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Essay on Study Guide for Economics

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B. Answers to Short-Answer, Essays, and Problems 1. What are the major features of monopolistic competition compared to pure competition and pure monopoly? In monopolistic competition, there are a relatively large number of firms, not the thousands of firms as in pure competition. The monopolistically competitive firms produce differentiated products, not the standardized products of pure competition. Product differentiation means that monopolistic competitors engage in some price competition because they have some limited “price making” ability based on the less elastic demand for their particular product. This demand, however, is more elastic than the demand for monopolists’ products. Monopolistic competitors, unlike most …show more content…

[text: E p. 488; MI p. 230] 6. Assume that the short run cost and demand data given in the table below confront a monopolistic competitor selling a given product and engaged in a given amount of product promotion. Compute the marginal cost and marginal revenue of each unit of output and enter these figures in the table. Total Marginal Quantity Marginal Output cost cost demanded Price revenue 0 $ 25 0 $60 1 40 $15 1 55 $ 55 2 45 5 2 50 45 3 55 10 3 45 35 4 70 15 4 40 25 5 90 20 5 35 15 6 115 25 6 30 5 7 145 30 7 25 –5 8 180 35 8 20 –15 9 220 40 9 15 –25 10 265 45 10 10 –35 (a) The firm will produce 4 units of output. At that level, marginal revenue ($25) is greater than marginal cost ($15), but as close to equality as possible. Total profit will be $90 ($160 – $70). (b) The demand for the firm’s product will decrease until price equals average cost and total profits are zero. [text: E pp. 488-490; MI pp. 230-232] 7. Assume that the short-run cost and demand data given in the table below confront a monopolistic competitor selling a given product and engaged in a given amount of product promotion. Compute the marginal cost and marginal revenue of each unit of output and enter these figures in the table. Total Marginal Quantity Marginal Output cost cost demanded Price revenue 0 $ 75 0 $180 1 120 $ 45 1 165 $ 165 2 135 15 2

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