Difference between Efficiency and Effectiveness - An Easy Approach

Contents: Efficiency and Effectiveness

• 1. Definition of effectiveness


• 2. Definition of efficiency


• 3. Effectiveness and efficiency in everyday life (examples)


• 4. Summary

The difference between efficiency and effectiveness is not that easy to understand. We will try to light up the difference.

1. Definition of Effectiveness

Effectiveness is the measure of the achievement of goals. Which means the ratio of the desired goals to be achieved. The underlying effort does not matter.

Or:

Effectiveness is the completeness and accuracy with which a particular goal is achieved.

"Doing the right things"

This raises the question of whether the public or the customer benefits and whether "the right things are done".

The effectiveness has a greater political significance than economic efficiency. Efficiently doing wrong things does not lead to the goal, but is usually a waste of money.

2. Definition of Efficiency

Efficiency represents the ratio of input to output as well as performance to cost. Efficiency thus corresponds in many cases to cost-effectiveness.

Or:

Efficiency is the effort involved in achieving a specific goal in proportion to completeness and accuracy.

"Doing things right"

This raises the question of whether "things are done right" (effectiveness: "doing the right things").

Efficiency is without question very important. But if the wrong things are done efficiently, it's a waste. Hence, the effectiveness has a higher priority. Strategy goes before efficiency.

3. Effectiveness and efficiency in everyday life (examples)

Rico wants to clean his bike on a warm summer's day. However, if he just lazes and basks all day, he is not effective in the sense of the actual goal (to clean the bike). Hence, he (in terms of goal achievement) makes the wrong thing.

If he only cleans the bike with water and a rag, he is quite effective (since he is working to reach his goal), but not efficient. He would be efficient and effective if he does the right thing with the right means (suitable cleaning agent, brush, etc.) (Cleaning the bike).

4. Summary

Effectiveness is a measure of output - doing the right things. One possible sub-goal of effectiveness is efficiency. This represents a relation between "input" and "output". It also serves as a benchmark for resource economy - doing things right. Thus, efficiency is not a sufficient or necessary condition for effectiveness.

The difference between effectiveness and efficiency is not always immediately obvious. "Doing the right thing" answers the question of WHAT - What needs to be done to reach the goal? The right thing to do then, answers the question of HOW - How can it be implemented? Aligning one's own actions in everyday life in terms of effectiveness and efficiency guarantees a lasting success - private, professional and entrepreneurial.

Deadweight Loss

Deadweight loss is the fall in total surplus that results from a market distortion, such as a tax. In economics, a deadweight loss (also known as an excess burden or allocative inefficiency) is a loss of economic efficiency that can occur when equilibrium for a good or service is not achieved or is not achievable.

Under limited circumstances, it can be assumed that monopolies are the cause of welfare losses. The welfare loss, in this case, is based on the assumption that the monopolies cause one or more inefficiencies. Basically, the reduction of the consumer's pension is seen as a welfare loss. Marshall defines it that way, on condition that the optimality conditions of the comprehensive competition are disturbed.

Monopolies can have positive effects and are not always the cause of a welfare loss. A technical advance or a short-term maximization of profit may have beneficial effects, but will not be considered in this analysis.

A loss of welfare occurs when the number of goods produced deviates from the optimal amount. The balance in the competitive market would be disturbed. In theory, welfare losses can be calculated. Taxes, duties, and prices, as well as monopoly formations, are included in the calculation. A consideration of the welfare loss is never complete. Future effects cannot be included in the calculation because the market and the behavior of the consumers are subject to a certain dynamic.

Calculate welfare loss

Welfare loss, also called deadweight loss , can be calculated using the following formulas:

Function of market demand: D (p) = 200 - 2p
Function of the market offer: S (p) = 50 + p

First, this function can be compared and calculated in lockstep:

200 - 2p = 50 + p = 150 = 3p
p = 50; x = 100

Finally, the quantity tax is included in the calculation. Here we assume a tax rate of 7.5 percent:

200 - 2 (p + 7.5) = 50 + p = 200 - 2p - 15 = 50 + p
135 = 3p

Including the quantity tax, p = 45 and x = 95. The welfare loss can be calculated as follows:

W = 0.5 * taxes * (x without quantity tax - x with quantity tax)
W = 0.5 * 7.5 * (100-95) W = 18.75

Business Combinations

 

A business combination will transform legally and economically independent companies into larger business entities. As a result, the economic and legal independence of individual companies can be lifted. But it is also a loose cooperation without loss of independence of individual companies conceivable.

An overview of the forms of business combinations

A merger results in a merger of several independent companies. This merger can take place, for example, in the following form:

• through the formation of a cartel


• through the formation of a group


• by entering into a merger


• through the formation of an association


• through the formation of a community of interest


• through the formation of an occasional society


• through the formation of a joint venture

In all these forms of business combinations, there are certain special features. In a merger in the form of cooperation, such a form of the merger is, for example, in a community of interests, the merged companies remain legally independent and lose their economic independence is not complete.

By contrast, a merger in the form of concentration leads to the loss of the economic independence of individual companies.Legally, companies, if, for example, a corporation should be formed, can remain independent. Likewise, it is also possible that the individual companies lose their legal independence. This is the case, for example, when a merger is entered into.

The legal aspects of a business combination

Business combinations can give businesses an economic advantage. In some cases, a merger gives companies the opportunity to acquire a dominant position. To prevent this, German competition law provides for restrictions on business combinations.More detailed information on the restrictions can be found in Germany in the Law against Restraints of Competition.

Business combinations can give businesses an economic advantage. In some cases, a merger gives companies the opportunity to acquire a dominant position. To prevent this, German competition law provides for restrictions on business combinations.More detailed information on the restrictions can be found in Germany in the Law against Restraints of Competition.

Supply Curve | Definition | Explanation | Graphical Representation

Supply Curve Definition

The supply curve is a graphic illustration of the interaction of price and supply. The principle is that the higher the price, the greater the supply of producers.

The term supply curve comes from the field of economic theory and describes the natural relationship between supply and price of a product or service. The fundamental consideration behind the term is the fact that the higher the price to be paid for it, the higher the quantity supplied of a good. 

The supply curve is therefore usually rising more or less - depending on the product concerned. The course of the supply curve is also influenced by the so-called supply elasticity. This indicates how strong the relative quantity change is in relation to the corresponding price change.

Explanation of the supply curve

The supply curve graphically illustrates the relationship between the price and the quantity supplied for a good. The key idea: the higher the price of a good, the higher the quantity supplied. Thanks to the higher price, the producers can generate higher profits, which serves as an incentive for the expansion of the production volume. On the other hand, if the price is comparatively low, the production is hardly or not at all worth it. In addition, higher production quantities, in theory, are usually associated with higher marginal costs.

Classically, the supply curve goes up from the origin at a 45-degree angle. However, displacements of the curve are also conceivable. If the curve does not originate from the zero point, but on the Y-axis, then the production of the good pays off only from this point or price.

Important statements of the supply curve - displacement, elasticity, marginal costs

The supply curve not only indicates the quantity produced at a given price. It has the following important information ready:

• Elasticity: The slope of the supply curve allows a statement about the supply elasticity. It measures how much supply changes when the price is lowered by 1 percent. If the quantity supplied decreases more than 1 percent, then one can say that the product has an elastic supply. The supply curve is very steep in this case.


• Marginal cost: The supply curve always shows the marginal cost of the producer, if it is a market with perfect competition.


• Shift: Changes in the market composition or the market situation can be identified by shifts in the supply curve. If the general production costs fall, the supply curve shifts to the right or down. Because then, at the same price, significantly more goods can be produced cost-effectively.

 

On the open market, goods and services are offered and demanded. On the supply side, depending on the type of good or service there are different providers. The supply quantity of these goods depends on the price, the corresponding graphical representation is the supply curve.

The supply curve shows the quantity of a specific good or service as a function of the price, with the offer quantity being plotted on the abscissa. The providers will offer more goods of this kind at a higher price, or at lower prices, they will offer less.

Other courses of the supply curve are rather rare, for example, perishable goods. In that case, the supply can increase even with falling prices. Classic goods and services, such as a property, are then offered more frequently when prices rise, or the other way round, the price has to rise until another provider decides to offer their property to the market.

Shift of the supply curve

Under certain conditions, the supply curve may shift. In the case of real estate, this could be the case if the state subsidizes new housing construction and, accordingly, more new buildings are built. The supply curve shifts to the right, in this case, more suppliers will offer the good at the same prices. A shift to the left can occur when raw materials for the construction of real estate become more expensive.

Do you know Accounting - What is the accounting?

Demand Function

In economics, the demand function represents consumer demand for a commodity as a function of price. The graphical representation is made on a coordinate axis (Y-axis is price / X-axis is quantity) which is known as demand curve.

Definition / Explanation

The demand function is a function that shows the consumer demand for a good in relation to the price. Compared to the demand function is the so-called supply function, which defines the supply as a function of the price.

At the point where demand function and supply function intersect, the market equilibrium can be determined, i.e. the price/quantity combination in which the demand for the good corresponds to the quantity offered at this price.

As a rule, the demand function is displayed directly in a coordinate system. The so-called abscissa (X-axis) represents the offered quantity and the ordinate (Y-axis) the price.

It is usually a strict monotone and falling function. By this, it is meant that with falling prices the demand will increase and with increasing prices the demand decreases.

The demand is clearly limited to this model because it is calculated with a certain price, which starts with a value zero. So if a potential buyer is no longer willing to pay a certain price, the demand value is zero. In technical terms, this price is also referred to as the prohibitive price, which is recognizable as the intersection point on the Y-axis.

If the price drops, so does the demand for a product. However, the falling price will not necessarily lead to an infinitely high demand. The market is saturated from a certain point, which can be seen at the intersection on the X-axis.

Special Features and Characteristics

The demand or the supply depending on the price formation is processed in the functions. An intersection of the two components creates a market equilibrium in monopoly formation.

There are usually several suppliers for a particular product. The prices vary and have to be adapted exactly to the market situation. This is the responsibility of the demand function, which gives an optimal picture of what the current situation looks like.

Summary

• Demand function describes consumer demand for a good in relation to its price.


• With demand function and supply function, market equilibrium can be determined


• Representation: X-axis = quantity demanded and Y-axis = price


• usually strictly monotonous and falling function

Externalities

When one speaks in the national economy of so-called externalities, one basically means economically oriented decisions of companies that unintentionally hit uninvolved market participants.

The person causing the damage, ie the company here, does not compensate. The injured and uninvolved market participants are therefore not awarded any compensation for the inconvenience caused.

As a result, the cessation of the companies that accept such externalities is quite egotistical and only aimed at the highest possible profit. Social and ecological goals remain completely ignored. But what kinds of externalities are there in the economy and what could be practical examples?

Types and Examples of Externalities

In principle, an externality can be positive or negative. Not every externality has to be bad at the same time. A negative external effect is the so-called external cost. In rare cases, however, externalities can also be positive. Then one speaks of an external benefit .

There are countless examples of externalities that are often associated with the environment and with health.

For example, a coal-fired power station produces energy and as a waste product, pollutants are released during production, which are simply released into the environment. The inhabitants of the coal-fired power station could be harmed in health and need treatment. The costs that must be spent on the health recovery of the residents are the external costs. Under normal circumstances the coal-fired power station does not pay these costs, which is why it is an external effect, or more precisely an external cost.

Another example: a motorway is expanded by two additional bumpers and residents are bothered with additional noise by passing cars. If an appropriate noise barrier is built, it is an external effect. The highway is used by countless car and truck drivers. None of them paid for the noise protection.

Development of Externalities

If a company has to keep an eye on the costs of its production, ecological and social objectives are completely ignored. The social costs are, for example, passed on to society through the egoistic approach of the victims. A (financial) compensation does not take place. Since a large part of the companies almost always have the highest possible profit in mind, it often happens that externalities hit the company and thereby damage.

Amount of External Costs

The real difficulty is the exact amount of the external costs. In general, it is very difficult to define the amount of external costs. First of all, it is extremely difficult to find out which costs are an external effect and which costs would arise in any case. As a result, it is usually very difficult for the state to determine the cause for the externalities.

Externalities mean Market Failures

If there is externalities in an economy, you can basically say that the price mechanism has failed . As a result, a market failure occurs and the state is more or less compelled to intervene in the event. Especially in a social market economy, it is ultimately impossible for a company to simply harm other market participants, such as the company or other companies, without a corresponding compensation. In principle, here too, of course, the polluter pays principle applies: The person responsible for the externalities must be held accountable and justified for his actions.

Briefly Summarized:

• Externalities affect uninvolved market participants


• Externalities are basically a form of market failure as the price mechanism has failed


• Externalities can only be very difficult to assign to the polluter


• The amount of externalities can usually only be estimated


• There are positive and negative externalities
  


• Causes of externalities are mostly companies with particularly pronounced profit orientation

Perfect Competition

The principle of perfect competition is a theoretical idea in the economy, which in this form will probably not exist in the longer term.

In order for the condition of perfect competition to be fulfilled, certain conditions must be fulfilled. Both supply and demand are balanced in this market. It is assumed that there are always enough buyers who want to buy the product. At the same time, it is assumed that the supplier does not have to go under his price pain threshold because the demand is permanently high enough.

But what are the prerequisites for full competition and why is this form of competition so remote and therefore just a theoretical model?

Conditions for Perfect Competition

Complete competition requires that no company involved in the market has a market power and that no company has a significant impact on market prices . Moreover, a condition that must be fulfilled is that it must be homogeneous goods. This means that the products of the different suppliers are nearly identical and comparable to the customers. Not many products meet this requirement. An exception could be gasoline, for example. Because the quality of the fuel of a variety is always the same, it does not matter to the customer where he buys the product. The reality, however, is that most of the goods are not homogeneous, since there are, for example, differences in quality.

In addition, there must be a large number of suppliers and buyers in the competition. The consequence of this is that the action of the individual has no influence on the market price. If, for example, there are 1,000 vendors and a million customers, it is irrelevant whether there are only 999 vendors and 998,000 vendors in the next month. The situation would be different if there were only ten suppliers for the number of customers. Then a vendor would more or less have an influence on the market price.

The last condition, which must be fulfilled in perfect competition, is the market transparency , which must be present. This means that every market participant must know which goods are offered and demanded by whom and at what price. A truly theoretical assumption, which in reality is mostly only fulfilled on the stock exchange .

Reality of Perfect Competition

Since one can only speak of a complete competition, if all of the above-mentioned conditions are fulfilled without exception and in full, this model is to be described as very realistic. In reality, it would not be possible. This is much more a theoretical model, an ideal.

Briefly Summarized:

• Perfect competition is a theoretical and realistic ideal


• It is assumed that these are homogeneous, comparable goods (for example gasoline)


• It is assumed that there are a large number of buyers and sellers


• It is assumed that there is a complete market transparency.