Every human being have unlimited wants
or wishes on goods and service. Therefore, demand and supply are
the general concept of economics, the demand represented the quantity that the
consumers desire. Supply represented how much the
market can offer. The quantity supplied refers to the amount of a certain good
producers are willing to supply when receiving a certain price. So that, there
had a law of demand while it is means that if the prices of the goods
is higher, the less number of people are willing to buy the product. So, it
also means the lower price the firm give, the larger quantity the consumers
demanded. Law of demand is covering substitution effect and income effect.
First of all, substitution
effect which is means that the demand of goods and services will goes down when
the opportunity cost of those goods and services increase. Referring to the
histrogram 1, we can stated that Pepsi and Coca-cola is identical goods
therefore we also can said that it also a substitution goods. In addition, when
the opportunity cost of Coca-Cola rising, people will trying to use Pepsi to
substitute for it, so the quantity demanded of the goods and services of
Coca-Cola will reducing. Based on the histrogram 1, it can shown that the age
group of 70+ of likes between Pepsi and Coca-Cola is same. Therefore we can
known that they will switching their preference easily.
Histogram 1: Pepsi vs. Coca-Cola Facebook “Likes” By Age Group, 2012 (Larson.K)
On the other hand, income effect which
is means that the prices of the goods and services rising will closely relation
with the consumer income. So that, sometime the people can effort before but
when the prices of goods is rises let them can’t to effort anymore. It also an
control for consumer to decide buying the thing they wants. For the example
like, when the prices of Starbucks coffee is rises to RM 20 each cup. When the
income of most of the people can’t effort to drink it every day, therefore
people will change to other coffee shop to drink the coffee. In this changing
will let the demand of Starbucks coffee reducing.
According to the graph 1, consumers will escape to buying the product
that forces them to give up the consumption of goods they has higher value. The
graph 1 shows that the curve is downwards sloping.
Graph 1: Economics Basics: Supply and
Demand, 2013
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Point A, B and C are on the demand curve. Every point on the curve shows that the correlation between the quantity demanded (Q) and the price (P). According to the point A, the quantity of point A is Q1 and the price is P1, and the point B and point C are so on. The demand curve has represent the opposite relationship between price and quantity. The higher price will get lower quantity and the lower price will get higher demand. Moreover, the curve also shown that the willingness and ability to pay of consumer. So that, the demand curve also can measure the marginal benefit. Thus, there have other of issue can effect demand, which is the prices of related goods, preferences, expected future prices, expected income and credit, income and population.
Everything before changing
willl have an issue to effect it. So the issue that effect demand curve is the
price. For the example like based on the pie chart 1, we can known as the
highest population hour in McDonald is in lunch. As everyone know that the lunch
set of McDonald is cheaper than restaurant for the people who are in city area.
So that, everyone is prefer going to eat lunch than other time because on other
time they can choose another cheaper restaurant to having their meal.
Pie Chart 1 : McLunch, 2011 (MacArthur.K)
Another will effect the curve also related to
money, that is income. As common as we know that, when we get the higher income
as we can spending more than other. But when the income become lesser, the
spending need to be control. So that, due to this issue we can known that
handphone is a necessary thing to contact each and other in now technology
world. Thus, if your income is higher than you have more selection such as an
iphone, samsung smart phone and more but your income is normal your selection
will be limited just like nokia basic model 3310. Overall, the decision of
buying also depends on your income.
Now we take a look to the Law of Supply shows that the lower price of
goods that the firm will produce more and it’s quality will be bad than normal
goods but it will be consider in lower level of normal goods. On another way,
the high quality that the firms supply it will be the set in higher price due
to the cost the high. As that is can be define as a luxury or a normal goods. Which
means that the firms only produce the goods that is profitable. It is to avoid
the firm meet the unnecessary loss in their production. Based on the table 1,
it shown that the highest of sales unit is Perodua and the lowest of sales unit
is Honda between January to June 2012. Therefore, we can assume that the
Perodua is normal cars and the Honda is luxury cars in this case. Due to the
demand of the Perodua is more than Honda, so the producer of Perodua will
produce more and get the cheapest raw material. Hence, it can make the cost
become even cheaper so the quality will be not so bad but the price will
cheapest than before. Since Honda need to maintain the quality of it’s car so
the cost of production still higher. It also means that the people who can
afford higher price people is not much in Malaysia.
Table
1: Top Five Passenger Car Makes, 2012 (MAHALINGAM.E)
The behaviour of law of supply
is more than less the same compare with the law of demand due to they are
dependent on price and quantity, but the curve of supply is opposite with
demand curve it shown as upward slope, the characteristic of law of supply show
on graph 2 below.
Graph 2: Economics Basics: Supply and Demand,
2013
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The point of A, B and C are show at the supply curve. Every point on the shows that the correlation between quantity supplied (Q) and price (P). According to the point A, the quantity supply is the Q2 and the price is the P2, and the point B and point C are so on.
Thus,
supply also had some issue will effect the curve. One of the issue is
technology, since now the technology is very advanced. The advances can let the
supply increaing and the curve will move to rightward. So that, the machines
can effectively produce the product in short period. Based on the
MarketingCharts staff reseacrh that the response rate, selected media shown
that the telephone is the highest among all of the selection by June 2012
(2012). In this advanced technology world, smartphone can receive the media as
soon as possible. Therefore, most of the people choose to use phone to receive
the media because the current technology can let them get the media in a short
period.
Histogram 2: Response Rate,
Selected Media, 2012
Beside that, the number of suppliers also
will effect the supply curve. It is due to one people produce the goods, the
cost will be more higher. But when everyone is produce the same goods, the cost
of the material and the production will be decrease. Example like the price
of clothes is expensive in before, but
now the price is reducing until very cheap than before. Due to when the China
started to open their market, most of the factory is set up in China, referring
to below photo 1 shown that the population of China so many and cheap labor,
based on this factor it can reducing much more of cost in production.
Photo 1 :Workers at New
Balance factory, 2012
Reference:
Heakal.R (2013) Economics
Basics: Supply and Demand. [Online] Available from: http://www.investopedia.com/university/economics/economics3.asp [Accessed: 1
June 2013]
Larson.K (2012) Spreading Wisdom. What’s the Worth of a Facebook “Like”? Wisdom Has the Answer!. 9
September. Available from: http://blog.wisdom.com/page/3/ [Accessed 1 June 2013]
Mahalingam.E (2012) Higher car sales. [Online] Available
from: http://biz.thestar.com.my/news/story.asp?file=/2012/8/13/business/11829164&sec=business [Accessed: 1
June 2013]
Hays.J (2012) Labor-Intensive
Industries In China. [Online] Available from: http://factsanddetails.com/china.php?itemid=359&catid=9 [Accessed: 1
June 2013]
Marketing Charts. (2012) Direct Mail Tops Email For Response Rates; Costs Per Lead Similar. [Online]
Available from: http://www.marketingcharts.com/wp/print/direct-mail-tops-email-for-response-rates-costs-per-lead-similar-22395/ [Accessed: 1
June 2013]
