Principles of

Economics

Wojciech Gerson (1831-1901)

N. Gregory Mankiw

14
CHAPTER Firms in
Competitive Markets
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 In this chapter,
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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 Characteristics of Perfect Competition

1. Many buyers and many sellers.

2. The goods offered for sale are largely the same.

3. Firms can freely enter or exit the market.

 Because of 1 & 2, each buyer and seller is a

“price taker” – takes the price as given.

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 The Revenue of a Competitive Firm
 Total revenue (TR) TR = P x Q

 Average revenue (AR) TR

AR = =P
Q
 Marginal revenue (MR):
The change in TR from ∆TR
MR =
selling one more unit. ∆Q

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 ACTIVE LEARNING 1
Calculating TR, AR, MR
Fill in the empty spaces of the table.

Q P TR AR MR

0 $10 n/a

1 $10 $10

2 $10

3 $10

4 $10 $40
$10
5 $10 $50
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 ACTIVE LEARNING 1 Notice that
Answers MR = P
Fill in the empty spaces of the table.
TR ∆TR
Q P TR = P x Q AR = MR =
Q ∆Q
0 $10 $0 n/a
$10
1 $10 $10 $10
$10
2 $10 $20 $10
$10
3 $10 $30 $10
$10
4 $10 $40 $10
$10
5 $10 $50 $10
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 MR = P for a Competitive Firm
 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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 Profit Maximization
 What Q maximizes the firm’s profit?
 To find the answer, “think at the margin.”
If Q increases by one unit,
revenue rises by MR,
cost rises by MC.
 If MR > MC, then increase Q to raise profit.
 If MR < MC, then reduce Q to raise profit.

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 Profit Maximization
(continued from earlier exercise)

Q TR TC Profit MR MC
∆Profit =
At any Q with MR – MC
MR > MC,
0 $0 $5 –$5
increasing Q $10 $4 $6
raises profit. 1 10 9 1
10 6 4
2 20 15 5
At any Q with 10 8 2
MR < MC, 3 30 23 7
10 10 0
reducing Q 4 40 33 7
raises profit. 10 12 –2
5 50 45 5

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 MC and the Firm’s Supply Decision
Rule: MR = MC at the profit-maximizing Q.

At Qa, MC < MR. Costs

So, increase Q MC
to raise profit.
At Qb, MC > MR.
So, reduce Q
P1 MR
to raise profit.
At Q1, MC = MR.
Changing Q Q
would lower profit. Qa Q1 Qb

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 MC and the Firm’s Supply Decision
If price rises to P2,
then the profit- Costs
maximizing quantity MC
rises to Q2.
P2 MR2
The MC curve
determines the
firm’s Q at any price. P1 MR
Hence,
the MC curve is the
firm’s supply curve. Q
Q1 Q2

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 Shutdown vs. Exit
 Shutdown:
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 the short run, must still pay FC.
 If exit in the long run, zero costs.

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 A Firm’s Short-run Decision to Shut Down
 Cost of shutting down: revenue loss = TR
 Benefit of shutting down: cost savings = VC
(firm must still pay FC)
 So, shut down if TR < VC
 Divide both sides by Q: TR/Q < VC/Q
 So, firm’s decision rule is:

Shut down if P < AVC

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 A Competitive Firm’s SR Supply Curve
The firm’s SR
supply curve is
the portion of Price
its MC curve MC
above AVC.

If P > AVC, then ATC

firm produces Q AVC
where P = MC.

If P < AVC, then

firm shuts down
Q
(produces Q = 0).

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 The Irrelevance of Sunk Costs
 Sunk cost: a cost that has already been
committed and cannot be recovered
 Sunk costs should be irrelevant to decisions;
you must pay them regardless of your choice.
 FC is a sunk cost: The firm must pay its fixed
costs whether it produces or shuts down.
 So, FC should not matter in the decision to shut
down.

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 A Firm’s Long-Run Decision to Exit
 Cost of exiting the market: revenue loss = TR
 Benefit of exiting the market: cost savings = TC
(zero FC in the long run)
 So, firm exits if TR < TC
 Divide both sides by Q to write the firm’s
decision rule as:
Exit if P < ATC

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 A New Firm’s Decision to Enter Market
 In the long run, a new firm will enter the market if
it is profitable to do so: if TR ≥ TC.
 Divide both sides by Q to express the firm’s
entry decision as:
Enter if P ≥ ATC

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 The Competitive Firm’s Supply Curve

The firm’s Price

LR supply curve
is the portion of MC
its MC curve
above ATC. ATC

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 ACTIVE LEARNING 2
Identifying a firm’s profit
A competitive firm
Determine
this firm’s Costs, P
total profit. MC
Identify the P = $10 MR
area on the ATC
graph that
$6
represents
the firm’s
profit.
Q
50
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 ACTIVE LEARNING 2
Answers
A competitive firm
Costs, P
Profit per unit MC

P = $10 MR
= P – ATC ATC
= $10 – 6 profit
= $4 $6

Total profit
= (P – ATC) x Q
= $4 x 50 Q
50
= $200
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 ACTIVE LEARNING 3
Identifying a firm’s loss

Determine A competitive firm

this firm’s Costs, P
total loss, MC
assuming
AVC < $3.
ATC
Identify the
area on the $5
graph that
P = $3 MR
represents
the firm’s
loss. Q
30
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 ACTIVE LEARNING 3
Answers

A competitive firm
Costs, P
Total loss MC
= (ATC – P) x Q
= $2 x 30 ATC
= $60
$5
loss loss per unit = $2
P = $3 MR

Q
30
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 Market Supply: Assumptions
1) All existing firms and potential entrants have
identical costs.
2) Each firm’s costs do not change as other firms
enter or exit the market.
3) 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)

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 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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 The SR Market Supply Curve
Example: 1000 identical firms
At each P, market Qs = 1000 x (one firm’s Qs)

One firm Market

P MC P S
P3 P3

P2 P2
AVC
P1 P1
Q Q
10 20 30 (firm) (market)

10,000 20,000 30,000

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 Entry and Exit in the Long Run
 In the LR, 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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 The Zero-Profit Condition
 Long-run equilibrium:
The process of entry or exit is complete—
remaining firms earn zero economic profit.
 Zero economic profit occurs when P = ATC.
 Since firms produce where P = MR = MC,
the zero-profit condition is P = MC = ATC.
 Recall that MC intersects ATC at minimum ATC.
 Hence, in the long run, P = minimum ATC.

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 Why Do Firms Stay in Business
if Profit = 0?
 Recall, economic profit is revenue minus all
costs, including implicit costs like the opportunity
cost of the owner’s time and money.
 In the zero-profit equilibrium,
 firms earn enough revenue to cover these costs

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 The LR Market Supply Curve
In the long run, The LR market supply
the typical firm curve is horizontal at
earns zero profit. P = minimum ATC.

One firm Market

P MC P

LRATC
P=
long-run
min. supply
ATC

Q Q
(firm) (market)
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 Short-Run Effects of an Increase in Demand

P One firm P Market

MC S1

Profit ATC B
P2 P2
A
P1 P1

D2
D1
Q Q
(firm) Q1 Q2 (market)
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 Long-Run Effects of an Increase in Demand

P One firm P Market

MC S1

S2
ATC B
P2
A C long-run
P1 P1 supply
D2
D1
Q Q
(firm) Q1 Q2 Q3 (market)
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 CONCLUSION:
The Efficiency of a Competitive Market
 Profit-maximization: MC = MR
 Perfect competition: P = MR
 Competitive equilibrium: P = MC
 Recall, MC is cost of producing the marginal unit.
P is value to buyers of the marginal unit.
 So, the competitive equilibrium is efficient,
maximizes total surplus.

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 Summary
• For a firm in a perfectly competitive market,
price = marginal revenue = average revenue.
• If P ≥ AVC, a firm maximizes profit by producing
the quantity where MR = MC. If P < AVC, a firm
will shut down in the short run.
• If P < ATC, a firm will exit in the long run.
• In the short run, entry is not possible, and an
increase in demand increases firms’ profits.
• With free entry and exit, profits = 0 in the long
run, and P = minimum ATC.
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 Question 1
 A profit-maximizing firm in a competitive market
is currently producing 100 units of output. It has
average revenue of $10, average total cost of
$8, and fixed costs of $200.
 (a) What is its profit?
 (b) What is its marginal cost?
 (c) What is its average variable cost?
 (d) Is the efficient scale of the firm more than,
less than, or exactly 100 units?

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 Question 2
 Consider total cost and total revenue given in
the following table:
Q 0 1 2 3 4 5 6 7

TC 8 9 10 11 13 19 27 37
TR 0 8 16 24 32 40 48 56

 (a) What is the optimal quantity of output?

 (b) Can you tell whether this firm is in a
competitive industry? If so, can you tell whether
the industry is in a long-run equilibrium?
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