Tag: Economics – Others

ASSIGNMENT QUESTIONS:
SECTION 1:
1.1
how the rise on the aggregate demand of flue related
Graphically explain how period caused a rise in their prices. (10)
is effect on supply (10)
1.2
Kellogg’s sells cornflace of milk falls?
1.4
SASOL is a dominant force in the chemical. Determine can compete in the identified market.
1.5
With the aid of practical examples, explain the conditions und (10) business is able to engage in price discrimination.
SECTION 2:
STUDY: South Africa – Improving productivity and the efficiency of public g to bolster living standards
South Africa needs bold structural reforms to lift economic growth. The coronavirus crisis, flooding in Kwa-Zulu Natal and widespread electricity cuts have weakened an already fragile economy (Figure 1). GDP growth is projected to slow to 1.8% and 1.3% in 2022 and 2023, respectively. The war in Ukraine is creating additional risks: on the one hand, rising commodity prices are prolonging the commodity boom cycle, but, on the other hand, higher inflation is denting purchasing power. The social distress relief grant, put in place during the pandemic and covering up to 10.5 million individuals, has helped mitigate the effects of the crisis and inflation on poverty, but may not be sufficient if the economy does not grow faster: unemployment stood at 34.5% in the first quarter of 2022. The repo rate changes continue to affect the economy in different ways.
Figure 1. Electricity availability has fallen dramatically Yearly hours of load shedding by stages and total annual supply in TWh.
Economics for Managers Page 3 of 6

The following graph shows the market for wheat in the European Union (EU). The world price of wheat is $4.00 per bushed, so Swim represents the world supply assuming that the EU cannot affect the world price of meat. To support the agricultural sector, the EU guarantees a certain price for the farmers by imposing a variable levy of $4.00 per bushed to limit the import of wheat. On the graph, use the purple line (diamond symbol) to show the support price the farmers receive due to the variable $4.00 levy.
Fill in the following table by entering the quantities for production, consumption, and imports of wheat in the EU before and after the $4.00 kevy.
Production
(Bushels)
Consumption
(Bushels)
Imports
(Bushels)
Before the levy
After the levy
Suppose that the world price of wheat rises to $5.00 per bushel, but the EU keeps the same support price for the farmers. On the previous graph, use the grey line (star symbol) to draw the new world supply curve (Swirli,Niw). Given the change in the world price, the variable levy adjusts to ◻ per bushel of wheat in order to maintain the support price. Which of the following describe the effects of the variable levy on international trade? Check all that apply.
Foreign producers have an incentive to out prices to maintain export sales
Foreign producers have no incentive to subsidize their exports
Foreign producers are more agoressive in subsidizing their exports to capture a larger share of the world market

Obesity increases the risk for a number of chronic diseases, such as high blood pressure and heart diseases. In Hong Kong, the proportion of secondary school students considered overweight or obese increased from 18.7% in the 2010/11 school year to 19.4% in 2014/15. Having about one in five teenagers deemed overweight or obese is worrying and requires further action.
Since there is considerable amount of trans fats in French fries that a high consumption of it would increase the risk of chronic diseases, such as obesity, in order to promote the health of teenagers and general public, the Hong Kong Government considers levying a per-unit tax on all kinds of French fries.
a.
If the per-unit tax were to levy on French fries, how would it affect the price paid by buyers (PB), the price received by sellers (PS) and the quantity consumed of French fries? Explain your answer with a supply-and-demand diagram.
b.
Suppose the demand for French fires were price-elastic, how would the imposition of the per-unit tax affect the expenditure of buyers on French fires? Explain.
c.
What is efficiency? How would the efficiency in the market of French fries be affected if the per-unit tax were imposed? Would the tax lead to a deadweight loss.
Figure 2The vertical distance between points A and B represents a tax in the market.
19. Refer to Figure 2. The loss of producer surplus as a result of the tax is
a. $1.
b. $2.
c. $3.
d. $4.

Consider the following perfectly competitive market for Soccer Stadium Horns in Los Angeles, CA: Demand QD=000-2,100P,QS=- Supply -8003+1,6003P,QD=QS or D(P**;*)=S(P**;*)where QD and Qr are the number of stadium horns demanded and supplied in the Los Angeles market, respectively; P is the price of a stadium horn measured in dollars; and P** is the equilibrium price of stadium horns in the Los Angeles marketi.
At what price does the stadium hom market clear? How many horns are bought at this price? Graph your answers neatly and completely.
ii. Are soccer fans in Los Angeles sensitive to the price of stadium horns? Explain.
One of the producers/sellers of soceer stadium horns has the following total cost structure.
TC= Total Cost (TC) 10+0.5q+0.0375q2
AC=10q+0.5+0.0375q
Marginal Cost (MC)MC=0.5+0.075q
where q denotes the number of stadium horns produced by the seller.
i. How many stadium horns does this seller produce for the Los Angeles market? Explain (and show all work). Is this seller earning a positive profit? Explain.
ii. Graph your answers in (i.) neatly and completely.
Now suppose that because both the US Men’s and Women’s National Soccer teams win their respective World Cups (we can only dream with respect to the men, hahaha) the demand for Soccer Stadium horns in Los Angeles increases by 1000 horns.
i. At what price does the stadium horn market clear now? How many horns are bought at this price? Graph your answers in the same graph crafted in (1i.).
ii. How many stadium horns does our seller in (2) produce for the Los Angeles market now? Explain (and show all work). Graph your answer in the same graph crafted in (2ii.)

Assuming you are risk neutral, first answer the following two questions about your preferences:
Scenario A:
You are given $5,000 and offered a choice between receiving an extra $2,500 with certainty or flipping a coin and getting $5,000 if heals or $0 if tails. Which option do you proten?
The certain $2,500 is more valuatle than the uncertain $5,000, I would choose the $2,500.
Both options have identical payofts, so I am indifferent between the two options.
The possibility of the $5,000 payoff is more valuable to me than the certain $2,500, 1 choose to fip a coin.
Scenario B:
You are given $10,000 if you will make the following choice: reham $2,500 or flip a coin and return $5,000 if heals and $5 if tals. Which eqtion do you preflen?
Both options have identical payoffs, so I am indifferent between the two options.
The possibility of the loss of $5,000 is more painful to me than the certain loss of $2,500, I would choose the $2,500 certain loss.
The certain loss of $2,500 is more painful than the possible loss of $5,000, I choose to flip a coin.
Most people choose the sure $2,500 in the first case but fip the coin in the second. Why is this behavior is not consistent to a rak neutral person?
The behavior is not consistent because soenario B is riskier.
The behavior is not consistent because a risk neutral person is always able to choose the less risky option.
The behavior is consistent because scenario B is riskier.
The behavior is not consistent because the two experiments have equal payoffs.

4. Deriving the short-run supply curveConsider the perfectly competitive market for sports jackets. The following graph shows the marginal cost (MC), average total cost (ATC), and average variable cost (AVC) curves for a typical firm in the industry.For each price in the following table, use the graph to determine the number of jackets this firm would produce in order to maximize its profit. Assume that when the price is exactly equal to the average variable cost, the firm is indifferent between producing zero jackets and the profitmaximizing quantity. Also, indicate whether the firm will produce, shut down, or be indifferent between the two in the short run. Lastly, determine whether it will make a profit, suffer a loss, or break even at each price.Price (Dollars per jacket)Quantity (Jackets)On the following graph, use the orange points (square symbol) to plot points along the portion of the firm’s short-run supply curve that corresponds to prices where there is positive output.(Note: You are given more points to plot than you need.) Suppose there are 9 firms in this industry, each of which has the cost curves previously shown.On the following graph, use the orange points (square symbol) to plot points along the portion of the industry’s short-run supply curve that corresponds to prices where there is positive output.(Note: You are given more points to plot than you need.) Then, place the black point (plus symbol) on the graph to indicate the short-run equilibrium price and quantity in this market.Note: Dashed drop lines will automatically extend to both axes.At the current short-run market price, firms will in the short run. In the long run, .

Mays and McCovey are beer producers that operate in a duopoly (two-firm oligopoly). The daily marginal cost (MC) of producing a can of beer is constant and equals $0.60 per can. Also, assume that neither firm had any startup costs. That is, marginal cost equals average cost (AC) for each firm.
Suppose that Mays and McCovey form a cartel, and the firms divide the output evenly. (Note: This is only for convenience, since nothing in the model requires that the two companies must equally share the output.)
Place the black point (plus symbol) on the following graph to indicate the profit-maximizing price and combined quantity of output if Mays and McCovey choose to work together. Note: Drop lines will extend to both axes automatically. When they act as a profit-maximizing cartel, each company will produce 40 cans per day and charge $0.80 per can. Given this information, each firm earns a daily profit of $4, so the total industry profit in the beer market is $8 per day.
Suppose you analyze the previous situation using the Bertrand model. Which of the following are assumptions of this model? Check all that apply.
The goods are perfect substitutes.
Firms choose to produce quantities as best responses to the quantity the other firm produces.
All sales go to the firm with the lowest price.
Again using the Bertrand model, which of the following statements is true of the point representing the cartel price and quantity you found previously?
Either firm could increase its profits by decreasing the price it charges.
It is a Nash equilibrium.
Either firm could increase its profits by increasing the price it charges.

The following graph shows the domestic demand for and supply of oranges in Guatemala. The world price (PWPW) of oranges is $550 per ton and is displayed as a horizontal black line. Throughout the question, assume that all countries under consideration are small, that is, the amount demanded by any one country does not affect the world price of oranges and that there are no transportation or transaction costs associated with international trade in oranges. Also, assume that domestic suppliers will satisfy domestic demand as much as possible before any exporting or importing takes place.
A graph plots domestic supply and demand for oranges in Guatemala with price in dollars per ton on the y-axis ranging from 480 to 830 in increments of 35 and quantity in tons of oranges on the x-axis ranging from 0 to 500 in increments of 50. The graph plots a downward sloping straight line curve labeled domestic demand ranging from (0, 830) to (500, 480), and an upward sloping straight line curve labeled domestic supply ranging from (0, 480) to (500, 830). A horizontal line labeled P sub W extends from (0, 550) to (500, 550), intersecting the domestic supply curve at (100, 550), and the domestic demand curve at (400, 550).
If Guatemala is open to international trade in oranges without any restrictions, it will import tons of oranges. Suppose the Guatemalan government wants to reduce imports to exactly 200 tons of oranges to help domestic producers. A tariff of per ton will achieve this. A tariff set at this level would raise in revenue for the Guatemalan government.

COMPARATIVE AND ABSOLUTE ADVANTAGES
Boards Waxed
Boards Repaired
Sean
7.5 min
20 min
Sadie
12 min
30 min
OPPORTUNITY COSTS
Sean Sadie Soards Waxed

? Boards Repaired

San ( ? )
Question 5: Looking at the graph above, calculate the opportunity cost for Sean on boards waxed per hour. Sean’s opportunity cost for boards waxed is Enter a decimal number (ex. 1, 1.0, 10.01, . 1001)
Question 6: Looking at the graph above, calculate the opportunity cost for Sean on boards repaired per hour. Sean’s opportunity cost for boards repaired is W. Enter a decimal number (ex. 1, 1.0, 10.01, .1001)
Question 7: Looking at the graph above, calculate the opportunity cost for Sadie on boards waxed per hour. Sadie’s opportunity cost for boards waxed is R. Enter a decimal number (ex. 1, 1.0, 10.01, .1001)
Question 8: Looking at the graph above, calculate the opportunity cost for Sadie on boards repaired per hour. Sadie’s opportunity cost for boards repaired is N. Enter a decimal number (ex. 1, 1.0, 10.01, .1001)

COMPARATIVE AND ABSOLUTE ADVANTAGES
Boards Waxed
Boards Repaired
Sean
7.5 min
20 min
Sadie
12 min
30 min
OPPORTUNITY COSTS
Question 5: Looking at the graph above, calculate the opportunity cost for Sean on boards waxed per hour. Sean’s opportunity cost for boards waxed is Enter a decimal number (ex. 1, 1.0, 10.01, . 1001)
Question 6: Looking at the graph above, calculate the opportunity cost for Sean on boards repaired per hour. Sean’s opportunity cost for boards repaired is W. Enter a decimal number (ex. 1, 1.0, 10.01, .1001)
Question 7: Looking at the graph above, calculate the opportunity cost for Sadie on boards waxed per hour. Sadie’s opportunity cost for boards waxed is R. Enter a decimal number (ex. 1, 1.0, 10.01, .1001)
Question 8: Looking at the graph above, calculate the opportunity cost for Sadie on boards repaired per hour. Sadie’s opportunity cost for boards repaired is N. Enter a decimal number (ex. 1, 1.0, 10.01, .1001)