Just as in the theory of utility-maximizing consumers, the theory of profit-maximizing firms allows the possibility of Giffen factors.These are factors for which a fall in price leads to a fall in demand.

In economic theory, Giffen goods refer to a specific type of good for which demand increases as the price increases, and demand decreases when the price decreases, due to the income effect outweighing the substitution effect. This concept is primarily associated with consumer behavior rather than factors of production in the context of profit-maximizing firms. The term "Giffen factors" is not standard in describing inputs in production for firms; instead, the theory of profit-maximizing firms typically deals with the law of diminishing returns and cost minimization strategies.