Differentiate between Internal Economies and Internal Diseconomies of Scale
1. Internal economies of scale measure a company's efficiency of production and occur because of factors controlled by its management team. External economies of scale happen because of larger changes within the industry, so when the industry grows, the average costs of business drop. Internal economies of scale offer greater competitive advantages because an external economy of scale is shared among competitors.
2 Economies of scale are the cost advantages that a business obtains due to expansion. When economists are talking about economies of scale, they are usually talking about internal economies of scale. These are the advantages gained by an individual firm by increasing its size i.e having larger or more plants.
3. Effects of Economies of Scale on Production Costs It reduces the per unit fixed cost. As a result of increased production, the fixed cost gets spread over more output than before. It reduces the per-unit variable costs. Economies of scale bring down the per-unit variable costs. This occurs as the expanded scale of production increases the efficiency of the production process.
4. What are diseconomies of scale?
1. Diseconomies of scale are the disadvantages of being too large.
2. A firm that increases its scale of operation to a point where it encounters rising long-run average costs is said to be experiencing internal diseconomies of scale.
5. Types of economies of Internal scale economies of scale:- lower long-run average costs resulting from a firm growing in size. They refer to economies that are unique to a firm. For instance, a firm may hold a patent over a mass production machine, which allows it to lower its average cost of production more than other firms in the industry.
6. External economies of scale:- lower long-run average costs resulting from an industry growing in size. They refer to economies of scale faced by an entire industry. For instance, suppose the government wants to increase steel production. In order to do so, the government announces that all steel producers who employ more than 10,000 workers will be given a 20% tax break.
7. Internal and external diseconomies of scale. Internal diseconomies of scale:-higher long-run average cost arising from a firm growing too large. External diseconomies of scale:- higher long-run average costs resulting from an industry growing too large. Thus, firms employing less than 10,000 workers can potentially lower their average cost of production by employing more workers. This is an example of an external economy of scale – one that affects an entire industry or sector of the economy.
8. Types of Internal economies of scale Buying economies Selling economies Managerial economies Financial economies Technical economies Research and development economies Risk-bearing economies.
9. Buying Economies These are the best-known type. Large firms that buy raw materials in bulk and place large orders for capital equipment usually receive a discount. This means that they have paid less for each item purchased. They may receive better treatment because the suppliers will be anxious to keep such large customers.
10. Selling Economies Every part of marketing has a cost – particularly promotional methods such as advertising and running a sales force. Many of these marketing costs are fixed costs and so as a business gets larger, it is able to spread the cost of marketing over a wider range of products and sales – cutting the average marketing cost per unit.
11. Managerial Economies As a firm grows, there is greater potential for managers to specialize in particular tasks (e.g. marketing, human resource management, finance). Specialist managers are likely to be more efficient as they possess a high level of expertise, experience, and qualifications compared to one person in a smaller firm trying to perform all of these roles.
12. Financial economies Many small businesses find it hard to obtain finance and when they do obtain it, the cost of the finance is often quite high. This is because small businesses are perceived as being riskier than larger businesses that have developed a good track record. Larger firms, therefore, find it easier to find potential lenders and raise money at lower interest rates.
13. Technical Economies Businesses with large-scale production can use more advanced machinery (or use existing machinery more efficiently). This may include using mass production techniques, a more efficient form of production. A larger firm can also afford to invest more in research and development.
14. Research and developed economies. A large firm can have a research and development department, since running such a department can reduce average costs by developing more efficient methods of production and raise total revenue by developing new products.
15. Risk-bearing economies Larger firms produce a range of products. This enables them to spread the risks of trading. If the profitability of one of the products it makes falls, it can shift its resources to the production of more profitable products.
16. Internal Diseconomies of scale growing beyond a certain output can cause a firm's average costs to rise. This is because the firm may encounter a number of problems including difficulties controlling the firm, Communication problems poor industrial relations.
17. Difficulty controlling the firm It can be hard for those managing a large firm to supervise everything that is happening in the business. Management becomes more complex and meetings are necessary quite often. This can increase administrative costs and make the firm slower in responding to changes in marketing conditions.
18. Communication problems Difficult to ensure that everyone is aware of their duties in a large firm and available opportunities like training etc. They may not get a chance to exchange their views and innovative ideas to the management team.
19. Poor industrial relations Higherrisk for larger firms as there will be more conflicts and diverse opinions. Lack of motivation of workers, and strikes will be seen in certain situations in larger firms due to poor industrial relations.
20. External economies of scale - A skilled labor workforce – A firm can recruit workers who have been trained by other firms in the industry. A good reputation – An area can gain a reputation for high-quality production. Specialist suppliers of raw materials and capital goods – When an industry becomes large enough, it can become worthwhile for other industries, called subsidiary industries to set up for providing for the needs of the industry.
21. External economies of scale Specialist services – Universities and colleges may run courses for workers in large industries and banks and transport firms may provide services, specially designed to meet the particular needs of firms in the industry. Specialist markets – Some large industries have specialist selling places and arrangements such as corn exchanges and insurance markets. Improved infrastructure – The growth of an industry may encourage a govt and private sector firms to provide better road links, and electricity supplies, build new airports and develop dock facilities.
22. External Diseconomies of scale just as a firm can grow too large, so can an industry. Larger firms transportation increased congestion increased journey time high transport costs reduced worker's productivity. Growth of industry may increase competition for resources, pushing up the price of key sites, capital equipment and labor.