Decision making by individuals and firms - Behavioural Economics - Rational but human too

8 important questions on Decision making by individuals and firms - Behavioural Economics - Rational but human too

How do we define the word rational in the context of preferences? And how can we relate it to payoffs?

Rational people normally consider what hey might think is beneficial taking into account many implicit factors.
however those decisions might not always mean that they will get the best possible economic payoffs

Is it ever okay to choose an option that gives you a worse of economics payoff? Why is it okay? Example: AMAZON

  • Yes there are some cases when it can be rational to choose an option that gives you a worse economics payoff
  • because sometimes you care about something other than the size of the economics pay off.
  • an example would be amazon selling diapers for less that in produced it in order to gain market competition

What are the three  reasons why people prefer economics payoff that leaves them worse off

  • Concerns about fairness
  • bounded rationality
  • risk aversion 
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What is meant by concerns about fairness? And in what situations does it work the most?

  • Concerns about fairness is the situations in which people reduce their economics payoffs in the name of fairness
  • its works mostly in societal situations

What are two examples of concerns to fairness, when it come to lowering economics payoff in social situation?

  • Tipping
    • waiters recieving tips not because the law forces so but because they are social norms
  • gift giving
    • out of sympathy and in customs with social norms people bring gifts  in care of another persons welfare

What do we call the concept of mental effort required to choose the option that give you the best personal economics payoff, but not quite the best?

  • We call it the bounded rationality
  • which means making choices that is close to but not the highest economic payoff, because the effort of finding the best payoff is too costly.
  • Meaning that the decisions made by  bounded rationality is the good enough method if decision making.

What are two retailer examples of Bounded rationality

  • Retailers charging 2.99 one cent less in order to attract customers.
  • displaying the full price of goods and services, and then showing the the discounted price?

What do we call it when you get the best possible payoff, but still refuse to make the decision, in fear of the risk? And why is it called that?

  • It is called risk aversion
  • because it is the willingness to scarifice some potential economics payoff in order to avoid a potential loss
  • the risk makes people unf=comfortable, it is rational for them to give up some potential economics benefit in order to avoid risk

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