The marginal product of labor and the marginal product of capital.

Question

Suppose that low-skilled workers employed in clearing woodland can each clear one acre per month if each is equipped with a shovel, a machete, and a chainsaw. Clearing one acre brings in $1,000 in revenue. Each worker’s equipment costs the worker’s employer $150 per month to rent and each worker toils 40 hours per week for four weeks each month. LO17.6 Now consider the employer’s total costs. These include the equipment costs as well as a normal profit of $50 per acre. If the firm pays workers the minimum wage of $6.20 per hour, what will the firm’s economic profit or loss be per acre? At what value would the minimum wage have to be set so that the firm would make zero economic profit from employing an additional low-skilled worker to clear woodland?

Answer 1

Question

Chapter 16, Problem 4P

To determine

The marginal product of labor and the marginal product of capital.

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Suppose that low-skilled workers employed in clearing woodland can each clear one acre per month if each is equipped with a shovel, a machete, and a chainsaw. Clearing one acre brings in $1,000 in revenue. Each worker’s equipment costs the worker’s employer $150 per month to rent and each worker toils 40 hours per week for four weeks each month. LO17.6 Now consider the employer’s total costs. These include the equipment costs as well as a normal profit of $50 per acre. If the firm pays workers the minimum wage of $6.20 per hour, what will the firm’s economic profit or loss be per acre? At what value would the minimum wage have to be set so that the firm would make zero economic profit from employing an additional low-skilled worker to clear woodland?

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