1. 14 Firms in Competitive Markets CHAPTER
Having introduced the cost concepts in the previous chapter, we now begin to use those concepts to see how firms make production and pricing decisions in different market structures. In this chapter, we explore firm behavior under perfect competition. The next chapter covers the other extreme end of the competition spectrum—monopoly. The following two chapters cover the intermediate cases—oligopoly and monopolistic competition, respectively.
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2. Look for the answers to these questions:
What is a perfectly competitive market?
What is marginal revenue? How is it related to total and average revenue?
How does a competitive firm determine the quantity that maximizes profits?
When might a competitive firm shut down in the short run? Exit the market in the long run?
What does the market supply curve look like in the short run? In the long run?
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3. Introduction: A Scenario
Three years after graduating, you run your own business. You must decide how much to produce, what price to charge, how many workers to hire, etc.
What factors should affect these decisions?
Your costs (studied in preceding chapter)
How much competition you face
We begin by studying the behavior of firms in perfectly competitive markets.
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4. What is a Competitive Market?
Perfectly competitive market:
Market with many buyers and sellers
Trading identical products
Because of the first two: each buyer and seller is a price taker (takes the price as given)
Firms can freely enter or exit the market
“Firms can freely enter or exit the market” means there are no barriers or impediments to entry or exit. E.g., the government does not restrict the number of firms in the market.
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5. Revenue of a Competitive Firm
Total revenue, TR = P ˣ Q
Average revenue, AR = TR / Q
Marginal revenue, MR = ∆TR / ∆Q
Change in TR from an additional unit sold
For competitive firms
AR = P
MR = P
These revenue concepts are analogous to the cost concepts (TC, ATC, MC) in the previous chapter.
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6. Active Learning 1 Calculating TR, AR, MR
Fill in the empty spaces of the table.
$50
$10 5
$40 4 3 2 1
n/a TR P Q MR AR
This easy exercise requires students to apply the definitions from the previous slide.
It also demonstrates that MR = P for a competitive firm.
(The table in this exercise is similar to Table 1 in the chapter.)
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7. Active Learning 1 AnswersQ P
TR = P x Q TR Q
AR =
∆TR ∆Q
MR =
$10
$30
$20
$10 $0
n/a
Notice that MR = P
$10 1
$10
$10 2
$10
$10 3
$10 4
$10
$40
$10 5
$10
$50
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8. MR = P for a Competitive Firm
Can keep increasing its output without affecting the market price.
So, each one-unit increase in Q causes revenue to rise by P, i.e., MR = P.
MR = P is only true for firms in competitive markets
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9. Profit Maximization What Q maximizes a firm’s profit?
Think at the margin
If Q increases by one unit
Revenue rises by MR, cost rises by MC
Compare marginal revenue with marginal cost
If MR > MC: increase Q to raise profit
If MR < MC: decrease Q to raise profit
Maximize profit for Q where MR = MC
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10. MC and the Firm’s Supply Decision
Rule: MR = MC at the profit-maximizing Q.
At Qa, MC < MR.
So, increase Q to raise profit.
At Qb, MC > MR.
So, reduce Q to raise profit.
At Q1, MC = MR.
Changing Q would lower profit. Q
Costs MC Qb P1 MR Qa Q1
This slide is similar to Figure 1 in the chapter. I’ve omitted the AVC and ATC curves (which appear in Figure 1 in the chapter) because they are not needed at this point.
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11. MC and the Firm’s Supply Decision
If price rises to P2,
then the profit-maximizing quantity rises to Q2.
The MC curve determines the firm’s Q at any price.
Hence, the MC curve is the firm’s supply curve
the MC curve is the firm’s supply curve.
Costs MC P2
MR2 Q2 P1 MR Q1 Q
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12. Shutdown vs. Exit Shutdown: Exit: A key difference:
A short-run decision not to produce anything because of market conditions.
Exit:
A long-run decision to leave the market.
A key difference:
If shut down in SR, must still pay FC.
If exit in LR, zero costs.
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13. Short-run Decision to Shut Down
Should a firm shut-down in the short run?
Cost of shutting down = revenue loss
= TR
Benefit of shutting down = cost savings
= VC
(because the firm must still pay FC)
Shut down if TR < VC, or P < AVC
The shutdown rule, in plain English, says:
If the cost of shutting down is less than the benefit, the firm should shut down.
If we divide TR < VC by Q we get: P < AVC
© 2018 Cengage Learning®. May not be scanned, copied or duplicated, or posted to a publicly accessible website, in whole or in part, except for use as permitted in a license distributed with a certain product or service or otherwise on a password-protected website or school-approved learning management system for classroom use.

14. A Competitive Firm’s SR Supply Curve
The firm’s short run supply curve is the portion of its MC curve above AVC. Q
Costs
AVC
If P > AVC, then firm produces Q where P = MC. MC
ATC
If P < AVC, then firm shuts down (produces Q = 0).
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15. The Irrelevance of Sunk Costs
A cost that has already been committed and cannot be recovered
Should be ignored when making decisions
You must pay them regardless of your choice
In the short run, FC are sunk costs
So, FC should not matter in the decision to shut down
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16. A Firm’s Long-Run Decision
Should a firm exit or enter in the long run?
Cost of exiting market = revenue loss = TR
Benefit of exiting market = cost savings = TC (remember, FC = 0 in long run)
Firm’s long-run decision
Exit the market if: TR < TC
(same as: P < ATC)
Enter the market if: TR > TC
(same as: P > ATC)
The decision rule for whether to exit says: If the cost of exiting is greater than the benefit, the firm should exit.
Similarly, a prospective entrant compares the benefits of entering the market (TR) with the costs (TC), and enters if the benefits exceed the costs.
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17. The Competitive Firm’s LR Supply Curve
The firm’s LR supply curve is the portion of its MC curve above LRATC. Q
Costs MC
LRATC
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18. Active Learning 2 Identifying a firm’s profit
Determine this firm’s total profit.
Identify the area on the graph that represents the firm’s profit.
A competitive firm Q
Costs, P MC
ATC
P = $10 MR 50
Rather than tell students that profit equals (P – ATC) x Q, this exercise requires students to figure it out for themselves. $6
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19. Active Learning 2 Answers
A competitive firm Q
Costs, P
Profit per unit = P – ATC = $10 – 6 = $4 MC
ATC
P = $10 MR 50
profit $6
The height of the rectangle is P – ATC, profit per unit.
The width of the rectangle is Q, the number of units.
The area of the rectangle
= height x width
= (profit per unit) x (number of units)
= total profit.
Total profit = (P – ATC) x Q = $4 x 50 = $200
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20. Active Learning 3 Identifying a firm’s loss
Determine this firm’s total loss, assuming AVC < $3. Identify the area on the graph that represents the firm’s loss.
A competitive firm Q
Costs, P MC
ATC
Students who didn’t figure out the answer to the previous exercise should be able to get this one.
Note that the statement “assuming AVC < $3” is needed to prevent shut-down, i.e. to insure that the firm produces Q=30 instead of Q=0. $5 30
P = $3 MR
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21. Active Learning 3 Answers
A competitive firm Q
Costs, P
Total loss = (ATC – P) x Q = $2 x 30 = $60 MC
ATC
The height of the rectangle is ATC – P, loss per unit.
The width of the rectangle is Q, the number of units.
The area of the rectangle
= height x width
= (loss per unit) x (number of units)
= total loss. $5 30
loss
loss per unit = $2 MR
P = $3
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22. Market Supply: Assumptions
All existing firms and potential entrants have identical costs.
Each firm’s costs do not change as other firms enter or exit the market.
The number of firms in the market is
fixed in the short run (due to fixed costs)
variable in the long run (due to free entry and exit)
In the real world, there are many markets in which assumptions (1) and (2) do not hold. We make them here for simplicity. Later in the chapter, we will see how our results change if we drop either of these assumptions.
Assumption (3) is more reasonable: In the real world, it is much easier for firms to enter or exit in the long run than in the short run.
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23. The SR Market Supply Curve
As long as P ≥ AVC
Each firm will produce its profit-maximizing quantity, where MR = MC.
Recall from Chapter 4:
At each price, the market quantity supplied is the sum of quantities supplied by all firms
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24. The SR Market Supply Curve
Example: identical firms
At each P, market Qs = x (one firm’s Qs)
AVC
One firm Q P
(firm)
Market Q P
(market) MC S P3 P3 30
30,000 P2 P2 20
20,000
“Identical” means all firms have the same cost curves.
Note: P1 is minimum AVC. At any price below P1, each firm will shut down, and market quantity supplied will equal zero.
Hence, the market supply curve begins at price = P1 and Q = 10,000. P1 P1 10
10,000
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25. Entry & Exit in the Long Run
In the long run, the number of firms can change due to entry and exit:
If existing firms earn positive economic profit:
New firms enter, SR market supply shifts right
P falls, reducing profits and slowing entry
If existing firms incur losses:
Some firms exit, SR market supply shifts left
P rises, reducing remaining firms’ losses
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26. The Zero-Profit Condition
Long-run equilibrium:
The process of entry or exit is complete
Remaining firms earn zero economic profit
Zero economic profit: when P = ATC
Since firms produce where P = MR = MC
The zero-profit condition is P = MC = ATC
Recall that MC intersects ATC at min ATC
Hence, in the long run, P = min ATC
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27. The Zero-Profit Condition
Why do competitive firms stay in business if they make zero profit?
Profit = total revenue – total cost
Total cost includes all implicit costs like the opportunity cost of the owner’s time and money
Zero-profit equilibrium
Economic profit is zero
Accounting profit is positive
Students often wonder why firms bother to stay in business if they make zero profit. The textbook gives a nice discussion of this, briefly summarized on this slide.
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28. The LR Market Supply Curve
In the long run, the typical firm earns zero profit.
The LR market supply curve is horizontal at P = minimum ATC.
One firm Q P
(firm)
Market Q P
(market) MC
LRATC
P = min. ATC
That the LR market supply curve is horizontal at P = min ATC will become more clear shortly, when students see the SR and LR effects of an increase in demand.
long-run
supply
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29. SR & LR Effects of an Increase in Demand
A firm begins in long-run eq’m…
…but then an increase in demand raises P,…
…leading to SR profits for the firm.
…driving profits to zero and restoring long-run eq’m.
Over time, profits induce entry, shifting S to the right, reducing P…
One firm
Market Q P
(market) Q P
(firm) S1 MC
ATC S2
Profit D2 B P2 P2 Q2 D1 A C P1
long-run
supply P1
This slide replicates Figure 8 from the textbook. In edit mode, the text boxes in the top part of the slide appear to be on top of each other. But in slide-show mode, the text boxes display one at a time.
If students did not previously understand why the LR market supply curve is horizontal, this slide may help.
The last 3 slides in this chapter are Figure 8 from the textbook: (a) is initial condition, (b) is short-run response, and (c ) is the long-run response. They are hidden in presentation mode, but they will print. Q1 Q3
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30. Long-Run Supply Curve Long-run supply curve is horizontal if:
All firms have identical costs, and
And costs do not change as other firms enter or exit the market
Long-run supply curve might slope upward if:
Firms have different costs
Or costs rise as firms enter the market
Here are two of the assumptions we made previously, when we began the process of deriving the LR market supply curve.
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31. Long-Run Supply Curve Firms have different costs
As P rises, firms with lower costs enter the market before those with higher costs.
Further increases in P make it worthwhile for higher-cost firms to enter the market, which increases market quantity supplied.
Hence, LR market supply curve slopes upward
The marginal firm is the firm that would exit the market if the price were any lower.
At any P, for the marginal firm, P = minimum ATC and profit = 0.
For lower-cost firms, profit > 0.
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32. Long-Run Supply Curve Costs rise as firms enter the market
In some industries, the supply of a key input is limited (e.g., amount of land suitable for farming is fixed).
The entry of new firms increases demand for this input, causing its price to rise.
This increases all firms’ costs.
Hence, an increase in P is required to increase the market quantity supplied, so the supply curve is upward-sloping.
Another example: There’s a limited amount of beachfront property. An expansion of the beach resort industry will bid up the price of such property, and raises costs in the industry.
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33. Efficiency of a Competitive Market
Profit-maximization: Q where MC = MR
Perfect competition: P = MR
So, in the competitive equilibrium: P = MC
The competitive equilibrium is efficient
Maximizes total surplus because P = MC
MC is the cost of producing the marginal unit
P is value to buyers of the marginal unit
Recall from Chapter 7: a competitive market equilibrium is efficient. This chapter has shown why: P = MR under perfect competition, so P = MC in the competitive market equilibrium.
In the next chapter, monopoly: pricing and production decisions, deadweight loss, regulation.
Reviewing these concepts now sets the stage for the next few chapters, where firms with market power set their price above marginal cost, leading to market inefficiencies and a potential role for government intervention.
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34. Summary A competitive firm is a price taker
Its revenue is proportional to the amount of output it produces.
P = MR = AR
The firm’s marginal-cost curve is its supply curve
Short run: a firm cannot recover its FC
Shut down temporarily if P < AVC
Long run: the firm can recover both FC and VC
Exit if P < ATC
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35. Summary
In a market with free entry and exit, profit is driven to zero in the long run.
All firms produce at efficient scale, P = min ATC
The number of firms adjusts to satisfy the quantity demanded at this price.
Changes in demand have different effects over different time horizons.
Short run, an increase in demand raises prices and leads to profits (a decrease in demand lowers prices and leads to losses).
Long run: zero-profit equilibrium
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