Thomas Edison Once Complained That He Was Not Making a Profit

question 68

Multiple Choice

Thomas Edison once complained that he was not making a profit selling light bulbs because his plants were operating 25 percent below capacity.He estimated that he could increase output 25 percent with a 2 percent increase in the cost of production.He sold the 25 percent on the foreign market at a price below what he called the "cost of production." We can deduce that Edison really meant

• A)Marginal cost was below average cost but less than marginal revenue.
• B)Average cost exceeded variable cost, which exceeded marginal revenue.
• C)Variable cost exceeded fixed cost but was less than marginal revenue.
• D)Marginal cost was above average cost but greater than marginal revenue.

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Definitions:

Average Total Cost

The total cost of production divided by the number of goods produced, representing the average cost per unit of output.

Diseconomies of Scale

A situation where as a firm grows larger, the costs per unit increase, due to factors like coordination and operational inefficiencies.

Diminishing Returns

A principle stating that adding more of one factor of production, while holding others constant, will at some point yield lower incremental per-unit returns.

Short Run

A time period during which at least one input, such as plant size, is fixed and cannot be changed by the firm.