Notes, summaries, assignments, exams, and problems for Economy

The Great Depression

At the end of the 1920s, a series of problems in the USA caused a major economic crisis, known as the Great Depression. This crisis lasted until the end of the 1930s and brought an end to the prosperous, consumer lifestyle of the previous decade.

USA Crisis: Triggers of the Depression

The problems that led to the crisis in the USA included:

• Overproduction: American industry produced more goods than the population needed. When companies could not sell their products, they went bankrupt and had to close.
• Falling Consumption: When companies closed down, people lost their jobs and stopped spending money. Rising unemployment reduced demand. As a result, more and more companies went out of business.
• The Wall Street Crash: When many

1. What is economic competition?

The set of actions that undertakings (companies) take to obtain the preference of consumers, these actions include rivalry among companies and are only feasible because there are conditions that facilitate open and participative markets.

2. Mention and describe at least three negative effects that occur in markets when there are no conditions of effective competition.

• There are no alternatives in goods and services
• High prices
• There is no innovation, which causes inefficiency

3. What is the difference between economic regulation and the correct policy of economic competition? Describe at least two differences.

Regulation: Preserve the most valued elements by a given group through mechanisms of standard setting, information... Continue reading "Understanding Economic Competition: Effects, Regulation, and Characteristics" »

Effect of an increase in the price of a product? leftward movement along demand curve

If price of product is above equilbrium: Quantity supplied exceeds quantity demanded

Inferior product: Product which consumers buy less as incromes increase

Oppurtuniy cost of 2 plates of rice, is 1 fish; Two videos for one movie

Substitue products: Price of one increase, quantity purchased of other increases

Which is not a capital good: home's lawnmower, furnace in a steel mill, golf course, construction crane

Oppurtunity cost refers to x-axis: For a loss of 1 tonne of butter, you produce 4 guns; next best alternative

If technology doubled output of guns, at 4 tonnes of butter , 28 guns would be produced

Surplus is above eqilibrium, For surplus to be 600, price... Continue reading "The long-run supply curve under pure competition is derived by observing what happens to market price and quantity when market:" »

Travel Agencies

Definition and Functions

A travel agency is a business that sells travel services like tours, cruises, transportation, accommodation, meals, and sightseeing to the public. It utilizes management practices such as division of labor and hierarchical authority to achieve its objectives, including customer satisfaction and profit generation. Acting as a representative of airlines, hotels, tour companies, and cruise lines, travel agencies cater to both leisure and business travelers.

Expert Advice and Packages

Travel agents provide valuable advice to tourists regarding climate, local culture, customs, and other essential information. They also play a key role in selling package holidays, drawing inspiration from pioneers like Thomas... Continue reading "The Role of Travel Agencies and Tour Operators in the Tourism Industry" »

Crafting Effective Paragraphs

Organizing Your Ideas

Categorization: One effective way to organize your ideas is by sorting them into categories. If an idea doesn't fit, set it aside for later. As you sort, new ideas may emerge; include them if they are relevant. Consider how one writer organized her thoughts on the topic: "I always liked my aunt Alicia best."

Writing Paragraphs

Each paragraph should revolve around one central, controlling idea, often expressed in a topic sentence. Supporting details then develop this main idea by providing evidence, clarification, or elaboration.

Topic Sentences

A topic sentence can be a statement or a question. Regardless of its form, a good topic sentence clearly conveys the main idea and engages the reader. Your... Continue reading "Crafting Effective Paragraphs: A Guide to Organizing Your Ideas" »

LFCE Criteria for Substantial Power Determination

The LFCE proposes several criteria for determining substantial market power:

• Market share and the ability to fix prices unilaterally without competitors being able to counter such power.
• The existence of barriers to entry.
• The existence and power of competitors.
• The possibilities for the Economic Agent(s) and their competitors to access input sources.

Efficiency Gains Under LFCE Article 55

Article 55 of the LFCE defines efficiency gains. Some examples include:

• The introduction of new goods or services.
• The utilization of residual lots, defective, or perishable products.
• Cost reductions resulting from creating new techniques and production processes, asset integration, increases in production scale, and

Definition of Economics

Wealth Definition, Welfare Definition, Scarcity Definition, and Growth Definition

Managerial economics focuses on applying business principles and methodologies to decision-making within a firm or organization, particularly under uncertainty. It aims to establish rules and principles that help achieve desired economic outcomes related to costs, revenue, and profits, which are crucial for both business and non-business entities. Managerial economics explores how to effectively allocate scarce resources to achieve managerial goals.

Objectives

The primary objective of managerial economics is to analyze and solve economic problems faced by businesses. Other key objectives include:

1. Integrating economic theory with practical business

Inflation

Inflation is an increase in the average level of prices of goods and services.

Types of Inflation

• Demand-Pull Inflation: This occurs when various factors increase aggregate demand, leading to inflation.
• Cost-Push Inflation: This is a decrease in the supply of goods caused by an increase in the cost of production.

Causes of Inflation

• Increase in the cost of raw materials
• Increase in the cost of inputs (land, labor, capital)
• Increase in the cost of borrowing by producers
• Natural calamities, floods, earthquakes

Consequences of Inflation

• Price effect: Consumer consumption will go down.
• Income effect: Real income may decrease.
• Saving effect: Consumer saving declines.
• Wealth effect: The value of assets like land, cash, stocks, bonds, and bank deposits

Delegation of authority is the result of:

• the firm’s growth
• more complex decisions

Delegation and empowerment are essential skills for effective managers. Although the terms are sometimes used interchangeably, there are several areas of difference between them:

• Delegation is a straightforward means of assigning tasks to your employees.
• Empowerment seeks to give an employee more authority with the aim of developing employee commitment, enthusiasm, and expertise, while encouraging innovation that will benefit the organization over time. Empowerment necessarily requires some level of delegation, but not all instances of delegation will produce an empowered employee.

Responsibility: The obligation, placed on employees through delegation, to perform... Continue reading "Delegation of Authority and Empowerment in Management" »

The Model of Valuation of Financial Assets by the Arbitrage Pricing Theory

Stephen Ross developed this theory in 1976. It is an equilibrium model for asset valuation. Its central idea is the expected return on an asset must be a linear function of its systematic risk. The APT considers that the only risk that the market is willing to remunerate is the systematic one, since the rest of the risk can be eliminated via diversification. According to this model, the systematic risk is the fundamental explanatory factor of the performance of the profitability of financial assets, although that is not measured only by the beta coefficient of the profitability of an individual asset with respect to the profitability of the market portfolio, but by a... Continue reading "Understanding the Arbitrage Pricing Theory for Financial Asset Valuation" »