ECON 1116 Chapter Notes - Chapter 10: Social Cost, Demand Curve, Economic Surplus

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lilacmule890

14 Mar 2016

School

Northeastern University

Department

Economics

Course

ECON 1116

Professor

Pritchard Robert

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Document Summary

Externality arises when a person engages in an activity that influences the well-being of a bystander but neither pays nor receives any compensation for that affect. Positive externality: the impact on the bystander is beneficial. Negative externality: the impact on the bystander is adverse (cid:1) In terms of externalities equilibrium fails to maximize the total benefit to society as a whole. (cid:1) (cid:1) Producing less and the cost of the product will be higher than society values it. Producing more and the social cost will be higher than how much society values it: by taxing a negative externality would shift the supply curve upward to the coincide with the social cost curve. Positive externalities: in a market with a positive externality the social-value curve lies above the demand curve, the optimal quantity is found where the social-value curve and the supply curve intersect.

Related Questions

1. The marginal product of labor is:

A. equal to the demand for labor.

B. the payment made to workers for their contribution to the output they produce.

C. the change in a firm's revenue as a result of hiring one more worker.

D. the additional output a firm produces as a result of hiring one more worker.

2. What does the phrase "internalizing an external cost" mean?

A. limiting the extent to which domestic firms can outsource production

B. prohibiting economic activities that create externalities

C. finding a way to address cross-border pollution

D. forcing producers to factor into their production costs the cost of the externalities created in the production of their output

3. The highest-valued alternative that must be given up to engage in an activity is the definition of

A. implicit cost

B. opportunity cost.

C. utility.

D. economic sacrifice.

4. What is market failure?

A. It refers to the inability of the market to allocate resources efficiently up to the point where marginal social benefit equals marginal private cost.

B. It refers to a situation where an entire sector of the economy (for example, the airline industry) collapses because of some unforeseen event.

C. It refers to a breakdown in a market economy because of widespread corruption in government.

D. It refers to the inability of the market to allocate resources efficiently up to the point where marginal social benefit equals marginal social cost.

5. 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 the last worker hired increases output by three units per hour, then to maximize profits the firm should

A. lay off some of its workers.

B. does not change the number of workers it currently hires.

C. hire additional workers.

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

6. When the price of summer tank tops falls and you buy more of them because they are relatively less expensive, this is called

A. the deadweight loss effect.

B. the income effect.

C. the substitution effect.

D. the elasticity effect.

7. An externality is

A. a benefit realized by the purchaser of a good or service.

B. a benefit or cost experienced by someone who is not a producer or consumer of a good or service.

C. a cost paid for by the producer of a good or service.

D. anything that is external or not relevant to the production of a good or service.

8. Firms pay famous individuals to endorse their products because

A. apparently demand is affected not just by the number of people who use a product but also by the type of person that uses the product. '

B. famous people only consume high-quality products.

C. famous people obviously know what are the best goods and services.

D. the firms are irrational and are wasting advertising expenditures.

9. If a consumer receives 20 units of utility from consuming two candy bars, and 25 units of utility from consuming three candy bars, the marginal utility of the second candy bar is

A. 25 utility units.

B. 20 utility units.

C. 5 utility units.

D. unknown as more information is needed to determine the answer.

10. When there is a negative externality, the private cost of production ________ the social cost of production.

A. is less than

B. is greater than

C. eliminates

D. is equal to

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17. Which of the following is a determinant of supply?

A. Tastes and preferences

B. Price of a complementary good

C. Consumer income

D. Technology

18. A market is in equilibrium:

A. provided there is no surplus of the product

B. at all prices above that shown by the intersection of the supply and demand curves

C. if the amount producers want to sell is equal to the amount consumers want to buy

D. whenever the demand curve is downsloping and the supply curve is upsloping.

19. If the market price is above the equilibrium price:

A. A shortage will occur and producers will produce more and lower prices

B. A surplus will occur and producers will produce less and lower prices

C. A surplus will result and consumers will bid prices up

D. Producers will make extremely high profits

20. The market system automatically corrects a surplus condition in a competitive market by:

A. Raising the price of the commodity in question while increasing the quantity demanded

B. Raising the price of the commodity in question while decreasing the quantity demanded

C. Reducing the price of the commodity in question while increasing the quantity demanded

D. Reducing the price of the commodity in question while decreasing the quantity demanded

21. The price elasticity of demand measures:

A. buyer responsiveness to price changes.

B. the extent to which demand curve shifts as incomes change.

C. the slope of the demand curve.

D. how far business executives can stretch their fixed costs

22. The elasticity of demand for a product is likely to be greater:

A. if the product is a necessity, rather than a luxury good.

B. the greater the amount of time over which buyers adjust to a price change

C. the smaller the proportion of one's income spent on the product.

D. the smaller the number of substitute products available.

23. Market failure is said to occur whenever:

A. private markets do not allocate resources in the most economically desirable way

B. prices rise

C. some consumers who want a good do not obtain it because the price is higher than they are willing to pay

D. government intervenes in the functioning of private markets.

24. A negative externality or spillover cost occurs when:

A. firms fail to achieve allocative efficiency.

B. firms fail to achieve productive efficiency.

C. the price of the good exceeds the marginal cost of producing it.

D. the total cost of producing a good exceeds the costs borne by the producer

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Question 1

Which compensation method helps to explain the large difference between the salaries of top-level managers and mid-level managers in a firm?

	A.	Tournaments
	B.	New blood
	C.	Piece rate
	D.	Backloaded compensation

3 points

Question 2

Please consider the information provided under Question 19 in Chapter 3 (page 54). Based on the stated information, the optimal number of bees kept if the externality is ignored by Yung is 5,000. Is the socially optimal number of bees higher or lower than 5,000?

	A.	We do not have enough information to answer this question
	B.	Same
	C.	Lower
	D.	Higher

3 points

Question 3

Which of the following factors contribute to the existence of firms?

	A.	All of these factors contribute to firm existence
	B.	Risks associated with specialization
	C.	Incomplete contracts
	D.	Willingness of some people to take on risk in exchange for residual income

3 points

Question 4

Public goods are often subject to free-rider problems because these goods are:

	A.	Non-rival and non-excludable
	B.	Rival and non-excludable
	C.	Non-rival and excludable
	D.	Rival and excludable

3 points

Question 5

Which of the following is the most efficient mechanism for allocating scarce goods?

	A.	Government allocation system
	B.	First-come-first-served system
	C.	Market system
	D.	Random allocation system

3 points

Question 6

Many years ago, most of the major Hollywood movie studios also owned chains of local movie theaters across the US. Today, most of the local movie theaters are owned by other companies. What has happened to the degree of integration in the movie industry over time?

	A.	Less horizontally integrated
	B.	Less vertically integrated
	C.	More horizontally integrated
	D.	More vertically integrated

3 points

Question 7

Your firm produces replacement parts for the nuclear submarines operated by the US Navy. Which one of Porter's Five Forces will be most prominent in determining your strategies and profitability?

	A.	Bargaining Power of Suppliers
	B.	Bargaining Power of Customers
	C.	Threat of New Entrants
	D.	Threat of Substitutes

3 points

Question 8

Which of the following statements is NOT true?

	A.	The market mechanism for allocating resources is most efficient due to the incentives it creates.
	B.	Markets are always the most efficient way to allocate goods, even if the market is not perfectly competitive.
	C.	The random allocation mechanism provides no incentives at all.
	D.	The government allocation mechanism provides no incentive for the economy to grow.

3 points

Question 9

Suppose a firm's cost structure exhibits economies of scope. Which of the following actions is compatible with this cost structure?

Diversify into other product lines

Focus on core competencies and reduce production

Focus on core competencies and maintain constant production

Focus on core competencies and expand production

Question 10

Please refer to Table 8.3 on page 132 in the book. Suppose we change the payoffs in the "low price, low price" cell to 0, 25 from 0, 0. Does this change the Nash equilibrium for the game, and is the game still a Prisoner's Dilemma?

	A.	Equilibrium changes, still a Prisoner's Dilemma
	B.	Equilibrium changes, no longer a Prisoner's Dilemma
	C.	Same equilibrium, no longer a Prisoner's Dilemma
	D.	Same equilibrium, still a Prisoner's Dilemma

3 points

Question 11

Which of the following statements about restricting entry to markets is NOT true?

	A.	Brand identity and logos are expensive to establish, and entrants may find it very expensive to establish comparable position in the market.
	B.	Predatory pricing is illegal but very difficult to prove in court
	C.	Branded products tend to have more elastic demand, which makes it more difficult for entrants to charge high prices and they must stay out of the market.
	D.	A low-quality seller cannot effectively use a warranty program to keep other firms out of its market

3 points

Question 12

Your firm earns $2 million per quarter in total revenue, and your accounting profits are $100,000 per quarter. You do not charge the firm for the use of an old building that you own because it is 50 years old and fully depreciated. However, another firm has offered you $200,000 per quarter to use the facility, and this is the market rental rate for similar facilities. In this case, we know that your:

	A.	Opportunity costs are positive and economic profits are negative
	B.	Opportunity costs and economic profits are positive
	C.	Opportunity costs are negative and economic profits are positive
	D.	Opportunity costs and economic profits are negative

3 points

Question 13

Please refer to Question 13 in Chapter 1 (page 17). What is the marginal cost of reducing global warming by 0.017 degrees?

	A.	MC = 60
	B.	MC = 5
	C.	We do not have enough information to answer this question
	D.	MC = 50

3 points

Question 14

In Chapter 6, Boyes focuses on negative externalities such as the various types of pollution. However, as we discussed during our online session, we can also observe positive externalities in which external benefits are generated for people. Which of the following is NOT an example of a positive externality?

	A.	Workers can help one another to "cover the phones" and make sure that someone is always available to help clients
	B.	Workers can provide ideas to one another about how to solve problems
	C.	All of these cases are examples of positive externalities
	D.	Workers can form carpools and use other means to reduce commuting costs

3 points

Question 15

Common property resources are:

	A.	Non-rival and non-excludable
	B.	Non-rival and excludable
	C.	Rival and non-excludable
	D.	Rival and excludable

3 points

Question 16

The free-rider problem arises in markets for common property resources.

	A.	False
	B.	True

3 points

Question 17

Firms that set their product price below the actual cost of production may be engaging in:

	A.	Predatory pricing
	B.	Monopoly pricing
	C.	Moral hazard
	D.	Dollar-cost averaging

3 points

Question 18

Under a cap-and-trade mechanism to control air pollution, what happens to the price of pollution rights if the supply of righs is reduced (i.e., the supply of rights is reduced)?

Increases

Decreases

No change

Question 19

The key method for a manufacturing firm to avoid hold-up problems is to have another source of inputs.

	A.	False
	B.	True

3 points

Question 20

Your firm sells luxury autos, and you have asked the marketing department to develop and stronger brand identity through a new ad campaign. After the campaign has run for 6 months, you hire an economic consultant to study the impact of the campaign on the demand for your autos. The consultant reports that the demand for your cars is now more elastic than it was 6 months ago. Was the new ad campaign successful?

	A.	Yes
	B.	No

ECON 1116 Chapter Notes - Chapter 10: Social Cost, Demand Curve, Economic Surplus

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