In the short run, the store employees are variable inputs, and pizza ovens are fixed inputs.
What kind of inputs are the employees ?
Variable inputs, like store employees, can be adjusted in the short run to meet changes in production needs. Malika has the flexibility to schedule a different number of employees each week based on the expected demand for pizzas.
On the other hand, fixed inputs, like the pizza ovens, cannot be easily adjusted in the short run due to constraints such as the lease agreement and space limitations.
Malika is unable to change the number of pizza ovens in the short run, so they are considered fixed inputs that are essentially constant over the short-term period covered by the lease.
The full question is:
Malika's Pizzas is a takeout only pizza parlor servicing the college campus of Urbana that specializes in vegan pizzas. Malika's small shop has barely enough room for customers to stand and wait, let alone the three pizza ovens necessary to keep up with the hungry student customers. Malika signed a lease renting both the three ovens and the storefront for the next year. Due to the terms of the lease and the building's size constraint, Malika is unable to change the store's number of pizza ovens in the short run.
However, Malika does face a decision regarding the number of employees to schedule on a weekly basis. Every Sunday, Malika contacts the staff to communicate the amount of workers needed on each day of the upcoming week. In the short run, the store employees are ________ inputs, and pizza ovens_________ are inputs.