Signature Assignment: Challenges of Expansion to a Foreign Location

Purpose of Assignment 

This week students will review and revise their Week 3 Research Analysis for Business Signature Assignment based on economic analysis and the feedback provided by their facilitator. Students will also expand their Week 3 analyses to evaluate the challenges of expanding their chosen company's production to a foreign market.

About Your Signature Assignment

This signature assignment is designed to align with specific program student learning outcome(s) in your program. Program Student Learning Outcomes are broad statements that describe what students should know and be able to do upon completion of their degree. The signature assignments might be graded with an automated rubric that allows the University to collect data that can be aggregated across a location or college/school and used for program improvements. 

Assignment Steps 

Resources: Tutorial help on Excel® and Word functions can be found on the Microsoft® Office website. There are also additional tutorials via the web offering support for Office products. 

Revise your Week 3 assignment, Research Analysis for Business, using the feedback provided by your facilitator. This Week 6 report should only include one conclusion, so you will need to rewrite the conclusion you included in your Week 3 assignment, Research Analysis for Business. 

Select a foreign market in which to expand your chosen product. If you wish, you may use one of the countries your team analyzed in their Week 5 Comparative and Absolute Advantage Assignment. 

Prepare a minimum1,750-word report addressing the points listed below. The use of tables and/or charts to display economic data over the time period discussed is highly encouraged, you may submit any economic data in Microsoft® Excel® format in a separate file. You may use the U.S. Department of Labor's Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS), U.S. Dept. of Commerce's Bureau of Economic Analysis (BEA), the Federal Reserve of St. Louis's FRED data, the CIA World Fact Book, World Bank data, and World Trade Organization, or other appropriate sources you might find on the Internet or in the University Library. The new sections of your report should:

• Evaluate current global economic conditions and their effects on macroeconomic indicators in your selected country. Provide forecasts for population growth, gross domestic product (GDP) growth, GDP per capita growth, export growth, and sales growth.
• Evaluate any competitors' existing production in the chosen country.
• Assess sales forecasts in the selected country by using the Federal Reserve of St. Louis's FRED data, the CIA World Fact Book, World Bank data, World Trade Organization, or other appropriate sources you might find on the Internet or in the University Library.
• Categorize the type of economy that exists in your selected country as closed, mixed, or market.  What is the difference between these types of economies and how might this affect your expansion?
• Assess how your chosen country's current credit market conditions, especially interest rates and the availability of financing, affect demand for your product or service and your planning or operating decision for your production in that country.
• Analyze the role of the selected country's central bank on that country's economy.
• Compare the availability, education, and job skills of the work force in the selected country. Discuss any additional challenges of international production, such as political stability, availability of government financing or other incentives, threat of capital controls, and exchange rate risks.
• Explain any additional supply chain challenges you anticipate if attempting to make your product in your chosen country and selling the product in other countries.
• Based on the data gathered and analysis performed for this report write a conclusion in which you:
  • Create business strategies, including price and non-price strategies, based on your market structure to ensure the market share and potential market expansions and explore global opportunities for your business in a dynamic business environment and provide recommendations.
  • Develop a recommendation for how the firm can manage its future production by synthesizing the macroeconomic and microeconomic data presented.
  • Propose how the firm's position within the market and among its competitors will allow it to take your recommended action.
  • Recommend strategies for the firm to sustain its success going forward by evaluating the findings from demand trends, price elasticity, current stage of the business cycle, and government.
  • Recommend any comparative advantages your company will have over competitors currently operating in that country, and defend your position, either for or against, expanding your company's production into your chosen country based on your research. 

Integrate with the Week 3 Individual Assignment, and incorporate corrections and suggestions from the instructor's feedback. The final report should be a minimum of 2,800 words. 

Cite a minimum of three peer reviewed sources not including the textbook. 

ECON101 Week 7 Quiz Latest 2017

Question 1 of 10

Monopolistic competition is an industry characterized by a:

A. small number of firms producing identical products, with barriers to entry for firms.

B. small number of firms producing similar products, with relatively easy entry for firms.

C. large number of firms producing similar products, with relatively easy entry for firms.

D. large number of firms producing identical products, with relatively easy entry for firms.

Question 2 of 10

Imperfect competition is:

A. a market structure with no more than one firm in the industry.

B. an industry in which all firms are price takers.

C. a market structure where firms have a degree of monopoly power.

D. described by all of the above.

Question 3 of 10

Imperfect competition includes:

A. monopolistic competition and oligopoly.

B. monopolistic competition and monopoly.

C. perfect competition and monopoly.

D. monopoly and oligopoly.

Question 4 of 10

A firm in monopolistic competition maximizes its profit by producing at the level at which:

A. MC = ATC.

B. MC = AR.

C. MC = P.

D. MC = MR.

Question 5 of 10

An industry characterized by many firms, producing similar but differentiated products, in a market with easy entry and exit is called:

A. perfect competition.

B. monopoly.

C. monopolistic competition.

D. oligopoly.

Question 6 of 10

An oligopoly knows that its _______ affect(s) its _______ and that the _______ of its rivals will affect it.

A. actions; rivals; reactions

B. price changes ; total revenue in a positive way; reactions

C. actions rarely; rivals; actions

D. price increases; total revenue in the long run only; large but not small price changes

Question 7 of 10

A concentration ratio is used to measure:

A. efficiency.

B. diseconomies of scale.

C. marginal cost.

D. market dominance.

Question 8 of 10

An industry dominated by a few firms, where each of those firms recognizes that its own choices will affect the choices of its rivals and that its rivals' choices will affect it, is a(n):

A. monopoly.

B. oligopoly.

C. monopolistic competition.

D. perfect competition.

Question 9 of 10

Price for a firm under monopolistic competition is:

A. equal to marginal revenue.

B. greater than marginal revenue.

C. less than marginal revenue.

D. greater than total revenue.

Question 10 of 10

Unwritten or unspoken understandings through which firms collude to restrict competition are called:

A. cartelization.

B. oligopolization.

C. overt collusion.

D. tacit collusion.

Compare and contrast the views of management and accountants

1st part of assignment:

Each question must be answered in a minimum of 250 words with at least one scholarly journal reference (dictionary-type websites are excluded).

(1st question) Discuss the impact of Sarbanes-Oxley on a company’s internal controls. Be sure to define internal controls and discuss the basic principles for assessing internal controls.

(2nd question) The Sarbanes-Oxley Act of 2002 (SOX) was enacted in response to a number of accounting scandals in major corporations that resulted in the loss of billions of investor dollars. Choose one accounting scandal that precipitated this legislation and discuss whether or not internal controls (or lack thereof) contributed to the scandal. Be sure to include an evaluation of how SOX affected internal controls and if post-SOX internal control requirements could have prevented it.

2nd part of assignment:

Write a 500 – 750 word paper on the following topic:

Compare and contrast the views of management and accountants regarding the changes required by the Sarbanes-Oxley Act on internal controls and how these changes have affected corporations, accounting firms, and investors.

Your paper must be formatted according to APA 6th edition guidelines, and you need to use at least one external reference.

Note that your attached paper will  be submitted to Turnitin. School guidelines require under 25% in similarities.

ECO 365 Week 2 Assignment Markets and the Economics of the Public Sector Paper

In Week 2, students will employ the supply and demand model to develop consumer surplus and producer surplus as a measure of welfare and market efficiency. Students learn about welfare economics–the study of how the allocation of resources affects economic well-being–and will discover that under most circumstances, the equilibrium price and quantity is also the one that maximizes welfare. Students will review different sources of externalities and a variety of potential cures and will see that while markets are usually a good way to organize economic activity, governments can sometimes improve market outcomes. Students will see how the U.S. government raises and spends money and the difficulty of making a tax system both efficient and equitable. 

Assignment Steps 

Scenario: Imagine you have been assigned the responsibility of preparing a paper for the governor's next economic conference. 

Prepare a 1,050-word chart as shown below addressing the following:

• Define Equilibrium and Explain why equilibrium of supply and demand is desirable.
• Define the concept of consumer and producer surplus and Explain the following concepts using the concept of consumer and producer surplus:
• Efficiency of markets
• Costs of taxation
• Benefits of international trade
• Define Externalities and Discuss how externalities may prevent market equilibrium and the various governments policies used to remedy the inefficiencies in markets caused by externalities.
• Define the Benefits Principle and Analyze the difference between the efficiency of a tax system and the equity of a tax system as it refers to the costs imposed on taxpayers using the benefits principles. 

Cite a minimum of three peer-reviewed sources, not including your textbook. 

Click the Assignment Files tab to submit your assignment.

Markets and the Economics of the Public Sector Chart

Define Equilibrium.

Explain why an equilibrium point is desirable.

Define what is the concept of Consumer and Producer Surplus?

Using Consumer and Producer Surplus, explain the Efficiency of Markets.

Using Consumer and Producer Surplus, explain costs of Taxation.

Using Consumer and Producer Surplus, explain the Benefits of International Trade.

Define Externalities?

How do Externalities prevent market equilibrium?

What government policies remedy inefficiencies in markets caused by Externalities?

Define the Benefits Principles?

Using the Benefits Principles, analyze the difference between the efficiency of a tax system and the equity of the tax system.

Government Intervention ECO/561

Purpose of Assignment 

The theory of market economies emphasizes freedom of choice and limited government intervention. The classic argument for government intervention is market failure – the inability of the market economy to correct itself from a dysfunctional state (such as the Great Depression). Students will examine articles from the University library to analyze real-world examples of U.S. government intervention programs and apply current week readings to make intelligent conclusions about the economic policies. 

Assignment Steps 

Resources: Tutorial help on Excel® and Word functions can be found on the Microsoft® Office website. There are also additional tutorials via the web offering support for Office products. 

Using the University Library, EBSCOhost, or ProQuest data bases, locate up to three different articles/publications and/or use The Economist Online from the University Library to examine one case of significant government intervention as it relates to your current industry of employment or an industry in which you are interested in working. You may access EBSCOhost, ProQuest or The Economist Online through the University Library homepage: 

1. Click on the Library tab. 
2. Click on the underlined University Library link.
3. Click on General Resources under Library Resources.
4. Click on either EBSCOhost or ProQuest.
5. Go back Library Resources list.
6. Click on View All Resources Alphabetically.
7. Click on Economist.com.

Examples of intervention programs you may select, but are not limited to:

• US agriculture support programs
• Low income support programs (Food Stamps, Earned Income Tax Credit, Child Tax Credit, and Temporary Assistance to Needy Families)
• Medicaid, Children's Health Insurance Program, The Affordable Care Act (Obamacare)
• Low-income rent controls and housing vouchers
• Government promotion of renewable energy sources to discourage use of fossil fuels such as coal and oil
• Unemployment Insurance
• Bailout of U.S. banks and other financial institutions during the Great Recession
• Bailout of U.S. auto makers during the Great Recession
• Social Security retirement benefits 

Develop a minimum 10-slide Microsoft® PowerPoint® presentation including detailed speaker notes or voiceover including the following:

• Describe the intervention and detail its history.
• Analyze the arguments for government intervention as opposed to arguments for market-based solutions. Hint: See the information in our course textbook on market failures.
• Examine who may be helped and who may be hurt by the selected government intervention.
• Examine externalities and/or unintended consequences of such intervention.
• Determine the cost trend of the intervention program since its implementation including whether costs are increasing, decreasing, or vary with the state of the economy.
• Evaluate the success or failure of the intervention in achieving its objectives and develop conclusions.
• Recommend whether the program should be continued as is, discontinued, or modified and defend your recommendation.

Note: The use of tables and/or charts to display economic data over the time period discussed is highly encouraged. However, if your source includes the copyright symbol, which looks like this: ©, then you should not copy any table and/or charts from that source. You could use, but are not required to use, charts/graphs retrieved from the Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis FRED web site as long as the data sources used by FRED to create those charts are government sources such as the Bureau of Economic Analysis or the Bureau of Labor Statistics. 

Cite a minimum of three scholarly, peer-reviewed references. 

Inflation and Analyses of Monetary Policies ECO/561

Purpose of Assignment 

This assignment will introduce students to the U.S. Department of Labor's Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) data and provide students with the skills to calculate inflation and interpret the Consumer Price Index (CPI). Note: The BLS is the primary source of information on inflation, but their data is re-posted in other sources, such as the St. Louis Federal Reserve FRED site, among others. 

Assignment Steps 

Resources: Tutorial help on Excel® and Word functions can be found on the Microsoft® Office website. There are also additional tutorials via the web offering support for Office products. 

Use an internet search or the University Library to locate information on the Consumer Price Index (CPI). Internet sites you might find useful include the Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) and the Federal Reserve of St. Louis FRED web site although you are allowed to use other sources. 

Develop a minimum 700-word analysis of inflation by including the following:

• Choose a product or service you currently consume/use, such as apparel or educational services, that is included in the CPI's "market basket."  Find the annual CPI index numbers for your chosen good or service for the years 1995, 2005, 2010, and 2015.  Enter those index numbers in an Excel® file and calculate the percent change (inflation rates) in those index numbers from 1995 to 2005, from 1995 to 2010, and from 1995 to 2015.   
• Analyze the trends in overall inflation over the last five years and whether your income has kept pace with inflation.  How has inflation over the last five years affected you and/or your family?
• Discuss how a business manager, such as a human resources manager, might use CPI statistics. 

Cite a minimum of three scholarly, peer-reviewed references. 

Format your paper consistent with APA guidelines.

Effectiveness of the Counter-Cyclical Policies

Purpose of Assignment 

This assignment addresses how both monetary and fiscal policies have been used during the so-called Great Recession, which began in December 2007 and ended in June 2009, to the present to moderate the business cycle. 

Assignment Steps 

Resources: Tutorial help on Excel® and Word functions can be found on the Microsoft® Office website. There are also additional tutorials via the web offering support for Office products. 

Create a minimum 10-slide PowerPoint® presentation, including detailed speaker notes or voiceover, in which you analyze your choice of one the following markets or industries:

• The housing market
• Financial markets
• Commodity and stock markets
• An industry of your choice, such as the automobile industry, the airline industry, retail trade, or any other major industry that suffered heavy losses during the Great Recession 

Your analysis will extend from the beginning of the Great Recession, which was December 2007, to the present and should include the following:

• An Excel® workbook with the following datasets:
  • One dataset related to the U.S. housing industry such as housing starts, the FHFA housing price index, or another dataset of your choice related to the housing market.
  • One dataset related to personal or household income or to personal or household saving.
  • One dataset related to the labor market such as the unemployment rate, initial claims for unemployment insurance, or another dataset of your choice related to the U.S. labor force.
  • One dataset related to production and business activity within the market or industry you choose to analyze.
• Find your datasets by using different internet data sources, including, but not limited to, the Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis's FRED site, U.S. Dept. of Commerce's Bureau of Economic Analysis (BEA), U.S. Dept. of Labor's Bureau of Labor Statistics, U.S. Census Bureau, and The Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD).  Using data results analyze the economic and sociological forces that drove the market equilibrium to unsustainable heights, commonly referred to as "bubbles," and the shocks that brought the markets back down.
• Discuss specific changes in supply and demand within the markets and/or industries you chose to analyze.
• Examine prior government policies and legislation that might have exacerbated the impact of the shocks. Also, discuss government actions/regulations that might be undertaken, and/or have been undertaken, to moderate the effects of extreme economic fluctuations.
• Evaluate the actions of the federal government (fiscal policy) and the Federal Reserve (monetary policy) to restore the economy and foster economic growth. Base your evaluation on information available at Internet sources such as, but not limited to, the Fed's The Economy Crisis and Response website as well as other appropriate sources found on the Internet and in the University Library. Be sure you address the effectiveness of those counter-cyclical policies. 

Cite a minimum of three peer-reviewed sources and economic data not including the course text. Submit the data results in a separate Microsoft® Excel® file. 

Compare and contrast the views of management and accountants

1st part of assignment:

Each question must be answered in a minimum of 250 words with at least one scholarly journal reference (dictionary-type websites are excluded).

(1st question) Discuss the impact of Sarbanes-Oxley on a company’s internal controls. Be sure to define internal controls and discuss the basic principles for assessing internal controls.

(2nd question) The Sarbanes-Oxley Act of 2002 (SOX) was enacted in response to a number of accounting scandals in major corporations that resulted in the loss of billions of investor dollars. Choose one accounting scandal that precipitated this legislation and discuss whether or not internal controls (or lack thereof) contributed to the scandal. Be sure to include an evaluation of how SOX affected internal controls and if post-SOX internal control requirements could have prevented it.

2nd part of assignment:

Write a 500 – 750 word paper on the following topic:

Compare and contrast the views of management and accountants regarding the changes required by the Sarbanes-Oxley Act on internal controls and how these changes have affected corporations, accounting firms, and investors.

Your paper must be formatted according to APA 6th edition guidelines, and you need to use at least one external reference.

Note that your attached paper will  be submitted to Turnitin. School guidelines require under 25% in similarities.

Environmental toxicology examines how environmental exposures

Environmental Toxicology and Human Health
Environmental toxicology examines how environmental exposures to chemical pollutants may present risks to biological organisms, particularly animals, birds, and fishes. Exposure to a physical, chemical, or biological agent may arise from a number of environmental sources, including the workplace, the home, and the medications and foods that we consume. On the list of hazardous chemicals and other agents that impact human reproduction negatively are pesticides, drugs, and heavy metals.
Using the South University Online Library or the Internet, research on the following topics:
Physical Agents
Chemical Agents
Biological Agents
On the basis of your research and understanding of the topic, answer the following questions:
Identify and describe five factors that affect responses to a toxic chemical.
What determines the toxicity of a chemical? To what extent do you agree with the assumption that "all substances are poisons"?
What is human exposure assessment? Explain some of the methods of exposure assessment.
Why is epidemiology important to research studies of environmental health? Give reasoning to support your answer.
What are some of the important limitations of the epidemiologic approach with respect to the study of environmental health problems?
Create a 3- to 4-page Microsoft Word document that includes the answers to the above questions.
Support your responses with reasoning and examples.
Cite any sources in APA format.

Assignment 2: The Gig Economy Due Week 8 and worth 220 points

Assignment 2: The Gig Economy Due Week 8 and worth 220 points

Uber is largely hailed as the advent of the gig economy, which is the idea that people will not work for any one employer, but instead will work on projects for any variety of companies desiring their services. While creating a new type of entrepreneurship for individuals, it raises a host of new legal questions for companies around the law of agency.

An investment firm has asked you to evaluate Uber’s legal exposure for the conduct of its drivers.

Write an interoffice memo in which you:

Summarize the main principles of agency. Analyze the circumstances under which Uber might be liable for the conduct of its drivers. Identify the steps Uber can take, if any, to limit its legal exposure for the conduct of its drivers. Use at least three (3) quality resources in this assignment. Note: Wikipedia is not an acceptable reference and proprietary Websites do not qualify as academic resources. Your assignment must follow these formatting requirements:

Your news brief or memo should include a heading, summary statement, background and recommendations. The specific course learning outcomes associated with this assignment are:

Analyze and apply the concepts of ethical decision making, corporate governance and corporate social responsibility. Analyze and evaluate the employment-at-will doctrine and the statutory protections afforded employees. Analyze and evaluate laws and regulations relative to product safety, liability and representations. Write clearly and concisely about law, ethics, and corporate governance using proper writing mechanics.