Class Handout for Production Theory

Lecture VII – Production Theory Chapter 9
Professor Matt Festa



I) Economic Costs
a. Opportunity cost- the cost of a resource used is the next best option you could have used the resource for
b. Explicit costs – costs the firm must make (like monetary payments for labor and supplies
c. Implicit costs – are the opportunity costs of using the resources.
d. Economic costs therefore include both explicit and implicit costs (even if you made a profit, the resources could in theory have been used for something else that was even more profitable. That alternative is a cost to economists that must be added in.
e. Economic profit = total revenue – economic cost
f. Accounting Profit = total revenue – total explicit costs.
g. Key graph on Page 153 (big time key graph!!!)


II) Short run Production costs
a. Fixed costs
b. Variable Costs
c. Total Cost = fixed + variable costs.
d. Average Fixed Costs
e. Average Variable Costs
f. Average Total Costs
g. Marginal Cost = change in total cost/change in q


III) Long run production Costs - Figure 9.7
IV) Economies of Scale
a. Labor specialization
b. Managerial specialization
c. EfficientCapital
d. Other factors
e. Note the first portion is the name of the blog, increasing returns (to scale).