The Utility Concept in Economics I. Background. Utility is a measurement of consumer preferences made under a variety of assumptions with respect to the decision context being studied. The point of the utility measurement is to enable the study of behavior within the framework of the assumptions made in a fashion that takes advantage of mathematical tools. There are three decision frameworks: Certainty: The consumer knows without risk or uncertainty the outcome of making a choice. Choices
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friendship of utility Aristotle’s second type of friendship is the friendship of utility. In a friendship of utility‚ “people love one another because they are useful and only in so far as they are useful” (116). A damaged friendship of utility can be repaired with monetary compensation for the damage that was done – since all utility eventually amounts to money anyway. A friendship of utility will naturally end when one or both members stop being useful to the other. Aristotle says that utility constitutes
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DBQ: Plantation Laborers vs. Industrial Workers Working and living conditions in the 1800s were bad for both plantation workers and factory workers had it particularly bad. Although there were many similarities in their lives‚ there were many differences as well. Nonetheless both jobs were very hard work. The lives of both groups were very much alike. Both worked long hard hours and did hard physical labor. The working conditions were harsh and unsafe in factories and on plantations. Solomon Northrup
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treated than the slaves of the south”. The free-laborers were not forced to America in ships‚ stripped of their culture‚ their language‚ and their freedom. The free-laborers were not enslaved. I do not agree with the shoemaker’s statement‚ but rather believe the Southern slaves were treated worse than Northern laborers. It may have been true that laborers in the North had harsh working conditions‚ but they did however‚ have their freedom. The laborers were not treated as if they were property. Slaves
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Investment Decisions Under Uncertainty 7.1 Investor preferences and expected utility -If there is no uncertainty then we just need to determine how much we want to consume now and how much later i.e. assets are risk free with return certain across all states of the world -A risky asset is one whose cash flows are not certain across all possible states of the world. In finance it is commonly assumed that investors are risk averse‚ rational and have unlimited demand for wealth (nonsatiated) -This
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which rate is total utility increasing: a constant rate‚ a decreasing rate‚ or an increasing rate? How do you know? b. “A rational consumer will purchase only 1 unit of the product represented by these data since that amount maximizes marginal utility.” Do you agree? Explain why or why not. c. “It is possible that a rational consumer will not purchase any units of the product represented by these data.” Do you agree? Explain why or why not. Answer: Missing total utility data‚ top – bottom:
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Discuss whether marginal utility theory is a realistic piece of economic analysis in explaining consumer demand. [13marks] Marginal utility is the extra satisfaction gained from the consumption of an additional unit of a good or service. It can be specified as the change in total utility divided by the change in quantity. The concepts of market demand and law of demand often utilized marginal utility as the backbone‚ the theoretical basis. An example would be the demand curve‚ which is usually
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PROBLEM 1 Max has the utility function U(x‚ y) = x(y + 1). The price of x is $2 and the price of y is $1. Income is $10. How much x does Max demand? How much y? If his income doubles and prices stay unchanged‚ will Max’s demand for both goods double? To set his MRS equal to the price ratio‚ Max sets (y+1)/x = 2. His budget constraint is 2x + y = 10. Solve these two equations to find that x=11/4 and y=9/2. If his income doubles and prices stay unchanged‚ his demand for both goods does not double
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Study Exercise One Part One SWOT Analysis of adopting a new form of governance for Colorado Springs Utilities: Strengths (internal): • Politically insulates elected officials from unpopular‚ but necessary utility decisions • Reduces risk and legal liability to elected officials • Allows for greater subject matter expertise and focused attention on public utility issues by members of new utility board • Frees council members to focus their attention on other constituency issues • Allows for improved
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Utility Maximizing Rule The consumer’s money income should be allocated so that the last dollar spent on each product yields the same amount of extra (marginal) utility. How should the $10 income be allocated? UTILITY MAXIMIZING COMBINATION Algebraic Restatement of the Utility Maximization Rule MUx/Px = MUy/Py = MUz/Pz 8 utils$1=16 utils$2 MARGINAL UTILITY-PRICE RATIO: The ratio of the marginal utility obtained from consuming a good to the price of the good. This ratio is particularly
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