Economies of scale | Glossary

Definition:

In microeconomics, economies of scale are the cost advantages that enterprises obtain due to their scale of operation (typically measured by amount of output produced), with cost per unit of output decreasing with increasing scale. (In economics, “scale” is synonymous with quantity.)

Economies of scale apply to a variety of organizational and business situations and at various levels, such as a business or manufacturing unit, plant or an entire enterprise. When average costs start falling as output increases, then economies of scale are occurring. If a firm’s marginal cost of producing a good or service is beneath its average cost of producing that good or service, then the firm is experiencing economies of scale. Some economies of scale, such as capital cost of manufacturing facilities and friction loss of transportation and industrial equipment, have a physical or engineering basis.

Another source of scale economies is the possibility of purchasing inputs at a lower per-unit cost when they are purchased in large quantities.

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Further Reading:  Zero to One by Peter Theil.

 

Risk Aversion | Glossary

Definition:

In economics and finance, risk aversion is the behavior of humans (especially consumers and investors), who, when exposed to uncertainty, attempt to lower that uncertainty. It is the hesitation of a person to agree to a situation with an unknown payoff rather than another situation with a more predictable payoff but possibly lower expected payoff. For example, a risk-averse investor might choose to put their money into a bank account with a low but guaranteed interest rate, rather than into a stock that may have high expected returns, but also involves a chance of losing value.

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Further Reading:  Zero to One by Peter Theil.