By use of diagrams, illustrate and explain the resultant changes on the equilibrium price and quantity from a simultaneous fall in price of a substitute...

      

By use of diagrams, illustrate and explain the resultant changes on the equilibrium price and quantity from a simultaneous fall in price of a substitute and an increase in the cost of raw materials for a specific commodity.

  

Answers


Wilfred
A substitute is that good whose demand is an increasing function of the price of another related good. A fall in price of a substitute (e.g coffee) decreases the demand for a commodity (e.g tea), denoted by a downward shift of the demand curve as shown below:
sub17220191050.png

An increase in the cost of raw materials increases the cost of production for a specific commodity; this reduces the ability of firms to produce and thereby causing a reduction in supply of the commodity, represented by a leftward/upward shift of the supply curve as shown below:
sub27220191052.png

Overall, whether the equilibrium price and/or quantity increases, decreases or remains constant depends on the magnitudes of the fall in price of the substitute (coffee) and increase in the cost of raw materials.

Case 1: where the magnitude of the fall in price of the substitute exceeds that of an increase in cost of raw materials; the downward shift of the demand curve is greater than the upward shift of the supply; both equilibrium price and quantity fall i.e from P1 to P2 and Q1 to q2 respectively.
case47220191054.png

Case 2: Where the magnitude of the increase in raw material cost exceeds that of fall in price of the substitute, such that the upward shift of the supply curve is greater than the downward shift of the demand curve; equilibrium price increases while the equilibrium quantity falls as indicated below:
case57220191056.png

Case 3: Where the magnitudes are the same (equal). In this case, equilibrium price remains unchanged at P1 but the equilibrium quantity reduces from Q1 to Q2 as depicted in the diagram below:
case67220191058.png

NB: Since the direction of change in quantity is not doubtful (it falls) then case two (2) is most likely.





Wilfykil answered the question on February 7, 2019 at 06:59


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