the publisher of the newpaper isules plangere, jr., and without computers, we wouldn't produce the product we produce. the publishers of the asbury park press, concerned with keeping pace with growth, don't dwell on how much computers have saved them. analysts note that without computers, labor costs would have increased rapidly, eating into the profits. richard gill points out how new technology can change the cost picture for businesses. under the pressures of competition, businesses cut costs in many ways. they substitute less expensive inputs high fructose corn syrup for for sugar.xpensive-- they try to exploit economies of scale, as in the automotive industry. most significantly, they can introduce, as the asbury park press did, new technology. here's a typical firm's average cost curve. up to point a, costs are falling with increasing output-- economies of scale. after a, the firm is getting too cumbersome, and the curve turns up again. what innovation does is lower the entire curve. it shifts average costs downward, all along t