Question

Since a perfectly competitive firm can sell as much as it wishes at the market price, why can the firm not simply increase its profits by selling an extremely high quantity?

Short answer

In a perfectly competitive market, a firm cannot increase its profits by producing and selling an extremely high quantity of the product because its marginal cost will eventually exceed its marginal revenue. This results in higher costs without generating sufficient additional revenue to compensate for the increased costs, leading to reduced profit rather than increased profit. The firm should aim to maximize its profit by producing the quantity where its marginal cost equals its marginal revenue.

Step-by-step solution

Definition of a perfectly competitive firm

A perfectly competitive firm is a firm in a market with many buyers and sellers, where the products are identical, and there is perfect information on prices and products. Each firm has no control over the market price and must accept the price as given. Additionally, there are no barriers to entry or exit in the market.

Understanding marginal cost and marginal revenue

Marginal cost (MC) is the additional cost incurred by producing one more unit of the product, while marginal revenue (MR) is the additional revenue generated from selling one more unit of the product. In a perfectly competitive market, the firm's marginal revenue is equal to the market price of the product (since the firm can sell as much as it wishes at the market price).

Profit maximization and optimal production quantity

A firm maximizes its profit when its marginal cost equals its marginal revenue (MC = MR). At this point, the additional revenue generated from selling one more unit of the product is equal to the additional cost incurred from producing that unit. Producing more than this quantity will result in increased costs without a corresponding increase in revenue, whereas producing less would mean the firm is not making as much profit as it could be.

The effect of producing an extremely high quantity

If the firm decides to produce an extremely high quantity, its marginal cost will eventually surpass its marginal revenue. This means that the additional cost of producing one more unit of the product will be more than the additional revenue generated from selling it. As a result, the firm's profit will decrease rather than increase.

Conclusion

In a perfectly competitive market, a firm cannot increase its profits by producing and selling an extremely high quantity of the product because its marginal cost will eventually exceed its marginal revenue. This means that it will incur higher costs without generating sufficient additional revenue to compensate for the increased costs, consequently, reducing its profit rather than increasing it. The firm should aim to maximize its profit by producing the quantity where its marginal cost equals its marginal revenue.