Econ 301 – Intermediate Microeconomics

Deiter, F’09

Course/Topic Outline and Readings

 

Part A.  Business Economics and the Consumer

 

Unit 1.  Fundamentals of Microeconomics & Applications

            Marginal analysis

            Graphs and math

            Time value of money

            Readings:  Ch. 1 (all pgs), Ch. 15 (pgs. 544-563)

 

Unit 2.  Market Price Analysis

            Market demand & consumer surplus

            Market supply & producer surplus

            Equilibrium & policy analyses

            Readings:  Ch. 2 (pgs 10-29, 46-51), Ch. 5 (pgs 130-136, 141-144), Ch. 9 (pgs 289-318)

 

Unit 3. The Theory of Individual Economic Behavior

            Budget Constraints

                        Market rate of substitution (inverse P ratio)

                        Income changes

                        Price changes

Utility

                        Indifference curves

                        Preference properties

                        Types of goods

                        Marginal rate of substitution (inverse MU ratio)

            Utility Maximization

                        Types of goods

                        Income changes

                        Price changes (income & substitution effects)

                        Individual and market demand

                        Labor/leisure, inter temporal, & other applications

                        Readings:  Ch. 3 (all pgs), Ch. 4 (pgs 93-100, 107-110), Ch. 5 (pgs. 136-160)

 

Part B.  Business Economics of the Firm and Competition

 

Unit 4. Quantitative Demand Analysis (as functions of output level)

            Firm demand curves and alternative market structures

            TR, AR, MR (Revenue Concepts)

            TR maximization

            Elasticity of demand

            Readings:  Ch. 2 (pgs 30-45), Ch. 4 (pgs 101-106), Ch. 8 (pgs 242-246), Ch. 11 (pgs 362-366)

           

Unit 5. Production of Output, Revenues, Costs, & Profits as Functions of Input Level

Short Run Production Concepts

                        TP, AP, MP

            Stages of production

                        Diminishing returns

 

Revenue and Cost Concepts (as functions of input level), Factor Markets

                        TRP, ARP, MRP

                        TC, MFC

                        Profit-maximizing level of input use

                        Derived input demand

                        Input price determination and LR equilibrium, and procurement

                        Readings:  Ch. 6 (pgs 168-180), C. 15 (pgs 526-536)

 

Unit 6. Analyses of SR Costs and Profits as Functions of Output Level

SR Costs (as functions of output level)

                        Cost categories

                        Total, average, marginal

                        TVC, TFC, TC, AVC, AFC, ATC, MC

                        Cost/production relationships (TP & TVC, AP & AVC, MP & MC)

                        Calculation of SR TC equation from production information

 

Profit Analysis (as function of output level)

                        Diagrams of profit

                        Breakeven analysis

SR shut down 

                        SR firm & market supply

                        Profit maximization (P taker vs P setter)

                        LR competitive market output equilibrium

                        Readings:  Ch. 7 (pgs 201-214), Ch. 8 (pgs 247-279), Ch. 11 (pgs 365-369)

 

Unit 7. Analyses of LR Production and Costs as Functions of Output Level

Long Run Production Concepts

                        Isoquants

                        Marginal rate of technical substitution (MRTS)

                        SR TP in isoquant diagram

                        Returns to scale

 

LR Costs (as functions of output level)

                        Isocost line

                        LR cost minimization

                        Expansion path

                        Relationship to SR costs

                        Multi-plant production decisions

                        Readings:  Ch. 6 (pgs 181-197), Ch. 7 (pgs 214-237)

                       

Unit 8. Additional Pricing & Marketing Strategies (P-setting firms w/ market power)

                        Price discrimination

Mark-up pricing          

                        Pricing to maximize market share       

Two part pricing         

                        Block pricing  

                        Bundle pricing

                        Economic incentives for workers

Price matching

                        Random pricing

                        Alternative market structures

                        Game theory

                        Limit pricing

                        Predatory pricing

                        Penetration pricing

                        Readings:  Ch. 11 (pgs 369-373), Ch. 12 (all pgs), Ch. 19 (all pgs)