Assume the following scenario:

FreshPak Corporation manufactures two types of cardboard boxes used in shipping canned food, fruit, and vegetables.

a) By looking at their Sales Budget, the actuals sales in units was 480,000 which was below the budgeted 500,000 units. Provide 3 possible explanations for the variance in unit sales.

b)By looking at the Raw Materials Budget, assume the company uses raw materials for its boxes from trees supplied from sources within the Amazon. It is well established that the Amazon is a major producer of tree products to the United Stated and many countries in Europe, in fact the Amazon is the source of nearly 40% of the world supply. You hear on the news that there has been significant protest of the deforestation of trees in the Amazon as a result of concerns over global warming. Consequently, the United States has banned U.S. based companies from purchasing any byproducts of trees which are sourced from the Amazon. Describe how the ban of materials from the Amazon can affect the company’s operations, you must list 3 potential issues. What would you recommend to address the issues you have identified?

Please write 6-10 sentences for each question.

1. The National Park Service has asked you to construct a value of the Grand Canyon. Explain the pros and cons of using the travel cost method to do this. Would you prefer the hedonic method or the stated preference method? Why or why not?

1. The National Park Service has asked you to construct a value of the Grand Canyon. Explain the pros and cons of using the travel cost method to do this. Would you prefer the hedonic method or the stated preference method? Why or why not?

Isle Royale, the islands of Cape Hatteras National Seashore, Nantucket, California's Channel Islands, and Elliott Key in Biscayne National Park are all islands, but they all formed in different ways. Describe the different geological processes that created these different islands.

A random group of thirty customers at a local theater was interviewed regarding their movie viewing habits. The following responses were obtained for the question, “How many times during the past month did you go to the movies?” Number of movies attended 0 1 2 3 4 Number of customers 3 10 8 6 3 a. b. Find the probability that a customer selected at random went to the movies:

1) more than one time, 2) two times, 3) at least two times, 4) no more than three times.

Managing the Ethical Implications of the Big BoxWalmart has had a tremendous impact upon our society. Its pervasive presence has affected communities all over the United States. The first Walmart store opened in 1962 in Rogers, Arkansas. By 1970, there were 38 stores with 1,500 “associates” (employees) and sales of $44.2 million. In 1990, Walmart became the nation’s number one retailer. In 2002, Walmart had the biggest single-day sales in history: $1.43 billion on the day after Thanksgiving. Today, Walmart is the world’s largest retailer with 2.1 million “associates” in more than 8,800 store and club locations in 15 countries and sales of $405 billion in the fiscal year ending January 31, 2010. Because of this impact, Walmart has been confronted with many ethical challenges.One of the challenges the huge retailer has faced is to have a positive impact upon the communities it enters. Whether Walmart has acted ethically may be a matter of perspective. Certainly, Walmart does much for the communities in which it operates, but it has also faced criticism than its economic impact limits the ability of local businesses to survive.By the end of the fiscal year ending January 31, 2010, the number of stores and distribution centers had grown from 3,368 to over 3,600, and the number of associates in the United States had grown from 1.04 million to 1.4 million. Here are the figures in the United States alone: Walmart and the Walmart foundation gave more than $467 million in cash and in-kind gifts in fiscal year ending 2010 (FYE ’10) – an $89 million increase over the previous year’s giving. At a time when food banks are being accessed more than ever, Walmart doubled donations to Feeding America, giving more than 127 million pounds of nutritious food to U.S. food banks, the equivalent of nearly 100 million meals (Walmart Corporate, n.d.-b). Walmart does fund a number of programs to support communities and local nonprofit organizations. In 2004, they claimed to have given the following:More than $88 million in community grantsMore than $265 million in 15 years for Children’s Miracle Network (CMN)More than $184 million in 19 years to United Way chapters$80 million in scholarships since 1979$1.7 million in Environmental Grants$3.1 million in Volunteerism Always Pays grants$20 million raised and contributed during the 2002 holidaysIn his book, In Sam We Trust, Bob Ortega (1998) suggested that Walmart is devouring America. Among other issues, Representative George Miller’s (D-CA) (2004) 25-page report by the Democratic Staff of the Committee on Education and the Workforce, U.S. House of Representatives, suggests that Walmart’s low wages and unaffordable of unavailable health care cost taxpayers money. In recent years, the downtown areas of Managing the Ethical Implications of the Big BoxWalmart has had a tremendous impact upon our society. Its pervasive presence has affected communities all over the United States. The first Walmart store opened in 1962 in Rogers, Arkansas. By 1970, there were 38 stores with 1,500 “associates” (employees) and sales of $44.2 million. In 1990, Walmart became the nation’s number one retailer. In 2002, Walmart had the biggest single-day sales in history: $1.43 billion on the day after Thanksgiving. Today, Walmart is the world’s largest retailer with 2.1 million “associates” in more than 8,800 store and club locations in 15 countries and sales of $405 billion in the fiscal year ending January 31, 2010. Because of this impact, Walmart has been confronted with many ethical challenges.One of the challenges the huge retailer has faced is to have a positive impact upon the communities it enters. Whether Walmart has acted ethically may be a matter of perspective. Certainly, Walmart does much for the communities in which it operates, but it has also faced criticism than its economic impact limits the ability of local businesses to survive.By the end of the fiscal year ending January 31, 2010, the number of stores and distribution centers had grown from 3,368 to over 3,600, and the number of associates in the United States had grown from 1.04 million to 1.4 million. Here are the figures in the United States alone: Walmart and the Walmart foundation gave more than $467 million in cash and in-kind gifts in fiscal year ending 2010 (FYE ’10) – an $89 million increase over the previous year’s giving. At a time when food banks are being accessed more than ever, Walmart doubled donations to Feeding America, giving more than 127 million pounds of nutritious food to U.S. food banks, the equivalent of nearly 100 million meals (Walmart Corporate, n.d.-b). Walmart does fund a number of programs to support communities and local nonprofit organizations. In 2004, they claimed to have given the following:More than $88 million in community grantsMore than $265 million in 15 years for Children’s Miracle Network (CMN)More than $184 million in 19 years to United Way chapters$80 million in scholarships since 1979$1.7 million in Environmental Grants$3.1 million in Volunteerism Always Pays grants$20 million raised and contributed during the 2002 holidaysIn his book, In Sam We Trust, Bob Ortega (1998) suggested that Walmart is devouring America. Among other issues, Representative George Miller’s (D-CA) (2004) 25-page report by the Democratic Staff of the Committee on Education and the Workforce, U.S. House of Representatives, suggests that Walmart’s low wages and unaffordable of unavailable health care cost taxpayers money. In recent years, the downtown areas of
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Managing the Ethical Implications of the Big BoxWalmart has had a tremendous impact upon our society. Its pervasive presence has affected communities all over the United States. The first Walmart store opened in 1962 in Rogers, Arkansas. By 1970, there were 38 stores with 1,500 “associates” (employees) and sales of $44.2 million. In 1990, Walmart became the nation’s number one retailer. In 2002, Walmart had the biggest single-day sales in history: $1.43 billion on the day after Thanksgiving. Today, Walmart is the world’s largest retailer with 2.1 million “associates” in more than 8,800 store and club locations in 15 countries and sales of $405 billion in the fiscal year ending January 31, 2010. Because of this impact, Walmart has been confronted with many ethical challenges.One of the challenges the huge retailer has faced is to have a positive impact upon the communities it enters. Whether Walmart has acted ethically may be a matter of perspective. Certainly, Walmart does much for the communities in which it operates, but it has also faced criticism than its economic impact limits the ability of local businesses to survive.By the end of the fiscal year ending January 31, 2010, the number of stores and distribution centers had grown from 3,368 to over 3,600, and the number of associates in the United States had grown from 1.04 million to 1.4 million. Here are the figures in the United States alone: Walmart and the Walmart foundation gave more than $467 million in cash and in-kind gifts in fiscal year ending 2010 (FYE ’10) – an $89 million increase over the previous year’s giving. At a time when food banks are being accessed more than ever, Walmart doubled donations to Feeding America, giving more than 127 million pounds of nutritious food to U.S. food banks, the equivalent of nearly 100 million meals (Walmart Corporate, n.d.-b). Walmart does fund a number of programs to support communities and local nonprofit organizations. In 2004, they claimed to have given the following:More than $88 million in community grantsMore than $265 million in 15 years for Children’s Miracle Network (CMN)More than $184 million in 19 years to United Way chapters$80 million in scholarships since 1979$1.7 million in Environmental Grants$3.1 million in Volunteerism Always Pays grants$20 million raised and contributed during the 2002 holidaysIn his book, In Sam We Trust, Bob Ortega (1998) suggested that Walmart is devouring America. Among other issues, Representative George Miller’s (D-CA) (2004) 25-page report by the Democratic Staff of the Committee on Education and the Workforce, U.S. House of Representatives, suggests that Walmart’s low wages and unaffordable of unavailable health care cost taxpayers money. In recent years, the downtown areas of Managing the Ethical Implications of the Big BoxWalmart has had a tremendous impact upon our society. Its pervasive presence has affected communities all over the United States. The first Walmart store opened in 1962 in Rogers, Arkansas. By 1970, there were 38 stores with 1,500 “associates” (employees) and sales of $44.2 million. In 1990, Walmart became the nation’s number one retailer. In 2002, Walmart had the biggest single-day sales in history: $1.43 billion on the day after Thanksgiving. Today, Walmart is the world’s largest retailer with 2.1 million “associates” in more than 8,800 store and club locations in 15 countries and sales of $405 billion in the fiscal year ending January 31, 2010. Because of this impact, Walmart has been confronted with many ethical challenges.One of the challenges the huge retailer has faced is to have a positive impact upon the communities it enters. Whether Walmart has acted ethically may be a matter of perspective. Certainly, Walmart does much for the communities in which it operates, but it has also faced criticism than its economic impact limits the ability of local businesses to survive.By the end of the fiscal year ending January 31, 2010, the number of stores and distribution centers had grown from 3,368 to over 3,600, and the number of associates in the United States had grown from 1.04 million to 1.4 million. Here are the figures in the United States alone: Walmart and the Walmart foundation gave more than $467 million in cash and in-kind gifts in fiscal year ending 2010 (FYE ’10) – an $89 million increase over the previous year’s giving. At a time when food banks are being accessed more than ever, Walmart doubled donations to Feeding America, giving more than 127 million pounds of nutritious food to U.S. food banks, the equivalent of nearly 100 million meals (Walmart Corporate, n.d.-b). Walmart does fund a number of programs to support communities and local nonprofit organizations. In 2004, they claimed to have given the following:More than $88 million in community grantsMore than $265 million in 15 years for Children’s Miracle Network (CMN)More than $184 million in 19 years to United Way chapters$80 million in scholarships since 1979$1.7 million in Environmental Grants$3.1 million in Volunteerism Always Pays grants$20 million raised and contributed during the 2002 holidaysIn his book, In Sam We Trust, Bob Ortega (1998) suggested that Walmart is devouring America. Among other issues, Representative George Miller’s (D-CA) (2004) 25-page report by the Democratic Staff of the Committee on Education and the Workforce, U.S. House of Representatives, suggests that Walmart’s low wages and unaffordable of unavailable health care cost taxpayers money. In recent years, the downtown areas of

many towns have been suffering as communities have become increasingly suburban. According to critics, Walmart often contributes to the decline of the downtown of small towns because they build stores at the outskirts of towns, drawing traffic away from the downtown areas.Small towns all over the country have felt the impact of Walmart. This is not a new phenomenon. Walmart began having a tremendous impact on communities in the 1980s. For example, by the late 1980s, Iowa had felt the effects of the growing retail giant. According to an article by Edward O. Welles (1993), “Iowa towns within a 20-mile radius felt [Walmart’s] pull. Their retail sales declined by 17.6% after five years” (para. 13).But it wasn’t just the retail stores that suffered. The specialty stores also felt the impact. The only hope for small merchants was to find a niche. Because of Walmart’s size and strength with suppliers (which has grown tremendously since the early 1980s), the burden has been on the small business owner to change and adapt. Even if they had successful businesses, providing the same goods and products for as long as 50 years, small merchants have been forced to adapt to survive as Walmart enters their territory.The impact can be brutal for business owners. “In exurban Sycamore, Brown County Market lost 40% of its sales after a Wal-Mart Supercenter opened in nearby DeKalb in the late 1990s” (Murphy, 2004, para. 8). The store’s owner laments one of the issues: “’I pay my grocery clerks $13 an hour plus benefits. Wal-Mart pays $7 an hour with no benefits.’ Says owner Daniel Brown. ‘It’s hard for me to compete against that’” (Murphy, 2004, para. 9). It is interesting to note, though, that 7 years later, Walmart’s corporate fact sheet (Walmart Corporate, n.d.-a) states that the average, full-time hourly wage for Walmart stores is $11.75. The fact sheet indicates it is even higher in urban areas and that associates can receive performance-based bonuses.Yet, Walmart has grown to be such a behemoth exactly because it has given customers what they wanted (or at least thought they wanted) – low prices and convenience. One can head to the local Walmart and do virtually all of one’s shopping in one huge building. It is often possible to find a reasonable substitution for those specialty items that can’t be found at Walmart. But if low prices are causing other local merchants to go out of business, are the conveniences that Walmart provides worthwhile in the long run? There is a whole other side to this community economic impact in terms of the economic spin-off of a dollar spent at Walmart versus a dollar spent at other local merchants. There have been myriad stories about low wages and minimal benefits provided to Walmart “associates,” not to mention the hiring of illegal aliens for the fact that China has become a major supplier for the retail giant that used to tout that it only carried products that were made in America.In 2004, Walmart’s average employee worked a 30-hour week and earned about $11,700 a year, which was nearly $2,000 below the poverty line for a family of three (Miller, 2004; Wal-Mart Watch, n.d.). Only 38% of “associates” have company-provided health coverage – as compared to the national average of over 60% (Miller, 2004; United Food and Commercial Workers Union [UFCW] Local 227, n.d.; UFCW Local 770, n.d.; Wal-Mart Watch, n.d.). According to the United Food and Commercial Workers (UFCW) International Union Local 227 (n.d.), “Wal-Mart has increased the premium cost for workers by over 200% since 1993 – medical care inflation only went up 50% in the same period.”Walmart claims to contribute to the well-being of communities. Between January 1996, the year Walmart began posting pictures of missing children in the lobbies of Walmart facilities, and January 2010, 10,409 children have been featured, and 8,716 have been recov3ered. It is clear that Walmart does much in the way of scholarships and philanthropy in addition to offering convenience and low prices. Walmart’s rhetoric centers on the three basic beliefs that Sam Walton established in 1962:1. Respect for the Individual2. Service to Our Customers3. Strive for ExcellenceDiscussion Questions – Choose ONE1. What does it mean for an organization to be ethical in its communication and practices?2. Does Walmart’s rhetoric communicate a different message than its actions?3. Are Walmart’s persuasive tactics concerning its value to a community ethical in approach and intention?4. How would you characterize the culture of Walmart?(Miller, 2004; Wal-Mart Watch, n.d.). Only 38% of “associates” have company-provided health coverage – as compared to the national average of over 60% (Miller, 2004; United Food

Why is homelessness such an issue for San Francisco if it is an innovation hub?

San Francisco has been a technology innovation hot spot since the 1940s when William Shockley helped boost the economy through his invention of the transistor. This new technology was the seed that helped San Francisco's technology industry blossom into what it is today. As we learned from The New Geography of Jobs by Enrico Moretti, San Francisco is home to some of the biggest names in technology like, Google, Apple, Yahoo, Zynga, and Yelp. It is safe to assume that there is a significant amount of individuals with college degrees living and working here, so why is the homeless rate so high?

In 2019 San Francisco reported a population of 17,595 homeless people living in the city. This was a 30% surge since 2017 (Cowan, 2019). This is also likely to be an underestimate as calculating a homeless population is extremely difficult. One would think, if there are so many high skilled, high tech jobs, the multiplier effect would create a massive amount of lower skilled jobs. What might else might be leading to this high level of homelessness?

Please read the following on NC Economic Incentives: We have all heard that Amazon is planning on opening a second headquarters. The hope is that this new HQ could bring in 50,000 jobs and $5 billion in investments. As a result, states are in a bidding war to attract Amazon. These bids are what we can economic incentives. Many politicians have argued that the government should provide economic incentives to companies in order to bring jobs to NC. The proponents of economic incentives programs say that they are necessary for the State to give tax breaks, subsidies and other benefits to attract large companies to NC. Unfortunately, many other states are doing the same thing, thus making any NC incentive program difficult and expensive. For example, after some of the first Hunger Games movie was shot in NC, much of the subsequent movies went to Georgia. The point is that other states are outbidding NC and businesses are following the money and not coming to NC, but instead are going to other states. The opponents of State Sponsored Economic Incentives for businesses call this Corporate Welfarism. They point to the many times that government has failed to achieve its goals. Opponents of government economic incentives say that the program is too expensive for the results generated. More fundamentally, opponents say that the state shouldn't use tax money to pick winners and losers. They point to the failed attempts to pick Dell, Google, and Boeing; they point to government mistakes such as the "famous" Randy Parton Theater Project. (See here: https://www.carolinajournal.com/news-article/no-celebration-for-randy-parton-theaters-10th-birthday/) Additionally, they claim that picking winners leads to crony capitalism. 2. Suppose that you have been called to Raleigh to give expert testimony before a joint North Carolina House and Senate Committee assigned to review North Carolina's economic incentive policy. Using the questions below to help guide your testimony to the committee, write a three to four page paper in a Microsoft Word document to respond to this issue: When government uses tax monies to attract businesses (creating economic incentives--both the positive and the perverse), what are the short-term effects? What are the long-term effects? What are the effects on the local community? What are the wider implications? Can this problem be explained in a game theoretic context? If government economic incentives are so good, then why is it that North Carolina has reduced the amount of incentives offered to film and television companies? [Note: When economists use incentives, they mean it in a particular sense: broad institutions that influence people's decisions. So while a coupon for $5 off is an incentive, that is not what is being asked. Instead, economists look at broader policy implications. For example, unemployment insurance pays people if they do not work. Thus, the policy (regardless of intent) creates an incentive not to work.] 3. Your paper should be in written in APA style with appropriate references and bibliography. Titles pages and abstracts are NOT necessary.