Author: chris

Read the articles:

1)      The Boomerang effect.

http://www.economist.com/node/21552898

 

2)      Comparative Advantage and American Jobs.

http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424052748703555804576102500952966450.html

You are expected to make your own contribution in a main topic as well as respond with value-added comments to at least two of your classmates. You are encouraged to respond to other students as well as to your instructor.

 Choose one question to answer:

1)      Does the protection of one domestic industry harm another? Please explain.

2)      Why does comparative advantage matter more than absolute advantage for trade? Please explain.

 

Local Market Power

 

Bulls Eye department store specializes in the sales of discounted clothing, shoes, household items, etc. similar to the offerings at a regular Walmart or Target. Bulls Eye is the only department store in Show Low and the nearest other discount retailer is Target, located 49 miles away in Eagar. Bulls Eye, therefore, has some market power in its local area. Despite having some market power, Bulls Eye is currently suffering losses. An analyst at Bulls Eye is recommending to the manager to raise prices, so that profitability can be improved. The manager is unsure of this strategy as recent data points to increasing numbers of individuals shopping more and more. What are the pros and cons of raising the prices at Bulls Eye and would that strategy be profitable?

Guided Response:

Consider demand elasticity and market structure in your response. How is increasing of the price going to impact the company’s revenues given its demand elasticity? In 300 words or more, please, provide your response to the above discussion questions. Respond substantively to at least two of your classmates’ postings. Substantive responses use theory, research, and experience or examples to support ideas and further the class knowledge on the discussion topic.

 

 

Strategic Behavior Oligopolies

 

An interesting example of strategic behavior comes from a 1997 article about Microsoft’s investment in Apple (New Straits Times, 1997). The article is included in the Required Readings list. Facing tough anti-trust scrutiny from government agencies, Microsoft provided financial support to Apple in order to ensure Apple’s survival and, therefore, to ensure that competitiveness in the industry remains. Moreover, the partnership with Apple provided an additional market for Microsoft’s products – the MS Office and the IE products were to be bundled with the MAC OS as one of the conditions for this financing. Discuss this case in the context of market structure and strategic behavior. What market structure do these firms operate in? Why did Microsoft need to preserve competitiveness in the industry? What was Microsoft afraid of in the event that Apple did not survive?

Guided Response:

In 300 words or more, please, provide your response to the above discussion question. Further, do you think Microsoft regrets taking action in light of Apple’s performance today? Respond substantively to at least two of your classmates’ postings. Substantive responses use theory, research, and experience or examples to support ideas and further the class knowledge on the discussion topic.

using a case study of an international company,discuss forms of the market structures highlighting effectiveness in the business

What is one of the most significant obstacle to improving race relations today? What do specific elements teach us about the challenges that we still face with race relations in our own time? How does the story about Elizabeth and Hazel and their attempt to overcome the past allow us to think about new possibilities for race relations? Elizabeth and Hazel book

How did the events that occurred in Concord, MA come to shape/influence the American Revolution? Please use specific examples from the book.

The United States has a great consumer demand for health care services. The supply of these services or products, such as new medications or medical equipment, is affected by many factors.

 

Select a service or product that may be in demand by the health care consumer now or in the future.

 

Write a 1,050- to 1,400-word paper on your selected service or product that discusses the effects of consumer demand on medical care services or products versus the economic variables of cost, access, and supply. Support your perspective and rationale for the continued provision of a current service, or for the implementation of a new service or product, based on economic principles or supply chain models.

 

Essay 1

1) Evaluate the Articles of Confederation as a guide for successful democracy in the United States.

2) Establish the link between the growth of the national government and changes in federalism as practiced in the United States

 

3) How did the role of government in people’s lives change during the Great Depression? Be sure to explain conditions before the New Deal and the Great Depression as part of your answer.

You’ve been debating on making a purchase for yourself.  This is a product you’ve wanted for a while, but one that requires budgeting because you will be making monthly payments.

Select a product in which the demand for the product is clearly affected by the strength or weakness of the overall economy such as new homes, cars, appliances, smart phones, etc.

Write a 1,050- to 1,400-word paper in which you address the following:

• Identify and define two economic indicators that reflect the strength of the economy (e.g. real GDP, unemployment rate, inflation rate, interest rate, housing starts, etc.).
• With these economic indicators in mind, how has the economy affected the demand for and supply of your selected product over the last 2 years?
• What was the impact on the supply of the product and the impact on the demand for the product?
• Explain the impact on the price of the product and your decision on whether or not to buy the product. 
• Include responses to the following:
  • How might you apply what you learned about supply and demand to your work place or your understanding of the product you are considering purchasing?
  • How do the concepts of macroeconomics help you understand the factors that affect shifts in supply and demand on the price of the product? 

What level of output will slash and burn choose to produce? What will the selling price and profit be?