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

Potential Drawbacks of Revenue Management

While revenue management offers significant advantages for businesses, certain practices can lead to customer dissatisfaction. Hotels, in particular, should avoid the following:

• Offering insufficient benefits in exchange for restrictions.
• Imposing overly severe restrictions on discounts.
• Not informing customers of changes in the reference transaction.

Insufficient Benefits for Restrictions

First, if hotels do not offer sufficient incentives to customers in exchange for imposing restrictions, customers are likely to view the practice as unacceptable. For example, in this study, respondents did not view a free breakfast or a room upgrade as an acceptable trade-off for cancellation penalties.

Overly Severe Discount

Marketing Strategy and the Marketing Mix

A strategic plan defines a company's overall mission and objectives. Consumers are at the center. The goal is to create value for customers and build profitable customer relationships. Next comes the marketing strategy, which is the logic by which the company creates customer value and profitable customer relationships. The company decides which customers it will serve and how.

Customer-Driven Marketing Strategy

Market Segmentation

The marketer must determine which segments offer the best opportunities. Consumers can be grouped in various ways based on geographic, demographic, psychographic, and behavioral factors. The process of dividing a market into distinct groups of buyers is called market segmentation.... Continue reading "Mastering Marketing Strategy: Segmentation, Targeting & Mix" »

Understanding Pension Plans

A private pension plan is a savings plan with flexible contributions designed for future retirement, disability, or death, or to complement a public pension. A company pension plan is a retirement plan where an employer makes contributions into a fund for a worker's future benefit.

Benefits of a good pension plan often include favorable taxation, versatility, and flexibility in payments.

• Private Pension Calculation Example: % of previous salary - public pension
• Public Pension Calculation Example: Regulating base x % (depending on years)

Money: Functions and Types

Money is generally accepted as a medium of exchange for payments and collections.

Functions of Money

1. Medium of exchange
2. Store of value
3. Unit of account

Types of Money

1. Legal

Basis Property Acquired as Gift

If donor ABFMV, then dual basis applies (1 gain basis & 1 loss basis). Where GB=DonorAB & LB=FMV prop. If sellpr>DonorAB D1EAB=DonorAB @ date of gift. If sellpr,

Scott has decided to dispose of these assets that he received as a gift. Compute his realized & recognized g/l on these disposals: a. In 2000, he received stock with a FMV of 88k. The donor’s AB was 100k. He sells the stock for 72k this year. Gain basis=100k Loss basis=88k Amtreal=72k-Lossbasis88k=(12k) RecogL.

In 2001, he received land with FMV of 42k. The donor’s AB was 50k. He sells the land this year for 45k. Since sellpr b/w AB & FMV. No g/l permitted.

Nicky receives a car from Sam as a gift. Sam paid 48k for the car. He had... Continue reading "Tax Implications of Property Disposal and Exchange" »

Unique Selling Proposition (USP)

A Unique Selling Proposition (USP) is the attribute or characteristic that makes a business special and differentiates it from the competition in the minds of customers.

External Stakeholders

External stakeholders include:

• Local community – e.g., local farmers, herders, and villagers.
• Government – e.g., central and regional.

Target Profit Formula

The target profit formula is:

Target Profit Quantity = (Fixed Cost + Target Profit) / (Price - Variable cost per unit)

Example: (800,000 + 400,000) / (10,000 - 5,000) = 240 trekkers

Impact of Changes in 2014

In 2014, the following changes occurred:

• Annual fixed costs increased by 20%.
• Rising fuel costs of flights increased average variable costs by 40% per trekker.
• The average

Drivers of Globalization

1. Trade and Transactions

The rise of free trade agreements and the elimination of barriers like tariffs have fueled global trade. The mutual recognition market ensures the acceptance of goods across borders, leading to increased cross-border trade, manufactured goods, and multinational corporations.

2. Capital and Investments

Foreign investment has shifted significantly, with a decrease from 65% of the world's GDP in 1991 to 30% in 2006. There's a growing trend of investments in developing countries like those in Africa. For example, Santander generates 25% of its business in Brazil.

3. Migration

Global migration has seen a dramatic increase from 78 million people in 1975 to 2 billion in 2005. Migrant remittances play a... Continue reading "Globalization: Drivers, Impacts, and Paradoxes" »

-External Analysis: To detect Opportunities and Threats - Internal Analysis: To discover Strengths and weaknesses.

PEST Analysis

Strategic business tool used by organizations to discover, evaluate, organize, and track macro-economic factors which can impact their business now and in the future. The framework examines opportunities and threats due to:

• Political
• Economic
• Social
• Technological forces

SWOT Analysis

Understanding TODAY TO BUILD A BETTER TOMORROW! It should be placed at the beginning of a project to begin the process of decision-making. SWOT analysis is the first stage in the planning process for a business venture or to measure almost anything that is influenced by internal and external factors.

• Strengths - Internal Factor +, favorable when

1 - In the Five Force Model: Factors Influencing Existing Competition

1. The degree of existing rivalry - Determined by number of firms, relative size, degree of differentiation between firms, demand conditions, exit barriers.
2. Threat of potential entrants - Determined by attractiveness of industry, height of entry barriers (e.g., start-up costs, brand loyalty, regulation, etc.)
3. Bargaining power of suppliers -Determined by number of suppliers and their degree of differentiation, the portion of a firm's inputs obtained from a particular supplier, the portion of a supplier's sales sold to a particular firm, switching costs, and potential for vertical integration.
4. Bargaining power of buyers - Determined by number of buyers, the firm's degree of differentiation,

Financial Terms

Basic Concepts

• Mortgage: A loan to buy real estate.
• Deposits: Money you put in the bank.
• Pension: Money paid to a retired person.
• Stock/Shares: Securities representing part-ownership of a company.
• Capital: Money invested in a business.
• Bonds: Interest-paying securities issued by companies that need to borrow.

Company Actions

• Takeover: When a company gains control of another by buying its stock.
• Merger: When two formerly separate companies join together.

Financial Institutions

1. Retail Banks: Making loans, receiving deposits.
2. Building Societies: Arranging mortgages.
3. Insurance Companies: Providing pensions, offering life insurance.
4. Investment Banks: Issuing shares or bonds, arranging mortgages, arranging or fighting takeover bids.

Vocabulary

Key

Monetary Policy

Monetary policy involves actions taken by a central bank or regulatory committee to control the money supply and influence interest rates. These actions include modifying interest rates, buying or selling government bonds, and adjusting bank reserve requirements.

Types of Monetary Policy

Expansionary Monetary Policy

Expansionary monetary policy increases the money supply to lower unemployment, encourage borrowing and consumer spending, and stimulate economic growth.

Contractionary Monetary Policy

Contractionary monetary policy slows or decreases the money supply to control inflation. While necessary at times, it can slow economic growth, increase unemployment, and reduce borrowing and spending.

Example: The Federal Reserve in the 1980s

To... Continue reading "Monetary Policy: Controlling Inflation and Economic Growth" »