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

Market structures, Market Structures This refers to the nature and deg...

Market Structures This refers to the nature and degree of competition within a particular market.  Capitalist economies are characterised by a large range of different market

Find the profit maximizing output and monopoly profit, The demand curve for...

The demand curve for the product of a monopolist is a straight line such that quantity just falls to zero at a price of Rs 20 per unit and that the maximum quantity (at zero price)

State the specific time of demand, State the Specific Time of demand De...

State the Specific Time of demand Demand should be assigned specific time. For instance, it is an incomplete proclamation to state that demand of air conditioners is 4,000 at t

Budget planning, they manufacture a single product, specialty curry sauce. ...

they manufacture a single product, specialty curry sauce. They are interested in developing 12 MONTH budget models and want to perform decision analysis on this model. Curryrus.com

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

"Principal Agent Problem", For this assignment, write at least two pages do...

For this assignment, write at least two pages double spaced about how the principal agent problem applies to: 1. CEO''s, and their relationship with the firm, it''s employees, and

Contributions of economic theory to business economics, Contributions of ec...

Contributions of economic theory to business economics According to Baumol, there are 3 key contributions of economic theory to business economics. 1.  Practice of building

Explain systematic failures of government, Question 1: (a) How do econ...

Question 1: (a) How do economists go about studying the economics of the public sector? Describe the four stages of analysis. (b) What are the main reasons explaining syst

Ab, isoquant and its properties

isoquant and its properties

Weston Industrial Manufacturing Products ("WIMP") has the ca, I would like ...

I would like to get the answer to the question - Weston Industrial Manufacturing Products ("WIMP") has the capability to produce a variety of industrial products, including a numb

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