Menu costs, Managerial Economics

Assignment Help:

Menu Costs 

Why do firms not change their prices very  frequently? Obviously, the costs of changing prices at  frequent intervals and in small amounts must be more  than the benefits obtained from such a change. Firms prefer to wait before they make price changes in relatively large amounts and in the mean time absorb the losses that they would  suffer by not changing prices. This of course presumes that the firms  have  some monopolistic price setting power and  the  losses referred to above include lower profits  than would have been possible  if prices had been raised, and not necessarily actual out-of-pocket losses.

It  is  easy to understand  this  behaviour  of monopolistically competitive firms through the example of restaurants competing with each other. The term  'menu costs' immediately becomes meaningful as the costs that would be  incurred  in changing the menu cards every time there  is a change in the prices of items on the menu. These printing costs are surely negligible, but  the more  important costs are in terms of the loss of customers that a firm would face if it subjects its clientele to the 'irritability'  of continuous, small changes in prices. The concept  of menu costs in  a modem economy  is  indeed broad.  It  is  also widely applicable, given  the proliferation of automatic dispensers (e.g., coffee machines) and pay  telephones that operate on coins.  

It  is easy to  imagine  the cost that would be  incurred by  the suppliers if these ubiquitous machines were to be adjusted every time a price change is effected. The firms would rather not change their prices.  It  is  this idea  of weighing  the  costs  of  changing prices against the benefits obtained  from  changing prices that  is  formalised  in  the Mankiw model that we consider below.    


Related Discussions:- Menu costs

Indirect taxes, INDIRECT TAXES These are imposed on an individual most...

INDIRECT TAXES These are imposed on an individual mostly producers or traders but they can be passed on to be borne by others usually the final consumers.  They can also be de

What are the sources of mononpoly, Question : i) Consider a discriminat...

Question : i) Consider a discriminating monopolist is selling a product in two separate markets in which demand functions are: P 1 = 6 - Q 1 P 2 = 18 - 2Q 2 The mono

Free trade, free trade promotes a mutually profitable regional division of ...

free trade promotes a mutually profitable regional division of labour greatly enhances the potential real national product ofall nations and makes possible higher standards of livi

Proportion of market supplied - determinants of demand, Q. Proportion of Ma...

Q. Proportion of Market Supplied - Determinants of Demand? Price elasticity of market demand moreover relies on the proportion of market supplied at the determined price. If le

Characteristics of money, Characteristics of Money Over time, therefor...

Characteristics of Money Over time, therefore, it became clear that for an item to act as money it must possess the following characteristics. Acceptability If

Marginal social cost, Suppose that there is a fixed sum of money available ...

Suppose that there is a fixed sum of money available to be spent on public projects, and that a large number of public projects have been evaluated using social cost-benefit analys

Presentation, to give presentation on the topic: shutdown and abandoned cos...

to give presentation on the topic: shutdown and abandoned cost analysis?

Transitional unemployment, Transitional unemployment Transitional unem...

Transitional unemployment Transitional unemployment is that situation which prevails due to some temporary reasons.  The main reason for this type of unemployment are:

What is marginal cost curve, Q. What is Marginal cost curve? MC curve i...

Q. What is Marginal cost curve? MC curve is also 'U' shaped as in Figure below. Marginal cost curve falls initially but then reaches a minimum point and lastly rises. Shape of

Isoquants, #question.meaning of isoquants and its types

#question.meaning of isoquants and its types

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