Implications for the shape of cost function, Managerial Economics

Assignment Help:

Q. Implications for the shape of cost function?

A cost function is also a mathematical relationship, one which relates the expenses an organisation incurs on the quantity of output it generates and to the unit prices it pays. Arithmetically, let E denote the expense an organisation incurs in production of output quantity Y when it pays unit prices (p1... pn) for the inputs it uses. Then cost function  C(y, p1, ...,  pn) describes the minimum expenditure essential to produce output quantity Y when input unit prices are  (p1,...,  pn), given the technology in use and so E ≥ C(y, p1,...,pn). A cost function is an increasing function of (y, p1,..., pn), though the degrees to which minimum cost increases with an increase in the quantity of output produced or in any input price relies on the aspects describing the structure of production technology. For illustration, scale economies enable output to expand faster than input usage. Or we can say, proportionate increase in output is larger than proportionate increase in inputs. Such a situation is also referred as elasticity of production in relation to inputs being greater than one scale economies so create an incentive for large-scale production and by analogous reasoning scale diseconomies create a technological deterrent to large-scale production. For another instance, if a pair of inputs is a close substitute and unit price of one of the inputs increases, resulting increase in cost is less than if two inputs were poor complements orsubstitutes. Lastly, if wastage in the organisation causes actual output to fall short of maximum possible output or if inputs are misallocated in light of their respective unit prices, then actual cost exceeds minimum cost; both technical as well as allocative inefficiency are expensive.

As these illustrations suggest, under fairly general conditions shape of the cost function is a mirror image of shape of the production function. So the cost function and production function normally afford equivalent information concerning the structure of production technology. This equivalence relationship between cost functions and production functions is called 'duality' and it states that one of the two functions has certain aspects if and only if, the other has certain aspects. Such a duality relationship has some significant implications. Since production function and cost function are based on different data, duality allows us to use either function as the basis of an economic analysis of production, without fear of attaining conflicting inferences. Theoretical properties of associated input demand and output supply equations may be inferred from either theoretical properties of the production function or more easily for those of the dual cost function.


Related Discussions:- Implications for the shape of cost function

Long-run labor demand and factor substitutability, Problem: Long-Run Labor ...

Problem: Long-Run Labor Demand and Factor Substitutability Suppose there are two inputs in the production function, labor (L) and capital (K), which can be combined to produce

Types of unemployment, TYPES OF UNEMPLOYMENT   A  person  can  be  eith...

TYPES OF UNEMPLOYMENT   A  person  can  be  either  in the labour force  or  not  in  the  labour  force  of  an economy. The person not  included  in  the  labour force includ

Cost, classification of costs

classification of costs

Price wars, on the application of any of the concepts learnt in Managerial ...

on the application of any of the concepts learnt in Managerial Economics. You may try to use these concepts to everyday problems in life or in any of the current debates on in the

Derevatives ., how to solve problems using derivatives ?

how to solve problems using derivatives ?

Explain the point elasticity, Point elasticity The point elasticity of ...

Point elasticity The point elasticity of demand is described as the proportionate change in quantity demanded in response to a very small proportionate change in price. The con

Oligopoly , why firms under oligopoly market should follow price rigidity...

why firms under oligopoly market should follow price rigidity?

Location problem in the plane, Location problem in the plane: In Kent, ...

Location problem in the plane: In Kent, the council to respond to the people and government needs, it decided to establish 3 community care homes. The towns are recorded with t

Factors responsible for wage differential between occupation, FACTORS RESPO...

FACTORS RESPONSIBLE FOR WAGE DIFFERENTIALS BETWEEN OCCUPATIONS The major cause is demand and supply for the particular labour concerned, but other causes could be: i.

Write Your Message!

Captcha
Free Assignment Quote

Assured A++ Grade

Get guaranteed satisfaction & time on delivery in every assignment order you paid with us! We ensure premium quality solution document along with free turntin report!

All rights reserved! Copyrights ©2019-2020 ExpertsMind IT Educational Pvt Ltd