📚 Learning Guide
Understanding Economic Profit
hard

If a firm is experiencing economic profit, which of the following is the most likely underlying cause?

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Choose the Best Answer

A

The firm is covering both its explicit and implicit costs, indicating efficient resource allocation.

B

The firm is only accounting for its explicit costs, leading to an inflated profit figure.

C

The market is saturated, causing prices to drop below average total costs.

D

The firm is not considering opportunity costs in its pricing strategy.

Understanding the Answer

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Answer

Economic profit occurs when a firm’s total revenue exceeds both its explicit costs (like wages and materials) and its implicit costs (such as the opportunity cost of using resources). This means the firm is not just covering its costs, but also earning more than what it could make by using its resources in the next best alternative. A common reason for this situation is that the firm has a unique advantage, such as a strong brand reputation, innovative technology, or a monopoly in its market. For example, if a tech company creates a popular new gadget that customers love, it can charge a high price, leading to revenues that far exceed its costs. This extra profit encourages the firm to continue investing in its success and may attract competitors, but for now, it shows that the firm is doing exceptionally well.

Detailed Explanation

Economic profit happens when a firm makes more money than it needs to cover all its costs. Other options are incorrect because This answer suggests the firm is only looking at direct costs; This choice implies that low prices mean the firm is losing money.

Key Concepts

Economic Profit
Implicit Costs
Market Efficiency
Topic

Understanding Economic Profit

Difficulty

hard level question

Cognitive Level

understand

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