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CIMA Certificate C4 – Fundamentals of Business Economics (Part A: Micro)

CERTIFICATE C4 FUNDAMENTALS OF BUSINESS ECONOMICS (Part A: Micro) 1 Introduction Economics studies the ways in which society decides what to produce, how to produce it, who to produce it for and how to apportion it. The need to make such decisions arises because economic resources are scarce. Making decisions involves the sacrifice of benefits that could have been obtained from using resources in an alternative course of action. This sacrifice is known as the opportunity cost of an activity.

Economists assume that people behave rationally at all times and always seek to improve their circumstances. • Producers will seek to maximise their profits. • Consumers will seek to maximise the benefits (their 'utility') from their income. • Governments will seek to maximise the welfare of their populations. The way in which the choices about resource allocation are made, the way value is measured, and the forms of ownership of economic wealth will also vary according to the type of economic system that exists in a society. a) In a centrally planned (or command) economy, the decisions and choices about resource allocation are made by the government. Monetary values are attached to resources and to goods and services, but it is the government that decides what resources should be used, how much should be paid for them, what goods should be made and, in turn, what their price should be. This approach is based on the theory that only the government can make fair and proper provision for all members of society. b) In a free market economy, the decisions and choices about resource allocation are left to market forces of supply and demand, and the workings of the price mechanism. This approach is based on the observable fact that it generates more wealth in total than the command approach. c) In a mixed economy the decisions and choices are made partly by free market forces of supply and demand, and partly by government decisions. Economic wealth is divided between the private sector and the public sector. This approach attempts to combine the efficiency of the market system with the centrally planned system’s approach to fair and proper distribution.

Since resources for production are scarce and there are not enough goods and services to satisfy the total potential demand, choices must be made. Choice is only necessary because resources are scarce. • Consumers must choose what goods and services they will buy. • Producers must choose how to use their available resources, and what to produce with them. Economics studies the nature of these choices. a) What will be produced? b) What will be consumed? c) And who will benefit from the consumption?

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CIMA Certificate C4 – Fundamentals of Business Economics (Part A: Micro) Making choices about how to use scarce resources is the fundamental problem of economics. In the case of producers, we can identify four types of resource, which are known as factors of production. Each of these factors of production has an associated reward which accrues to its owner when it is used. a. Land is rewarded with rent. Although it is easy to think of land as property, the economic definition of land is much broader than this. Land consists not only of property (the land element only: buildings are capital) but also all the natural resources that grow on the land or that are extracted from it, such as timber and coal. b. Labour is rewarded with wages (including salaries). Labour consists of both the mental and the physical resources of human beings. Labour productivity can be improved through training, or by applying capital in the form of machinery. c. Capital is rewarded with interest. Capital in an economic sense is not 'money in the bank'. Rather, it refers to man-­‐made items such as plant, machinery and tools, which are used to aid the production of other goods and services. As we noted above, buildings – such as factories – are capital items. d. Enterprise, or entrepreneurship, An entrepreneur is someone who undertakes the task of organising the other three factors of production in a business enterprise, and in doing so, bears the risk of the venture. The entrepreneur creates new business ventures and the reward for the risk associated with this is profit.

Production possibility curve shows the possibilities of production when deciding how to allocate scarce resources. Since resources are limited, there will be restrictions on the amount of production of a particular good. The possible combinations of two goods (A and B) can be shown by a production possibility curve (or frontier).

The curve from A1 round to B1 shows the maximum of all the various combinations of A and B that a society can make, given current technology, if it uses its limited resources efficiently.

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CIMA Certificate C4 – Fundamentals of Business Economics (Part A: Micro) The society can choose to make up to: • A1 units of A and none of B • B1 units of B and none of A • A2 units of A and B2 of B (point P on the curve) • A3 units of A and B3 of B (point Q on the curve)

The combination of A4 units of A and B4 units of B (plotted at point X) is inside the production possibility curve. This illustrates that more than these quantities can be made of either, or both, of A and B. Point X is therefore an inefficient production point for the economy

Point Y lies outside the production possibility curve. Even with efficient use of resources it is impossible to produce this combination of A and B. To reach point Y, either current resources must be increased or production methods must be improved – perhaps by developments in technology.

Choices involve sacrifices. The cost of an item measured in terms of the alternatives forgone is called its opportunity cost. If there is a choice between having A and having B, and a country chooses to have A, it will be giving up B to have A. The cost of having a certain amount of A can therefore be regarded as the sacrifice of not being able to have the corresponding amount of B.

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CIMA Certificate C4 – Fundamentals of Business Economics (Part A: Micro)

2 Goals and Decisions of Organisations 2.1 Organisations a) Private Sector: Owned and operated by private individuals or institutions. i. Profit seeking organisations: Primary objective is to maximize profit. ii. Non-­‐profit organization: Primary objective is to provide a service rather than to maximize profit. Eg. Co-­‐operatives and mutual organisations, charities and unincorporated clubs, societies and associations. b) Public Sector: Owned by the state. i. Providing public services. Eg. Hospitals, schools, the police and the armed forces. ii. State owned industries. Businesses can be distinguished based on the extent to which the owners are liable for the debts of the undertaking. • Unlimited Liability: Owner(s) have unlimited liability for the debts of the their business. Law does not distinguish between private assets & liabilities with the assets and liabilities of the enterprise. Eg. Sole proprietorship and partnership. • Limited Liability: Owner’s liability is limited to the amount of capital invested. Eg. Corporations or companies.

2.2 Returns to shareholder investments Shareholders need objective measure of company performance if they are to make sensible investment decisions. 2.2.1 Short-­‐run measures Return on capital employed (ROCE): is a measure of a company’s current success in using the money invested in it to generate a return. The amount of profit must be related to the value of resources employed in generating the return, which reflects the efficiency of the resources used. !"#$%& !"#$%" !"#$%$&# !"# !"# (!"#$) !"!" = !"#$%"& !"#$%&'( ROCE can also be calculated as the return on net assets. !"#$%&'() !"#$%& (!"#$%" !"#$!"#$ !"# !"#) !"#$%& !" !"# !""#$" = !"#$% !""#$" !"#$% !"##$%& !"#$"!"%&

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CIMA Certificate C4 – Fundamentals of Business Economics (Part A: Micro)

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CIMA Certificate C4 – Fundamentals of Business Economics (Part A: Micro) Earnings per share (EPS) is usually regarded as a measure of how well the company has performed for its equity shareholders specifically, rather than providers of capital generally. (ROCE is a more general measure of the overall productivity of capital) EPS = Profit after tax and preference dividends Number of equity shares in issue !"#$%& !"#$% !"# & !"#$#"#%&# !"#"!$%!& !"# = !"#$%& !" !"#$%& !ℎ!"#$ !" !""#$

P/E ratio reflects shareholder opinion about company prospects because it shows, in effect, the number of years' worth of earnings from a share that would be needed to make up the price of buying a share. !"#$%& !"#$% !"# !ℎ!"# !/! = !"#$%$&! !"# !ℎ!"# (!"#) Earnings yield compares the earnings per share with the market price of the share. !"#$%$&' !"# !ℎ!"# (!"#) !"#$%$&' !"#$% = × 100 !"#$%& !"#$% !" !ℎ! !ℎ!"# 2.2.2 Long-­‐run measures Dividend valuation model discounts expected future dividends to relate the cost of equity to market share price. It shows the relationship between the current share price, the cost of equity (the shareholders' required return, remember) and the size of the dividend expected each year. If we assume that dividends are constant throughout the life of the company then ! ! ! ! ! !ℎ!"# !"#$% (!! ) = + + + ⋯ = , !" !! = (1 + !! ) (1 + !! )! (1 + !! )! !! !! where !! = Shareholders' required return

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CIMA Certificate C4 – Fundamentals of Business Economics (Part A: Micro) D = Annual dividend per share, starting at year 1 and then continuing annually in perpetuity. !! = Ex-­‐dividend share price (the price of a share where the share's new owner is not entitled to the dividend that is soon to be paid).

A more realistic assumption is that dividends, rather than being the same throughout the life of the company, will actually grow at a constant rate. In this case the share price is !! !! !ℎ!"# !"#$% !! = , !" !! = + ! !! − ! !! g = dividend growth rate. The valuations based on discounting forecast free cash flows also relate the cost of equity to market share price. Free cash flow to the firm (FCFF) is the after tax cash generated by the business and available for distribution to the equity holders and debt holders of the company. FCFF = PBIT + DEPRECIATION – TAX – CAPITAL EXPENDITURE The free cash flow to equity (FCFE) represents the potential income that could be distributed to the equity holders of a company, as opposed to dividends which measures the actual cash disbursements to shareholders. FCFE = FCFF – INTEREST PAYMENTS TO DEBT HOLDERS.

2.2.3 Impact of the value of shares of a change to company’s forecast cash flows or required rate In both the dividend valuation and free cash flow models, we have a relationship between three quantities. 1. The investors' required rate of return (the cost of equity) 2. Expected future cash flows (either FCFE or dividends payable) 3. The current market value of the company's shares Current market value is determined by the other two factors • If the expected cash flows increase, predictably enough, the current market value will increase and vice versa. Changes in the immediate future will have a larger effect than those in the more distant future. Notes compiled from BPP CIMA study text

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CIMA Certificate C4 – Fundamentals of Business Economics (Part A: Micro) • An increase in the cost of equity will reduce the current market value and vice versa.

2.3 Not-­‐for-­‐profit organisations (NPOs) Generation of wealth for owners of a non-­‐profit organisation is not the primary purpose of their existence. Not-­‐for-­‐profit organisations still aim to operate as efficiently as possible, but their primary objective is to provide a service rather than to maximise profit. Non-­‐profit seeking organisations include co-­‐operatives and mutual organisations; charities; and unincorporated clubs, societies and associations. Although non-­‐profit organisations are not profit seekers, they still use economic factors of production to produce goods or services. Therefore they need to be efficiently managed so that their resources are used effectively to meet the objectives of the organisation whilst not making a financial loss. Being cost effective is one of the key economic aims of non-­‐ profit organisations.

2.4 Stakeholders Stakeholders are those persons and organisations that have an interest in the strategy and behaviour of an organisation. (Official CIMA terminology) Stakeholder view holds that there are many groups in society with an interest in the organisation's activities. Stakeholders can be divided into • Internal stakeholders such as employees and management • Connected stakeholders such as shareholders, customers, suppliers and financiers • External stakeholders such as the community, government and pressure groups The organisation's response to their priorities can be analysed according to their power (or influence) and their interest.

Extent to which external stakeholders are recognized • Size: Policies and actions of larger organisations are more likely to be of interest to national governments and even international bodies than are those of smaller organisations. Notes compiled from BPP CIMA study text

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CIMA Certificate C4 – Fundamentals of Business Economics (Part A: Micro) • Contractual relationship o Primary: Formal contractual relationship. (Internal and Connected Stakeholders) o Secondary: No formal contractual relationship. (External)

Mendelow classified stakeholders on a matrix whose axes are power (or influence) the stakeholder can exert and degree of interest the stakeholder has in the organisation's activities. These factors will help define the type of relationship the organisation should seek with its stakeholders.









Stakeholders are particularly important to understanding the policies and actions of non-­‐profit organisations. Such bodies do not have an over-­‐riding responsibility to promote the interests of the owners: instead, they are subject to significant influence from more than one stakeholder group.

Hunt identifies five different initial management responses to the handling of conflict between stakeholders. a. Denial/withdrawal. Torrington and Hall say that 'to some extent conflict can be handled by ignoring it.' If the conflict is very trivial, it may indeed 'blow over' without an issue being made of it, but if the causes are not identified, the conflict may grow to unmanageable proportions. b. Suppression/accommodation. One party suppresses its own interest and accommodates the other in order to preserve working relationships despite minor conflicts. As Hunt remarks, however: 'Some cracks cannot be papered over'. c. Dominance: the dominant group (dominant coalition) may be able to apply power or influence to settle the conflict. The disadvantage of this is that it creates all the lingering resentment and hostility of 'win-­‐lose' situations. d. Compromise: a consensus may be reached by bargaining and negotiating. However, individuals tend to exaggerate their positions to allow for Notes compiled from BPP CIMA study text

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Key players are found in segment D: any strategy the organisation wants to adopt must be acceptable to them, at least. An example would be a major customer. Key stakeholders may participate in decision-­‐ making. Stakeholders in segment C must be treated with care. While often passive, they are capable of moving to segment D. They should, therefore be kept satisfied. Large institutional shareholders might fall into segment C. Stakeholders in segment B do not have great ability to influence strategy, but their views can be important in influencing more powerful stakeholders, perhaps by lobbying. They should therefore be kept informed. Community representatives and charities might fall into segment B. Minimal effort is expended on segment A. An example might be a contractor's labour force.

CIMA Certificate C4 – Fundamentals of Business Economics (Part A: Micro) compromise, and compromise itself is seen to weaken the value of the decision, perhaps reducing commitment. e. Integration and collaboration: it may be most appropriate to confront the issue on which the parties differ and work towards an accommodation of the differences. This may lead to a better overall solution than simply splitting the difference. Emphasis must be put on the task, individuals must accept the need to modify their views for the sake of the task at hand, and group effort must be seen to be superior to individual effort.

2.5 The principal-­‐agent problem Agency theory and the principal-­‐agent problem: Where the management of a business is separated from its ownership by the employment of professional managers, the managers may be considered to be the agents of the owners. Agency theory is concerned to analyse the way agents may be expected to behave and how they can be motivated to promote their principals' interest Managers will not necessarily make decisions that will maximise profits. a. They may have no personal interests at stake in the size of profits earned, except in so far as they are accountable to shareholders for the profits they make. b. There may be a lack of competitive pressure in the market to be efficient, minimise costs and maximise profits, for example where there are few firms in the market. It has been suggested that price and output decisions will be taken by managers with managerial objectives in mind. Rather than seeking to maximise profits, managers may choose to achieve a satisfactory profit for a firm: this is called satisficing. Satisficing is also a common managerial response when there are multiple objectives, such as boosting share price, and achieving revenue growth. Similarly, if directors' remuneration schemes are based on criteria such as growth or corporate social responsibility, then they are unlikely to make the maximisation of profit their sole objective. Corporate governance is the systems by which companies and other organisations are directed and controlled. (CIMA Official Terminology)

In a company, although the shareholders own the company, the responsibility for directing and controlling the company rests largely with the board of directors. The respective power and key responsibilities of shareholders and directors are summarised in the table below.

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CIMA Certificate C4 – Fundamentals of Business Economics (Part A: Micro)

Though mostly discussed in relation to large quoted companies, governance is an issue for all bodies corporate; commercial and not for profit. A number of reports have been produced in various countries aiming to address the risk and problems posed by poor corporate governance. • Cadbury report (1991): The Cadbury Committee created a Code of Best Practice for corporate governance in the UK, based on openness, integrity and accountability. Their recommendations also included requirements for regular meetings of the board of directors, and the greater involvement of non-­‐executive directors to bring impartiality and independence to the board. (Non-­‐executive directors have no financial interests in the company of which they are directors.) In order to promote openness and transparency, the Cadbury report recommended that all directors' rewards and remuneration should be publicly disclosed. • Greenbury report (1995): The Greenbury Committee considered the problem of rewarding performance in an appropriate fashion and made recommendations to improve accountability, transparency and the improvement of performance and directors' pay. • The Hampel report (1998): The major recommendations of the committee were that shareholders should be able to vote separately on each substantially separate issue; and that the practice of 'bundling' unrelated proposals in a single resolution should cease. • The Higgs Report (2003): The Higgs Committee Report ('Review of the role and effectiveness of non-­‐executive directors') reviewed issues surrounding the composition of boards of directors, including the age, gender, skills and abilities of the members of a Board. Higgs recommended that at least half the members of a Board, excluding the chairman, should be independent non-­‐executive directors. Higgs also recommended that a description of how the Board operates should be included in a company's Annual Report. • Stock Exchange Combined Code: The recommendations of the various reports have been consolidated into the Stock Exchange Combined Code, which sets out standards of best practice in relation to issues such as board composition, remuneration and accountability.

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CIMA Certificate C4 – Fundamentals of Business Economics (Part A: Micro)

2.6 Short-­‐run cost and revenue

Profit = Total Revenue – Total Cost

Economic Cost is different from accounting cost and represents the opportunity cost of the factors of production. Firm’s output decisions can be examined in the Short run – A time period in which the amount of at least one factor of production (Land, Labour, Capital or Enterprise) is fixed Long run -­‐ A period sufficiently long to allow all factors of production can be varied Production is carried out using the factors of production that must be paid or rewarded with. Factors of Production Its Cost Land Rent Labour Wages Capital Interest Enterprise Normal Profit* *Normal profit is the amount of profit necessary to keep an entrepreneur in his/her present activity (opportunity cost of current investment) Total Cost (TC) is the cost of all the resources needed to produce a given level of output . Total cost comprise of Fixed Cost (FC): Costs which do not change when levels of production change. Eg. Rent of premises Variable Cost (VC): Cost which change according to the level of output. Eg. Raw material cost. Average Cost (AC) cost for a given level of output is the total cost divided by the total quantity produced. !"#$% !"#$ (!") !" = !"#$% !"#$"# !"#$% !"#$% !"#$ (!"#) !"#$% !"#$"%&' !"#$ (!"#) !" = + !"#$% !"#$"# !"#$% !"#$"# !" = !"#$%&# !"#$% !"#$ (!"#) + !"#$%&# !"#$"%& !"#$ (!"#) AFC è will get smaller as the number of units produced increases. AVC è will also change as output volume increase, but may rise or fall. Marginal Cost (MC) is the extra cost (incremental cost) of producing one more unit of output.

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CIMA Certificate C4 – Fundamentals of Business Economics (Part A: Micro)

Relationship between AC & MC When AC is rising, MC > AC When AC is falling, MC < AC When AC remains same, MC =AC Law of diminishing marginal Return says that if one or more of production are fixed, but the input of another is increased, the extra output generated by each extra unit of input will eventually begin to fall. (However is a short term phenomenon; at least one factor of production is fixed)

U shaped short run cost curve and the relationship of AC to MC in the short run

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CIMA Certificate C4 – Fundamentals of Business Economics (Part A: Micro)

2.7 Long-­‐run cost and revenue and economies and diseconomies of scale In the long run, all factors of production by definition are variable. There are two direct consequences for this, • No fixed factors means no fixed costs • Variable factors of production means firms can change its scale of production significantly Long run output decisions are concerned with economies of scale • If output increases in the same portions as inputs there are said to be constant returns to scale • If output increases more than in proportion to inputs, there are beneficial economies of scale. • If output increases less than proportionally to inputs, there are said to be diseconomies of scale. Economies of scale: Factors which cause average cost to decline in the long run as output increases. Diseconomies of scale: Firm reaches at a point in the long run where average cost start to increase as output increases. A Long Run Average Cost (LRAC) curve can be drawn as the ‘envelope’ of all the Short Run Average Cost (SRAC) curves of firms producing on different scales of output. The shape of LRAC curve depends on whether there are increasing, constant or decreasing returns to scale.

Normal long run average cost curve

Minimum Efficient Scale (MES) of production is the level of production necessary for a firm to achieve the full potential economies of scale.

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CIMA Certificate C4 – Fundamentals of Business Economics (Part A: Micro)

3 The Market System and the Competitive Process (Weighting 30%) 3.1 Business integration: mergers, vertical integration and conglomerates. Firms seek to grow in order to improve their relationship with their owners and to achieve economies of scale. If there are significant economies of scale to be earned, there is a strong argument in favour of growth by firms. The two methods of growth are a) Organic growth, which is growth through a gradual build-­‐up of the firm's own resources: developing new products, acquiring more plant and machinery, hiring extra labour and so on. Organic growth is often a slow but steady process. b) Growth through mergers and acquisitions: combination of two or more firms into one. An acquisition is often a hostile form of takeover, in which one business acquires ownership of another without the agreement or full approval of the target firm's directors. A merger is usually a mutual agreement, where the two firms agree to form a new company. • Horizontal integration. When two firms in the same business merge, there is horizontal integration. Horizontal integration tends to create monopolies. For example, if All-­‐England Chocolate Co with a 15% share of the UK chocolate market were to merge with British Choc Co which has a 20% share of the UK market, the enlarged company might expect to hold a 35% share of the market. • Vertical integration. When two firms operating at different stages in the production and selling process merge. v Backward vertical integration (moving back through stages in production). For example a company which operates exclusively in oil refining might take over an oil shipping company, and perhaps an oil extraction company too. This would be moving towards the raw material growing/extracting stage. v Forward vertical integration (integrating forward through stages in production and selling towards the end consumer sales stage). The same company might take over a company with a distribution fleet of petrol tanker lorries, and perhaps a chain of petrol stations too. • Conglomerate diversification. A company might take over or merge with another company in a completely different business altogether. This form of merger is diversification, and a group of diversified companies is referred to as a conglomerate organisation.

3.2 The price mechanism A market can be defined as a situation in which potential buyers and potential sellers (suppliers) of a good or service come together for the purpose of exchange. Firms: Suppliers and potential suppliers are referred to in economics as firms. The Households: potential purchasers of consumer goods Utility is the word used to describe the pleasure or satisfaction or benefit derived by a person from the consumption of goods.

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CIMA Certificate C4 – Fundamentals of Business Economics (Part A: Micro) Total utility is the total satisfaction that people derive from spending their income and consuming goods. Marginal utility is the satisfaction gained from consuming one additional unit of a good or the satisfaction forgone by consuming one unit less. The idea that consuming one extra unit of a good affords less satisfaction or benefit than was afforded from consuming the previous unit is known as diminishing marginal utility. Economists assumes that the consumer attempts to maximise the total utility attainable with a limited income. When the consumer decides to buy another unit of a good he is deciding that its marginal utility exceeds the marginal utility that would be yielded by any alternative use of the price he pays. 3.2.1 Demand Demand for a good or service is the quantity of that good or service that potential purchasers would be willing and able to buy, or attempt to buy, at any possible price. Demand curve shows the relationship between demand and price. The demand curve of a single consumer or household is derived by estimating how much of the good the consumer or household would demand at various hypothetical market prices. Suppose that the following demand schedule shows demand for biscuits by one household over a period of one month.

Graph of a demand schedule

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CIMA Certificate C4 – Fundamentals of Business Economics (Part A: Micro) In reality, a demand curve is more likely to be a curved line convex to the origin because there are progressively larger increases in quantity demanded as price falls. This happens because of the fall in marginal utility experienced as consumption of a good increase.

Market demand is the total quantity of a product that all purchasers would want to buy at each price level. Factors determining demand for a good • The price of the good • The size of households' income (income effect) • The price of other substitute goods (substitution effect) • Tastes and fashion • Expectations of future price changes • The distribution of income among households. Substitute goods are goods that are alternatives to each other, so that an increase in the demand for one is likely to cause a decrease in the demand for another. Switching demand from one good to another 'rival' good is substitution. For Example, • Rival brands of the same commodity, like Coca-­‐Cola and Pepsi-­‐Cola • Tea and coffee • Some different forms of entertainment Complements are goods that tend to be bought and used together, so that an increase in the demand for one is likely to cause an increase in the demand for the other. For Example, • Cups and saucers • Bread and butter • Motor cars and the components and raw materials that go into their manufacture

Demand curve convex to the origin

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CIMA Certificate C4 – Fundamentals of Business Economics (Part A: Micro) A rise in household income will not increase market demand for all goods and services. The effect of a rise in income on demand for an individual good will depend on the nature of the good. • Normal goods: Goods for which demand rises as household income increases • Inferior goods: Goods whose demand eventually falls as income rises. (Customers can afford to switch demand to superior products).

Demand curves for normal and inferior goods

Shifts of the demand curve • Movements along a demand curve (contractions or expansions) for a good are caused solely by changes in its price • Variations in the conditions of demand create shifts in the demand curve

Changes in quantity demanded and outward shift of the demand curve Shift in demand curve could be caused by any of the following conditions of demand. • A rise in household income (including a reduction in direct taxes) • A rise in the price of substitutes Notes compiled from BPP CIMA study text

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CIMA Certificate C4 – Fundamentals of Business Economics (Part A: Micro) • • • • A fall in the price of complements A change in tastes towards this product An expected rise in the price of the product An increase in population.

3.2.2 Supply Supply refers to the quantity of a good that existing suppliers or would-­‐be suppliers would want to produce for the market at a given price. An individual firm's supply schedule is the quantity of the good that the individual firm would want to supply to the market at any given price. Market supply is the total quantity of the good that all firms in the market would want to supply at a given price Supply Curve shows the quantity suppliers are willing to produce at different price levels. The curve is upward sloping from left to right, because greater quantities will be supplied at higher prices. Factors influencing the supply quantity • The costs of making the good. These include raw materials costs, which ultimately depend on the prices of factors of production (wages, interest rates, land rents and profit expectations) • The prices of other goods. o Substitutes in supply: Supplier can switch readily from supplying one good to another. An increase in the price would make the supply of another good whose price does not rise less attractive to suppliers. o Joint supply or complements in production: When a production process has two or more distinct and separate outputs. E.g.. Meat and hides. If the price of beef rises, more will be supplied and there will be an accompanying increase in the supply of cow hide. • Expectations of price changes. If a supplier expects the price of a good to rise, he is likely to try to reduce supply while the price is lower so that he can supply more of his product or service once the price is higher. • Changes in technology. Technological developments which reduce costs of production (and increase productivity) will raise the quantity of supply of a good at a given price • Other factors, such as changes in the weather (for example, in the case of agricultural goods), natural disasters or industrial disruption

A change in price will cause a change in supply along the supply curve. A change in other supply conditions will cause a shift in the supply curve itself.

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CIMA Certificate C4 – Fundamentals of Business Economics (Part A: Micro)

A rightward (or downward) shift of the curve (S0 S1) shows an expansion of supply and may be caused by the factors below. • A fall in the cost of factors of production, for example a reduction in the cost of raw material inputs • A fall in the price of other goods. The production of other goods becomes relatively less attractive as their price falls. Firms are therefore likely to shift resources away from the goods whose price is falling and into the production of higher priced goods that offer increased profits. We therefore expect that (ceteris paribus) the supply of one good will rise as the prices of other goods fall (and vice versa) • Technological progress, which reduces unit costs and also increases production capabilities • Improvements in productivity or more efficient use of existing factors of production, which again will reduce unit cost Leftward (or upward) shift in the supply curve (S0 S2) could be caused by: • An increase in the cost of factors of production (eg a rise in wages and salaries, which are the costs of labour) • A rise in the price of other goods which would make them relatively more attractive to the producer • An increase in indirect taxes, or a reduction in a subsidy, which would make supply at existing prices less profitable. 3.2.3 Equilibrium price The price mechanism brings demand and supply into equilibrium, and the equilibrium price for a good is the price at which the volume demanded by consumers and the volume that firms would be willing to supply is the same. This is also known as the market clearing price, since at this price there will be neither surplus nor shortage in the market. Notes compiled from BPP CIMA study text

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Shifts in the supply curve

CIMA Certificate C4 – Fundamentals of Business Economics (Part A: Micro) The following diagram shows how demand and supply interact to determine the equilibrium price by drawing the market demand curve and the market supply curve on the same graph.

If there is excess supply è • Suppliers cut down the current level of production in order to sell unwanted inventories. (Decrease in supply) • They would also reduce prices in order to encourage sales. (Increase in demand) If there is excess demand è • Suppliers increase the current level of production to meet demand. (Increase supply) • Also increase prices to gain more profit from the excess demand. (Decrease demand) Consumer surplus: Difference between what consumers are willing to pay for a unit of the good and the amount consumers actually do pay for the product. Producer surplus: Difference between what producers actually receive when selling a product and the amount they would be willing to accept for a unit of the good.

Market equilibrium

Consumer surplus and producer surplus

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CIMA Certificate C4 – Fundamentals of Business Economics (Part A: Micro) 3.2.4 Price regulation Governments might try to control prices in two ways. • Maximum price (or price ceiling) for a good, perhaps as part of an anti-­‐ inflationary economic policy. è there will be excess demand: rationing may be necessary, and black marketeers may seek to operate. • Minimum price (or price floor) for a good. The EU Common Agricultural Policy (CAP) is an example of a price floor, designed to ensure that farmers receive at least the minimum prices for their produce. è producers will make excess supply.

Maximum price below equilibrium price

A minimum wage is an application of floor pricing in the labour market. This would have two consequences. • Raise wage levels for workers employed to a level above the 'equilibrium' wage rate. • Reduce the demand for labour and so cause job losses. Notes compiled from BPP CIMA study text

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Minimum price above equilibrium price

CIMA Certificate C4 – Fundamentals of Business Economics (Part A: Micro)

Minimum wage

3.3 Price elasticity of demand Demand for a good depends largely on price, household income and the relative price of substitutes or complementary goods. Changes in any of these will cause either a movement along the demand curve or a shift in the demand curve. Price elasticity of demand (PED) is a measure of the extent of change in the market demand for a good in response to a change in its price. The coefficient of PED is measured as: Percentage change in quantity demanded Percentage change in price % !ℎ!"#$ !" !"#$%&%' !"#$%!"! !ℎ! !"#$$%!%#&' !" !"# = % !ℎ!"#$ !" !"#$% Note: Since demand usually increases when the price falls, and decreases when the price rises, elasticity has a negative value. Arc elasticity of demand measures elasticity between two points on the demand curve (responsiveness of demand to a large change in price) Example: arc elasticity of demand The price of a good is $1.20 per unit and annual demand is 800,000 units. Market research indicates that an increase in price of 10 cents per unit will result in a fall in annual demand of 70,000 units. What is the price elasticity of demand measuring the responsiveness of demand over this range of price increase? Solution

Annual demand at $1.20 per unit is 800,000 units. Annual demand at $1.30 per unit is 730,000 units.

Notes compiled from BPP CIMA study text

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CIMA Certificate C4 – Fundamentals of Business Economics (Part A: Micro)

Average quantity over the range is 765,000 units. Average price is $1.25. % !ℎ!"#$ !" !"#$%! = 70,000 ×100% = 9.15% 765,000

10! ×100% = 8% 125! −9.15 !"#$% !"#$%&'&%( !" !"#$%! = ×100% = −1.14% 8 % !ℎ!"#$ !" !"#$% =

Ignoring the minus sign, the arc elasticity is 1.14. The demand for this good, over the range of annual demand 730,000 to 800,000 units, is elastic because the price elasticity of demand is greater than 1

Point elasticity of demand measures the responsiveness of demand at one particular point in the demand curve (assumed the demand curve is straight) Example: point elasticity of demand The price of a good is $1.20 per unit and annual demand is 800,000. Market research indicates that an increase in price of 10 cents per unit will result in a fall in annual demand for the good of 70,000 units. Required Calculate the elasticity of demand at the current price of $1.20. Solution We are asked to calculate the elasticity at a particular price. We assume that the demand curve is a straight line. At a price of $1.20, annual demand is 800,000 units.

70,000 % !ℎ!"#$ !" !"#$%! = ×100% = 8.75% (!"##) 800,000 10! % !ℎ!"#$ !" !"#$% = ×100% = 8.33% (!"#$) 120! −8.75 !"#$% !"#$%&'&%( !" !"#$%! !" !"#$% $1.20 = ×100% = −1.05% 8.33 Ignoring the minus sign, the price elasticity at this point is 1.05. Demand is elastic at this point, because the elasticity is greater than 1.

3.3.1 Elastic and inelastic demand • Demand is inelastic if the absolute value is less than 1 (demanded falls by a smaller percentage than the rise in price) • Demand is elastic if the absolute value is greater than 1 (demand falls by a larger percentage than the rise in price.) Notes compiled from BPP CIMA study text

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CIMA Certificate C4 – Fundamentals of Business Economics (Part A: Micro)

Price elasticity (η) at different points on a downward sloping straight line demand curve will vary in value along the length of a demand curve.





Ranges of price elasticity of demand At higher prices on a straight line demand curve (the top of the demand curve), small percentage price reductions can bring large percentage increases in quantity demanded. This means that demand is elastic over these ranges. At lower prices on a straight line demand curve (the bottom of the demand curve), large percentage price reductions can bring small percentage increases in quantity. This means that demand is inelastic over these price ranges.

3.3.2 Special values of price elasticity of demand There are three special values of price elasticity of demand: 0, 1 and infinity. a. Demand is perfectly inelastic: η = 0. There is no change in quantity demanded, regardless of the change in price. In this case, the demand curve is a vertical straight line. b. Perfectly elastic demand: = (infinitely elastic). Consumers will want to buy an infinite amount, but only up to a particular price level. Any price increase above this level will reduce demand to zero. In this case, the demand curve is a horizontal straight line. c. Unit elasticity of demand: η = 1. Total revenue for suppliers (which is the same as total spending on the product by households) does not change regardless of how the price changes. The demand curve of a good whose price elasticity of demand is 1 over its entire range is a rectangular hyperbola.

Notes compiled from BPP CIMA study text

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CIMA Certificate C4 – Fundamentals of Business Economics (Part A: Micro)

Summary of different price elasticities of demand

Unit elasticity of demand

3.3.3 Factors influencing price elasticity of demand for a good Factors that determine price elasticity of demand (PED) are similar to the factors other than price that affect the volume of demand. The PED is really a measure of the strength of these other influences on demand. Main factors affecting PED • Percentage of income spent on the good: If expenditure on a good only constitutes a small proportion of a consumer's income, then a change in the price of that good will not have much impact on the consumer's overall real income. Therefore demand for low price goods (such as safety matches) is likely to be inelastic. By contrast, demand is likely to be elastic for expensive goods. • Availability of substitutes: The more substitutes there are for a good, especially close substitutes, the more elastic the price elasticity of demand for the good will be. For example the elasticity of demand for a particular brand of breakfast cereals will be much greater than the elasticity of demand for breakfast cereals as a whole, because the former have both more, and also closer, substitutes. A rise in the price of a particular brand of cereal is likely to result in customers switching their demand to a rival brand. Availability of substitutes is probably the most important influence on price elasticity of demand. • Necessity: Demand for goods which are necessary for everyday life (for example, basic foodstuffs) tends to be relatively inelastic while demand for luxury goods tends to be elastic. If a good is a luxury and its price rises, the rational consumer may well decide he or she no longer needs that good and so demand for it will fall. However, if a good is a necessity, the consumer will have to continue buying it even though its price has increased. For luxury goods, the income elasticity of demand tends to become more significant than price elasticity of demand. Notes compiled from BPP CIMA study text

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CIMA Certificate C4 – Fundamentals of Business Economics (Part A: Micro) • The time horizon: If the price of a good is increased, there might initially be little change in demand because the consumer may not be fully aware of the increase, or may not have found a suitable substitute for the product. Then, as consumers adjust their buying habits in response to the price increase, demand might fall substantially. The time horizon influences elasticity largely because the longer the period of time which we consider, the greater the knowledge of substitution possibilities by consumers and the provision of substitutes by producers. Therefore, elasticity tends to increase as the time period increases. Competitor pricing: If the response of competitors to a price increase by one firm is to keep their prices unchanged, the firm raising its prices is likely to face elastic demand for its goods at higher prices. If the response of competitors to a reduction in price by one firm is to match the price reduction themselves, the firm is likely to face inelastic demand at lower prices. This is a situation which faces many large firms with one or two major competitors. Habit: Goods which are habit-­‐forming tend to be inelastic, because the consumer 'needs' the goods despite their increase in price. This pattern can be seen with addictive products such as cigarettes.





3.4 Income elasticity of demand Income elasticity of demand for a good indicates the responsiveness of demand to changes in household incomes. !"#$%& !"#$%&'%( !" !"#$%! = • Income elastic (income elasticity is greater than 1): Quantity demanded rises by a larger percentage than the rise in income. For example, if the demand for compact discs will rise by 10% if household income rises by 7%, we would say that the demand for compact discs is income elastic. Income inelastic (if income elasticity is between 0 and 1): Quantity demanded rises less than the proportionate increase in income. For example, if the demand for books rises by 6% if household income rises by 10%, we would say that the demand for books is income inelastic. Negative income elasticity: the commodity is called an inferior good since demand for it falls as income rises. % !ℎ!"#$ !" !"#$%&%' !"#$%!"! % !ℎ!"#$ !" !"#$%&





3.5 Cross elasticity of demand Cross elasticity of demand is the responsiveness of quantity demanded for one good following a change in price of another good.

Notes compiled from BPP CIMA study text

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CIMA Certificate C4 – Fundamentals of Business Economics (Part A: Micro) % !ℎ!"#$ !" !"#$%&%' !"#$%!"! !" !""# ! % !ℎ!"#$ !" !"#$% !" !""! !

!"#$$ !"#$%&'%( !" !"#$%! = • •

If the two goods are substitutes, cross elasticity will be positive and a fall in the price of one will reduce the amount demanded of the other. If the goods are complements, cross elasticity will be negative and a fall in the price of one will raise demand for the other.

3.6 Price elasticity of supply Price elasticity of supply indicates the responsiveness of supply to a change in price. % !ℎ!"#$ !" !"!"#$#% !"##$% !"#$%&$&%' !" !"##$% (!"#) = % !ℎ!"#$ !" !"#$% Supply is elastic (greater than 1) when the percentage change in the amount producers want to supply is greater than proportional to the percentage change in price. Supply is inelastic (less than 1) when the amount producers want to supply changes by a smaller percentage than the percentage change in price. [Note: If the supply curve 'cuts' across the quantity supplied axis, supply is inelastic (< 1). If the supply curve 'cuts' across the price axis, supply is elastic (> 1)]

Elasticity of supply

3.6.1 Special values of price elasticity of supply • Perfectly inelastic supply (PES = zero): Supply of goods is fixed whatever price is offered, for example in the case of antiques, vintage wines and land,). The supply curve is a vertical straight line.

Notes compiled from BPP CIMA study text

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CIMA Certificate C4 – Fundamentals of Business Economics (Part A: Micro) • • Unit elastic supply (PES = 1): supply of goods varies proportionately with the price, and the supply curve is a straight line passing through the origin. Infinite, or perfectly elastic supply (PES is infinite): Where the producers will supply any amount at a given price but none at all at a slightly lower price, The supply curve is a horizontal straight line.

3.6.2 Factors affecting elasticity of supply Elasticity of supply is a measure of firms’ ability to adjust the quantity of goods they supply. This depends on a number of constraints. a. Existence of inventories of finished goods: if a firm has large inventories of finished goods then it can draw on these to increase supply following an increase in the price of the good. So supply will be relatively elastic. Perishability or shelf life are important considerations here though. b. Availability of labour: when unemployment is low it may be difficult to find workpeople with the appropriate skills. c. Spare capacity: if a firm has spare capacity (eg machinery which is not being fully utilised) it can quickly and easily increase supply following an increase in price. In this way, spare capacity is likely to increase elasticity of supply. d. Availability of raw materials and components. The existence and location of inventories is important, just as they are for finished goods. e. Barriers to entry. Barriers to entry are covered in more detail later in this Study Text. Here it is sufficient to point out that if firms can move into the market easily and start supplying quickly, elasticity of supply in that market will be increased. f. The time scale. Elasticity of supply of a product varies according to the time period over which it is measured. For analytical purposes, four lengths of time period may be considered. i.) The market period is so short that supplies of the commodity in question are limited to existing inventories. In effect, supply is fixed. ii.) The short run is a period long enough for supplies of the commodity to be altered by increases or decreases in current output, but not long enough for the fixed equipment (plant, machinery and so on) used in production to be altered. This Notes compiled from BPP CIMA study text

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CIMA Certificate C4 – Fundamentals of Business Economics (Part A: Micro) means that suppliers can produce larger quantities only if they are not already operating at full capacity; they can reduce output fairly quickly by means of redundancies and laying-­‐off staff. The long run is a period sufficiently long to allow firms' fixed equipment to be altered. There is time to build new factories and machines, and time for old ones to be closed down. New firms can enter the industry in the long run. The secular period is so long that underlying economic factors such as population growth, supplies of raw materials (such as oil) and the general conditions of capital supply may alter. The secular period is ignored by economists except in the theory of economic growth.

iii.)

iv.)

In general, supply tends to be more elastic in longer time periods.

3.7 Cyclic variation in supply The characteristics of some goods are such that adjustments to levels of production take significant periods to have any effect. This is particularly true of agricultural products, many of which are subject to long delays between the decision to produce and eventual delivery to market. In temperate climates, for example, many crops can only be grown on an annual cycle, so a farmer can only change production levels once a year. 3.7.1 The Hog Cycle The effect of such long time lags in adjusting supply is to create linked cyclic variations in both price and output. A very good example of this cyclic variation is found in the production of pork. In the USA, the production of ‘hogs’ (pigs), has been observed to be highly cyclic, with a complete cycle taking, on average, about four years. The reproductive biology of pigs is such that there is a time lag of about 10 months between the decision to increase output and the delivery of increased numbers of animals to market. This delay drives the cycle.

The Hog Cycle

3.7.2 The cobweb effect The same implications can be illustrated using supply and demand diagrams. The nature of the market oscillations depends on the relationship between the gradients of the supply and demand curves. Notes compiled from BPP CIMA study text

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CIMA Certificate C4 – Fundamentals of Business Economics (Part A: Micro) If the supply curve is steeper than the demand curve the oscillations will decay towards equilibrium (Convergent cobweb) If the demand curve is steeper than the supply curve, the oscillations will expand. (Divergent cobweb) Convergent cobweb: In subsequent time periods: price and quantity will continue to oscillate and the market will approach equilibrium at the market clearing price.

Convergent cobweb The market in the first time period is in disequilibrium because the current price is P1, not the market clearing price. This price leads producers to plan to supply Q1 in the second time period. When this amount of the good eventually reaches the market, the producers are disappointed to find that price has fallen to P2 due to the excess of supply over demand. They decide that they will only produce quantity Q2 in the third time period. This restriction in supply inevitably leads to a rise in price to P3. Divergent cobweb: the oscillations diverge and equilibrium is never attained. Such a market would produce alternating surpluses and shortages of increasing size. Fortunately, this is an entirely theoretical situation.

Divergent cobweb

Notes compiled from BPP CIMA study text

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CIMA Certificate C4 – Fundamentals of Business Economics (Part A: Micro) 3.7.3 Weather and agricultural output A good growing season does not usually mean a good trading year for farmers and vice versa. This is because demand for agricultural produce is quite inelastic overall: people’s choices of individual foodstuffs are affected by their relative prices, but their total consumption does not vary very much. When harvests generally are bad: the supply curve shifts to the left, with less being offered at any price, and prices go up. When price goes up when demand is inelastic the total revenue would rise.

The effect of a poor harvest

Figure above shows the effect of the overall shift in the supply curve resulting from a poor harvest. At time 0, supply was at S0 and price was at P0. The next harvest was poor and by time 1, the supply curve has shifted to the left. The quantity sold, Q1, is not very much reduced below Q0, but there has been a marked increase in price from P0 to P1. Total revenue equal to area Y has been lost, but this is more than compensated for by extra revenue equal to area X. 3.7.4 Buffer stocks The buffer stock scheme is an example of a market intervention, which helps to stabilise price for both consumers and producers by, intervene in the markets and control the open market price at a relatively constant level. The oil cartels (like OPEC) illustrate the operation of a buffer stock scheme. • If there are large surpluses of supply over demand that threaten to depress prices, the cartel will buy up the surplus – thereby creating artificial demand and holding up price. • Then if there is a shortage and prices are likely to rise, the suppliers can release some of their buffer stock onto the market to stabilise the market. 3.7.5 Government response to agricultural price instability Historically, governments have been willing to intervene in agricultural markets. aimed at stabilising the market. Such intervention can take several forms, including • direct payments to producers, • subsidies for producing particular crops, and • government purchase of surpluses. Notes compiled from BPP CIMA study text

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CIMA Certificate C4 – Fundamentals of Business Economics (Part A: Micro) Unfortunately, there are disadvantages to all forms of intervention • It is extremely difficult to decide the price at which the market should be stabilised. • Intervention has costs, to public funds, to consumers or to both. • Intervention tends to protect inefficient producers against efficient ones and domestic producers against foreign ones: the effects on less-­‐developed countries are particularly harmful. • Purchase of surpluses represents a shift of the demand curve to the right: as a result, production expands, tending to produce very large surpluses. The EU has a bad record for dumping its surpluses on the world market, further depressing the prospects of producers in less developed countries.

The Common Agricultural Policy (CAP) established by the European Union is an example of a buffer stock system, combined with an external tariff. The external tariff protects European farmers from foreign competition, while the EU sets target prices for farm produce to guarantee a minimum price for the farmers. If market forces dictate that the market price will be less than the target at any given level of supply, the EU buys up the excess output to guarantee the target price is achieved. The target price (in effect, the minimum price) is set above the world market price, with the result that higher quantities are supplied than would be the case under market forces. CAP gives European farmers the benefit of a stable, higher price than they would achieve in the free market. But it also makes supply greater than the market demands at the target price. The EU has attempted to control the excess by imposing quotas to restrict the amounts farmers can produce, and in some cases it has introduced set-­‐aside conditions – actually paying farmers to leave their land fallow. CAP benefits farmers, but is disadvantageous to consumers who have to pay a price above the market price. This results in a loss of consumer surplus.

Common Agricultural Policy and price intervention

Notes compiled from BPP CIMA study text

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CIMA Certificate C4 – Fundamentals of Business Economics (Part A: Micro)

3.8 Externalities and Market failure

Free markets may not lead to an ideal allocation of resources, and there are various methods of regulating markets. Market failure: the failure of a market to produce a satisfactory allocation of scarce resources. In a free market, suppliers and households make their output and buying decisions for their own private benefit, and these decisions determine how the economy's scarce resources will be allocated to production and consumption. Private costs and private benefits therefore determine what goods are made and bought in a free market. However, these private costs and benefits are not necessarily the same as the social costs and benefits from using the resources (ie the costs and benefits to society as a whole). • Private cost measures the cost to the firm of the resources it uses to produce a good. • Social cost measures the cost to society as a whole of the resources that a firm uses. • Private benefit measures the benefit obtained directly by a supplier or by a consumer. • Social benefit measures the total benefit to society from a transaction. Externalities are the spill-­‐over effects of a transaction which extend beyond the parties to the transaction and affect society as a whole. In other words, externalities are the differences between the private and the social costs, or benefits, arising from an activity. It is a cost or benefit which the market mechanism fails to take into account, because the market responds purely to private signals. If pricing policy is to maximise net social benefit then it also needs to include externalities when calculating costs. If an adverse externality exists, (the social cost of supplying a good is greater than the private cost to the supplier firm), then a supply curve which reflects total social costs will be above the (private cost) market supply curve.

Given a free market, output of the good will exceed what it ideally should be (by Y – X in Figure above), and so resources will have been over-­‐allocated to production of this particular good. Notes compiled from BPP CIMA study text

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CIMA Certificate C4 – Fundamentals of Business Economics (Part A: Micro) Public goods,: Consumption of the good (or service) by one individual or group does not significantly reduce the amount available for others. Furthermore, it is often difficult or impossible to exclude anyone from its benefits, once the good has been provided. In other words, the good is non-­‐exclusive. As a result, in a free market, individuals benefiting from the good would have no economic incentive to pay for them, since they might as well be free riders if they can, enjoying the benefits of the good while others pay for it. E.g..National defense, public parks, street lighting and policing Merit goods are considered to be worth providing to everyone irrespective of whether everyone can afford to pay for them, because their consumption is in the long-­‐term public interest. Education is one of the chief examples of a merit good. They are different from public goods in that they are divisible. For example, some consumers possess the means to buy merit goods, such as education and healthcare, and they are willing to do so. However, while the people who choose to pay for the good will benefit from it, in doing so they will use up the supply of the good, so that free riders cannot also benefit from it. Apart from providing public goods and merit goods, a government might choose to intervene in the workings of markets by other methods. a) Controlling the means of production (for example, through state ownership of industries) b) Influencing markets through legislation and regulation (regulation of monopolies, bans on dangerous drugs, enforcement of the use of some goods such as car seat belts, laws on pollution control and so on or by persuasion (for example, using anti-­‐tobacco advertising) c) Redistributing wealth, perhaps by taxing relatively wealthy members of society and redistributing this tax income so as to benefit the poorer members d) Influencing market supply and demand through: (i) Price legislation (ii) Indirect taxation (iii) Subsidies e) Creating a demand for output that creates employment. A free market system would match supply with demand. Demand would thus lead to employment because of the needs of suppliers, but the level of demand might not be high enough to ensure full employment. Government might therefore wish to intervene to create a demand for output in order to create more jobs.

3.8.1 Pollution policy Government’s need to take action on externalities arising from pollution. If polluters were forced to pay for any externalities they imposed on society, then they would almost certainly reduce production or change their production techniques so as to minimise pollution. Similarly, the demand for those goods is likely to decline when producers transfer the cost to consumers through high prices

Government policies

Notes compiled from BPP CIMA study text

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CIMA Certificate C4 – Fundamentals of Business Economics (Part A: Micro) • • 'polluter pays' principle: Levy tax on polluters eaqual to the cost of removing of the effect of the externality. Subsidies may be used either to persuade polluters to reduce output and hence pollution, or to assist with expenditure on production processes, such as new machinery and air cleaning equipment, which reduce levels of pollution. Government regulation setting limits for maximum permitted levels of emissions, or for minimum levels of environmental quality Tradable permits Maximum permitted levels are set for specific pollutants and a firm (or country) is given credit for the difference which it can then sell to a firm (or country) which needs to go above its permitted levels.

• •

3.8.2 Indirect taxes Indirect taxes are levied on expenditure on goods or services as opposed to direct taxation, which is applied to incomes. • A selective indirect tax is imposed on some goods but not on others (or is imposed at a higher rate on some goods than on others). • May be used to improve the allocation of resources when there are damaging externalities. • Tax will shift the supply curve upwards (leftwards) by the amount the tax adds to the price of each item. This is because although the price to consumers includes the tax, the revenue the suppliers receive is only the net-­‐of-­‐tax price.

• • •

The effect of an indirect tax Consumer pays P1, but the amount that the supplier receives is only P2. P1 – P2 is the amount of tax payable. The proportion of the tax which is passed on to the consumer rather than being borne by the supplier depends upon the elasticities of demand and supply in the market.

Notes compiled from BPP CIMA study text

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CIMA Certificate C4 – Fundamentals of Business Economics (Part A: Micro) Relatively inelastic demand -­‐ Consumers pay greater portion of tax Relatively elastic demand -­‐ Suppliers pay greater portion of tax

Effect of elasticity of demand Relatively inelastic supply -­‐ Suppliers pay greater portion of tax Relatively elastic supply -­‐ Consumers pay greater portion of tax

If demand is less elastic than supply –consumer will bear the greater proportion of the tax burden. If demand is more elastic than supply –producer will bear the greater proportion of the tax burden.

Effect of elasticity of supply

Inelastic demand & elastic supply

Notes compiled from BPP CIMA study text

Elastic demand & Inelastic supply

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CIMA Certificate C4 – Fundamentals of Business Economics (Part A: Micro) 3.8.3 Subsidies A subsidy is a payment to the supplier of a good by the government. The payment may be made for a variety of reasons. • To encourage more production of the good, by offering a further incentive to suppliers • To keep prices lower for socially desirable goods whose production the government wishes to encourage • To protect a vital industry such as agriculture, when demand in the short term is low and threatening to cause an excessive contraction of the industry. A subsidy is rather like indirect taxation in reverse. Payment of the subsidy moves the supply curve downwards (outwards) to S1.

Subsidy

3.9 Market concentration As firms grow and merge, individual markets are more likely to be dominated, or controlled, by a few large firms. Market concentration is the extent to which supply to a market is provided by a small number of firms. The market concentration ratio of an industry is used as an indicator of the relative size of individual firms to the size of the industry as a whole. a) Four or five-­‐firm concentration ratio shows the percentage market share of the four (or five) largest firms in the industry. For example, if an industry has total annual sales of $100m, and the four largest firms in the industry have annual sales $25m, $22m, $17m and $15m respectively, the four–firm concentration is 79%. 25 + 22 + 17 + 15 79 Four-­‐firm concentration ratio= ×100 = ×100 = 79% 100 100 The market concentration ratio may also assist in determining the market form of the industry. Market forms can be classified by the concentration ratio. In ascending order of their concentration ratio they would be: a. Perfect competition (a larger number of small firms share the market) Notes compiled from BPP CIMA study text

38

CIMA Certificate C4 – Fundamentals of Business Economics (Part A: Micro) b. c. d. e. Monopolistic competition Oligopoly Duopoly Monopoly (a single firm supplies the whole market)

b) The Herfindahl index reflects the degree of concentration in an entire industry by including data on all the firms in it, rather than just that relating to a small number of large firms. The construction of the index is based on squaring the market share percentages of all the firms in the market; the process of squaring tends to emphasise the position of the larger firms in the market. The squares are summed to find the index. The higher the index, the less competitive and more concentrated the market is. c) The Lorenz curve and Gini coefficient a. A Lorenz curve of market concentration would be drawn on a horizontal axis representing the cumulative percentage of the total number of firms in the industry or market, starting with the smallest, and a vertical axis showing the cumulative percentage of industry or market turnover attributable to the firms. b. The Gini coefficient measures the deviation of the Lorenz curve from the forty five degree line (representing perfect competition). It is the ratio of the area between the curve and the forty five degree line to the whole area below the forty five degree line. In Figure 5, this is the ratio of area A to (area A + area B). Any Gini coefficient will be between zero and one: the higher it is, the greater the degree of market concentration.

The Lorenz curve

Notes compiled from BPP CIMA study text

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CIMA Certificate C4 – Fundamentals of Business Economics (Part A: Micro)

3.10 Market structures The assumption of profit maximisation provides a basis for beginning to look at the output decisions of individual firms. A firm will maximise its profits where its marginal costs equal marginal revenue (MC = MR). Total revenue, average revenue and marginal revenue There are three aspects of revenue to consider. a. Total revenue (TR) is the total income obtained from selling a given quantity of output. We can think of this as quantity sold multiplied by the price per unit. b. Average revenue (AR) is the total revenue divided by the number of units sold. We can think of this as the price per unit sold. c. Marginal revenue (MR) is the addition to total revenue earned from the sale of one extra unit of output. We can think of this as the incremental revenue earned from selling the last unit of output. Profit = Total Revenue – Total Cost Profit is maximized when the gap is largest.

Average revenue and Marginal revenue curve • When a firm can sell all its extra output at the same price, the AR 'curve' will be a straight horizontal line on a graph. The marginal revenue per unit from selling extra units at a fixed price must be the same as the average revenue (see Figure 1). • If the price per unit must be cut in order to sell more units, then the marginal revenue per unit obtained from selling extra units will be less than the previous price per unit (see Figure 2). In other words, when the AR is falling as more units are sold, the MR must be less than the AR.

Profit maximisation

Notes compiled from BPP CIMA study text

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CIMA Certificate C4 – Fundamentals of Business Economics (Part A: Micro)

Figures 4 and 5 show the profit maximising output quantity M for the two types of firm shown in Figures 1 and 2. • In both cases, the firm increases its profit with each extra item it produces until output M is reached, because MR>MC when output is less than M. • At output M, the MC and MR curves cross. • The addition to total revenue from subsequent units will be less than the increase in total cost which they cause.

In other words, given the objective of profit maximisation there are three possibilities: a. If MC is less than MR, profits will be increased by making and selling more. b. If MC is greater than MR, profits will fall if more units are made and sold, and a profit-­‐maximising firm would not make the extra output. In other words, if MC > MR a firm will look to reduce output. c. If MC = MR, the profit-­‐maximising output has been reached, and so this is the output quantity that a profit-­‐maximising firm will decide to supply. Breakeven occurs where total revenue equals total cost, and therefore by extension, average revenue equals average cost. It also represents the point at which a firm is making a normal profit. Notes compiled from BPP CIMA study text

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CIMA Certificate C4 – Fundamentals of Business Economics (Part A: Micro)

Profit maximisation and breakeven positions

3.10.1 Perfect competition Perfect competition: a theoretical market structure in which no supplier has an advantage over another. Characteristics of perfect competition • There are a large number of buyers and sellers in the market. • Firms are 'price takers', unable to influence the market price individually. Buyers and sellers can trade as much as they want at the prevailing market price, as determined by the interaction of supply and demand. • Producers and consumers have the same, perfect, information about the product and the market. • The product is homogeneous: one unit of the product is the same as any other unit. • There is free entry of firms into and free exit of firms out of the market: there are no barriers to entry. There are also no restrictions on the mobility of factors of production. • There are no transport costs or information gathering costs. • Producers and consumers act rationally. This means that producers will always try to maximise profits. • Normal profits are earned in the long run.

We assume that in the short run the number of firms in the market is temporarily fixed. In these circumstances it is possible for firms to make supernormal profits or losses.

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CIMA Certificate C4 – Fundamentals of Business Economics (Part A: Micro)

Supernormal profits in the short run Losses in the short run In the long run, whenever profits are being made, new firms will enter the industry increasing supply and causing the price will fall. Similarly, when losses are made, firms will leave the industry and the price will rise. If profits are not 'normal', they act as a signal to producers to transfer resources into, or out of, an industry. In the long run, the firm cannot influence the market price and its average revenue curve is horizontal. The firm's average cost curve is U shaped Long-­‐run equilibrium will be established where there is just enough profit (normal profit) to keep existing firms in the industry

• •

• •

The market price, P, is the price which all individual firms in the market must take. If the firm must accept a given MR (as it must in conditions of perfect competition) and it sets MR = MC, then the MC curve is in effect the individual firm's supply curve (Figure (b)). [The market supply curve in Figure (a) is derived by aggregating the individual supply curves of every firm in the industry.] Consumer surplus is represented by the area to the left of the demand curve above P. The firm is operating at its most cost-­‐effective point (the lowest point on the AC curve) 43

Notes compiled from BPP CIMA study text

CIMA Certificate C4 – Fundamentals of Business Economics (Part A: Micro) Individual firm's equilibrium position occurs where price equals marginal cost.

Since price is a measure of the value of the good to a consumer, and marginal cost measures the cost to the producer of attracting resources from alternative uses, then the price of the last unit of output is equal to the opportunity cost of its production. This signifies that allocative efficiency is being achieved. (The long-­‐run equilibrium position under perfect competition is unique because it is the only market condition which achieves allocative efficiency.) In the long run, all firms in the industry will have MR = MC = AC = AR = price, as at output Q1. Because this position earns the entrepreneur the desired return on their capital (normal profit), ensures allocative efficiency, and means that firms operate their most cost-­‐effective point, long-­‐run equilibrium under perfect competition is held to be a desirable model for an economy.

3.11 Monopoly Market

Monopoly is a market in which there is a single supplier, and many consumers. The single supplier controls market supply, and can control price. Natural Monopoly: Natural factors make it too costly for another firm to enter the industry. A monopolist can either be a price maker (and thus a quantity taker) or set quantity (and take the equilibrium price which results). However, it cannot fix both price and quantity because it cannot control market demand. Monopolist earning normal profits Figure below shows a monopoly equilibrium where the AC curve touches the AR curve at a tangent, at exactly the same output level where MC = MR (output Q). Since AC = AR and AC includes normal profits, the monopolist will be earning normal profits but no supernormal profits. Monopolies are usually able to earn 'monopoly' or supernormal profits in the long run as well as the short run, and the situation illustrated will be rare for a monopoly,

Equilibrium of a monopoly firm earning normal profits Notes compiled from BPP CIMA study text

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CIMA Certificate C4 – Fundamentals of Business Economics (Part A: Micro) Monopolist earning supernormal profits Figure below shows the position of the monopolist earning supernormal profits in the short run. SMC is the short-­‐run marginal cost curve and SAC represents short-­‐run average costs. the monopolist's profit is maximised at output QM, where marginal cost (MC) equals marginal revenue (MR), and the price charged is the average revenue PM. The monopolist is earning supernormal profits represented by the rectangular area PM ZYX.

Monopolist's short-­‐run equilibrium

Monopoly and perfect competition compared

The monopoly restricts output and raises price compared to levels under perfect competition. Under perfect competition output of QPC would be produced at a price of PPC. Under monopoly, however, output of QM would be produced at a price of PM. Under perfect competition, the area CBPpc would constitute consumer surplus. Under monopoly, with price PM being charged, this is reduced to CZPM. Part of the consumer surplus has been transformed into super normal profit. The small triangular area ZBA is called the dead weight loss due to monopoly, since it is a benefit totally lost. Notes compiled from BPP CIMA study text

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CIMA Certificate C4 – Fundamentals of Business Economics (Part A: Micro) 3.11.1 Price discrimination Price discrimination occurs when a firm sells the same product at different prices in different markets. Separating a product into different markets with different elasticities allows the monopolist to increase profits by charging higher prices in the market with inelastic demand. Conditions necessary for price discrimination to be effective and profitable. a. The seller must be able to control the supply of the product and keep out any competitors who could undercut the premium price. To this extent, the market must be imperfect. b. There must be at least two distinct markets with no cross-­‐over between them. For example, a rail fare will either be for a peak time or off-­‐ peak. If a customer buys an off-­‐peak fare he or she cannot use it during a peak period. c. The seller must be able to prevent the resale of the good by one buyer to another. The markets must, therefore, be clearly separated so that those paying lower prices cannot resell to those paying higher prices. The ability to prevent resale tends to be associated with the character of the product, or the ability to classify buyers into readily identifiable groups. Services are less easily resold than goods while transportation costs, tariff barriers or import quotas may separate classes of buyers geographically and thus make price discrimination possible. d. There must be significant differences in the willingness to pay among the different classes of buyers. In effect this means that the elasticity of demand must be different in at least two of the separate markets so that total profits may be increased by charging different prices. Ways price discrimination can be applied. • Time – Markets may be separated by a time barrier, for example where the cost of telephone calls varies according to the time of day at which they are made. Rail operating companies charge cheaper rates for off peak travel. Holiday companies charging a higher price for a given holiday at certain times of the year is another example. These are examples of services which cannot be transferred from the cheaper to the more expensive market, because they are defined by the time period to which they relate. • User groups – Price discrimination also occurs where it is possible to separate customers into clearly defined groups. Industrial users of gas and electricity are able to purchase these fuels more cheaply than are domestic users. Similarly milk is sold more cheaply to industrial users, for example for making into cheese or ice cream, than to private households. • Income – A third way price discrimination can be applied is on the basis of income (for example, concessionary travel fares offered to students). • Place – Finally, price discrimination could be applied according to place – for example, banks offering different interest rates for on-­‐line accounts compared to high street only accounts.

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CIMA Certificate C4 – Fundamentals of Business Economics (Part A: Micro) 3.11.2 Arguments in favour of monopolies • A firm might need a monopoly share of the market if it is to achieve maximum economies of scale. Economies of scale mean lower unit costs, and lower marginal costs of production. Therefore we could argue monopoly provides a better utilisation of resources and technical efficiency even though it is not operating at the level of allocative efficiency. The consumer is likely to benefit from these cost efficiencies through lower prices from the monopoly supplier. Economies of scale shift the firm's cost curves to the right, which means that it will maximise profits at a higher output level, and quite possibly at a lower selling price per unit too. • So-­‐called natural monopolies exist because of a very high ratio of fixed costs to variable costs. Think, for example, of the network of pylons needed to supply electricity via a national grid. Such a cost structure makes it very likely that significant economies of scale will exist. Therefore a monopoly would be the most cost-­‐effective way of organising production. • Monopolies can afford to spend more on research and development, and are able to exploit innovation and technological progress much better than small firms and they can safeguard the rewards of their risks through securing patent rights. • Monopolies may find it easier than small firms to raise new capital on the capital markets, and so they can finance new technology and new products. This may help a country's economy to grow. • Monopolies will make large profits in the short term, but in many cases their profits will eventually encourage rival firms to break into their market, by developing rival products which might have a better design, better quality or lower price. It can therefore be argued that temporary monopolies can stimulate competition, and are in the longer term interests of consumers. 3.11.3 Arguments against monopolies • The profit-­‐maximising output of a monopoly is at a point where total market output is lower and prices are higher than they would be under perfect competition. Consumer surplus is also reduced under monopoly compared to perfect competition, suggesting that the monopolist is benefiting at the expense of society as a whole. • Monopolies do not achieve allocative efficiency since the prices they charge are greater than marginal cost. • Monopolies do not use resources in the most efficient way possible (technical efficiency). Efficient use of resources can be defined as combining factors of production so as to minimise average unit costs. The profit-­‐maximising output of a monopoly is not where average costs (AC) are minimised, and so monopolies are not efficient producers. • Monopolists can carry out restrictive practices, such as price discrimination, to increase their supernormal profits. • The higher prices and supernormal profits encourage firms in competitive markets to want to become monopolies, and they can do this by trying to create product differentiation, by introducing differences between their own products and the products of rival competitors. These differences might be real product design or quality differences, or imaginary differences created by a brand name

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CIMA Certificate C4 – Fundamentals of Business Economics (Part A: Micro) and a brand image. This can be beneficial for producers, but at the expense of consumers. Because they are not threatened by competition and can earn supernormal profits, monopolies might become slack about cost control, so that they fail to achieve the lowest unit costs they ought to be capable of. They may also adopt a complacent attitude to innovation. Because a monopolist is able to maintain supernormal profits in the long run (due to barriers to entry) it has less need to innovate than a firm operating in a more competitive market would have. Monopolies might stifle competition, by taking over smaller competitors who try to enter the market or by exploiting barriers to entry against other firms trying to enter the market. If a monopoly controls a vital resource, it might make decisions which are damaging to the public interest. This is why the government often chooses to put vital industries under state control (for example, health care, the fire service and the nuclear power industry in the UK at the time of writing). There might be diseconomies of scale in a large monopoly firm.









3.11.4 Barriers to entry Barriers to entry: factors which make it difficult for suppliers to enter a market, and therefore allow supernormal profits to be maintained in the long run Barriers to entry can be classified into several groups. a. Product differentiation barriers. An existing monopolist would be able to exploit its position as supplier of an established product so that the consumer can be persuaded to believe it is a top quality product. A new entrant to the market would have to design a better product, or convince customers of the product's qualities, and this might involve spending substantial sums of money on research and development, advertising and sales promotion. b. Exclusive control barriers. These exist where an existing monopolist (or oligopolist) has access to, and exclusive control over, cheaper raw material sources or know-­‐how that the new entrant would not have. This gives the existing monopolist an advantage because his input costs would be cheaper in absolute terms than those of a new entrant. c. Economies of scale. These exist where the long run average cost curve for firms in the market is downward sloping, and where the minimum level of production needed to achieve the greatest economies of scale is at a high level. New entrants to the market would have to be able to achieve a substantial market share before they could gain full advantage of potential scale economies, and so the existing monopolist would be able to produce its output more cheaply. d. The amount of fixed costs that a firm would have to sustain, regardless of its market share, could be a significant entry barrier. e. Legal barriers. These are barriers where a monopoly is fully or partially protected by law. For example, there are some legal monopolies (nationalised industries perhaps) and a company's products might be protected by patent (for example computer hardware or software).

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CIMA Certificate C4 – Fundamentals of Business Economics (Part A: Micro) f. Cartel agreements. If firms work together and agree to co-­‐operate rather than compete they can, in effect, form a monopoly. Such collusion can take the form of price fixing. g. Geographical barriers. In remote areas, the transport costs involved for a supplier to enter a market may prevent it from entering that market. For example, in the UK, local village shops have historically had a local monopoly, although the barriers to entry to such a market have been weakened by the growth of the internet and online shopping.

3.12 Monopolistic competition and non-­‐price competition When price competition is restricted, firms usually go in for other forms of competition, such as sales promotion and product differentiation. Monopolistic competition is a market structure in which firms' products are comparable rather than homogeneous. • Product differentiation gives the products some market power by acting as a barrier to entry. • Monopolistic competition is a market structure which combines features of perfect competition and monopoly. o has a downward sloping demand curve like a monopoly. o However, there are no significant barriers to entry. • Demand curve (average revenue curve) for the firm in monopolistic competition is likely to be more elastic than a monopoly. The short-­‐run equilibrium for a firm in monopolistic competition makes super normal profit. (Same as a monopoly making supernormal profit and shown by the area of the rectangle PQBA.

short-­‐run equilibrium of a firm in monopolistic competition

The long-­‐run equilibrium for a firm in monopolistic is the same as the equilibrium of a monopoly firm which earns no supernormal profits, but normal profits only. • New entrants to the market cause the firm to lose some of its customers. • Brand loyalty enables them to retain some of its customers. • Loss of customers is reflected in a leftward shift of the demand curve, and results in normal profit. Notes compiled from BPP CIMA study text

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CIMA Certificate C4 – Fundamentals of Business Economics (Part A: Micro)



Long-­‐run equilibrium of a firm in monopolistic competition



No allocative efficiency -­‐ price (P1) is higher than marginal cost at output level Q1 (where MC = MR). It will only be achieved where price equals marginal cost. (QA and Price A) No technical efficiency -­‐ average cost of the equilibrium output is not at the lowest point on the average cost curve (T). It will only be achieved at QT.

3.13 Oligopoly and Duopoly

Oligopoly: a market structure where a few large suppliers dominate the market. • Size of the existing firms in an oligopoly is likely to act as a barrier to entry to potential new entrants, • Allow to sustain abnormal profits in the long run. • Will exhibit both price and non-­‐price competition between firms. • Production decisions are interdependent. price and output decisions based on assumptions about their competitors' behaviour. A price cartel or price ring is created when a group of oligopoly firms combine to agree on a price at which they will sell their product to the market. Attempts to impose a higher price (for higher unit profits) by restricting supply to the market. Collusion: Each firm could increase its profits if all the firms together control prices and output and split the output between them. • Market acts like a monopoly • Usually leads to higher prices and lower outputs than the free market equilibrium, • Reduces consumer surplus and consumer sovereignty. • Cartels are normally illegal but difficult to prevent. • There might still be price leadership – One firm initiate price change and all other firms who see it in favor of them follows

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CIMA Certificate C4 – Fundamentals of Business Economics (Part A: Micro) Success of a price cartel will depend on several factors. • Consists of most or all of the producers of the product. • Availability of close substitutes for the product. For example, a price cartel by taxi drivers might lead to a shift in demand for buses and trains, because these are possible substitutes for taxis. • The ease with which supply can be regulated. In the case of primary commodities, such as wheat, rice, tea and coffee, total supply is dependent on weather conditions and even political events in the producing country. • Price elasticity of demand for the product. Cartels are likely to be most effective for goods that are inelastic. An attempt to raise prices by cutting output of an elastic good might result in such a large a fall in demand and such a small rise in price that the total income of producers also falls. • Possibility of producers agreeing on their individual shares of the total restricted supply to the market. This is often the greatest difficulty of all. Kinked oligopoly demand curve – when price cartels do not exist • A downward sloping demand curve, but the nature of the demand curve is dependent on the reactions of his rivals. • Any change in price will invite a competitive response.

Kinked oligopoly demand curve

Assume that the oligopolist is currently charging price P, and producing output Q, (producing at the 'kink' on the demand curve.) • If oligopolist raise prices è o Competiotrs keep their price lower, so customers prefer to buy from competitors o Firm’s profit decline, so has to restore prices to previous level. o Eg. Individual petrol companies find it difficult to increase prices. • If oligopolist reduce prices è o Competitors also reduce prices.

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CIMA Certificate C4 – Fundamentals of Business Economics (Part A: Micro) o Total market demand might rise but the increase in demand for individual oligopolistic most likely very low Demand at prices above the kink is Inelastic Demand at prices below the kink is elastic The marginal revenue (MR) curve is discontinuous at the output level where there is the kink in the demand curve. (based on the elasticity of the demand curve)

• • •

Price leadership: one firm to set the general industry price, with the other firms following suit. [Customers suffer] Price War: price leader cuts prices (perhaps to try to increase market share) but rivals follow suit. Each firm is prepared to cut its own prices in order to preserve its share of the market. [Customers will benefit]

Price stability means that oligopolists are likely to turn to methods of non-­‐price competition instead: • Advertising and promotions • Special offers (such as buy one, get one free) • Loyalty schemes • Extended guarantees and warranties • Levels of after-­‐sales service • Elaborate presentation and packaging. Duopoly is an oligopoly market structure containing only two firms. • Useful model for analysing oligopoly behaviour, especially the interdependence between firms. • The two firms can either collude or compete; o If they compete one firm can only gain at the expense of the other firm. (Assuming the market size remains constant) Game theory: decision whether to try to increase its market share or to allow market share to remain constant.

Example • Firm A and B share the market for soft drinks. • Both A and B makes profits of $250m per year. • Firm A launches an advertisement campaign that cost $50m. o Increase A’s revenue by $150m (but profit increase by 150-­‐50= $100) Notes compiled from BPP CIMA study text

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Ø An oligopolist firm also maximizes its profit at the point where MR = MC Ø Discontinuity in the MR curves means that there will be a number of points where MR = MC (represented by the range XY in the diagram). Ø A wide range of possible positions for the MC curve that produce the same profit maximising level of output. Ø Prices only change when MC curve is at a level to pass through MR curve o Rise if MC curve rise above point X and o Prices falls only if MC curve fall below point Y . Ø Or if all the firms follow the lead of a rival to change prices that shift the AR curve. (The kink rises to a new common price level, which is again stable)

CIMA Certificate C4 – Fundamentals of Business Economics (Part A: Micro) o Decrease B’s revenue and also profit by $150m. o Total market profit decrease to $450m. Firm B launches a counter advertisement campaign that cost $50m. o Firm B increase revenue by $150m. (Profit increase by $100m) o Decrease A’s revenue and also profit by $150m. o Overall Industry profit decrease further to $400m.



Game theory presupposes that the firms do not have a collusive agreement and have no knowledge of what the rivals will do. • Both firms will choose to advertise. (Increasing individual profitability by $100) • But in the end causes them both to lose $50m.

3.14 Government regulation and privatization Market failure is said to occur when the market mechanism fails to result in economic efficiency, and therefore the outcome is sub-­‐optimal

Regulation of economic activity è Used as an alternative to taxation and public provision of production

Regulation can be defined as any form of state interference in the operation of the free market. This could involve regulating demand, supply, price, profit, quantity, quality, entry, exit, information, technology, or any other aspect of production and consumption in the market. There are two aspects which government will regulate. Notes compiled from BPP CIMA study text

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CIMA Certificate C4 – Fundamentals of Business Economics (Part A: Micro) • • Mergers which would create monopolies Restrictive trade practices which reduce competition in a market, for example price fixing

Potential costs of regulation (a) Enforcement costs. (b) Regulatory capture refers to the process by which the regulator becomes dominated and controlled by the regulated firms, (c) Unintended consequences of regulation. Firms will not react passively to regulatory constraints on their behaviour; they will instead try to limit the effectiveness of the constraints. Deregulation can be defined as the removal or weakening of any form of statutory (or voluntary) regulation of free market activity. Deregulation allows free market forces more scope to determine the outcome. (also known as liberalization). Advantages of liberalization a. Improved incentives for internal/cost efficiency. Greater competition compels managers to try harder to keep down costs. b. Improved allocative efficiency. Competition keeps prices closer to marginal cost, and firms therefore produce closer to the socially optimal output level. Disadvantages of liberalization a. Loss of economies of scale. If increased competition means that each firm produces less output on a smaller scale, unit costs will be higher. b. Lower quality or quantity of service. The need to reduce costs may lead firms to reduce quality or eliminate unprofitable but socially valuable services. c. Need to protect competition. It may be necessary to implement a regulatory regime to protect competition where inherent forces have a tendency to eliminate it, for example if there is a dominant firm already in the industry, such as BT in telecommunications in the UK. In this type of situation, effective regulation for competition will be required, ie there will need to be regulatory measures aimed at maintaining competitive pressures, whether existing or potential. Some examples of deregulation and liberalization in UK • The 1986 'Big Bang' in the Stock Exchange abolished the old system of separate jobbers and brokers, and fixed brokerage commissions. Barriers to the entry of new firms were also lifted. One result of this was the merging of many broking and jobbing firms in the City into larger groupings, owned in most cases by 'outside' financial institutions. • The Cable and Broadcasting Act (1984) laid the groundwork for both cable and direct satellite broadcasting to develop, in competition with the existing over-­‐the-­‐air BBC and ITV transmissions. • Liberalisation of road passenger transport – both buses (stage services) and coaches (express services) – was brought about by the Transport Acts of 1980 and 1985. There is now effective free entry into both markets (except in London where 'Transport for London' still controls the bus services). • The monopoly position enjoyed by some professions has been removed; for example, in opticians' supply of spectacles and solicitors' monopoly over house Notes compiled from BPP CIMA study text

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CIMA Certificate C4 – Fundamentals of Business Economics (Part A: Micro) conveyancing have been removed. In addition, the controls on advertising by professionals have been loosened.

3.14.1 Privatisation Privatisation is the transfer by government of state owned activities to the private sector. Three broad forms of privatization. a. The deregulation of industries, to allow private firms to compete against state owned businesses where they were not allowed to compete before (for example, deregulation of bus and coach services; deregulation of postal services). b. Contracting out work to private firms, where the work was previously done by government employees – for example, refuse collection or hospital laundry work. c. Transferring the ownership of assets from the state to private shareholders, for example in the UK the denationalisation of British Gas, BT and many other enterprises. In UK there is also another form of privatisation d. The Private Finance Initiative (PFI) enlists private sector capital and management expertise to provide public services at reduced cost to the public sector budget. Advantages of privatisation. a. Privatised companies may be more efficient than state monopolies i. Private sector managers are likely to try to reduce costs and strip out unproductive labour. ii. May provide better quality and lead to innovation due to competition. b. Provides an immediate source of money for the government, through the sale of assets or businesses. c. Reduces bureaucratic and political meddling in the industries concerned. d. Have a more flexible and profit-­‐oriented management culture. e. A method to create wider share ownership

There are arguments against privatisation too. a. State owned industries are more likely to respond to the public interest, ahead of the profit motive. b. Encouraging private competition to state-­‐run industries might be inadvisable where significant economies of scale can be achieved by monopoly operations. c. Government can provide capital more cheaply than the market to industries whose earning potential is low, but which are deemed to be of strategic importance, such as aircraft manufacture. d. State-­‐owned industries can be run in a way that protects employment, as was the case in the UK coal industry, for instance. (The problem with this is that the taxpayer is effectively subsidising technical inefficiency) e. Surpluses from state-­‐run industries can be used for public welfare rather than private wealth. (However points (a) and (d) above tend to preclude the creation of surpluses.)

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CIMA Certificate C4 – Fundamentals of Business Economics (Part A: Micro) Criticisms of privatization in practice • Has not enhanced competition, and in some cases has merely transferred a public monopoly to a private monopoly. • Quality of service diminished when privately owned companies try to cut costs on services. • Level of service reduced and prices raised -­‐ private companies do not want to operate loss-­‐making services and focus on the profitable elements discontinue the less profitable elements. • Assets sold by governments have been undervalued and allowed private investors to make large capital gains by acquiring the assets. • Privatization has been selective in some areas -­‐ only profitable parts of the sector have been sold off leaving the unprofitable areas to the public sector and are a drain on public funds. • Top executives of privatized companies have been granted very large salaries and share options, which looks insensitive in the context of trying to improve employee efficiency and competitiveness.

3.14.2 The public sector Public sector organisations are all ultimately responsible (accountable) to government, and their purposes are defined in the laws that established them. Public sector bodies' objectives will usually be defined in terms of the provision of goods or services which are beneficial to society, rather than in terms of the profit maximising objectives of private sector firms.

Monopolies might be harmful or beneficial to the public interest. a. A beneficial monopoly is one that succeeds in achieving economies of scale in an industry. b. A monopoly would be detrimental to the public interest if cost efficiencies are not achieved.

Inefficiency associated with monopolies in general are a. Technical inefficiency: Not operating at the lowest possible cost per unit of output (not using least-­‐cost combination of productive resources for a given level of output). This is also known as productive inefficiency. b. Allocative inefficiency: Price is higher than marginal cost such that the good or service is under-­‐produced and under-­‐consumed. c. X-­‐inefficiency. The monopolist's privileged position relieves it of the need to exert constant effort to keep costs down. The resulting rise in costs is called X-­‐ inefficiency. 3.14.3 Methods of government control There are several different ways in which a government can attempt to control monopolies. a. Stop them from developing, or break them up once they have been created. b. Take them over. Nationalised industries are often government-­‐run monopolies, and central and/or local government also have virtual monopolies in the supply of other services, such as health, the police, education and social services. Notes compiled from BPP CIMA study text

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CIMA Certificate C4 – Fundamentals of Business Economics (Part A: Micro) Government-­‐run monopolies or nationalised industries are potentially advantageous. i. Need not have a profit maximizing objective and decision on supply of goods and services provided does not need to solely depend on cost and profit as they are not under free market forces anymore. ii. The government can regulate the quality of the good or service provided more easily, keep strategic control over provision of the goods & services and key resources. iii. Key industries can be protected (for example health, education), and capital can be made available for investment where it might not be in the private sector. iv. May benefit from economies of scale, particularly if they require significant investment in infrastructure. v. The government can protect employment and reduce social costs related to unemployment. Eg. Keeping 'uneconomic' coal mines open in the UK. vi. Promote a fairer distribution of wealth, since economic surpluses can be reinvested for the benefit of society rather than being related as profit by capitalist entrepreneurs.

c. Can allow monopolies or oligopolies to operate, but try to control their activities in order to protect the consumer. For example, it can try to prohibit the worst forms of restrictive practice, such as price cartels. Or it may set up regulatory 'consumer watchdog' bodies to protect consumers' interests where conditions of natural monopoly apply, as in the recently privatised utility industries of the UK. 3.14.4 Pricing in nationalised industries Nationalised industries can earn super normal profits like a private sector monopoly where MC=MR (But this is not the aim of a public sector organization). Alternatively, they can either • Produce at breakeven levels where TC =TR or AC=AR. (But not technically or allocatively efficient) • Produce at the lowest point on its average cost curve (Achieve technical efficiency) • Produce at the level of allocative efficiency (Price = MC) but this could cause it to make a loss, if marginal cost (and therefore price) are less than average cost. • Apply price discrimination

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CIMA Certificate C4 – Fundamentals of Business Economics (Part A: Micro)

3.14.5 Regulation and Competition Policy There are two main aspects of government policy investigating: • Mergers and acquisitions which might lead to the creation of a monopoly • Restrictive trade practices in a market (for example, collusion by suppliers) which undermine competition and consumer sovereignty in the market In the UK, there are various pieces of legislation in relation to competition policy. The Competition Act (1980) defined anti-­‐competitive activities, and established a procedure for investigating them through the Office of Fair Trading (OFT). If the OFT was unable to negotiate with a firm to stop the offending activity within two months, it could refer the uncompetitive activity to the Monopolies and Mergers Commission (MMC). If the MMC ruled that the activity is 'against the public interest' then it could refer it to the Department of Trade to prohibit it. The MMC was replaced by the Competition Commission (CC) in 1999. The Companies Act (1989) introduced more preventative legislation, • Requires companies planning to merge to notify the OFT of their intention in advance • OFT can refer potentially uncompetitive mergers to the MMC (now CC) before they actually take place. The Competition Act (1998) sought to strengthen UK competition law • Introducing the presumption that anti-­‐ competitive arrangements are necessarily against the public interest and so should be illegal. • Any agreements or business practice which have a damaging effect on competition are outlawed. • Prohibition of the abuse of a dominant market positions by a firm • Created the Competition Commission as the successor to the MMC. The Enterprise Act (2002) refined the focus of the CC’s work • public interest tests on uncompetitive activity are replaced by tests specifically about competition issues.

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CIMA Certificate C4 – Fundamentals of Business Economics (Part A: Micro) • Criminal sanctions for operating a cartel are introduced to deter agreements to fix prices, share markets, or limit production.

Specific industry regulators monitor the activities of private companies in industries which had previously been nationalised. For example, OFTEL was established to regulate the telecommunications market, while OFGAS regulates the gas industry. They have two roles • They can impose price caps and performance standards on the firms in their industries. • They can demand the removal of barriers to entry which stop new firms entering the market Other regulatory bodies The Restrictive Trade Practices Court (RTP) has jurisdiction to declare that certain agreements are contrary to the public interest, and to restrain parties from enforcing them. European Union competition policy is intended to ensure free and fair competition in the EU.

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...imports of products into a country cannot provide an accurate market potential of the product. The market potential of a product manufactured by a firm depends on the total demand of the product and the total supply of the market. One thing to take a look at is quantity demanded. The quantity demanded of any product by customers is not constant. It varies with the price of the product. For example a decrease in price usually increases the quantity demanded. When a new product enters a new market through importation there is an increase in its price. This is due to the additional costs of shipping the product from the country it was manufactured in and the import duty and other taxes imposed by the nation. Therefore, a company could be exporting a lot of products to a new market but be losing profit margins because of increased expenses. To estimate the market potential of a product it is essential to look at the actual customers are. Another thing to consider is why they want the product and how the price affects them. Another reason is that they may be making the product domestically. Even when basic need is identified, research look for current trade flows to see what level of activity is in place. Just because goods are currently imported doesn’t mean they will be imported in specific countries. Initial screening evaluated the basic need for a product or service in a specific market. It evaluates markets relevant to product characteristics. This is a useful tool...

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Market Segmentation

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...governments involved in a market economy, the government influences four main areas in the economy which are; enforcing antitrust laws, preserving property rights, providing a stable fiscal and monetary environment and preserving political stability. Also the report will cover why there can never be a truly ‘free market’ economy, where there is absolutely no government intervention. Market Economy In a market economy, the majority of a nation’s land, factories, and other economic resources are privately owned, either by individuals or businesses (Wild, Wild & Han 2010:151). It is also an economy in which prices of goods and services are freely set based on the laws of supply and demand which are unfettered by interference from a government or other outside bodies. A market economy at its basic is an economy run entirely by the market itself (McGuigan 2003:1). In contrast to a market economy is one which follows the Keynesian principals which is an economic theory which advocates government intervention, or demand side management of economy by increasing money supply or by actually buying things on the market itself, they believe that this will achieve full employment and stable prices (Web finance 2010:1). Market economy has come to be accepted as a norm across the world with many developing countries like India and China moving towards a full market oriented economy (economy watch 2010:1). The social democratic government of Australia adopted the principals of market economy after the...

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...Market failure is a concept within economic theory describing when the allocation of goods and services by a free market is not efficient. That is, there exists another conceivable outcome where a market participant may be made better-off without making someone else worse-off. (The outcome is not Pareto optimal.) Market failures can be viewed as scenarios where individuals' pursuit of pure self-interest leads to results that are not efficient – that can be improved upon from the societal point-of-view.[1][2] The first known use of the term by economists was in 1958,[3] but the concept has been traced back to the Victorian philosopher Henry Sidgwick.[4] Market failures are often associated with information asymmetries,[5] non-competitive markets, principal–agent problems, externalities,[6] or public goods.[7] The existence of a market failure is often used as a justification for government intervention in a particular market.[8][9] Economists, especially microeconomists, are often concerned with the causes of market failure and possible means of correction.[10] Such analysis plays an important role in many types of public policy decisions and studies. However, some types of government policy interventions, such as taxes, subsidies, bailouts, wage and price controls, and regulations, including attempts to correct market failure, may also lead to an inefficient allocation of resources, sometimes called government failure.[11] Thus, there is sometimes a choice between imperfect outcomes...

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Black Markets

...Black Market A market that operates outside of the legal system where either legal or illegal goods are sold at illegal prices or terms is known as the black market. These types of transactions normally occur when people are trying to avoid taxes or government price controls. The black market is also known for the buying and selling of illegal drugs, firearms, and stolen goods. When the demand is strong enough and gains from the trade can be had markets will develop and exchanges will occur in spite of the restrictions (Gwartney, Stroup, Sobel, & Macpherson, 2013). The Prices in the black market are determined by supply and demand just like in other markets. In some cases prices in the black market can be more costly to the consumer than the legal market. This is because the supplier takes on much more of a risk by selling these black market items and could be arrested, pay expensive fines, and even going to prison. On the other hand there are also times when it may be cheaper to purchase items in the black market; this is because the supplier does not have to pay things like taxes or the production costs on items. In August of this year black market distribution of Olympic tickets was shut down. Over 20,000 people would be denied seats into the venue because they had purchased tickets on the black market. The London Olympic tickets were only valid when purchased through authorized outlets. In this situation an unauthorized ticket trader named Euroteam was selling the...

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Evaluating the Market

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Market Failure

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Market Failure

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