# Elasticity

## Elasticity

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##### Presentation Transcript

1. Elasticity • If a seller needs to reduce the price of a product, how much should it be reduced? • Reduce too little, and projected increase in sales will not meet desired goals. • Reduce too much, and the projected profit target might not be achieved. • The economic concept here is price elasticity of demand: how much quantity demanded changes in response to a change in price.

2. Learning Objectives • 20-01. Compute the price elasticity of demand. • 20-02. Know the relationships between price changes, price elasticity, and total revenue. • 20-03. Know what the cross-price elasticity of demand measures. • 20-04. Know what the income elasticity of demand tells us. • 20-05. Know what the elasticity of supply measures.

3. Price Elasticity • The law of demand states that quantity demanded will increase when the price is lowered, and vice versa. • The critical question to be answered is how muchquantity demanded will change due to a price change. • Price elasticity of demand: the percentage change in quantity demanded divided by the percentage change in price.

4. Price Elasticity • Price elasticity of demand: the percentage change in quantity demanded divided by the percentage change in price. • A 10% increase in quantity demanded in response to a 20% price decrease yields a price elasticity of 0.5. Price elasticity (E) = % change in quantity demanded % change in price

5. Computing Price Elasticity • We use the average method of computation: • Take the quantity before and the quantity after the price change and average them. • Divide the average quantity into the change in quantity to get the percentage change in quantity. • If quantity went from 2 to 4, then the average is 3. The change is 2, so the percentage change is 2/3 or 0.667.

6. Computing Price Elasticity • We do the same thing to get the percentage change in price: • Take the price before and the price after and average them. • Divide the average price into the change in price to get the percentage change in price. • If price went from 45 to 40, then the average is 42.5. The change is 5, so the percentage change is 5/42.5, or 0.118.

7. Computing Price Elasticity • The % change in quantity is 0.667 and the % change in price is 0.118. • We can now compute the price elasticity of demand: • E = 0.667 / 0.118 = 5.65 • A 1% change in price brings about a 5.65% change in quantity demanded. Price elasticity (E) = % change in quantity demanded % change in price

8. Interpreting Elasticity • If E > 1, demand is elastic. • Consumer response is large relative to the price change. • If E < 1, demand is inelastic. • Consumer response is small relative to the price change. • If E = 1, demand is unitary elastic. • % change in quantity demanded is exactly equal to % change in price.

9. Elasticity Extremes

10. Determinants of Elasticity • Necessities vs. luxuries. • Demand for necessities is relatively inelastic. • Demand for luxuries is relatively elastic. • Availability of substitutes. • The greater the availability of substitutes, the more elastic is the product’s demand. • No or few substitutes? Inelastic demand.

11. Determinants of Elasticity • Relative price to income. • Demand for low-priced goods is relatively inelastic. • Demand for high-priced goods is relatively elastic. • Time. • The more time you have to adjust to a price change, the more elastic is your response. • No time to adjust? Highly inelastic demand.

12. Price Elasticity and Total Revenue • The goal of sales is to receive total revenue. • If demand is inelastic (E<1), a price rise increases total revenue, and vice versa. • If demand is elastic (E>1), a price rise decreases total revenue, and vice versa. • If demand is unitary-elastic (E=1), a price change does not change total revenue. Total revenue = Price x Quantity sold

13. Income Elasticity • A increase in demand for a good when income rises is true for a normal good. Most goods are normal goods. • However, for some goods the demand decreases as income rises. They are inferior goods. • Examples are used clothes and ramen noodles. • As income increases, people upgrade to higher- quality substitutes for inferior goods.

14. Income Elasticity • As income increases, people have more money to spend. Demand for goods, in general, will shift rightward. • For a particular good, how much of a demand increase will occur? • Income elasticity of demand: % change in quantity demanded divided by % change in income. • Your income rises by 10%. You go to the movies more and buy 20% more popcorn. Income elasticity of demand for popcorn is 20% / 10% or 2.0.

15. Cross-Price Elasticity • Suppose the price of candy in the theater falls. How would this affect the sales of popcorn? • Candy and popcorn are substitutes for each other. • Lower-priced candy will see an increase in quantity demanded. Also, the demand for popcorn will decrease. But by how much? • Cross-price elasticity of demand: the % change in quantity demanded of X divided by the % change in price of Y.

16. Cross-Price Elasticity • Cross-price elasticity of demand: the % change in quantity demanded of X divided by the % change in price of Y. • If popcorn sales declined 20% when the candy price dropped 10%, the cross-price elasticity of demand for popcorn is -20 / -10 or Ex = +2.0, a relatively elastic response. • Note that the sign is significant. When goods are substitutes, cross-price elasticity is positive.

17. Cross-Price Elasticity • Cross-price elasticity of demand: the % change in quantity demanded of X divided by the % change in price of Y. • If popcorn sales declined 20% when the movie admission price increased 10%, the cross-price elasticity of popcorn is -2.0, a relatively elastic response. • Again the sign is significant. When goods are complements, cross-price elasticity is negative.

18. Cross-Price Elasticity • Substitute goods: goods that can replace each other; when the price of good X rises, the demand for good Y increases, and vice versa, ceteris paribus. • Complementary goods: goods frequently consumed in combination; when the price of good X rises, the demand for good Y decreases, and vice versa, ceteris paribus.

19. Elasticity of Supply • The law of supply states that an increase in price causes an increase in quantity supplied. But how much more will be produced as the price rises? • Elasticity of supply: the % change in quantity supplied divided by the % change in price. • If it is highly elastic, producers are very responsive to a price change. • If it is highly inelastic, producers do not have much of a response to a price change.
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