Which of the following customer needs is most likely to increase the implied uncertainty of demand in the presence of externalities?

• A. Customers require products with unpredictable usage patterns that generate significant social costs.
• B. Customers demand products with well-known and stable social benefits.
• C. Customers prefer products with fixed prices and no impact on third parties.
• D. Customers consistently purchase standardized products with minimal external effects.

Answer: (A)

Verified step by step guidance

1. Step 1: Understand the concept of implied uncertainty of demand. This refers to how unpredictable or variable the demand for a product is, especially when external factors (externalities) affect the consumption or production of that product.
2. Step 2: Recognize what externalities are. Externalities occur when a product's consumption or production imposes costs or benefits on third parties not directly involved in the transaction, such as pollution or social benefits.
3. Step 3: Analyze each customer need option in terms of how it affects demand uncertainty and externalities. Products with predictable usage and stable social benefits tend to have lower demand uncertainty and fewer external effects.
4. Step 4: Identify that products with unpredictable usage patterns and significant social costs increase demand uncertainty because it is harder to forecast how much will be consumed and what the external impact will be, making demand more volatile and uncertain.
5. Step 5: Conclude that the customer need describing products with unpredictable usage patterns generating significant social costs is most likely to increase the implied uncertainty of demand in the presence of externalities.