Slide MGT407 Slide06

Managerial Economics in a
Global Economy, 5th Edition
by
Dominick Salvatore
Chapter 6
Production Theory
and Estimation

Prepared by Robert F. Brooker, Ph.D. Copyright ©2004 by South-Western, a division of Thomson Learning. All rights reserved.

Slide 1

The Organization of
Production
• Inputs
– Labor, Capital, Land

• Fixed Inputs
• Variable Inputs
• Short Run
– At least one input is fixed


• Long Run
– All inputs are variable
Prepared by Robert F. Brooker, Ph.D. Copyright ©2004 by South-Western, a division of Thomson Learning. All rights reserved.

Slide 2

Production Function
With Two Inputs
Q = f(L, K)
K
6
5
4
3
2
1

Q
10

12
12
10
7
3
1

24
28
28
23
18
8
2

31
36
36
33
28

12
3

36
40
40
36
30
14
4

40
42
40
36
30
14
5

39

40
36
33
28
12
6 L

Prepared by Robert F. Brooker, Ph.D. Copyright ©2004 by South-Western, a division of Thomson Learning. All rights reserved.

Slide 3

Production Function
With Two Inputs
Discrete Production Surface

Prepared by Robert F. Brooker, Ph.D. Copyright ©2004 by South-Western, a division of Thomson Learning. All rights reserved.

Slide 4

Production Function

With Two Inputs
Continuous Production Surface

Prepared by Robert F. Brooker, Ph.D. Copyright ©2004 by South-Western, a division of Thomson Learning. All rights reserved.

Slide 5

Production Function
With One Variable Input
Total Product

TP = Q = f(L)
TP
L

Marginal Product

MPL =

Average Product


TP
APL =
L
MPL
EL = AP
L

Production or
Output Elasticity

Prepared by Robert F. Brooker, Ph.D. Copyright ©2004 by South-Western, a division of Thomson Learning. All rights reserved.

Slide 6

Production Function
With One Variable Input
Total, Marginal, and Average Product of Labor, and Output Elasticity

L

0
1
2
3
4
5
6

Q
0
3
8
12
14
14
12

MPL
3
5

4
2
0
-2

APL
3
4
4
3.5
2.8
2

EL
1
1.25
1
0.57
0
-1


Prepared by Robert F. Brooker, Ph.D. Copyright ©2004 by South-Western, a division of Thomson Learning. All rights reserved.

Slide 7

Production Function
With One Variable Input

Prepared by Robert F. Brooker, Ph.D. Copyright ©2004 by South-Western, a division of Thomson Learning. All rights reserved.

Slide 8

Production Function
With One Variable Input

Prepared by Robert F. Brooker, Ph.D. Copyright ©2004 by South-Western, a division of Thomson Learning. All rights reserved.

Slide 9

Optimal Use of the

Variable Input
Marginal Revenue
Product of Labor
Marginal Resource
Cost of Labor

MRPL = (MPL)(MR)
MRCL =

TC
L

Optimal Use of Labor MRPL = MRCL
Prepared by Robert F. Brooker, Ph.D. Copyright ©2004 by South-Western, a division of Thomson Learning. All rights reserved.

Slide 10

Optimal Use of the
Variable Input
Use of Labor is Optimal When L = 3.50

L
2.50
3.00
3.50
4.00
4.50

MPL
4
3
2
1
0

MR = P
$10
10
10
10
10

MRPL
$40
30
20
10
0

MRCL
$20
20
20
20
20

Prepared by Robert F. Brooker, Ph.D. Copyright ©2004 by South-Western, a division of Thomson Learning. All rights reserved.

Slide 11

Optimal Use of the
Variable Input

Prepared by Robert F. Brooker, Ph.D. Copyright ©2004 by South-Western, a division of Thomson Learning. All rights reserved.

Slide 12

Production With Two
Variable Inputs
Isoquants show combinations of two inputs
that can produce the same level of output.
Firms will only use combinations of two
inputs that are in the economic region of
production, which is defined by the portion
of each isoquant that is negatively sloped.
Prepared by Robert F. Brooker, Ph.D. Copyright ©2004 by South-Western, a division of Thomson Learning. All rights reserved.

Slide 13

Production With Two
Variable Inputs
Isoquants

Prepared by Robert F. Brooker, Ph.D. Copyright ©2004 by South-Western, a division of Thomson Learning. All rights reserved.

Slide 14

Production With Two
Variable Inputs
Economic
Region of
Production

Prepared by Robert F. Brooker, Ph.D. Copyright ©2004 by South-Western, a division of Thomson Learning. All rights reserved.

Slide 15

Production With Two
Variable Inputs
Marginal Rate of Technical Substitution

MRTS = - K/ L = MPL/MPK

Prepared by Robert F. Brooker, Ph.D. Copyright ©2004 by South-Western, a division of Thomson Learning. All rights reserved.

Slide 16

Production With Two
Variable Inputs
MRTS = -(-2.5/1) = 2.5

Prepared by Robert F. Brooker, Ph.D. Copyright ©2004 by South-Western, a division of Thomson Learning. All rights reserved.

Slide 17

Production With Two
Variable Inputs
Perfect Substitutes

Perfect Complements

Prepared by Robert F. Brooker, Ph.D. Copyright ©2004 by South-Western, a division of Thomson Learning. All rights reserved.

Slide 18

Optimal Combination of Inputs
Isocost lines represent all combinations of
two inputs that a firm can purchase with
the same total cost.
C

wL rK

C Total Cost
w Wage Rate of Labor (L)

K

C
r

w
L
r

r

Cost of Capital (K )

Prepared by Robert F. Brooker, Ph.D. Copyright ©2004 by South-Western, a division of Thomson Learning. All rights reserved.

Slide 19

Optimal Combination of Inputs
Isocost Lines
AB

C = $100, w = r = $10

A’B’

C = $140, w = r = $10

A’’B’’

C = $80, w = r = $10

AB*

C = $100, w = $5, r = $10

Prepared by Robert F. Brooker, Ph.D. Copyright ©2004 by South-Western, a division of Thomson Learning. All rights reserved.

Slide 20

Optimal Combination of Inputs
MRTS = w/r

Prepared by Robert F. Brooker, Ph.D. Copyright ©2004 by South-Western, a division of Thomson Learning. All rights reserved.

Slide 21

Optimal Combination of Inputs
Effect of a Change in Input Prices

Prepared by Robert F. Brooker, Ph.D. Copyright ©2004 by South-Western, a division of Thomson Learning. All rights reserved.

Slide 22

Returns to Scale
Production Function Q = f(L, K)
Q = f(hL, hK)
If

= h, then f has constant returns to scale.

If

> h, then f has increasing returns to scale.

If

< h, the f has decreasing returns to scale.

Prepared by Robert F. Brooker, Ph.D. Copyright ©2004 by South-Western, a division of Thomson Learning. All rights reserved.

Slide 23

Returns to Scale
Constant
Returns to
Scale

Increasing
Returns to
Scale

Decreasing
Returns to
Scale

Prepared by Robert F. Brooker, Ph.D. Copyright ©2004 by South-Western, a division of Thomson Learning. All rights reserved.

Slide 24

Empirical Production
Functions
Cobb-Douglas Production Function
Q = AKaLb
Estimated using Natural Logarithms
ln Q = ln A + a ln K + b ln L

Prepared by Robert F. Brooker, Ph.D. Copyright ©2004 by South-Western, a division of Thomson Learning. All rights reserved.

Slide 25

Innovations and Global
Competitiveness








Product Innovation
Process Innovation
Product Cycle Model
Just-In-Time Production System
Competitive Benchmarking
Computer-Aided Design (CAD)
Computer-Aided Manufacturing (CAM)

Prepared by Robert F. Brooker, Ph.D. Copyright ©2004 by South-Western, a division of Thomson Learning. All rights reserved.

Slide 26