Understanding Supply and Demand Principles
Understanding Supply and Demand Principles
Date of Submission
02/12/2024
I. BASIC PRINCIPLES OF SUPPLY AND DEMAND
Definition
● The law of demand and supply is the backbone of a market economy. The fundamental
concept refers to the relationship between the sellers and buyers of a particular resource.
Here, a change in one of the parameters causes a change in another. According to this
theorem, when there is a higher demand for a commodity, the need for its supply will be
high and vice versa. The equation states that the desire for a product and its fulfillment are
interdependent.
● The law of supply and demand is based on two economic laws: the law of supply and the
law of demand. According to the law of supply when prices rise, companies see more
profit potential and increase the supply of goods and services. The law of demand states
that as prices rise, consumers buy fewer goods.
A market is a place that facilitates the exchange of goods and services. It may be represented by
physical locations where transactions are made. These include retail stores and similar businesses that
sell individual items to wholesale markets selling goods to distributors. The virtual market or
Internet-based stores on the other hand are auction sites such as Amazon, eBay, Shopee, and Lazada
are examples of markets where transactions can occur entirely online, and the parties involved do not
physically connect.
II. DEMAND
Definition
Demand is the amount of a product that consumers are willing and able to purchase at any given price.
It is an economic concept that relates to a consumer's desire to purchase goods and services and
willingness to pay a specific price for them. An increase in the price of a good or service decreases the
quantity demanded. Whereas a decrease in the price of a good or service will increase the quantity
demanded.
1. Law of Demand
● The law of demand states that the higher the price, the lower the quantity demanded; and the
lower the price, the higher the quantity demanded. Naturally, consumers are willing and able
to buy less as the price rises. This results in a downward-sloping demand curve.
● The law of demand states that there is an inverse relationship between price and quantity
demanded.
○ Consumers tend to buy more units when the unit price is lower, ceteris paribus.
○ Ceteris paribus means that we hold other things unchanged.
Figure 1 : The demand curve
The demand curve can shift outward (to the right) or inward (to the left). If the demand curve shifts
out, this means that more is demanded at each price level. This increase in demand is shown by the
shift to a new demand curve, D1 in the diagram. An inward shift to a new curve at D2 indicates a
decrease in demand; this indicates that less is demanded at each price level.
● There is an inverse (negative) relationship between the price of a product and the
amount of that product consumers are willing and able to buy. Consumers want to
buy more of a product at a low price and less of a product at a high price. This inverse
relationship between price and the amount consumers are willing and able to buy is
often referred to as The Law of Demand. (Experimental Economics Center, 2006)
6. Government legislation may also have an impact on the demand for certain products.
● When legislation was passed making child seats compulsory in vehicles there was a
significant increase in demand at any given price. (Bristol Cathedral Choir School,
2010)
A linear demand function is an algebraic formula for calculating demand curves without having to
draw a demand function graph.
Where:
The intercept of this equation is a. This is the quantity demanded for a good when all the other
variables are equal to zero. The other parameters b, c, d, e, f, and g are called slope parameters.
The direct demand function or simple demand shows how quantity demanded, Qd, is related to
product price, P, when all other variables are held constant.
Qd = f(P)
Naturally, price (P) is plotted on the vertical axis & quantity demanded (Qd) is plotted on the
horizontal axis. The equation plotted is the inverse demand function
P = f(Qd)
III. SUPPLY
Definition
Supply is a fundamental economic concept that describes the total amount of a specific good or
service that is available to consumers. Supply can relate to the amount available at a specific price or
the amount available across a range of prices if displayed on a graph. This relates closely to the
demand for a good or service at a specific price; all else being equal, the supply provided by
producers will rise if the price rises because all firms look to maximize profits.
1. Change in costs.
● A supply curve shows how quantity supplied will change as the price rises and falls, assuming
ceteris paribus—no other economically relevant factors are changing. If other factors relevant
to supply do change, then the entire supply curve will shift. A shift in supply means a change
in the quantity supplied at every price. (Khan, Academy, 2016)
4. Legislation can also have a significant impact on the supply of some products.
● Government policies can affect the cost of production and the supply curve through taxes,
regulations, and subsidies. For example, the U.S. government imposes a tax on alcoholic
beverages that collects about $8 billion per year from producers. Taxes are treated as costs by
businesses. Higher costs decrease supply for the reasons discussed above. (Khan, Academy,
2016)
Where:
Qs = quantity
P = price of good or service
PI = input prices
Pr= prices of related goods and services
T = technological advances
PE = expected future price of the product
N = number of firms producing products
The sign of the parameter shows how the variable is related to Qs. A positive sign indicates a direct
relationship, and a negative sign indicates an inverse relationship.
The direct supply function, or Supply shows how quantity supplied, Qs, is related to product price, P,
when all other variables are held constant.
Qs = f(P)
P= f(Qs)
IV. MARKET EQUILIBRIUM
Qd = Qs
Disequilibrium
The Disequilibrium of prices happens when the market experiences imbalances where the shortage
and surplus occurs.
Definition
● The Price Elasticity of Supply (PES), as defined by Lynham (2018), is calculated as the
percentage shift in quantity supplied divided by the percentage shift in price. Moreover,
according to the National Institute of Open Schooling, the price elasticity of supply gauges
how the quantity supplied of a commodity reacts to alterations in its price.
● According to Ross (2022), goods and services are classified as either elastic or inelastic based
on their responsiveness to changes in price. Elastic products are highly sensitive to price
movements, while inelastic products are not easily influenced by changes in price.
○ On the other hand, when companies can easily increase their supply, the supply is
elastic, and a price increase will lead to a more significant percentage change in
supply (Pettinger, 2019).
Factors Affecting Elasticity of Supply
Various factors influence the price elasticity of supply. Recognizing these factors can assist businesses
and policymakers in making well-informed decisions regarding pricing and production levels
(FasterCapital, 2023).
1. Availability of Resources
● Suppliers can quickly increase their production in response to changes in supply if the
necessary resources for manufacturing a specific commodity are readily available
without incurring significant costs. The concept leads to a high price elasticity of
supply, as suppliers can easily adjust their output levels to match fluctuations in
demand.
Examples:
● Consider wheat farming, which is flexible in responding to changes in
demand because it's widely available. Farmers can freely increase production
as needed.
● Producing rare metals like gold is less flexible due to their limited
availability, making it difficult to increase production in response to demand.
Examples:
● Growing crops like wheat and corn are easily adjustable because they have a
short production cycle, allowing farmers to increase output rapidly.
● Making items like cars and planes is less flexible because the complex
manufacturing process takes a long time to increase production.
Examples:
● The smartphone market is very competitive, so companies can easily make
more or fewer phones based on demand.
● The prescription drug market is less competitive because of regulations and
patents, so companies might not change production quickly in response to
demand shifts.
1. Supply SchedulesCurves
● These are tables that provide a systematic display of the quantity supplied at various
price points.
2. Supply Curves
● Represented in graph form, supply schedules visually illustrate the correlation
between the quantity supplied and corresponding prices.
Elasticity can be categorized according to the number calculated in the PED formula.
If Percentage change in
quantity ÷ percentage change Category of Elasticity Description
in price is equals to..
%𝑐ℎ𝑎𝑛𝑔𝑒 𝑖𝑛 𝑞𝑢𝑎𝑛𝑡𝑖𝑡𝑦
● Price Elasticity of Supply =
%𝑐ℎ𝑎𝑛𝑔𝑒 𝑖𝑛 𝑝𝑟𝑖𝑐𝑒
● To summarize,
(𝑄1 − 𝑄0)
𝑄0
𝑥 100%
Price Elasticity of Supply (PES) = (𝑃1 − 𝑃0)
𝑃0
𝑥 100%
$ 7.00 100 25
$ 8.00 90 45
$ 9.00 75 75
$ 10.00 55 105
$ 11.00 30 125
Given:
P0 or Price (Old) = $9
P1 or Price (New) = $10
Q0 or Quantity Supplied (Old) = 75
Q1 or Quantity Supplied (New) = 105
Solve:
(𝑄1 − 𝑄0)
𝑄0
𝑥 100%
PES = (𝑃1 − 𝑃0)
𝑃0
𝑥 100%
(105 − 75)
75
𝑥 100%
PES = (10 − 9)
9
𝑥 100%
40%
PES =
11.11 %
PES = 3.6
Since the answer is greater than 1, therefore it is Elastic.
Example 2:
If the price of oranges increases by 40% per kg and its quantity supplied increases
from 100 to 125 kgs. Calculate price elasticity of supply of oranges (National Institute of
Open Schooling).
Given:
%change in price = 40%
Q0 or Quantity Supplied (Old) = 100
Q1 or Quantity Supplied (New) = 125
Solve:
(𝑄1 − 𝑄0)
𝑄0
𝑥 100%
PES =
40%
(125 − 100)
100
𝑥 100%
PES =
40%
25%
PES =
40%
PES = 0.625
Since the answer is less than 1, therefore it is Inelastic.
Example 3:
Using the data shown in the table below about supply of alarm clocks, calculate the
price elasticity of supply from point L to point M. Classify the elasticity (Khan Academy).
K $9 70
L $ 10 80
M $ 11 88
N $ 12 95
Given:
P0 or Price (Old) = $10
P1 or Price (New) = $11
Q0 or Quantity Supplied (Old) = 80
Q1 or Quantity Supplied (New) = 88
Solve:
(𝑄1 − 𝑄0)
𝑄0
𝑥 100%
PES = (𝑃1 − 𝑃0)
𝑃0
𝑥 100%
(88 − 80)
80
𝑥 100%
PES = (11 − 10)
10
𝑥 100%
10%
PES =
10%
PES = 1
Since the answer is 1, therefore it is Unitary.
Definition
● The price elasticity of demand is a measurement of the change in demand for a product or
service in relation to a change in its price.
● Various categories of elasticity identify the ratio of change in demand in relation to price.
Elastic demand is considered if a change in demand is substantially large when there is a price
change or when the demand point is drawn out far from the previous point. Inelastic demand
is considered if a change in demand is small when there is a price change or when the quantity
does not draw out much from its previous point.
● In some cases, the ratio varies because the prices of some goods are very inelastic therefore
price decrease does not boost demand that much, and a price increase does not harm demand
either. On the other hand, some goods are much more elastic in price causing great changes in
demand or supply.
● A significant example of goods with minimal price elasticity is gasoline. Despite the price
fluctuations, consumers will continue to avail as much as they need to. Common consumers
of gasoline include drivers, airlines, and the trucking industry.
Importance
● The importance of price elasticity of demand to sellers is for them to make smart and
informed decisions regarding consumer pricing sensitivity thus coming up with pricing
strategies.
● Price elasticity of demand is key for product makers to establish manufacturing plans, and
vigilantly plan out future production and expansion projects.
● Most importantly, the price elasticity for demand is key for government units to assess taxing
on goods to regulate the market.
PED Formula
● It is a method used to measure the change in the demand for products and services due to
changes in the price. It shows the relationship between the price of products in the market to
the demand.
(𝑄1− 𝑄0)
Percentage (%) change in quantity =[ (𝑄1 + 𝑄0) / 2 ] × 100
(𝑃1− 𝑃0)
Percentage (%) change in price = [ (𝑃1 + 𝑃0) / 2 ] × 100
Where:
Q0 - Initial quantity
Q1 - Final quantity
P0 - Initial price
P1 - Final price
In reiteration, the price is elastic if demand fluctuates by a large amount when the price varies a little.
This happens when products have substitutes and consumers are relatively price-sensitive. The price is
considered inelastic if demand changes in a small bound even if there is a significant price change.
This happens when there is a lack of suitable substitutes and consumers are still willing to buy despite
relatively high prices.
How to calculate?
1. Identify P0 and Q0, which are the initial price and quantity, and then the final price point and
quantity, which are termed Q1 and P1 respectively.
2. Solve the numerator of the formula which is the percentage change in quantity.
(𝑄1− 𝑄0)
(∆𝑄/𝑄) = [ (𝑄1 + 𝑄0) / 2 ] × 100
3. Solve the denominator of the formula which is the percentage change in price.
(𝑃1− 𝑃0)
(∆𝑃/𝑃) = [ (𝑃1 + 𝑃0) / 2 ] × 100
4. Finally, calculate the price elasticity of demand by dividing the expression in Step 2 by Step
3.
Price Elasticity of Demand = (∆𝑄/𝑄) ÷ (∆𝑃/𝑃)
Example # 2:
There is a surge in gasoline price at 75% that resulted in the decline of purchasing of gasoline by 25%.
Calculate the price elasticity of demand.
Given:
Percentage change in quantity = (-)25%
Percentage change in price = 75%
Solve:
PED = Percentage change in quantity ÷ Percentage change in price
PED = -0.25 ÷ 0.7
PED = -0.3571, less than 1, Inelastic
Thus:
The price elasticity of demand for gasoline is 0.3571, inelastic.
Solve:
(𝑄1− 𝑄0)
(∆𝑄/𝑄) = [ (𝑄1 + 𝑄0) / 2 ] × 100
(3,000− 2,800)
= [ (3,000 + 2800) / 2 ] × 100
(∆𝑄/𝑄) = 6. 9 %
(𝑃1− 𝑃0)
(∆𝑃/𝑃) = [ (𝑃1 + 𝑃0) / 2 ] × 100
(60− 70)
= [ (60 + 70) / 2 ] × 100
(∆𝑃/𝑃) = − 15. 4 %
PED = 0.45. The elasticity of demand of price drop from B to A is 0.45, inelastic.
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