Question

In: Economics

1. As consumers compare prices across firms in a market more(as they engage in more search),...

1. As consumers compare prices across firms in a market more(as they engage in more search), what happens to the elasticity of demand for the individual firms in the market? What happens to the prices that the firms charge? Does the quantity provided in the market move closer to or further away from the efficient quantity? Please explain.

Solutions

Expert Solution

In a competitive market, price discrimination occurs when identical goods and services are sold at different prices by the same provider. In pure price discrimination, the seller will charge the buyer the absolute maximum price that he is willing to pay. Companies use price discrimination in order to make the most revenue possible from every customer. This allows the producer to capture more of the total surplus by selling to consumers at prices closer to their maximum willingness to pay.

An example of price discrimination would be the cost of movie tickets. Prices at one theater are different for children, adults, and seniors. The prices of each ticket can also vary based on the day and chosen show time. Ticket prices also vary depending on the portion of the country as well.

Industries use price discrimination as a way to increase revenue. It is possible for some industries to offer retailers different prices based solely on the volume of products purchased. Price discrimination can also be based on age, location, desire for the product, and customer wage.There are a variety of ways in which industries legally use price discrimination. It is not important that pricing information be restricted, or that the price discriminated groups be unaware that others are being charged different prices.The airline industry uses price discrimination regularly when they sell travel tickets simultaneously to different market segments. Price discrimination is evident within individual airlines, but also in the industry as a whole. Tickets vary based on the location within the plane, the time and day of the flight, the time of year, and what city the aircraft is traveling to. The pharmaceutical industry experiences international price discrimination. Drug manufacturers charge more for drugs in wealthier countries than in poor ones.Academic textbooks are another industry known for price discrimination.


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