Price
Elasticity of Product Demand
(B)
by
Laurus Nobilis
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What
is measured by price elasticity of demand? What
are the basic price elasticity of demand models?
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Posted:
Aug 2009 |
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Price
elasticity of product demand is measuring the relation
of price and demand for the product. The price variation
is influencing product demand in different ways. As a
general rule the price increase is causing demand
decrease. |
But this general rule has several different
situations. The demand does not change at the same
proportion for every product. Some product are more
sensitive, while some other are les sensitive. The life necessary
commodities are usually less sensitive, meaning that the
demand will change at the smaller rate than the price.
The luxury products or products that can be substituted
are changing at the greater rate than the priice change.
This relation of price and demand is called price
elasticity of demand.
| Relatively
Inelastic Demand is the situation when price (
p ) change does not change the demand ( q ) at the
same rate. If the price increase for certain
percentage, the demand will be reduced but only
for the smaller percentage. Also, if the price
decrease, the demand will not go up for the same
percentage. The life necessary product like food
or clothing are characterized by this elasticity
of demand model. |
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| Perfectly
Inelastic Demand is more the theoretical
extreme, but the core products, like bread or
water have demand elasticity approximate to this
model. no matter what is the price of bread you
will still need it. |
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| Relatively
Elastic Demand is the situation when price
change at the certain percentage is causing change
in demand of even greater percentage. The
relatively inelastic demand is typical for luxury
products. In the period of reduced income people
try to cut travels, luxury products and unnecessary
spending. When the income is increased the
consumers are buying more luxury goods. |
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| Perfectly
Elastic Demand special example of price
elasticity when any change of price is reducing
demand to zero. |
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Another
elasticity model is the unit ( unitary ) elasticity.
This elasticity model is descripting the situation when
the change of price of X percentage is causing the X
percentage change of demand. This apply to both
situation, the price increase and price decrease.
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