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1. Three managers of a beer producing company are discussing a possible increase in production. Each suggests a way to make this decision. H: We should examine whether our companys productivity (gallons of beer per worker) would rise or fall. R: We should examine whether our average cost would rise or fall. T: We should examine whether the extra revenue from selling the additional beer would be greater or smaller than the extra costs. Whose opinion would you support? 2. The Clean Springs Water Company has a monopoly on bottled water sales in California. If the price of tap water increases, what is the change in Clean Springs' profit-maximizing levels of output, price, and profit? Explain in words and with a graph. 3. Jimmy Jazz and the Repercussions (a band from Tadcaster) have just finished recording their first CD. Their record company's marketing department determines that the demand for the CD is as follows:
Number of CDs
Price
24 22 20 18 16 14
The company can produce the CD with no fixed cost and a variable cost of 5 per CD. a. Find total revenue for quantity equal to 10,000, 20,000, and so on. What is the marginal revenue for each 10,000 increase in the quantity sold? b. What quantity of CDs would maximize profit? What would the price be? What would the profit be? c. If the band had an agent, and if you were the band's agent, what recording fee would you advise them to demand from the record company? Why? 4. Larry, Curly, and Moe run the only saloon in town. Larry wants to sell as many drunks as possible without losing money. Curly wants the saloon to bring in as much revenue as possible. Moe wants to make the largest possible profits. Using a single diagram of the saloons demand curve and its cost curves, show the price and quantity combinations favoured by each of the three partners. Explain. 5. Paul is the manager of Alpha Company, a firm that has a monopoly in the market for bicycle breaks thanks to a patented innovative technology. The owner of the firm, David, hires a consulting company to estimate the price elasticity of bicycle brakes. The consultants find that a 10% increase in the price would decrease demand by 5%. As a result, David decides to fire Paul and hire a new manager. Why? If you were Paul, what could you argue to convince David not to fire you?
Product 1 Product 2
a. What is the monopoly price and the monopoly profits if the two products are sold separately? b. What happens if the firm bundles the two products and sell them as a single product?
7. Your cousin Vinnie owns a painting company with fixed costs of 200 and the following schedule for variable costs: Quantity of Houses Painted per Month Variable Costs 1 2 3 40 4 80 5 6 7
10 20
Calculate average fixed cost, average variable cost, and average total cost for each quantity. What is the efficient scale of the painting company? 8. You go out to the best restaurant in town and order a lobster dinner for 40. After eating half of the lobster, you realize that you are quite full. Your date wants you to finish your dinner, because you cant take it home and because youve already paid for it. What should you do? Relate your answer to the notion of sunk and recoverable costs. 9. Singer Britney Spears has monopoly over a scarce resource: herself. She is the only person who can produce a Britney Spears concert. Does this fact imply that the government should regulate the price of her concerts? Why or why not? 10. Suppose that you and a classmate are assigned a project on which you will receive one combined grade. You each want to receive a good grade, but you also want to do as little work as possible. The decision box and payoffs are as follows:
Shirk
You get B, fun
Assume that having fun is your normal state, but having no fun is as unpleasant as receiving a grade that is two letters lower. a. Write out the decision box that combines the letter grade and the amount of fun you have into a single payoff for each outcome. b. If neither you nor your classmate knows how much work the other person is doing, what is the likely outcome? Does it matter whether you are likely to work with this person again? Explain your answer.