Question

In: Economics

A firm can choose between two production technologies for a new product line. If it installs...

A firm can choose between two production technologies for a new product line. If it installs technology 1, its yearly costs will be: ?1=4500+25?+45?2. If it installs technology 2, its yearly costs will be: ?2=400+125?+?2. What is the marginal and average cost of each technology? What is the minimum efficient scale of both technologies? Which technology would the firm prefer (purely from a cost standpoint) if it expects to sell 60 units each year?

Solutions

Expert Solution

Yearly cost for technology 1 -

C = 4500 + 25q + 45q2

Marginal cost = dC/dq = 25 + 90q

Average cost = C/q = (4500/q) + 25 + 45q

Minimum efficient scale is when AC = MC

q(25 + 90q) = 4500 + 25q + 45q2

25q + 90q2 = 4500 + 25q + 45q2

45q2 = 4500

q = 10

Hence minimum efficient scale is 10.

Yearly cost for technology 2 -

C = 400 + 125q +q2

Marginal cost = dC/dq = 125 + 2q

Average cost = C/q = (400/q) + 125 + q

Minimum efficient scale is when AC = MC

q(125 + 2q) = 400 + 125q + q2

125q + 2q2 = 400 + 125q + q2

q2 = 400

q = 20

Hence minimum efficient scale is 20.

If the company expects to sell 60 units each year

Cost of technology 1 - C = 4500 + 25q + 45q2 = 4500 + 25(60) + 45(60)2 = 168,000

Cost of technology 2 - C = 400 + 125q +q2 = 400 + 125(60) + (60)2 = 11,500

Hence, for producing the same quantity in a year, technology 2 costs much lesser to the company than technology 1. Hence the firm would clearly prefer technology 2 for production.


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