Consider a firm with a marginal cost that initially decreases, but after reaching a minimum then increases with output (that is, the more output is produced, the higher the marginal cost). Suppose the firm is producing in the short run, which implies that there are some fixed costs. Which of the following statements is correct? a. To produce at the minimum average total cost, the firm must produce more output than it would need to produce at the minimum average variable cost.
b. To produce at the minimum average variable cost, the firm must produce more output than it would need to produce at the minimum average total cost.
c. The level of output that minimizes the average variable cost is also the level of output that minimizes the average total cost.
d. There is no level of output that minimizes the average total cost.

At a student café, there are equal numbers of two types of customers with the following values. the café owner cannot distinguish between the two types of students because many students without early classes arrive early anyway (i.e., she cannot price-discriminate). students with early classes students without early classes coffee 70 60 banana 51 101 the marginal cost of coffee is 10 and the marginal cost of a banana is 40. the café owner is considering three pricing strategies: 1. mixed bundling: price bundle of coffee and a banana for 161, or just a coffee for 70. 2. price separately: offer coffee at 60, price a banana at 101. 3. bundle only: coffee and a banana for 121. do not offer goods separately. assume that if the price of an item or bundle is no more than exactly equal to a student's willingness to pay, then the student will purchase the item or bundle. for simplicity, assume there is just one student with an early class, and one student without an early class. price strategy revenue from pricing strategy cost from pricing strategy profit from pricing strategy 1. mixed bundling $ $ $ 2. price separately $ $ $ 3. bundle only $ $ $ pricing strategy yields the highest profit for the café owner.

Specialization—the division of labor—enhances productivity and efficiency by a) allowing workers to take advantage of existing differences in their abilities and skills. b) avoiding the time loss involved in shifting from one production task to another. c) allowing workers to develop skills by working on one, or a limited number, of tasks. d)all of the means identified in the other answers.

M. cotteleer electronics supplies microcomputer circuitry to a company that incorporates microprocessors into refrigerators and other home appliances. one of the components has an annual demand of 235 units, and this is constant throughout the year. carrying cost is estimated to be $1.25 per unit per year, and the ordering (setup) cost is $21 per order. a) to minimize cost, how many units should be ordered each time an order is placed? b) how many orders per year are needed with the optimal policy? c) what is the average inventory if costs are minimized? d) suppose that the ordering cost is not $21, and cotteleer has been ordering 125 units each time an order is placed. for this order policy (of q = 125) to be optimal, determine what the ordering cost would have to be.