I would half way agree with Jim Devine about Marx using a "representative
firm." The disagreement comes with regard to constant capital, a particular
interest of mine.
In terms of a representive firm image, we can multiply by n-firms to get the
whole economy. In a representative firm, all purchased reproduced inputs
are dead labor, or what marx termed antecedent labor.
When we look at the economy as a whole, we see a representation of
co-existing labor, where intermediate goods producers and final goods
producers work side by side.
-- Michael Perelman Economics Department California State University Chico, CA 95929Tel. 916-898-5321 E-Mail michael@ecst.csuchico.edu