Economics of Monopoly Power

1. "Economics of Monopoly Power"Please respond to the following:

· From the first e-Activity, take a position on whether or not the current initiatives of the FCC encourage competition in all communication markets and protect the public. Provide specific examples to support your response.

· List and discuss three economic justifications for government regulation in your local area. Explain what happens if the government does not provide appropriate regulation. Determine the costs on society of government regulation.

2. "Monopoly and Price Fixing"Please respond to the following:

· From the scenario, identify the possible illegal or unethical activities activities in which the print shop boss plans to engage in, and identify the consequences on society from an economic point of view. Explain whether or not you would have discussed these issues with the boss.

· From (1) a single product market perspective and (2) a natural monopolist market perspective, give your opinion on whether or not you support the government intervening to organize pricing. Identify the pros and cons of using these methods for the stakeholders.

3. "International Trade"Please respond to the following:

· Explain how international trade restrictions hurt the American consumer. Provide an example to support your argument.

· Determine if American workers should fear the long-term effects of NAFTA. Provide an economic argument using the economic analysis discussed in Chapter 10 of the textbook.

4. "Protectionism" Please respond to the following:

· From the scenario, assess whether the copy center owner's behavior was appropriate from a decision-making perspective and from an ethical point of view. Determine alternatives for creating protection for local jobs.

· Propose two methods to diminish the possibility that the copy center would rely to foreign rather than local suppliers. Provide an example of a policy or regulation that can be implemented to reduce the effect of outsourcing.

5. "Money and the Financial System"Please respond to the following:

· From the scenario, describe the business implications of an increase in the required reserve ratio from 4% to 7%. Explain how that would affect the business's strategic options.

· Explain how the change in the required reserve ratio would influence the business price levels and consequently the price levels in the economy. Determine the impact the interest rate would have in relation to the copy center's borrowing decision.

6. "Money, Banking, and the Financial System"Please respond to the following:

· From the e-Activity, assess the implications of changing the federal funds rate from 4.5% to 2%. Explain how this change will affect the economy's performance.

· From the e-Activity, analyze the relationship between the indicators, primarily the inflation rate and unemployment rate. As one indicator changes (increases, decreases, remains static) explain what happens to the other. (i.e., Does it also increase, decrease, remain static at the same rate of change?) Explain the reasons for this type of relationship and provide one real-world example that supports your explanation.

7. "Reasons of Price Increases (Inflation)"Please respond to the following:

· From Part 1 of the scenario, identify whether the copy center is facing a cost-push or demand-pull inflation and provide a rationale for your answer. Suggest a policy that could help the business in the short run and long run.

· From Part 2 of the scenario, identify whether the copy center is facing a cost-push or demand-pull inflation and provide a rationale for your answer. Suggest a business strategy that would offset the type of inflation you have identified.

8. "Unemployment"Please respond to the following:

· From the first e-Activity, analyze the increasing and decreasing change in the unemployment rate over the last few years for both your local area (closest geographic city reported) and state. Identify any apparent trends based on the changes in the unemployment rate and predict the direction of the unemployment rate in the next six months. Provide a rationale for your prediction.

· From the second e-Activity, analyze the different types of unemployment and determine which is the most costly to the U.S. economy. Explain your rationale.

9. "The Government and Social Responsibility"Please respond to the following:

· From the scenario, explain how government grants would influence the business's operations. Be sure to emphasize the taxes, social benefit, and price level for both substitute goods and current products.

· Give your opinion on whether or not you support government-funded programs within the scope of taxation and government spending. Be sure to include the influence on the business operation, purchasing power, and income distribution in the economy.

10. "Social Security and Medicare" Please respond to the following:

· From the e-Activity, list (1) each change that you selected to fix social security and (2) the percent of the problem that your selections solved. Of your selected changes, identify the change that you believe will play the greatest role in fixing social security and explain why.

· Give your opinion on whether health care should be something that can be excluded from being consumed. Additionally, take a position on whether or not the government should be responsible for supplying health care in the economy. Provide a rationale for your answers.