Profit-Maximizing Price with Fixed/Variable Costs and a Price–Demand Curve
Context
You sell a single software product at one price P. You are given:
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Fixed cost F (does not depend on units sold).
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Variable cost: either a constant marginal cost c per unit, or a known variable cost function VC(Q).
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An estimated price–demand relationship (either inverse demand P(Q) or demand Q(P)).
Task
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Derive the profit-maximizing quantity Q* and price P* using the demand curve and cost information. Provide closed-form solutions for common demand forms (linear and constant-elasticity) and note any optimality conditions.
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Briefly illustrate with a small numeric example.
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List the additional data or analyses you would request to validate and de-risk your pricing recommendation.
Hints
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Set marginal revenue (MR) equal to marginal cost (MC).
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Check second-order conditions and practical constraints (e.g., capacity, price floors/ceilings).
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Perform sensitivity analysis over key uncertainties (elasticity, MC).