Other things equal, an increase in the number of buyers for a product or service will increase -demand. Baby diapers and retirement villages are two -products designed for different population groups. The U.S. Census Bureau Web site, http://www.census.gov/population/projections/, shows population projections for the United States.
View the population projections for the United States for the next few years (navigate to Summary Tables)
Interpret which group is growing faster, children under the age of five or senior adults (65 and older)? Explain what products might see an increase in demand because of these population changes?
Format Requirement: Times New Roman, 12 font, at least 1 page double-spaced
2)Long-run view of competition
Do a web search for the website of the corporation of your choice. Find that corporation’s annual report to stock-holders on the website. What does the report say about the corporation’s view of future business challenges and the market in which it operates? Does this corporation see long-run adjustments as described in the Chapter 9?
Format Requirement: Times New Roman, 12 font, at least 1 page double-spaced
3)Is Microsoft a monopoly—What did the courts conclude?
In 2002 a U.S. court of appeals imposed remedies relating to a lower court’s findings that Microsoft had a monopoly in personal computer (PC) operating systems and had maintained its monopoly through illegal actions. At the U.S. Justice Department’s Web site, www.usdoj.gov, use the DOJ Agencies listing to find Antitrust Division and then Antitrust Case Filings. Locate U.S. v. Microsoft and select District Court filings and then Court’s Findings of Fact (11/5/99). On what basis did the court conclude that Microsoft was a monopoly (see Market Share)? What was Microsoft’s market share of Intel-compatible PC operating systems? Of all operating systems, including those of Apple computers? What -evidence did the court cite in claiming that Microsoft charged above-competitive prices (see Microsoft’s Pricing Behavior)?
Format Requirement: Times New Roman, 12 font, at least 1 page double-spaced
4Please review the 2 case studies below and write a 1 page (at least 1 page) response for each case study.
Your answer must be submitted in a word document. In other words the extension must end in .doc or .docx. Your name must be included in the file name that you submit. Be sure to proof read your answers to be sure that you answered the proper question(s).
- The World’s 10 Largest Firms – What are their sources of economies of scale?
Find the Forbes 2000 list of the world’s largest firms at http://www.forbes.com/global2000/. From the top 10 list, select one firm from three different industries and discuss the likely sources of the economies of scale that underlie their large size. - Farm commodity prices—Supply and demand in action
The U.S. Department of Agriculture publishes charts on the prices of farm products. Go to the USDA home page (link below) and choose three farm products and determine whether their prices (as measured by “prices received”) have generally increased, decreased, or stayed the same over the past three years. In which of the three cases, if any, do you think that supply has increased more rapidly than demand? In which of the three cases, if any, do you think that demand has increased more rapidly than supply? Explain your reasoning.
http://www.nass.usda.gov/Charts_and_Maps/Agricultural_Prices/index.asp
