Engineering Economics
Engineering Economics
Engineering Economics
Hours):12hrs
Engineering Economics –
Meaning, Nature, Scope, Basic problems of an economy, Micro economics and Macro Economics.
Meaning of demand, Demand function, Law of Demand and its exceptions, Determinants of demand, Elasticity of
demand &its measurement (Simple numerical problems to be solved)
Meaning of supply, Law of supply and its exception, Determinants of supply, Elasticity of supply, Determination of
market equilibrium (Simple numerical problems to be solved).
Theory of Production -Production function, Laws of returns: Law of variable proportion, Law of returns to scale
Introduction
" High-efficiency"?
There are two kinds of efficiency that engineers must be concerned with.
The first is physical efficiency, which takes the form:
Physical Efficiency = System out put s/ System input s
Economy efficiency= System Worth(benefit)/ System Cost
Meaning of Engineering Economics
“Engineering Economics refers to those aspects of economics and its tools of analysis most relevant to the
Engineer’s decision making process”.
The Accreditation Board for Engineering and Technology (ABET) states that engineering "is the profession in which a knowledge of the
mathematical and natural sciences gained by study, experience, and practice is applied with judgment to develop ways to utilize,
economically, the materials and forces of nature for the benefit of mankind“.
The scope of engineering economics is too broad. The topics which are covered under this heading are:
Elementary economic analysis
Micro economics, Macro economics
Cash flow techniques
Interest rate and its calculations
Economic feasibility of engineering under-takings
Time value of money
Depreciation analysis
Replacement analysis
Economic life
Evaluation of public-private projects
Investment decisions
Make or buy decisions
Basis for comparing engineering alternatives
Rate of return like pay-back period analysis
Sensitivity analysis
Financial evaluation
Supply & demand analysis, social cost estimation, demand forecasting, inventory control, price and output
determination under different market situations, etc
Importance of Engineering Economics:
ii) Acquisition of funds as and when required at the minimum possible cost.
vi) Increasing the wealth(capital) of the investors there by increases of the wealth of the nation.
viii) Maintaining price stability and full employment of the resources etc.
Principles & Engineering Economics:
The decision is among alternatives. The viable alternatives need to be identified and then defined for subsequent analysis. (Problem recognition,
definition, and evaluation).
Only the difference in expected future outcomes among the alternatives is relevant to their comparison and should be considered when making the
decision. One should be indifferent to the alternatives and make decision on the basis of random selection.(Development of feasible alternatives).
The prospective outcomes of the alternatives economic and other should be consistently developed from a defined view point (Prospective). It is
used consistently on the description, analysis & comparison of the alternative.
Cont..
Principle 4:-Use a common unit of measurement
Using a common unit of measurement to explain as many of the prospective outcomes as possible will make easier the analysis and comparison
of alternatives.
Selection of a preferred alternative (Decision making) requires the use of a criterion or several criterion.
Uncertainty is inherent in estimating the course of a action & the future outcomes of the alternatives recognized in their analyses and
comparison.
Improved decision making results from a adoptive process to the extent practicable, the initial projected outcomes of the selected alternative
should be subsequently compared with actual results achieved. (Performance monitoring & post – evaluation results con side ration).
Basic problems of an economy,
Sometimes called the basic or central economic problem – state that an economy's limited resources are insufficient to satisfy all human
wants and needs. It assumes that human wants are unlimited, but the means to satisfy human wants are scarce. Economic having the three
basic problems which arises in the form of questions.
1)What to produce?
This problem involves selection of goods and services to be produced and the quantity to be produced of each selected commodity.
Every economy has limited resources and thus, cannot produce all the goods. More of one good or service usually means less of others. on
the basis of the importance of various goods, an economy has to decide which goods should be produced and in what quantities. This is a
problem of allocation of resources among different goods.
2) How to produce?
This problem refers to selection of technique to be used for production of goods and services.
A good can be produced using different techniques of production. By ‘technique’, we mean which particular combination
of inputs to
Generally, techniques are classified as: Labor intensive techniques (LIT) and Capital intensive techniques(CIT).
i. In Labor intensive technique, more labor and less capital (in the form of machines, etc.) is used.
ii. In Capital intensive technique, there is more capital and less labor utilization.
Cont…
3) For whom to produce?
This problem refers to selection of the category of people who will ultimately consume the goods, i.e. whether to produce goods
for more poor and less rich or more rich and less poor.
Since resources are scarce in every economy, no society can satisfy all the wants of its people. Thus, a problem of choice arises.
Goods are produced for those people who have the paying capacity. The capacity of people to pay for goods depends upon their
level of income. It means, this problem is concerned with distribution of income among the factors of production
(land, labour, capital and organization), who contribute in the production process.
The problem can be categorized under two main heads:
(i) Personal Distribution: It means how national income of an economy is distributed among different groups of people.
(ii) Functional Distribution: It involves deciding the share of different Sectors of Production in the total national product of
the country. Guiding Principle of ‘For whom to Produce’: Ensure that urgent wants of each productive factor are fulfilled to the
maximum possible extent.
Micro economics and Macro Economics.
Economic analysis is of two types: MICRO & MACRO Analysis. In recent years the subject matter of economics has
been made to fall into two major branches
(I) Micro economics which is the study of the economic actions of individuals & well-defined groups of individuals, and
(II) Macro economics which is the study of broad aggregates such as total employment and national income.
FEATURES OF MICRO ECONOMICS:
Monetary / fiscal policy. e.g. what effect does interest rates have on the whole economy?
Economic growth
On the basis Micro economics is the study of Particular firm, Macro economics is the study of economics system as
of Definition particular household, Individual price, wage, a whole. It deals with totals or aggregates -national
income, income, output & employment, total consumption,
industry& particular commodity. saving, investment & the general level of price.
On the basis The objective of micro economics is to study the The objective of macro economics is the study of
of Objectives principles, problems & policies concerning the problems, policies of principles relating to full
optimum employment
allocation of resources. of resources & growth of resources
On the basis The subject matter of micro economics deals with The subject matter of macro economics is full-
of Subject the determination of price, consumer‘s equilibrium employment, national income, general price level,
Matter distribution & welfare etc. trade
cycle, economic growth etc.
Queries ?