DiscussionTopic: Real-World MonopoliesDescribe an example of a real-world industry or market that would be considered by economists to be a natural monopoly.What characteristics of the industry make i

Unit 8 Assignment: Break–even Price and Shut–down Price

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Course Number and Section: BU224–0X

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In this Assignment, you will be assessed on the following outcomes:

BU224-3: Examine how changes in the cost of production affect pricing and production quantity decisions of a firm in a perfectly competitive market.

GEL-8.5: Apply critical thinking to the field of study.

Assignment

In this Assignment, you will define and calculate the remaining six major cost elements of a business, when given the Total Costs and the Quantity Produced, as well as to use the computed costs to determine a minimum cost output level for that business. In addition, you will compute both the break-even price and the shut-down price for a hypothetical business in a perfectly competitive market, and determine if that business would incur an economic profit at various market prices, and should the firm continue to produce at each of those price levels.

Questions

Table 2.a. shows an LED light bulb manufacturer’s total cost of producing LED light bulbs.

1. What is this manufacturer’s fixed cost? Explain why. The manufactured fixed is $4,500. Fixed cost is the cost at zero quanity, neither does it not depend on the quanity.

1. Assuming that you only know the Total Costs (TC) (as is shown in the Table 2.a. above) explain how you would calculate each of the following:

1. 1. Variable Cost (VC); Total Cost – Fixed Cost = Variable Cost

1. 1. Average Variable Cost (AVC); Total Cost – Fixed Cost/Quantity= Average Variable Cost

1. 1. Average Total Cost (ATC); Total Costs / Quantity = Average Total Cost

1. 1. Average Fixed Cost (AFC); and, Total Costs – Variable Cost / Quantity = Average Fixed Cost

1. 1. Marginal Costs (of a single case). Change in the Total Costs / Change in Quantity = Marginal Costs

1. In Table 3.a., for each level of output, insert into the table the values for:

1. 1. the Variable Cost (VC);

   2. the Average Variable Cost (AVC);

   3. the Average Total Cost (ATC); and,

   4. the Average Fixed Cost (AFC).

1. 1. Given the information you computed in Table 3.a., what is the minimum cost output Level? Explain why. The minimum cost output Level is 60. The minimum cost output is the quantity of output that corresponds to the minimum average total cost of $111.67.

1. Brenda Smith operates her own farm, raising chickens and producing eggs. She sells her eggs at the local farmers’ market, where there are several other egg producers’ also selling eggs by the dozen. (Brenda operates in a perfectly competitive market in which she is a “price taker.”) In order to make sure she does not lose money on selling eggs, she does an analysis of her costs for producing eggs as shown on Table 4.a.

1. 1. What is Brenda’s break-even price for a dozen of eggs? Explain how you found that answer.

1. 1. What is Brenda’s shut-down price for a dozen of eggs? Explain how you found that answer.

1. 1. If the market price of a dozen eggs at the local farmers’ market is $1.45 per dozen, will Brenda make an economic profit? Explain how you determined your answer.

1. 1. If the market price of a dozen eggs at the local farmers’ market is $1.45 per dozen, should Brenda continue producing eggs in the short run? Explain how you determined your answer.

1. 1. If the market price of a dozen eggs at the local farmers’ market is 72 cents per dozen, will Brenda make an economic profit? Explain how you determined your answer.

1. 1. If the market price of a dozen eggs at the local farmers’ market is 72 cents per dozen, should Brenda continue producing eggs in the short run? Explain how you determined your answer.

1. 1. If the market price of a dozen eggs at the local farmers’ market is 64 cents per dozen, will Brenda make an economic profit? Explain how you determined your answer.

1. 1. If the market price of a dozen eggs at the local farmers’ market is 64 cents per dozen, should Brenda continue producing eggs in the short run? Explain how you determined your answer.

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