戰昇的部落格

今天上的內容，是Week 9，有兩個講義分別是technology和cost，以下是這禮拜的課程重點。

1. 經濟成本與機會成本

- 經濟成本考量機會成本，而非僅僅是會計成本。

- 例如，使用土地建設廠房的機會成本是未從事農業生產的收入損失。

2. 長期與短期成本最小化

- 長期成本最小化：可自由調整勞動力與資本，尋找最優資源分配組合。

- 短期成本最小化：資本固定，僅能透過調整勞動力來達到目標產出。

3. 邊際成本與平均成本曲線的形狀

- 邊際成本反映了生產額外單位產出的額外成本。

- 平均成本曲線的形狀反映了生產規模經濟的變化。

4. 規模經濟與最低有效規模 (MES)

- 當長期平均成本 (LAC) 隨產出增加而下降時，企業可受益於規模經濟。

- 最低有效規模是指 LAC 達到最小值的生產規模。

5. 最低工資的應用與討論

- 政府設定最低工資後，成本曲線會改變，企業可能增加資本使用來替代勞動力。

- 以自助點餐機取代勞動力為例，說明長期內最低工資的影響。

心得總結

這堂課讓我對成本理論有更深刻的理解，特別是在將經濟成本融入決策時的重要性。例如，對於最低工資的影響，課程內容結合了理論與實際案例，讓我認識到政策對企業決策的深遠影響。此外，規模經濟的概念也使我對企業如何透過生產規模優化成本有了更清晰的認識。然而，我發現自己在分析成本曲線的數學推導時仍有困難，希望能透過多加練習來提升對公式的掌握。

Today’s Lecture: Week 9

This week’s content covered two handouts: Technology and Cost. Below are the key points from this week’s lecture:

1. Economic Cost and Opportunity Cost**

- Economic cost takes opportunity cost into account, rather than focusing solely on accounting cost.

- For example, the opportunity cost of using land to build a factory is the foregone income from agricultural production.

2. Long-Run and Short-Run Cost Minimization

- Long-Run Cost Minimization: The firm can freely adjust both labor and capital to find the optimal allocation of resources.

- Short-Run Cost Minimization: Capital is fixed, and the firm can only adjust labor to achieve the desired output.

3. Shapes of Marginal Cost and Average Cost Curves

- Marginal cost reflects the additional cost of producing one more unit of output.

- The shape of the average cost curve reflects the changes in economies of scale as production increases.

4. Economies of Scale and Minimum Efficient Scale (MES)

- When long-run average cost (LAC) decreases as output increases, the firm benefits from economies of scale.

- The **Minimum Efficient Scale (MES)** is the level of production at which LAC reaches its minimum.

5. Applications and Discussions on Minimum Wage

- When the government sets a minimum wage, the cost curve changes, and firms may increase capital usage to substitute for labor.

- For example, using self-service kiosks instead of labor demonstrates the long-term impact of minimum wage policies.

Reflection Summary

This lecture deepened my understanding of cost theory, particularly the importance of incorporating economic costs into decision-making. For instance, the discussion on the impact of minimum wage policies combined theoretical insights with real-world examples, illustrating how policies can significantly influence business decisions.

Additionally, the concept of economies of scale provided a clearer perspective on how firms optimize costs through production scale. However, I find the mathematical derivations of cost curves challenging and hope to improve my grasp of these formulas through more practice.