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DIAMOND-WATER PARADOX: The perplexing observation that water, which is more useful than diamonds, has a lower price. If price is related to utility, how can this occur? This paradox was first proposed by classical economists in the 19th century and was subsequently used as a stepping stone for developing the notion of marginal utility and the role it plays in the demand price of a good. The paradox is magically cleared up with an understanding of marginal utility and total utility. People are willing to pay a higher price for goods with greater marginal utility. As such, water which is plentiful has enormous total utility, but a low price because of a low marginal utility. Diamonds, however, have less total utility because they are less plentiful, but a high price because of a high marginal utility.
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MARGINAL UTILITY The additional utility obtained from the consumption or use of an additional unit of a good. It is specified as the change in total utility divided by the change in quantity. Marginal utility indicates what each additional unit of a good is worth to a consumer and provides a theoretical basis for understanding market demand and the law of demand. Marginal utility generally declines with increased consumption of a good, a reflection of the law of diminishing marginal utility.
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BEIGE MUNDORTLE
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Today, you are likely to spend a great deal of time strolling through a department store seeking to buy either a really, really exciting, action-filled video game or a coffee cup commemorating the moon landing. Be on the lookout for neighborhood pets, especially belligerent parrots.
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In the late 1800s and early 1900s, almost 2 million children were employed as factory workers.
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"An organization's ability to learn, and translate that learning into action rapidly, is the ultimate competitive business advantage. " -- Jack Welch, General Electric chief executive
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PBOT
Phildelphia Board of Trade
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