Economics P2 May-June 2022 MG Eng
Economics P2 May-June 2022 MG Eng
Economics P2 May-June 2022 MG Eng
ECONOMICS P2
2022
MARKING GUIDELINES
MARKS: 150
SECTION A (COMPULSORY)
QUESTION 1
1.1.1 D – marginal
1.1.2 A – Commission
1.1.3 B – variable
1.1.4 D – duopoly
1.1.5 C – hyperinflation
1.1.6 A – eco
1.1.7 B – quality standards
1.1.8 C – deforestation (8 x 2) (16)
1.2.3 I- the lowest amount that the employers are required by the
government to pay their workers
1.2.5 G - excludes items from the CPI basket that show high price
volatility
TOTAL SECTION A: 30
SECTION B
Answer any TWO of the three questions in this section in the ANSWER BOOK.
Natural monopoly
Artificial monopoly (2 x 1) (2)
2.2.4 Why would firms incur costs even when the output is zero?
Firms incur fixed costs (rent and insurance costs) even when there
is no production taking place.
(Accept any other correct relevant response) (2)
At all points where total revenue (TR) is greater than total cost
(TC) the firm is making a profit (between A and B).
Profit is maximised when the vertical gap between total
revenue and total cost is the greatest
This occurs when 35 units of output are produced.
(Accept any other correct relevant response) (2 x 2) (4)
The total costs incurred by the society as a whole /include private and
external costs
(Accept any other correct relevant response) (2)
Product differentiation
Different products are similar in that they satisfy the same consumer
need but are not totally identical , e.g. variety of men's clothing
The difference may sometimes be completely imaginary as in the case of
medicines, which may have different brand names but contain exactly the
same basic ingredients
In some instances, it is merely the service of the seller that differentiates
its product from the others.
The packaging of a product may make it different from other similar
products , e.g. sugar and salt.
(Accept any other correct relevant response) (2 x 2)
3.1.1 Name any TWO World Heritage Sites of historical and cultural
importance in South Africa.
3.1.2 How can the granting of property rights help conserve the
environment?
3.2.1 Identify the health risk faced by the tourists in the cartoon
above.
Leisure/recreation tourism
(Accept any other relevant and correct response) (1)
Externalities
Tourism can attract a large amount of revenue, however can also cause
undue environmental damages.
Rapid growth of tourism may lead to degradation of traditions and cultural
values/ environmental damages to sites and natural settings due to
pollution and waste.
Global tourism will grow due to increased population, improved living
standards, increased free time and expansion of transportation
systems.
Tourism activities increase pressure on tourist sites
Tourism attracts revenue to the country, alleviates poverty, conserves
cultural and natural assets but needs to be carefully planned.
Tourism can stimulate employment indirectly in tourism related
Industries.
(Accept any other relevant and correct response) (2 x 2)
Poverty
Tourism is widely recognised as a more effective mechanism to address
poverty especially in rural areas.
Most prime tourism attractions are located in rural areas which allow rural
people to share in the benefits of tourism.
Tourism provides alternative to urbanization, permitting people to continue
to enjoy rural life whilst earning a living.
Poor people are offered opportunities to link up with the mainstream
tourism businesses supplying of goods and services.
(Accept any other relevant and correct response)
Allocate a maximum of 4 marks for mere listing of facts) (2 x 2) (8)
3.5 How can the government promote a green economy in South Africa?
Supermarkets
Fast-food restaurants
Clothing shops
Furniture shops
Medical doctors
Hair dressers
Car dealers
(Accept any other correct relevant response) (2 x 1) (2)
4.2.2 What quantity of rice will be supplied if 800 units of maize are
produced?
0 (1)
4.2.3 Briefly describe the term market failure.
4.4 With the aid of a correctly labelled graph, explain economic profit in a
perfect market.
Cost/revenue
MC
AC
e D = AR = MR
P/R10
EEconomic Profit
P1/R8 b
0 Q/200 Quantity
The perfect competitive firm maximise profit where the marginal revenue
(MR) and marginal costs (MC) are equal (point e)
At point e, the firm will supply 200 units at market price of R10
The average revenue is R10 and the average cost per unit is R8.
Total economic profit will be R400 (2 x 200)
Total revenue is R2 000 (R10 x 200) – Total cost R1 600 (R8 x 200)
The firm makes economic profit of R400
Economic profit occurs in the short run.
(Accept any other correct relevant response) (max. 4)
4.5 Analyse the challenges faced by the tourism industry in South Africa.
Tourism activities are concentrated mainly in the coastal cities and big
cities whist most inland areas are neglected.
There is lack of infrastructure like roads to access and grow community
tourism.
A large section of the population in SA is not aware of the concept of
tourism.
Poverty also limits some people to the extent that they cannot take part in
tourism activities.
Tourism is not marketed enough in rural communities for people to be
aware of places to visit.
Cost of travelling is still high in South Africa since there are very few low-
cost airlines offering affordable service.
High level of crime and social unrests may discourage foreign tourists to
visit the country.
Outbreak of pandemic diseases such as Covid 19, natural disasters,
economics shocks may restrict movement of people.
(Accept any other relevant and correct response)
(Allocate a maximum of 2 marks for mere listing of facts) (8)
[40]
TOTAL SECTION B: 80
SECTION C
Answer any ONE of the two questions in this section in the ANSWER BOOK.
INTRODUCTION
An oligopoly exists when a small number of large firms are able to influence the supply
of a product or service in a market.
(Accept any other correct relevant introduction) (max. 2)
MAIN PART
Number of sellers
There are few sellers dominating the market which limits competition.
Market entry
Entry into an oligopolist market is not easy due to the existence of barrierssuch
as brand loyalty and economies of scale.
Many oligopolistic industries have high set-up costs which also block entry.
Advertising is very expensive and firms that cannot afford to do so will lag behind
the competition, this is itself is a barrier to entry.
Market information
Information is incomplete as consumers and producers do not have full information
about prevailing market conditions.
Lack of information may cause uncertainty and irrational decision making in the
market.
Demand curve
An oligopolist faces a kinked demand curve, with two segments.
The top segment is relatively elastic, and the bottom segment is relatively
inelastic
Allocate a maximum of 2 marks for a correctly drawn kinked demand curve
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Economic profit/loss
Oligopolistic firms can make economic profit in both short run and long-run.
Barriers to entry make it possible for oligopolies to enjoy high profits.
Collusion
There is high possibility of collusive practices in an oligopoly since there are few
businesses
Oligopoly businesses collude to reduce competition, earn higher, reduce
uncertainty in the market.
Collusion may be formal (cartels) or informal (price leadership).
A cartel is an organisation of oligopolistic businesses that come into existence with
a specific aim of forming a collective monopoly.
Price leadership is the situation where the dominant firm fixes the price and the
other firms accept it as a market price.
Non-price competition
Oligopolistic firms are reluctant to change prices because a price war will drive
their prices down, eliminating profits.
They make use of non-price measures to attract customers and increase their
market share.
An important aspect of non-price competition is to build brand loyalty, product
recognition and product differentiation.
(Accept any other correct relevant response)
Allocate a maximum of 8 marks for mere listing of headings and examples)
(max. 26)
ADDITIONAL PART
Unlike perfect competitors, oligopoly businesses fail to achieve both productive and
allocative efficiency as they do not produce at the lowest possible average cost and do
not produce at optimum output level.
(Accept any other correct relevant conclusion) (max. 2) [40]
INTRODUCTION
Inflation refers to a sustained and significant increase in the general price level over a
period of time; and a simultaneous decline in the buying power of money.
BODY
Monetary policy measures to combat inflation are taken by the South African Reserve
Bank (SARB) and government through the implementation of one or more of the
following instruments:
Interest rates
The SARB curbs inflation by increasing the repo rate which makes it expensive to
borrow money.
Banks pass on the increased cost of borrowing (repo rate) to their clients by
increasing the interest rate.
High interest rate discourages consumers from taking unnecessary credit,
discouraging consumer spending.
A decrease in credit creation results to a reduction of money supply thereby
reducing demand-pull inflation.
The increase in interest rates stabilises the value of the currency which helps to
reduce cost-push inflation through lower import cost.
Moral suasion
The SARB can persuade commercial banks to act in a responsible manner when
granting credit under inflationary conditions.
Moral suasion helps to reduce inflation because credit will be granted to fewer
consumers.
ADDITIONAL PART
Various role players are affected by high inflation expectations in the following ways:
Inflation expectations play a major role in the process that transmits expectations
of price increases through to the actual increase in prices.
Consumer spending may increase when consumers expect prices to increase in
the near future, without market signals.
More consumer goods and capital good are bought before the price increase thus
increasing aggregate demand.
Labour unions demand higher wages to protect purchasing power for their
members when they anticipate rise in inflation.
When wages increase, businesses raise their prices to compensate the increase in
labour costs thereby fuelling inflation.
When businesses expect inflation to rise, they tend to increase their prices in
advance which increase their profit margins.
The SARB uses inflation expectations to adjust monetary policy instruments that
control money supply.
(Accept any other correct relevant response)
(Allocate a maximum of 2 marks for mere listing of facts) (Max. 10)
CONCLUSION
A high rate of inflation will always cause instability in the economy hence various
measures are applied to combat it. / Inflation expectations are self- fulfilling because
higher expectations lead to higher inflation and the vice versa is true.
(Accept any other correct relevant conclusion) (Max.2) [40]
TOTAL SECTION C: 40
GRAND TOTAL: 150
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