📚 Learning Guide
Market Adjustments and Firm Behavior
easy

If a perfectly competitive firm is experiencing economic losses, what is the primary reason that necessitates its adjustment in production levels?

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Choose the Best Answer

A

The firm's marginal cost exceeds its average total cost, leading to losses.

B

The firm can increase prices to cover its costs.

C

The firm is producing at its maximum capacity regardless of demand.

D

The firm has fixed costs that cannot be altered.

Understanding the Answer

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Answer

A perfectly competitive firm experiences economic losses when its total costs exceed its total revenue. This situation often occurs because the price at which it sells its products is lower than the average cost of production. To address these losses, the firm must adjust its production levels by either reducing output or finding ways to lower costs. For example, if a bakery finds that the cost to make each loaf of bread is higher than what customers are willing to pay, it might decide to bake fewer loaves or seek cheaper ingredients. By making these adjustments, the firm aims to minimize losses and potentially return to profitability in the long run.

Detailed Explanation

When a firm’s costs to produce one more item are higher than what it earns from selling it, it loses money. Other options are incorrect because Some might think a firm can just raise prices to fix losses; It's a common belief that producing at full capacity is always good.

Key Concepts

Perfectly competitive markets
Economic losses and adjustments
Marginal cost and average total cost
Topic

Market Adjustments and Firm Behavior

Difficulty

easy level question

Cognitive Level

understand

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