Introducing Supply and Demand
Changes in Supply and Shifts in the Supply Curve
Non-price changes and shifts of the supply curve
If production costs increase, the supplier will face increasing costs for each quantity level. Holding all else the same, the supply curve would shift inward (to the left), reflecting the increased cost of production. The supplier will supply less at each quantity level.
If production costs declined, the opposite would be true. Lower costs would result in an increase in output, shifting the supply curve outward (to the right) and the supplier will be willing sell a larger quantity at each price level. The supply curve will shift in relation to technological improvements and expectations of market behavior in very much the same way described for production costs.
Technological improvements that result in an increase in production for a set amount of inputs would result in an outward shift in supply.
Supply will shift outward in response to indications of heightened consumer enthusiasm or preference and will respond by shifting inward if there is an assessment of a negative impact to production costs or demand.
Supply Shifts: A shift in supply from S1 to S2 affects the equilibrium point, and could be caused by shocks such as changes in consumer preferences or technological improvements.