Chapter 12: Problem 1
What are the three conditions for a market to be perfectly competitive?
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These are the key concepts you need to understand to accurately answer the question.
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Chapter 12: Problem 1
What are the three conditions for a market to be perfectly competitive?
These are the key concepts you need to understand to accurately answer the question.
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In \(2015,\) cocoa prices rose 13 percent from the previous year, the fourth straight year in which prices increased. However, by the end of 2016 cocoa prices fell. Edward George, the head of research at Ecobank, commented, "Everyone's like, wow. There's a lot of cocoa out there." Much of the world's supply of cocoa beans is grown in West Africa. a. Assume that the market for cocoa beans is perfectly competitive and was in long-run equilibrium in 2012 . Draw two graphs: one showing the world market for cocoa beans and one showing the market for the cocoa beans grown by a representative farmer. b. Assume that there was an increase in the worldwide demand for chocolate in \(2013 .\) In the graphs you drew in part (a), show the short-run effect of the demand increase. c. Explain why the supply of cocoa beans increased and the price decreased in \(2016 .\) Show the effect of this increase in supply on the graphs you drew in part (b).
What is the difference between a firm's shutdown point in the short run and in the long run? Why are firms willing to accept losses in the short run but not in the long run?
Frances sells pencils in the perfectly competitive pencil market. Her output per day and her total cost are shown in the following table: $$ \begin{array}{|c|c|} \hline \text { Output per Day } & \text { Total Cost } \\ \hline 0 & \$ 1.00 \\ \hline 1 & 2.50 \\ \hline 2 & 3.50 \\ \hline 3 & 4.20 \\ \hline 4 & 4.50 \\ \hline 5 & 5.20 \\ \hline 6 & 6.80 \\ \hline 7 & 8.70 \\ \hline 8 & 10.70 \\ \hline 9 & 13.00 \\ \hline \end{array} $$ a. If the current equilibrium price in the pencil market is \(\$ 1.80,\) how many pencils will Frances produce, what price will she charge, and how much profit (or loss) will she make? Draw a graph to illustrate your answer. Your graph should be clearly labeled and should include Frances's demand, \(A T C, A V C, M C,\) and \(M R\) curves; the price she is charging; the quantity she is producing; and the area representing her profit (or loss). b. Suppose the equilibrium price of pencils falls to \(\$ 1.00\). Now how many pencils will Frances produce, what price will she charge, and how much profit (or loss) will she make? Show your work. Draw a graph to illustrate this situation, using the instructions in part (a). c. Suppose the equilibrium price of pencils falls to \(\$ 0.25 .\) Now how many pencils will Frances produce, what price will she charge, and how much profit (or loss) will she make?
What is meant by allocative efficiency? What is meant by productive efficiency? Briefly discuss the difference between these two concepts.
Explain why it is true that for a firm in a perfectly competitive market, the profit-maximizing condition \(M R=M C\) is equivalent to the condition \(P=M C\).
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