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Understanding Total Product, Average Product, and Marginal Product
Understanding the concepts of Total Product, Average Product, and Marginal Product is an essential foundation for any Business Studies course. These concepts are used to analyze production efficiency, predict future production capacity, and make strategic business decisions.What is Total Product, Marginal Product and Average Product?
Total Product refers to the total output or production by a firm by using current resources. It is the sum of all the production over a specified period.
Average Product, on the other hand, is the output per unit of input, in other words, it is the Total Product divided by the number of units of input.
Marginal Product is the change in Total Product when one more unit of the variable input is employed. This means, it answers the question - what happens to the overall output when you add one more unit of input. The mathematical representation of Marginal Product is: \[ \frac{Total Product_{new} - Total Product_{existing}}{Change in Input} \]
Keys to the concept of total, average, and marginal product
- Understanding these metrics helps in identifying and measuring efficiencies and inefficiencies in the production process. - The behaviour and relationship among these three measures can help a firm in deciding whether to expand or contract production. - When Marginal Product exceeds Average Product, Average Product increases. When Marginal Product is less than Average Product, Average Product decreases.These measures are fundamental to the Law of Diminishing Marginal Returns, which states that as a firm uses more of a variable input with a fixed input, the marginal product of the variable input eventually declines.
Examples of Total Product, Average Product, and Marginal Product
Let's say a shoe factory makes 1000 pairs of shoes with 5 workers. So, the Total Product is 1000 pairs. If they add an additional worker and production increases to 1150 pairs, the Marginal Product of the new worker is 150 pairs (1150-1000). The Average Product is the Total Product divided by the number of workers. So in this case, the Average Product of the first 5 workers is 200 pairs each (1000/5), and after the new worker is added the Average Product will be roughly 191 pairs each (1150/6).
Practical ways of applying total, average, and marginal product
- Businesses use these metrics to decide whether to hire more staff, buy more equipment, or expand facilities. - Economists use these concepts to understand the production capacity of an economy or sector. - These measures are used in cost-benefit analysis to assess the marginal benefit of an extra unit of input.Calculating Total Product, Marginal Product and Average Product
Understanding the concepts of Total Product, Average Product, and Marginal Product is not enough; it's equally important to know how to calculate them. This not only allows businesses to measure the performance of their operations but also helps in decision-making. Below, we are going to take a look at exactly how to calculate these three essential metrics.How to Calculate Total Product, Marginal Product and Average Product
When aiming to compute Total Product, no complex mathematics is involved. It consists of summing up all the output generated over a given period. To calculate Average Product, you simply divide the Total Product by the number of units of the input. It's the average output per unit of a particular input: \[ Average Product = \frac{Total Product}{Units\ of\ Input} \] Meanwhile, Marginal Product requires a bit more calculation. It is the additional output generated by an additional unit of input: \[ Marginal Product =\frac{Change\ in\ Total\ Product}{Change\ in\ Input} \] That is, you subtract the Total Product after adding an extra unit of input from the Total Product before that unit was added. Then, divide this by the change in the input (which is generally one, assuming you added one unit of input).Breakdown of total product, average product and marginal product formula
To give you a better understanding of how these formulas work, consider a manufacturing company. - Step 1: Calculate the Total Product - Suppose, in an 8-hour shift, the company produces 1,600 products: The Total Product is therefore 1,600 units. - Step 2: Calculate the Average Product - If the company employs 10 workers (the unit of input in this case) for this shift: The Average Product is 1,600 units / 10 = 160 units per worker. - Step 3: Calculate the Marginal Product - Now, suppose the company adds an extra worker for the next shift and they produce 1,750 units: The Change in Total Product is 1,750 - 1,600 = 150 units while the change in input (workers) is 1. Hence, the Marginal Product is 150 / 1 = 150 units per worker. Businesses may use these measures, intriguingly not just across products or workers. They can also calculate them over time to forecast trends or analyse past performance, enhancing strategy and decision-making. Remember, when using these formulas: Total Product, Average Product and Marginal Product, understand their role and importance in evaluating performance and driving meaningful business decisions.Relation Between Total Product, Average Product and Marginal Product
Within the field of business and economics, the relationship between Total Product, Average Product, and Marginal Product is of immense importance. Gaining a firm grasp on these interconnected concepts allows businesses to make informed decisions about scaling, efficiency, and production.Exploring the relation between total product average product and marginal product
To fully understand the relationship between Total Product, Average Product, and Marginal Product, it's best first to clarify their interconnectedness.Total Product is the overarching output or production of a firm. Each time a unit of input is added, the total product either increases or stays the same - it never decreases. The success of a company often depends on maximising the Total Product given the available resources.
The Average Product is the Total Product divided by the number of units of an input employed. If the Total Product increases with the addition of an extra unit of input, it signifies that the Average Product is on the rise as well, indicting better resource utilization.
Marginal Product, on the other hand, is the addition to the Total Product from consuming an additional unit of a variable input. Conceptually, this means understanding the impact of the last unit of input on the total output. This becomes critical when there's a need to assess the incremental benefit of an additional input.
Practical examples illustrating the relationship of these terms
Understanding concepts in theory is one thing, but seeing them at work in a practical scenario is another. Applying these concepts to real-world business scenarios can truly help to visualise and comprehend the relationships among Total Product, Average Product, and Marginal Product.Picture a bicycle factory that employs ten workers and produces 50 bicycles per day. The Total Product here is 50 bicycles. The Average Product is the Total Product (50 bicycles) divided by the number of workers (10), giving us 5 bicycles per worker. Now, let's assume that an extra worker is introduced, increasing the Total Product to 55. The Marginal Product of the new worker is 5 bicycles (55-50), and the new Average Product will be approximately 5.5 bicycles per worker (55/10).
Total Product, Average Product, And Marginal Product - Key takeaways
- Total Product refers to the total output or production by a firm by using current resources and is the sum of all the production over a specific period.
- Average Product is the output per unit of input, i.e., it is the Total Product divided by the number of units of input.
- Marginal Product is the change in Total Product when one more unit of the variable input is employed. Thus, it addresses the question - what happens to the overall output when you add one more unit of input.
- The relationship between Total Product, Average Product, and Marginal Product assists in strategic business decisions like hiring staff, buying equipment, or expanding facilities. Also, these measures are used in cost-benefit analysis to assess the marginal benefit of an extra unit of input.
- The formulas to calculate these measurements are: for Average Product, Total Product divided by the units of input; for Marginal Product, the change in Total Product divided by the change in input.
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