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

Understanding Companies

What is a Company?

A company is a legal entity made up of an association of persons, be they natural, legal, or a mixture of both, for carrying on a commercial or industrial enterprise.

Types of Companies by Economic Sector

• Commercial Companies: Dedicated to buying and selling goods.
• Industrial Companies: Dedicated to producing goods.
• Agricultural Companies: Dedicated to cultivating and raising livestock.
• Extracting Companies: Dedicated to the extraction of riches from the earth.
• Service Companies: Dedicated to offering services.

Types of Companies by Size

• Small Companies: Companies with no more than 20 workers. Examples include grocery stores, restaurants, and bakeries.
• Medium Companies: Companies with less than 100 workers. These

The Stock Exchange Market

A bond is a document issued by a government or a company borrowing money from the public, stating the existence of a debt and the amount owing to the holder who must show this document in order to obtain repayment of the loan.

Difference between bonds and stocks is that stockholders are owners of the company they’ve invested in whereas bondholders are only lenders.

Issuer is the identity who borrows an amount of money and pays the interest.

-The principal of a bond is the amount that the issuer borrows which must be repaid to the lender.

The coupon is the interest that the issuer must pay.

Maturity is the date that the issuer must pay.

Indenture is the contract that states all the terms of the bond.

A stock is a piece of... Continue reading "Understanding the Stock Exchange Market: Bonds, Stocks, and Trading" »

Market Structures & Strategic Interactions

Monopolistic Competition

A market in which firms can enter freely, each producing its own brand or version of a differentiated product.

Characteristics of Monopolistic Competition

• Firms compete by selling differentiated products that are highly substitutable for one another but not perfect substitutes. In other words, the cross-price elasticities of demand are large but not infinite.
• Free entry and exit.

Oligopoly

A market in which only a few firms compete with one another, and entry by new firms is impeded. In some oligopolistic markets, some or all firms earn substantial profits over the long run because barriers to entry make it difficult or impossible for new firms to enter.

Cartel

A market in which... Continue reading "Market Structures & Game Theory: Key Economic Concepts" »

Dumping And Anti-Dumping Duties

The Period Leading Up to the 2008 North Atlantic Crisis

The 2008 crisis started in the US and then spread to the rest of the world. This was because there was an intense relationship between the US’s shadow banking and the European banks – European banks were financing the American private sector.

The European Union

A crucial factor was the massive expansion of the European banking system (1985-2002).

Megabanks contributed significantly to housing price bubbles and financial bubbles.

The Maastricht Treaty decided to keep responsibility for supervising and rescuing banks at the level of individual member countries rather than centralizing it at the union level.

The United States of America

The Vietnam War and the oil price shocks led to rising... Continue reading "Understanding the 2008 Financial Crisis: Causes and Restructuring" »

CHAPTER 1

4) To participate in a supply chain, a firm must actually handle the physical goods at some point.

7) Inputs to the transformation process are tangible, but the outputs may be tangible or intangible.

9) Of the three flows linking organizations in a supply chain, information and monetary flows always move upstream and physical flows always move downstream.

10) A second-tier supplier is downstream from a first-tier supplier in the supply chain.

13) The drive for efficiency has decreased the level of globalization in the world economy over the last twenty years.

14) E-commerce is the component of a supply chain that is the most susceptible to breakdown.

15) To avoid supply chain problems, firms must manage relationships with their downstream... Continue reading "Key Concepts in Supply Chain and Operations Management" »

Understanding Power Sharing

Horizontal Distribution of Power

Power is shared among different organs of government, such as the legislature, executive, and judiciary. This is called horizontal distribution of power because it allows different organs of government placed at the same level to exercise different powers.

Such a separation ensures that none of the organs can exercise unlimited power. Each organ checks the others, resulting in a balance of power among various institutions. For example, although judges are appointed by the executive, they can check the functioning of the executive or laws made by the legislatures. This arrangement is called a system of checks and balances.

Vertical Division of Power

Power can also be shared among governments... Continue reading "Understanding Power Sharing and Employment Generation Strategies in Government" »

Customer/ cliente: is a person who buys goods or Services.

Customer loyalty/ Fidelización del cliente: is when a supplier receives the ultimate reward for His efforts.

Customer royalty: nobleza del Cliente.

Customer care/ atención al Cliente: is a service provided by companies, where they solve queries of Customers.

Repeat Business: customers to buy from companies again And again.

Code of practice: set of Rules. Explains what the consumer can expect of the company. Service: job where People do or provide something rather than produce something. Goods: are Products or objects that can satisfy people's wants.

Marketing: is the process Of performing market research, selling products to customers. Telecommunications: is the transmission of information,... Continue reading "Hrm, company-of-origin, analysis" »

Economic Systems and Their Characteristics

Command Economy

Comparable to a monopoly, in a command economy, the government has explicit control over the price and supply of a good or service.

Mixed Economy

The main characteristic of a mixed economy is that while some sectors reflect private ownership and freedom, and the flexibility of the law of demand, other sectors are subject to government planning.

Established Economies

Examples of established economies include:

• North America
• European Union
• Japan

Emerging Economies

Emerging economies typically face relatively low GDP per capita and a workforce that is either unskilled or semi-skilled, but they exhibit sustained economic reform and growth.

Free Trade Agreements

The creation of free trade agreements has... Continue reading "Command, Mixed, and Emerging Economies: HR Management" »

Introduction

Price is the sum of all the values that customers give up to gain the benefits of acquiring or using a product. It is one of the most flexible elements of the marketing mix, as prices can be changed quickly.

Importance and Impact of Price

Price has a major impact on a firm's market share and profitability. Due to fixed costs, a small change in price can have a larger impact on profit.

In recent years, the Great Recession and the internet have made it easier for consumers to compare offers, leading to more frugal and conscious spending habits.

Cutting Prices: Not Always the Best Answer

Cutting prices is often not the best answer, as it can lead to lost profits, damaging price wars, and cheapening the brand.

Instead, companies should focus... Continue reading "Pricing Strategies: Understanding Value, Costs, and Competition" »