Increasing the rigour and relevance of elementary microeconomics

Abstract

This paper redresses analytical weaknesses in elementary microeconomics from both short-run and long-run perspectives. By assuming variable production-time periods, the U-shaped average variable-cost curve in the short-run is shown to be valid only for perishable or non-storable products. The J-shape production curve, by contrast, is more appropriate for durable products that account for the vast majority of industrial production. While its validity has long been acknowledged in neoclassical economics, this paper subjects it to a graphical profit-maximisation analysis under both rigid- and flexible-production assumptions. To redress the reticence in elementary microeconomics to offer a profit-maximisation analysis under the long-run condition of variable investment factors, a basic profit equation is presented in terms of production/sales rate, production-system investment, and advertising investment. Profit-maximising production rate and investments are then determined graphically, leading to a rigorous explanation of economies of scales. The paper concludes by highlighting the role elementary microeconomics can play in introducing undergraduate students to strategic reasoning by integrating analytically the supply side and demand side of business management.