Tuesday, November 26, 2019
Free Essays on Pros And Cons Of Ritalin
Proââ¬â¢s and Conââ¬â¢s of Ritalin ADHD stands for attention deficit hyperactivity disorder. It occurs in childhood and causes children to become excessively hyper and chaotic. The symptoms are controlled by stimulants. The most popular would be Ritalin. And as we have been told a few times in class, Ritalin was made before ADHD was even discovered. This sparks many questions as to why it was produced and how people know it is the right drug for this disease. Ritalin has many good aspects that appear to help children with ADHD, but some believe it also has some terrible side affects that arenââ¬â¢t worth the treatment. According to Russell A. Barkley PhD, between 70 and 90% of children treated with Ritalin improve in their behavior.(p.253) Barkley has also stated that between 600,000 and 1 million children annually may be using Ritalin at the school-age.(p.258) Ritalin reduces restlessness therefore increasing attention span with class assignments helping both teacher and student. Aggression, noisiness, and disruptive behaviors are declined. Ritalin improves social behavior by lessening the intensity felt between the child and other beings. Ritalin is entered and eliminated from your bloodstream in 24 hours. So not only does it work as a stimulant fast if an allergies were to show up it would be out of the bloodstream within the 24 hours. Rethinking Ritalin states a story about a woman whose child had such bad temper tantrums accompanied with his ADHD that she had to remove him from preschool. So as a last resort she put her child on Ritalin and, ââ¬Å"It worked so fast it was like Dr. Jekyl and Mr. Hyde,â⬠she stated. Ritalin seems to have some pretty good reasons to be the drug for ADHD sufferers but letââ¬â¢s explore some of the downsides. Just to have this medicine work properly it must be taken several times a day every day to have the correct effects. ADHD is such an obscure disorder that it is hard to know what do... Free Essays on Pro's And Con's Of Ritalin Free Essays on Pro's And Con's Of Ritalin Proââ¬â¢s and Conââ¬â¢s of Ritalin ADHD stands for attention deficit hyperactivity disorder. It occurs in childhood and causes children to become excessively hyper and chaotic. The symptoms are controlled by stimulants. The most popular would be Ritalin. And as we have been told a few times in class, Ritalin was made before ADHD was even discovered. This sparks many questions as to why it was produced and how people know it is the right drug for this disease. Ritalin has many good aspects that appear to help children with ADHD, but some believe it also has some terrible side affects that arenââ¬â¢t worth the treatment. According to Russell A. Barkley PhD, between 70 and 90% of children treated with Ritalin improve in their behavior.(p.253) Barkley has also stated that between 600,000 and 1 million children annually may be using Ritalin at the school-age.(p.258) Ritalin reduces restlessness therefore increasing attention span with class assignments helping both teacher and student. Aggression, noisiness, and disruptive behaviors are declined. Ritalin improves social behavior by lessening the intensity felt between the child and other beings. Ritalin is entered and eliminated from your bloodstream in 24 hours. So not only does it work as a stimulant fast if an allergies were to show up it would be out of the bloodstream within the 24 hours. Rethinking Ritalin states a story about a woman whose child had such bad temper tantrums accompanied with his ADHD that she had to remove him from preschool. So as a last resort she put her child on Ritalin and, ââ¬Å"It worked so fast it was like Dr. Jekyl and Mr. Hyde,â⬠she stated. Ritalin seems to have some pretty good reasons to be the drug for ADHD sufferers but letââ¬â¢s explore some of the downsides. Just to have this medicine work properly it must be taken several times a day every day to have the correct effects. ADHD is such an obscure disorder that it is hard to know what do...
Saturday, November 23, 2019
What the Hertzsprung-Russell Diagram Reveals about Stars
What the Hertzsprung-Russell Diagram Reveals about Stars The stars are the most amazing physical engines in the universe. They radiate light and heat, and they create chemical elements in their cores. However, when observers look at them in the night sky, all they see are thousands of pinpoints of light. Some appear reddish, others yellow or white, or even blue. Those colors actually give clues to the temperatures and ages of the stars and where they are in their life-spans. Astronomers sort stars by their colors and temperatures, and the result is a famous graph called the Hertzsprung-Russell Diagram. The H-R diagram is a chart that every astronomy student learns early on. Learning the Basic H-R Diagram Generally, the H-R diagram is a plot ofà temperature vs. luminosity.à Think of luminosity as a way to define the brightness of an object. Temperature is something were all familiar with, generally as the heatà of an object. It helps define something called a stars spectral class, which astronomers also figure out by studying the wavelengths of light that come from the star. So, in a standard H-R diagram, spectral classes are labeled from hottest to coolest stars, with the letters O, B, A, F, G, K, M (and out to L, N, and R). Those classes also represent specific colors. In some H-R diagrams, the letters are arranged across the top line of the chart. Hot blue-white stars lie to the left and the cooler ones tend to be more toward the right side of the chart. The basic H-R diagram is labeled like the one shown here. The nearly diagonal line is called the main sequence. Nearly 90 percent of the stars in the universe exist along that line at one time in their lives. They do this while they are still fusing hydrogen to helium in their cores. Eventually, they run out of hydrogen and start to fuse helium.à Thats when they evolve to become giants and supergiants. On the chart, such advanced stars end up in the upper right corner. Stars like the Sun may take this path, and then ultimately shrink down to become white dwarfs, which appear in the lower left part of the chart. The Scientists and Science Behind the H-R Diagram The H-R diagram was developed in 1910 by the astronomers Ejnar Hertzsprung and Henry Norris Russell. Both men were working with spectra of stars- that is, they were studying the light from stars by using spectrographs. Those instruments break down the light into its component wavelengths. The way the stellar wavelengths appear gives clues to the chemical elements in the star. They can also reveal information about its temperature, motion through space, and its magnetic field strength. By plotting the stars on the H-R diagram according to their temperatures, spectral classes, and luminosity, astronomers can classify stars into their different types. Today, there are different versions of the chart, depending on what specific characteristics astronomers want to chart. Each chart has a similar layout, with the brightest stars stretching up toward the top and veering off to the top left, and a few in the lower corners. The Language of the H-R Diagram The H-R diagram uses terms that are familiar to all astronomers, so its worth learning the language of the chart. Most observers have probably heard the term magnitude when applied to stars. Its a measure of a stars brightness. However, a star might appear bright for a couple of reasons: à it could be fairly close and thus look brighter than one farther away; andà it could be brighter because its hotter. For the H-R diagram, astronomers are mainly interested in a stars intrinsic brightness- that is, its brightness due to how hot it actually is. Thats why luminosity (mentioned earlier) is plotted along the y-axis. The more massive the star is, the more luminous it is. Thats why the hottest, brightest stars are plotted among the giants and supergiants in the H-R Diagram. Temperature and/or spectral class are, as mentioned above, derived by looking at the stars light very carefully. Hidden within its wavelengths are clues about the elements are in the star. Hydrogen is the most common element, as shown by the work of astronomer Cecelia Payne-Gaposchkin in the early 1900s. Hydrogen is fused to make helium in the core, so thats why astronomers see helium in a stars spectrum, too. The spectral class is very closely related to a stars temperature, which is why the brightest stars are in classes O and B. The coolest stars are in classes K and M. The very coolest objects are also dim and small, and even include brown dwarfs. One thing to keep in mind is that the H-R diagram can show us what stellar type a star can become, but it doesnt necessarily predict any changes in a star. Thats why we have astrophysics - which applies the laws of physics to the lives of the stars.
Thursday, November 21, 2019
Expansion and Mergers Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words
Expansion and Mergers - Essay Example 356). In this regard, a natural monopoly may have adverse effects on the market economy once organizations engage in anticompetitive practices aimed at locking out their competitors out of business. In addition, the monopoly may engage in other practices like fixing prices of goods, which is not the ideal situation in a free market. On the contrary, government regulation is crucial in dealing with excessive competition practices in the market economy (Carroll & Buccholt, 2011, p. 358). In this case, firms will engage in setting prices below unprofitable levels forcing some firms out of business while the remaining firms will raise their prices resulting to products that are too expensive for the consumers. Government regulation is important in controlling negative externalities in a market economy (Carroll & Buchholtz, 2011, p. 357). By definition, Hackette and Moore (2011) defined ââ¬Å"a negative externality as an uncompensated harm to others in a society that is generated as a by -product of production and exchangeâ⬠(p. 61). It is evident that production of good has many by-products with some being harmful while the manufacturer does not pay for the harm caused. In effect, the manufacturer produces more products and earns more profits without catering for the harmful effects of the by-products. In this case, governments will always regulate such industries in order to ensure businesses do not risk the lives of others while making more profits. Rationale for the Government Intervention in the US Market Process As earlier indicated, governments regulate businesses to ensure that there was no market dominance by a monopoly. According to Geroski and Jacquemin (1985), dominance of a business firm goes hand-in-hand with the ability of the firm to exploit a strategic advantage to gain a large share of the market at the expense of its business rivals (as cited in George & Jacquemin, 1992, p. 150). In this regard, it is possible for business firms to use antico mpetitive strategies and try to edge out their competitors. Although the US is a free market, it is important for the government to intervene and ensure that all businesses engaged in ethical business practices. Since the US is a free market, it is important for the forces of demand and supply to determine the market price of goods and services. In this case, it is important for the government to regulate businesses in industries that fixed prices below the profit making levels in order to get rid of their competitors, in the US. In this regard, the government's failure to regulate makes the businesses eliminate their competitors and only raise the price of goods once their competitors are not in the market. In effect, these unethical practices do not provide for a competitive market environment. Therefore, this emphasizes the importance of government intervention in the form of regulation to ensure the forces of demand and supply remained as the important factors in determining the prices of goods and services. Self-Expansion Complexities on Capital Projects The underlying complexity currently facing any capital project in the US is obtaining capital required for expansion after the recent recession. According to LaBonte (2009), the weak economy and competition from other manufacturers led to decreased market share of the US automobile industry. In addition, the recession had an effect on credit facilities in the country. In this regard, LaBonte (2009) noted, ââ¬Å"The recession had made credit facilities less available, which may have limited the ability of auto manufacturers and suppliers to finance their
Tuesday, November 19, 2019
Dominican Republic Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words
Dominican Republic - Essay Example Such news includes stories portraying the negativity of Haitians and their poor way of life. This negative depiction of Haitians plays a major role in instilling antihaitinismo among the Dominican people. Haitiââ¬â¢s politics is portrayed as bad and viewed as a political failure by the Dominican press. All the media wants is negative news about Haiti so as to make great headlines and, as a result, make money by attracting many readers. Political cartoons are very common in print media and are used to give news that are hard to spread in words. Such news is greatly exaggerated to come up with cartoons that will be attractive enough for news consumers among the Dominican People. The negative news portraying antihaitinismo in the Dominican Republic is mostly false, but due to the media restriction within the Dominican Republic, the Dominican people tend to believe it to be true. In fact, very few Dominican reporters know the truth about Haiti. The rest only give news based on seconda ry sources, rather than firsthand experience or sources. None of them has been to Haiti to experience their way of life and to give a true account of it (Sagas, 2003). During the Trujillo error, antihaitinismo was an ideology, fitting the totalitarian model. The dictatorship required and ideology to dwell on, and on which to misguide the people and into hating the Haitians. The Trujillo error molded antihaitinismo into a system that was to be loathed. It was depicted as having a very great difference with Dominican ways. This propaganda against Haiti was instilled into Dominicans for decades, around thirty-one years.It means that, some people were born among the Dominican people when the propaganda was still on and lived a great part of their lives under a dictatorship that instilled it into them.It created a nation that had fully embraced antihaitinismo. Such a generation becomes hard to modify their mindset or view towards
Sunday, November 17, 2019
Study of Peak Oil and Gas Essay Example for Free
Study of Peak Oil and Gas Essay In 2004, the world production of oil was estimated at just over 29. 7 Bbl. The corresponding world consumption for oil during the same period was estimated at 29. 6 Bbl of oil, leaving a surplus of just under 0. 1 Bbl at the end of the year. In the United States, one of largest consumer markets for oil and oil products, from the first week in September 2004 to the first week in September 2005, gasoline prices increased by a staggering $1. 22 per gallon to $3. 12 before dropping to $2. 25 on November 21, 2005. These figures are quite staggering considering that contracts for crude changed hands at 10 USD/barrel in 1999. With the emergence of China in the global market and its increasing demand for oil, it is projected that unless oil companies are able to increase the world production by investing investment in oil and natural-gas production oil prices could increase exponentially over the next ten (10) years. The obvious factor in determining the supply of oil in the world is the amount of oil that can actually be extracted and processed. Oil is essentially a non-renewable energy source and cannot be replenished once it has been extracted from the ground. The role of oil companies and countries is not in the actual production of oil but in it rationing. A network of scientists called the Association for the Study of Peak Oil and Gas (ASPO) which is affiliated with a wide array of global institutions and universities studies the depletion rate of oil. ASPO studies concern themselves in determining the date and impact of the peak and decline of the worldââ¬â¢s production of oil and gas, due to resource constraints. The ASPO uses the ââ¬Å"Peak Oil Theoryâ⬠or the ââ¬Å"Hubbert Peak Theoryâ⬠which is a method of modeling known oil reserves and production rates and routinely used by oil companies to predict future yields of existing oil fields (Legget, 2005). Using this model, it has been projected that the world oil production growth trends, in the short term, have been decreasing over the last 18 months. Average yearly gains in world oil production from 1987 to 2005 were 1. 2 million barrels per day (mbbl/d) (1. 7%). Global production averaged 84. 4 mbbl/d in 2005, up only 0. 2 mbbl/d (0. 2%), from 84. 2 mbbl/d (13. 4 million m? /d) in Q4 2004 (Legget, 2005). ASPO predicts that conventional plus unconventional oil production will peak around 2007 What this data basically means is that the current supplies of oil all over the world are being depleted and newer sources have not yet been discovered. To bring the supply of oil up again, oil companies must invest more in locating more oil fields and also develop new technologies to improve the current refining processes to allow for a more efficient production of oil. This first factor in the supply of oil is basically dependent on the actual amount of oil that can be produced and processed and also considers the capacity of oil companies to refine oil more efficiently and to tap other sources of oil (Deffeyes, 2005). This factor however also heavily depends on the capital investments that oil companies make in the oil industry. One of the main factors which affect the demand for oil is the price of oil. But given the fact that oil is a necessary resource and that it is a non-renewable energy sources, the supply can basically only remain at a certain ââ¬Å"Peakâ⬠level depending on the amount which can actually be processed and the demand also remains at a certain level even if oil prices continue to rise (Case, 1999). Ordinarily, if the resources were renewable, there would be perfect elasticity between the supply and the demand in proportion to the increase or change in the price. Therefore, if the price of oil were to increase, it would theoretically result in the demand for oil to decrease (Case, 1999). This assumption however cannot be applied to the case of oil because, as mentioned earlier, oil is a non-renewable resources and remains as the primary source of energy in the world today. This shows the inelastic demand for oil. The reason for this is that since oil remains the main energy source in most countries, the demand for oil will remain constant despite the changes in the price of oil (Case, 1999). While theoretically it is expected that there will be a greater demand for oil if the price decreases, it is important to factor in the fact that more governments around the world are implementing energy saving policies as well as trying to reduce to dependence on oil as an energy source by developing alternative sources of energy (hybrid cars, solar power, hydroelectric power) (Simmons, 2005). The fact that oil is a non-renewable resource must also be considered. The next factor which affects demand for oil is the availability of alternative energy sources which are cheaper (Bilgen, 2004). The presence of substitutes in a market allows the demand for oil to decrease if the price continues to increase (Case, 1999). Before discussing this factor, it is important to remember that the development of alternative energy sources is not in proportion to the increasing rate of demand for oil. The presence of substitutes in a market affects demand because any increase in the price of the commodity means that the consumers have an alternative and can lower their demand for the commodity and purchase the substitute instead (Case, 1999). The same principle applies for oil except that it must be remembered that the development of these substitutes or alternative sources of energy takes a considerably longer amount of time than conventional substitutes. However, under the assumption that there are already alternative sources of energy available in the market, it can be expected that the demand will react accordingly to any increase in the price of oil. The dependence on oil as an energy source will decrease thus reducing the demand for oil in proportion to the price increases (Pimentel, 1998). The challenge remains however for countries and governments to find ways to find alternative energy sources to reduce the world dependence on oil as an energy source and ease the burden that the increasing prices have on the consumer. While the government may effectively regulate its use, the best solution is still in the development of energy substitutes for the market (Pimentel, 1998). Other factors which also have an effect on the demand for oil are things such as the government regulations on the use of fossil fuels, energy saving campaigns and environmental regulations. The government can implement these measures by increasing taxes or imposing fines. The effect that this has on demand is simple. The government regulations effectively reduce demand because the consumers are restricted from buying more oil. By encouraging the implementation of energy saving policies, oil consumption is also greatly decreased thus affecting the demand. The demand for oil therefore is affected by many factors such as price, availability of substitutes, and government intervention in the form of taxes, energy regulations and price controls. References: Bahree, B. (2006) Investment by Oil Industry Stalls November 8, 2006 Wall Street Journal November 2006 Bilgen, S. and Kaygusuz, K. (2004) Renewable Energy for a Clean and Sustainable Future, Energy Sources 26, 1119 Case, K. and Fair, R. (1999). Principles of Economics (5th ed. ). Prentice-Hall Deffeyes, K. (2005). Beyond Oil: The View from Hubberts Peak. Hill and Wang publishing House. Hill and Wang United States Leggett, J. (2005). The Empty Tank: Oil, Gas, Hot Air, and the Coming Financial Catastrophe. Random House. Pimentel, D. (1998). Energy and Dollar Costs of Ethanol Production with Corn Hubbert Center Newsletter, 98/2. M. King Hubbert Center for Petroleum Supply Studies, p. 8. Simmons, M. (2005). Twilight in the Desert: The Coming Saudi Oil Shock and the World Economy. Random House
Thursday, November 14, 2019
Life Is Difficult :: essays research papers
Feburary 24th, 2004 two days beffore my first draft is due. For my personal essay. I've chose number 3 for my question but how do i answer...so many people I look up to and so many lessons learned. Walked in the door of my Grandmother's house, it was cold you could feel the chill go down your spine and the goose bumps forming on your arms. My mom had dropped me off. It had only been five mintues and i already missed her. Do I miss her cause she's the only one on my side that knows how I am feeling or is it because she's going away for vacation? Well my mom is gone she had planned for my uncle Dave to pick me up for the next two weeks aand my god mother would pick me up the two following weeks after. But there was a misunderstanding with my aunt obviously. She had asked me who was going to drive me for the first two days of school. She has told me my mother said Dave was, so of course I told her that Dave was. My grandmother had decided for us to call Dave and make sure what was going on. I was like whatever I dont mind because theirs nothing wrong with making sure. Time had passed, dinner had been served. Me and my aunt had already been on bad terms since I was young. Anyways lets get back to what i was saying. Nine o' clock has hit just doing what I have to do in my room by myself. It got closwer and closer...time. The later it got the worse things would get. I could feel it in my heart something bad was going to happend to me. Bump bump bump..BOOM! Someone swings my door open. Already i knew somethings wrong. By the teffifying look on her face. Then she apporached me in a hoarse tone of voice saying "Go to bed". I said to her in a very calm voice and said "Welll its only nine thirty and i dont go to bed until ten thirty". The voice got even more demanding "As long your in this house you sleep at nine thirty". I had said nothing, afarid I would make things worse. She asked has my mother left on the plane yet. I said "No I had jus got of the phone with her".
Tuesday, November 12, 2019
Price Discrimination Essay
A seller charging competing buyers different prices for the same ââ¬Å"commodityâ⬠or discriminating in the provision of ââ¬Å"allowancesâ⬠ââ¬â compensation for advertising and other services ââ¬â may be violating the Robinson-Patman Act. This kind of price discrimination may give favored customers an edge in the market that has nothing to do with their superior efficiency. Price discriminations are generally lawful, particularly if they reflect the different costs of dealing with different buyers or are the result of a sellerââ¬â¢s attempts to meet a competitorââ¬â¢s offering. The Supreme Court has ruled that price discrimination claims under the Robinson-Patman Act should be evaluated consistent with broader antitrust policies. In practice, Robinson-Patman claims must meet several specific legal tests: 1.The Act applies to commodities, but not to services, and to purchases, but not to leases. 2.The goods must be of ââ¬Å"like grade and quality.â⬠3.There must be likely injury to competition (that is, a private plaintiff must also show actual harm to his or her business). 4.Normally, the sales must be ââ¬Å"inâ⬠interstate commerce (that is, the sale must be across a state line). Competitive injury may occur in one of two ways. ââ¬Å"Primary lineâ⬠injury occurs when one manufacturer reduces its prices in a specific geographic market and causes injury to its competitors in the same market. For example, it may be illegal for a manufacturer to sell below cost in a local market over a sustained period. Businesses may also be concerned about ââ¬Å"secondary lineâ⬠violations, which occur when favored customers of a supplier are given a price advantage over competing customers. Here, the injury is at the buyerââ¬â¢s level. The necessary harm to competition at the buyer level can be inferred from the existence of significant price discrimination over time. Courts may be starting to limit this inference to situat ions in which either the buyer or the seller has market power, on the theory that, for example, lasting competitive harm is unlikely if alternative sources of supply are available. There are two legal defenses to these types of alleged Robinson-Patman violations: (1) the price difference is justified by different costs in manufacture, sale, or delivery (e.g., volume discounts), or (2) the price concession was given in good faith to meet a competitorââ¬â¢s price. The Robinson-Patman Act also forbids certain discriminatory allowances or services furnished or paid to customers. Inà general, it requires that a seller treat all competing customers in a proportionately equal manner. Services or facilities covered include payment for or furnishing advertising or promotional allowances, handbills, catalogues, signs, demonstrations, display and storage cabinets, special packaging, warehousing facilities, credit returns, and prizes or free merchandise for promotional contests. The cost justification does not apply if the discrimination is in allowances or services furnished. The seller must inform all of its competing customers if any services or allowances are avai lable. The seller must allow all types of competing customers to receive the services and allowances involved in a particular plan or provide some other reasonable means of participation for those who cannot use the basic plan. A more detailed discussion of these promotional issues can be found in the FTCââ¬â¢s Fred Meyer Guides. Under certain circumstances, a buyer who benefits from the discrimination may also be found to have violated the Act, along with the seller who grants the discrimination, if the buyer forced, or ââ¬Å"induced,â⬠the seller to grant a discriminatory price. Although proof of a violation of the Robinson-Patman Act often involves complex legal questions, businesses should keep in mind some of the basic practices that may be illegal under the Act. These include: â⬠¢below-cost sales by a firm that charges higher prices in different localities, and that has a plan of recoupment; â⬠¢price differences in the sale of identical goods that cannot be justified on the basis of cost savings or meeting a competitorââ¬â¢s prices; or â⬠¢promotional allowances or services that are not practically available to all customers on proportionately equal terms. Under the Nonprofit Institutions Act, eligible nonprofit entities may purchase ââ¬â and vendors may sell to them ââ¬â supplies at reduced prices for the nonprofitââ¬â¢s own use, without violating the Robinson-Patman Act. The Health Care Services & Products Division issued a recent advisory opinion discussing the application of this exemption to pharmaceutical purchases by a nonprofit health maintenance organization. Q: I operate two stores that sell compact discs. My business is being ruined by giant discount chains that sell their products for less than my wholesale cost. What can I do? A: Discount chains may be able to buy compact discs at a lower wholesale price because it costs the manufacturer less, on a per-unit basis, to deal with large-volume customers. If so, the manufacturer may have a ââ¬Å"cost justificationâ⬠defenseà to the differential pricing and the policy would not violate the Robinson-Patman Act. Q: One of my suppliers is selling parts at its company-owned store at retail prices that are below the wholesale price that it charges me for the parts. Isnââ¬â¢t this illegal? A: The transfer of parts from a parent to its subsidiary generally is not considered a ââ¬Å"saleâ⬠under the Robinson-Patman Act. Thus, this situation would not have the required element of sales to two or more purchasers at different prices. â⬠¢Ã¢â¬ ¦Ã¢â¬ ¦Ã¢â¬ ¦Ã¢â¬ ¦Ã¢â¬ ¦Ã¢â¬ ¦.. Definition of ââ¬ËPrice Discriminationââ¬â¢ A pricing strategy that charges customers different prices for the same product or service. In pure price discrimination, the seller will charge each customer the maximum price that he or she is willing to pay. In more common forms of price discrimination, the seller places customers in groups based on certain attributes and charges each group a different price. Investopedia explains ââ¬ËPrice Discriminationââ¬â¢ Price discrimination allows a company to earn higher profits than standard pricing because it allows firms to capture every last dollar of revenue available from each of its customers. While perfect price discrimination is illegal, when the optimal price is set for every customer, imperfect price discrimination exists. For example, movie theaters usually charge three different prices for a show. The prices target various age groups, including youth, adults and seniors. The prices fluctuate with the expected income of each age bracket, with the highest charge going to the adult population. Price Discrimination When you were young, did you ever order from the childrenââ¬â¢s menu in a restaurant? When a family with small children goes to a restaurant, they are often given a childrenââ¬â¢s menu in addition to the regular menu. If they order two similar items, one from each menu, they will find that the item ordered from the childrenââ¬â¢s menu will be a bit smaller, but its price will be much smaller. In fact, it would often be worthwhile for the entire family to order from the childrenââ¬â¢s menu, but they cannot. Restaurants usually only allow children to order from it.1 Why do restaurants use childrenââ¬â¢s menus?à Economists doubt that restaurant owners have a special love for children; they suspect that the owners find offering childrenââ¬â¢s menus to be profitable. It can be profitable if adults who come to restaurants with children are, on the average, more sensitive to prices on menus than adults who come to restaurants without children. Children often do not appreciate restaurant food and service, and often waste a large part of their food. Parents know this and do not want to pay a lot for their childââ¬â¢s meal. If restaurants treat children like adults, the restaurants may lose customers as families switch to fast-food restaurants. If this explanation is correct, then restaurants price discriminate.2 A seller price discriminates when it charges different prices to different buyers. The ideal form of price discrimination, from the sellerââ¬â¢s point of view, is to charge each buyer the maximum that the buyer is willing to pay. If the seller in our monopoly example could do this, it could charge the first buyer $7.01, the second buyer $6.51, etc. In this case the marginal revenue curve becomes identical with the demand curve. The seller will sell the economically efficient amount, it would capture the entire consumersââ¬â¢ surplus, and it would substantially increase profits. The Simple Analytics of Monopoly-Repeated OutputMarginal CostMarginal Benefit Every seller would price discriminate if there were not two major obstacles standing in the way. First, the seller must be able to distinguish between those buyers who are willing to pay a high price from those who are not. Second, there must be substantial difficulty for a low-price buyer to resell to those willing to buy at a high price.3 Because price discrimination is potentially profitable, businesses have found many ways to do it. Theaters often charge younger customers less than adults. Doctors sometimes chargeà the rich or insured patient more for services than they charge the poor or uninsured. Grocery stores have a lower price for people who bother to check the newspaper and clip coupons. Some companies, such as firms selling alcoholic beverages, produce similar products but try to promote one as a prestige brand with a much higher price. Electric utilities usually charge lower rates to people who use a lot of electricity (and thus probably have electric stoves and water heaters) than they do to those who use only a little electricity (and who probably have gas stoves and water heaters). Banks offer special interest rates on Certificates of Deposit (CDs) that will not be obtained when one lets a CD roll over. People who are more sensitive to interest rates will take the time and effort to personally renew each maturing CD. To the extent that businesses find ways to price discriminate, they eliminate the triangle of welfare loss and approach the economically efficient amount of production. Thus, the mere existence of monopoly does not prove there is economic inefficiency.
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