Price Elasticity of Demand

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Definition

Price elasticity of demand is defined as the measure of responsivenesses in the quantity demanded for a commodity as a result of change in price of the same commodity.In other words, it is the percentage change in quantity demanded as per the percentage change in price of the same commodity. In economics and business studies, the price elasticity of demand (PED) is a measure of the sensitivity of quantity demanded to changes in price. It is measured as elasticity, that is it measures the relationship as the ratio of percentage changes between quantity demanded of a good and changes in its price

Interpretation of elasticity

Value Meaning

n = 0 Perfectly inelastic.

0 > n > -1 Relatively inelastic.

n = -1 Unit (or unitary) elastic.

-1 > n > -∞ Relatively elastic.

n = -∞ Perfectly elastic.

A price drop usually results in an increase in the quantity demanded by consumers

The demand for a good is relatively inelastic when the change in quantity demanded is less than change in price. Goods and services for which no substitutes exist are generally inelastic.

Perfectly Inelastic Demand Perfectly Elastic Demand

Elasticity and revenue

When the price elasticity of demand for a good is inelastic (|Ed| < 1), the percentage change in quantity demanded is smaller than that in price. Hence, when the price is raised, the total revenue of producers rises, and vice versa.

When the price elasticity of demand for a good is elastic (|Ed| > 1), the percentage change in quantity demanded is greater than that in price. Hence, when the price is raised, the total revenue of producers falls, and vice versa.

When the price elasticity of demand for a good is unit elastic (or unitary elastic) (|Ed| = 1), the percentage cha...

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...ially being asked to repurchase entertainment they’ve previously bought. Adoption remains low, which keeps prices up, which keep pushing consumers away.

The difference between the change from records to CDs and the switch from DVDs to Blu-ray is that people can now download media, and that’s an option that Sony can’t make go away. Heck, the content side of the company can’t afford to ignore users that want to download content either. Maybe Sony will eventually drop Blu-ray prices, but by then it may be too late. This is not a company swimming in profit. In its 2008 annual report, reported net profits were under 4.2 percent. That’s almost down in the profitability territory of resellers. Of course that might explain the drive for premium prices. If the company makes that little profit when they charge a lot, what color would the ink be if prices were more competitive?

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