Chapter Notes Elasticity Of Demand Theory of Consumer Behaviour Notes Study Economics Class 11 Commerce

On the other hand if commodity has a few uses , its demand is likely to be inelastic. It is used to define products that are substitutes for one another and products that complement one another . The unit wise questions and test series were helpful. When I could not understand a topic, the faculty support too was good.

A plethora of activities are undergone behind bringing a product into the market. It requires proper market research before deciding on the manufacturing of a new product.

Substitutes, proportion of income, and necessities versus luxuries. The concept of elasticity of demand solves this problem. It helps to measure the change in quantity demanded due to a given change in price. The concept is of great utility for producers, sellers, government, etc.

Commodities, which have become standard items for consumers, have less elastic demand. This is due to the fact that such a commodity becomes a need for the consumer, and he continues to purchase it even when its price rises. Alcoholic beverages, cigarettes, and other smoking products are examples of habit-forming commodities. Since the quantity demanded is the same regardless of the price, the demand curve for a perfectly inelastic good is graphed out as a vertical line. Such goods have no good substitutes, which also ensures the quantity demanded remains unaffected.

Availability of Substitutes

For example, there are multiple reasons why people must get to work or drive. Thus, even if the gas prices double or triple, people will continue spending to get the tanks filled up. The budget set is the collection of all the bundles of goods that a consumer can buy with his income at the prevailing market prices.

• The given time period can be as shorts as a day and as long as several years.
• Budget set is a collection of all bundles that a consumer purchases from their income at market prices.
• Most goods, whose consumption goes up when the buyer’s income goes up and consumption goes down when income falls are, thus, classified as normal goods.
• Inelastic demand exists for commodities with necessary demand, such as life-saving medicines.

A good or service could also be a luxury merchandise, a necessity, or a comfort to a shopper. Changes in the price of such goods lead to a relatively change in quantity demanded. What are the factors that affect elasticity of demand and how does it each affect elasticity?

What is an example of price elastic?

These were the factors that affect the Price Elasticity of Demand. Let us now sum up the blog by looking at the key takeaways. Since supply and demand are two related terms, a change in either of them will have an effect on the other.

For occasion, Sandy’s prospects had been used to paying $2.00 for an oatmeal raisin cookie. However, as the price of their favourite cookie climbed to $2.50, some of them start excited about buying a less expensive cookie as a substitute. On the basis of results obtained from the above formula, the Price Elasticity of Demand is categorized as elastic, inelastic, or unitary. The Price Elasticity of Demand for a good, with a large number of substitutes available, is very high. There’s a lot more to a “market” than merely buying and selling.

(c) Cross elasticity less than zero

This is because even if the prices of such goods increase, the consumer continues the consumption of these commodities. However, if the proportion of income spent on a commodity is large, the demand for such a commodity will be elastic. The concept of cross elasticity of demand refers to the measurement of a specific quantity’s sensitivity in response to the other product’s price change. Economists also refer to this concept as cross-price elasticity of demand. The way to measure it is to take the percentage variation in demanded product quantity and divide it by the other product’s price percentage change.

Costly goods like Laptop, Plasma TV, etc. have highly elastic demand as their demand is very sensitive to changes in their prices. However, demand for inexpensive goods like Needle, Match box, etc. is inelastic as a change in prices of such goods does not change their demand by a considerable amount. Chocolates experience a spike in demand when income goes up, as with any normal good. This effect might be stronger than the negative price-elasticity of demand, and the net demand for chocolate could go up even when income falls and the price goes up. Which economists’ category of goods do comfort foods then fall in?

The possible reason behind this is that even a small rise in the price of such goods will induce its buyer to look for its substitutes. An example of this can be an FMCG product like a packet of chips. A rise of ₹2 on a packet of Lays will induce the buyer to go for Haldiram’s chips.

Previous Year Questions with Solutions

Demand Elasticity refers to the economic measure of demand sensitivity relative to shifts in another variable. The demanding quality of any goods or services depends on various factors, including income, price, and preference. Whenever a change occurs in these elasticity of demand for comfort goods are variables, a change in the demand quantity of the service or good occurs. Elasticity refers to measuring the sensitivity of a variable concerning change in another variable. Commonly, elasticity is the change in sensitivity of price relative to other factors.

We can substitute the original product if its price changes in the long run. Share of total expenditureProportion of consumer’s income that is spent on a particular commodity also influences the elasticity of demand for it. As the price of any commodity goes down, people start purchasing more quantity of it and as the price goes up, they purchase lesser of it. But the problem is how much of change in price leads to how much change in quantity demanded?

It is both a comfort food as well as something to celebrate with. If things are bad, and you are not too poor to afford chocolates, you might find relief in munching the chocolate. This feature, of being in demand when things go wrong and when things go swell, puts chocolate into a special category, from an economist’s point of view. Ep here refers to the coefficient of price elasticity of demand and is the ratio of two percent changes; thus it is always a pure number. Tastes, preferences and habits of consumers also determine change in their demand for commodities. For example, a chain-smoker will not restrict his smoking even at a higher price.

Different goods can be a necessity good, a comfort good, or a luxury good for a person. Different concepts in economics explain all these backstage happenings of a market. Income levelElasticity of demand for any commodity is generally less for higher income group in comparison with low income group. Availability of substitutes.Demand for a commodity with large number of substitutes will be more elastic.

Throughout the blog, the concept of Price Elasticity of Demand has been focused on. It is defined as the sensitiveness of the demand of a commodity against a price change. Manufactures or providers of inelastic goods and services can generate good revenue. For businesses, revenue generated from inelastic goods can go both ways. This means that it can prove profitable as well as marginal.

This helps them break down the working of the real economy. Level of priceCostly goods have high elasticity of demand as their demand is very sensitive to changes in prices. Even for a small rise in price will induce the buyer to go for substitutes.