Question

Suppose a monopolist's costs and revenues are as follows: ATC = $50.00; MC = $35.00; MR = $45.00; P = $55.00. The firm should

Answer 1

The firm should increase output and reduce price

Step-by-step explanation:

For a monopolist, there can be one of the following three scenarios at a time point in time:

Scenario one, MR = MC: For a monopolist, profit is maximized at the point where marginal revenue (MR) is equal to to marginal cost (MC), i.e. where MR = MC.

Scenario two, MR < MC: But when the MR < MC, it indicates that the monopolist is currently producing a higher quantity of output and it is not maximizing profit. In order to maximize profit, the monopolist has to reduce output until MR = MC.

Scenario three , MR > MC: But when the MR > MC, it indicates that the monopolist is currently producing a lower quantity of output and it is not maximizing profit. In order to maximize profit, the monopolist has to increase output until MR = MC. Also, the monopolist has to reduce price in order to sell the increased quantity of output.

From the question, the monopolist falls into scenerio three as MR > MC, i.e. $45 > $35. Therefore, the monopolist should increase output until MR = MC and reduce price in order to maximize profit.