Preview

Difference Between Cardinal and Ordinal Utility

Good Essays
Open Document
Open Document
1170 Words
Grammar
Grammar
Plagiarism
Plagiarism
Writing
Writing
Score
Score
Difference Between Cardinal and Ordinal Utility
Introduction.

QN:A We all know that consumer is the one who uses goods and services to satisfy his/her wants.
She /he is assumed to be rational meaning that he/she earns at utility maximization, giving his/her income and commodity prices.
There several theories that have been developed to try and explain the behavior of a consumer, however they can be categorized in to two:
 Cardinal utility theory:- it argues that a consumer has the capacity to measure the level of satisfaction that she derives from consumption of a given quantity of a commodity.
 Ordinal utility theory:- it argues that a consumer cannot measure satisfaction numerically or subjectively instead she can rank the different baskets or bundles so as to choose the best basket.

Difference between cardinal and ordinal utility
The basic concept in this approach is utility which refers to satisfy power that a good or service consumed possesses in this approach, it is assumed that a consumer assigns a cardinal major which can be counted .
This means that a consumer can tell exactly how much satisfaction she can derive from consumption of a certain goods.
The theory assumes a cardinal measure in units called utils, using an instrument called utilometer ,however some economics have suggested that utility can be measured in monetary units by the amount of money offered for a commodity.
On the other hand the ordinal utility approach which argues that a consumer can’t measure satisfaction numerically or subjectively.
The ordinal utility is also commonly known as indifference curve theory because its analysis is based on on indifference curve.
Indifference curves are psychological levels of satisfaction hence are more hypothical then real.

differences between these two theory are The major:-

1. In ordinal utility theory , the consumer can’t be measured numerically the level of satisfaction derived from consumption of a good but can instead arrange

You May Also Find These Documents Helpful

  • Satisfactory Essays

    Comm 335

    • 431 Words
    • 2 Pages

    1. The belief that the value of a thing or an action is determined by its utility.…

    • 431 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Satisfactory Essays
  • Powerful Essays

    EGC1 Study Guide

    • 9768 Words
    • 37 Pages

    Utility: The want-satisfying power of a good or service; the satisfaction or pleasure a consumer obtains from the consumption of a good…

    • 9768 Words
    • 37 Pages
    Powerful Essays
  • Satisfactory Essays

    ____ is a customer's subjective assessment of benefits relative to costs in determining the worth of a product.…

    • 412 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Satisfactory Essays
  • Powerful Essays

    This theory is a consequentialist based ethical theory which states you must choose the action that increases the total utility. John Stuart Mill was a key proponent of Utilitarianism. Utility is defined as the total happiness or pleasure, minus the total unhappiness or pain involved in the action. Another name for utility is the Greatest Happiness principle. From the definition of utility, pleasure and the absence of pain are the only things desirable as ends in themselves and are the only things that are good.…

    • 1730 Words
    • 7 Pages
    Powerful Essays
  • Better Essays

    Consumption of goods and services by consumers generates satisfaction, happiness, content, pride of ownership, etc. Economists have the term UTILITY to describe them all; with the assumption that consumers seek to maximize utility. Start the chapter by acquainting yourselves with the definitions of Utility, Util, Total and Marginal Utilities, and thereon the Law of Diminishing Marginal Utility. Then, closely study exhibit 1 for numerical and graphical examples of these new terms.…

    • 1174 Words
    • 8 Pages
    Better Essays
  • Good Essays

    Popular

    • 11611 Words
    • 47 Pages

    16. According to the Hierarchy of Needs, consumers are motivated to first satisfy their higher-order needs,…

    • 11611 Words
    • 47 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    Utility Analysis

    • 412 Words
    • 2 Pages

    Marginal utility is an economic concept that is used in determining the additional satisfaction that one obtains as he consumes additional amount of a particular commodity (Samuelson and Nordhaus, 2001).…

    • 412 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    by its usefulness in maximizing utility. On the other hand, utility can be defined as…

    • 688 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Satisfactory Essays

    Title

    • 252 Words
    • 2 Pages

    2. Why is the utility theory applied to consumer choice theory silent about comparing people’s utility levels?…

    • 252 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Satisfactory Essays
  • Good Essays

    Indifference Curve and Units

    • 3606 Words
    • 15 Pages

    D. total utility associated with the consumption of a certain number of units of a good divided by the number of units consumed.…

    • 3606 Words
    • 15 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Best Essays

    The Psychology Of Selling

    • 1657 Words
    • 5 Pages

    In order to get deeper understanding of underlying consumer behavior, we have to define consumers at first. According to Solomon, Bamossy, Askegaard and Hogg (2010), a consumer is generally a person who identifies a need or desire, makes a purchase and then disposes of the product during the consumption process. Hence, consumer behavior is comprised with a series of processes and then one purchasing decision outcome influences the next time repurchasing decision, which runs like a wheel.…

    • 1657 Words
    • 5 Pages
    Best Essays
  • Good Essays

    Utilitarianism: Bentham – Hedonic Calculus Bentham was a hedonist – he believed that pleasure is good in itself, and other things are good in so far as they bring about pleasure and the absence of pain. “Nature has placed mankind under the governance of two sovereign masters, pain and pleasure.” You could work out which action to perform by calculating which option brought about the greatest amount of pleasure: Duration – how long does the pleasure last? Remoteness – how distant is the pleasure?…

    • 916 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Powerful Essays

    The basic concept in this approach is utility, which refers to the satisfying power that a…

    • 5314 Words
    • 22 Pages
    Powerful Essays
  • Good Essays

    Utility Theory

    • 1232 Words
    • 5 Pages

    As consumers, we are constantly forced into making choices. They face a variety of goods and services which can be purchased, but often are limited by the amount of money with which those purchases can be made. The utility theory, also sometimes referred to as the consumer behavior theory, is often used to explain the behavior of individual consumers and the amount of satisfaction a consumer derives from the consumption of goods and services. The theory of consumer behavior explains how people can best utilize their resources to achieve the highest level of satisfaction possible. According to Mr. Hirschey, the utility theory hinges on three basic assumptions: First, more is better, is described as consumers preferring more of a particular good or service. The second is that consumer preferences are complete, which allows the consumer to prioritize the assumed benefits of consumption. Finally, preferences are transitive, which enables the consumer to make a decision based on the desirability of consumption of a particular good or service. All of these assumptions help businesses gain a better understanding of the consumer they wish to attract, while providing economists and those that study consumers a better understanding of the habits of consumers. There are a several other concepts of importance that are observed; the first approach is the marginal utility. According to the marginal utility theory, consumers should benefit from consumption of an extra unit of goods or services. For example, let’s look at the consumption of a candy bar. Let’s say a consumer purchases a candy bar every Friday for a month. If you were to survey this individual every week we would expect to see an increase in satisfaction each week. The second point is the law of diminishing marginal utility. The law of diminishing marginal utility states that, as a consumer consumes more of a specific product or service,…

    • 1232 Words
    • 5 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    welfare economics

    • 1053 Words
    • 8 Pages

    • The social welfare function is analogous to the indifferencecurve/budget constraint equilibrium for an individual,…

    • 1053 Words
    • 8 Pages
    Good Essays

Related Topics