when firms exit a perfectly competitive industry, the market supply curve shifts to the left

In other words it is enough profit to keep them in the industry. Normal profit is the level of profit that is required for a firm to keep the resources they are using in their current use. This level of profit is just enough to keep them in the industry and since profits are adequate they have no incentive to leave. Onto this we superimpose the marginal and average cost curves and this gives us the equilibrium of the firm.įigure 1 Equilibrium of the firm and industry in perfect competitionįirms in equilibrium in perfect competition will make just normal profit. This price represents their average and marginal revenue curve. The firm as a price taker simply 'takes' and charges the market price (P* in Figure 1 below). The market is modelled by the standard market diagram (demand and supply) and the firm is modelled by the cost model (standard average and marginal cost curves). In perfect competition, the market is the sum of all of the individual firms.

Companies in perfect competition in the long-run are both productively and allocatively efficient.

Firms can, and will come and go as they wish.

There is freedom of entry and exit from the market.

All firms produce the same product, and all products are perfect substitutes for each other, i.e.

Thus sellers have no control over market price.

Firms can sell as much as they want, but only at the price ruling.

Customers are aware of all the products on offer and their prices. Perfect competition is characterised as having: Perfect competition is considered as the ideal or the standard against which everything is judged. Perfect competition Assumptions of the model

Section 2.4 Market failure - simulations and activities.

Section 2.4 Market failure - in the news.

Section 2.3 Theory of the firm - simulations and activities (HL only).

Section 2.3 Theory of the firm - in the news (HL Only).

Section 2.3 Theory of the firm - questions (HL only).

Economic efficiency in perfect competition and monopoly.

Section 2.3 Theory of the firm - notes (HL only).

Section 2.2 Elasticities - simulations and activities.

Section 2.1 Markets - simulations and activities.Topic pack - Microeconomics - introduction.

When firms exit a perfectly competitive industry, the market supply curve shifts to the left