CHAPTER 1
The Fundamentals of
Managerial Economics
McGraw-Hill/Irwin Copyright 2014 by The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc. All rights reserved.
Chapter Overview
Chapter One
Introduction
The manager
Economics
Managerial economics defined
Economics of Effective Management
Identifying goals and constraints
Recognize the nature and importance of profits
Understand incentives
Understand markets
Recognize the time value of money
Use marginal analysis
Learning managerial economics
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Chapter Overview
Introduction
Chapter 1 focuses on defining managerial
economics, and illustrating how it is a valuable
tool for analyzing many business situations.
This chapter provides an overview of managerial
economics.
How do accounting profits and economic profits
differ?
Why is the difference important?
How do managers account for time gaps between
costs and revenues?
What guiding principle can managers use to maximize
profits?
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Introduction
The Manager
A person who directs resources to achieve a
stated goal.
Directs the efforts of others.
Purchases inputs used in the production of the
firms output.
Directs the product price or quality decisions.
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Introduction
Economics
The science of making decisions in the
presence of scarce resources.
Resources are anything used to produce a good or
service, or achieve a goal.
Decisions are important because scarcity implies
trade-offs.
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Introduction
Managerial Economics Defined
The study of how to direct scarce resources in
the way that most efficiently achieves a
managerial goal.
Should a firm purchase components like disk
drives and chips from other manufacturers or
produce them within the firm?
Should the firm specialize in making one type of
computer or produce several different types?
How many computers should the firm produce,
and at what price should you sell them?
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Economics of Effective Management
Economics of Effective Management
Basic principles comprising effective
management:
Identify goals and constraints.
Recognize the nature and importance of profits.
Understand incentives.
Understand markets.
Recognize the time value of money.
Use marginal analysis.
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Economics of Effective Management
The Nature and Importance of Profits
A typical firms objective is to maximize
profits.
Accounting profit
Total amount of money taken in from sales (total
revenue) minus the dollar cost of producing goods
or services.
Economic profit
The difference between total revenue and cost
opportunity cost.
Opportunity cost
The explicit cost of a resource plus the implicit cost of
giving up its best alternative.
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Economics of Effective Management
The Role of Profits
Profit Principle:
Profits are a signal to resource holders where
resources are most highly valued by society.
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Economics of Effective Management
Five Forces and Industry Profitability
Entry
Entry Costs Network Effects
Speed of Adjustment Reputation
Sunk Costs Switching Costs
Economies of Scale Government Restraints
Power of Power of
Input Suppliers Buyers
Supplier Concentration Buyer Concentration
Price/Productivity of Level, Growth, Price/Value of Substitute
Alternative Inputs
and Sustainability Products or Services
Relationship-Specific Relationship-Specific
Investments of Industry Profits Investments
Supplier Switching Costs
Customer Switching Costs
Government Restraints Government Restraints
Industry Rivalry Substitutes & Complements
Concentration Switching Costs
Price/Value of Surrogate Products Network Effects
Price, Quantity, Quality, Timing of Decisions
or Services Government
or Service Competition Information Price/Value of Complementary Restraints
Degree of Differentiation Government Products or Services
Restraints
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Economics of Effective Management
Understand Incentives
Changes in profits provide an incentive to how
resource holders use their resources.
Within a firm, incentives impact how
resources are used and how hard workers
work.
One role of a manager is to construct incentives to
induce maximal effort from employees.
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Economics of Effective Management
Understand Markets
Two sides to every market transaction:
Buyer.
Seller.
Bargaining position of consumers and
producers is limited by three rivalries in
economic transactions:
Consumer-producer rivalry.
Consumer-consumer rivalry.
Producer-producer rivalry.
Government and the market.
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Economics of Effective Management
The Time Value of Money
Often a gap exists between the time when
costs are borne and benefits received.
Managers can use present value analysis to
properly account for the timing of receipts and
expenditures.
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Economics of Effective Management
Present Value Analysis 1
Present value of a single future value
The amount that would have to be invested today
at the prevailing interest rate to generate the
given future value:
=
1+
Present value reflects the difference between the
future value and the opportunity cost of waiting:
=
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Economics of Effective Management
Present Value Analysis II
Present value of a stream of future values
1 2
= 1
+ 2
+ +
1+ 1+ 1+
or,
=
1+
=1
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Economics of Effective Management
The Time Value of Money in Action
Consider a project that returns the following
income stream:
Year 1, $10,000; Year 2, $50,000; and Year 3,
$100,000.
At an annual interest rate of 3 percent, what is the
present value of this income stream?
$10,000 $50,000 $100,000
= 1
+ 2
+
1 + 0.03 1 + 0.03 1 + 0.03 3
= $148,352.70
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Economics of Effective Management
Net Present Value
The present value of the income stream
generated by a project minus the current cost
of the project:
1 2
= 1
+ 2
+ +
0
1+ 1+ 1+
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Economics of Effective Management
Present Value of Indefinitely Lived Assets
Present value of decisions that indefinitely
generate cash flows:
1 2 3
= 0 + 1
+ 2
+ 3
+
1+ 1+ 1+
Present value of this perpetual income stream
when the same cash flow is generated (1 =
2 = = ):
=
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Economics of Effective Management
Present Value and Profit Maximization
Profit maximization principle
Maximizing profits means maximizing the value of
the firm, which is the present value of current and
future profits.
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Economics of Effective Management
Present Value and Estimating Values of Firms I
The value of a firm with current profits 0 ,
with no dividends paid out and expected,
constant profit growth rate of (assuming
< ) is:
0 1 + 0 1 + 2 0 1 + 3
= 0 + 1
+ 2
+ 3
+
1+ 1+ 1+
1+
= 0
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Economics of Effective Management
Present Value and Estimating Values of Firms II
When dividends are immediately paid out of
current profits, the present value of the firm is
(at ex-dividend date):
= 0
1+
= 0
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Economics of Effective Management
Short-Term versus Long-term Profits
Short-term and long-term profits principle
If the growth rate in profits is less than the
interest rate and both are constant, maximizing
current (short-term) profits is the same as
maximizing long-term profits.
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Economics of Effective Management
Marginal Analysis
Given a control variable, , of a managerial
objective, denote the
total benefit as .
total cost as .
Managers objective is to maximize net
benefits:
=
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Economics of Effective Management
Using Marginal Analysis
How can the manager maximize net benefits?
Use marginal analysis
Marginal benefit:
The change in total benefits arising from a change in
the managerial control variable, .
Marginal cost:
The change in the total costs arising from a change in
the managerial control variable, .
Marginal net benefits:
=
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Economics of Effective Management
Marginal Analysis Principle I
Marginal principle
To maximize net benefits, the manager should
increase the managerial control variable up to
the point where marginal benefits equal marginal
costs. This level of the managerial control
variable corresponds to the level at which
marginal net benefits are zero; nothing more can
be gained by further changes in that variable.
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Economics of Effective Management
Marginal Principle II
Marginal principle (calculus alternative)
Slope of a continuous function is the derivative
/marginal value of that function:
=
=
=
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Economics of Effective Management
Marginal Analysis In Action
It is estimated that the benefit and cost
structure of a firm is:
= 250 4 2
= 2
Find the and functions.
= 250 8
= 2
What value of makes zero?
250 8 = 2 = 25
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Economics of Effective Management
Determining the Optimal Level of a Control Variable
Total benefits
Total costs Maximum total benefits
Maximum net
benefits
0 Quantity
(Control Variable)
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Economics of Effective Management
Determining the Optimal Level of a Control Variable II
Net benefits
Maximum
net benefits
Slope =()
0 Quantity
= =0 (Control Variable)
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Economics of Effective Management
Determining the Optimal Level of a Control Variable III
Marginal
benefits, costs
and net benefits
Maximum net
benefits
0 Quantity
(Control Variable)
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Economics of Effective Management
Incremental Decisions
Incremental revenues
The additional revenues that stem from a yes-or-
no decision.
Incremental costs
The additional costs that stem from a yes-or-no
decision.
Thumbs up decision
> .
Thumbs down decision
< .
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Learning Managerial Economics
Learning Managerial Economics
Practice, practice, practice
Learn terminology
Break down complex issues into manageable
components.
Helps economics practitioners communicate
efficiently.
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Conclusion
Conclusion
Make sure you include all costs and benefits
when making decisions (opportunity costs).
When decisions span time, make sure you are
comparing apples to apples (present value
analysis).
Optimal economic decisions are made at the
margin (marginal analysis).
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