to control the price and the output of a product.

b) Its primary goal is to reap monopoly profits by replacing competition with cooperation.

c) It has a monopoly, but potential entrants exist in the form of contestable markets.

d) It faces some degree of competition due to low barriers to entry.

e) Producing homogenous output is more expensive than producing differentiated output.

4) An example of price discrimination is when:

a) A single box of Froot Loops costs $3.50, but when purchased in a case of six, it costs only $3.00 per box.

b) You can purchase a new PC for half the price of a new Mac, even though they are both computers.

c) Procter & Gamble charges $9 for a bottle of Tide laundry detergent, while the store brand costs the consumer significantly less, despite being somewhat similar products.

d) Out-of-state students pay more for the same education as in-state students.

e)Movie theaters do not allow children into R-rated movies without a parent or guardian.

5) The Varsity, located in downtown Atlanta, is the world's largest drive-in restaurant. Located near the Georgia Tech campus, the drive-in attracts two distinct types of customers: college students and visitors to Atlanta. The owners are considering offering a student discount of $1 off their combo meal, which is regularly priced at $9. There are 5,000 students interested in purchasing a combo meal, with a maximum willingness to pay of $8. There are 5,000 visiting customers interested in purchasing the combo meal, with a maximum willingness to pay of $9. Assume that each customer, at most, will purchase a single meal and the marginal cost is $5. What will be the amount of total revenue for the Varsity if the owners offer a single price of $8 per combo meal?

a) $65,000

b) $85,000

c) $40,000

d) $80,000

e) $90,000

6) A competitive firm would have:

a) More elastic demand than a monopolistically competitive firm.

b) More inelastic demand than a monopolistically competitive firm.

c) A horizontal demand curve.

d) Bowed-in or bowed-out demand.

e) An upward-sloping demand curve.

7) It is unrealistic to regulate a natural monopoly at marginal cost pricing because:

a) The government is not allowed to regulate markets.

b) With this type of regulation, the firm will want to shut down, and that outcome is not desirable for society.

c) Firms do not need to follow regulations from the government.

d) Regulating a market causes more deadweight loss.

e) Marginal cost pricing ends up having the natural monopoly firm earn zero economic profits.

8) Price discrimination allows businesses to make additional profits and allows markets to work more:

a) Efficiently

b) Unfairly

c) Realistically

d) Equitably

e) Independently

9) Antitrust laws are designed to:

a) Increase prices.

b) Promote monopoly practices.

c) Promote awareness of government programs.

d) Promote competition.

e) Decrease output.

10) Barriers to entry:

a) Do not exist for monopolies.

b) Exist for perfectly competitive firms.

c) Restrict the entry of new firms into the market.

d) Always lead to profits.

e) Measure the ability of firms to set the price for a good.

ultramarinemule185

ECO100Y1 Lecture Notes - Lecture 9: Price Discrimination, Allocative Efficiency, Economic Surplus

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