Investopedia

Continue to Site »

Marginal Benefit

Filed Under »
Dictionary Says

Definition of 'Marginal Benefit'

The additional satisfaction or utility that a person receives from consuming an additional unit of a good or service. A person's marginal benefit is the maximum amount they are willing to pay to consume that additional unit of a good or service. In a normal situation, the marginal benefit will decrease as consumption increases.
Investopedia Says

Investopedia explains 'Marginal Benefit'

For example, assume there is a consumer wishing to purchase an additional burger. If this consumer is willing to pay $10 for that additional burger, then the marginal benefit of consuming that burger is $10. The more burgers the consumer has, the less he or she will want to pay for the next one. This is because the benefit decreases as the quantity consumed increases.

It is important to note that even though the consumer is willing to pay $10 for the burger,this will not necessarily be the burger's price; this is determined by market forces. The difference between the market price and the price the consumer is willing to pay is called consumer surplus.

Articles Of Interest

  1.

    Understanding Supply-Side Economics

    Does the amount of goods and services produced set the pace for economic growth? Here are the arguments.

  2. How Influential Economists Changed Our History

    Find out how these five groundbreaking thinkers laid our financial foundations.

  3. Is finance an art or a science?

    The short answer to this question is "both". Finance, as a field of study and an area of business, definitely has strong roots in other scientific fields such as statistics and mathematics. Furthermore, ...

  4. Economics Basics

    Learn economics principles such as the relationship of supply and demand, elasticity, utility, and more!

  5. Leading Economic Indicators Predict Market Trends

    Leading indicators help investors to predict and react to where the market is headed.

  6. Great Company Or Growing Industry?

    Look at the big picture when choosing a company - what you see may really be a stage in its industry's growth.

  7. Prisoner's Dilemma

    Learn more about this classic game theory scenario.

  8. Is Growth Always A Good Thing?

    Getting big quickly looks good, but companies can get into trouble when they do it too fast. Find out how to spot this trouble.

  9. What Is "Chained CPI?"

    Chained CPI is one of many ways to approximate the impact of rising or falling prices to consumers' pocketbooks.

  10. Natural Disasters: Issues Relating To Leaves Of Absence

    Small businesses are more likely to fail in the aftermath of devastation. How can you as an employee handle issues after a disaster?
comments powered by Disqus
Marketplace
Hot Definitions

  1. Pattern Day Trader

    An SEC designation for traders who trade the same security four or more times per day (buys and sells) over a five-day period, and for whom same-day trades make up at least 6% of their activity for that period.

  2. Cost-Push Inflation

    A phenomenon in which the general price levels rise (inflation) due to increases in the cost of wages and raw materials.

  3. Happiness Economics

    The formal academic study of the relationship between individual satisfaction and economic issues, such as employment and wealth.

  4. Affluenza

    A social condition arising from the desire to be more wealthy, successful or to "keep up with the Joneses." Affluenza is symptomatic of a culture that holds up financial success as one of the highest achievements.

  5. Icarus Factor

    The term Icarus factor describes a situation where managers or executives initiate an overly ambitious project which then fails. Fueled by excitement for the project, the executives are unable to reign in their misguided enthusiasm before it is too late to avoid the failure.

  6. Angelina Jolie Stock Index

    An index made up of a selection of stocks from companies associated with actress Angela Jolie.
Trading Center