1. Three major approaches to analyzing the economic impact of currency depreciation are (1) the elasticities approach, (2) the absorption approach, and (3) the monetary approach.

Which of the following accurately defines and distinguishes one of these approaches?

A. According to the elasticities approach, over the long run, depreciation merely raises the domestic price level.

B. According to the elasticities approach, currency depreciation leads to the greatest improvement in a country’s trade position when demand elasticities are high.

C. According to the absorption approach, over the long run, depreciation merely raises the domestic price level.

D. According to the monetary approach, a depreciation merely lowers the domestic price level.

2. Complete the following statement explaining the effect of complete currency pass-through on a nation whose currency depreciates.

Import and export prices in a nation’s currency will change __________ ( less than or more than or proportionately to) the currency depreciation.

3. An appreciation of the U.S. dollar tends to: ______

1. Which of the following organizations would analyze their market environments, find a competitive advantage, and create a marketing mix?
A. a publisher of hunting and fishing magazines

B. a manufacturer of gym equipment

C. the United States Postal Service

D. a Pizza Hut franchise in Mumbai, India

E. all of the above

2. Finding a place to live in Mumbai, India, has been getting harder these days for people who are not vegetarians. Vegetarianism is a centuries-old custom among the Indian population, but the requirement is becoming more obvious as non-vegs are being segregated from vegs. This is important consumer information to a McDonald's franchisee and reflects how _____ shapes consumer behavior.

A. consumer expectation

B. stimulus reaction

C. culture

D. geographic segmentation

E. consumer impulse

3, Which of the following is an example of an individual factor that influences Bil Naggin's decision to buy a Sharps black powder cartridge rifle?

A. his culture

B. his interest in the Civil War

C. the fact his great-great grandfather died during the Civil War

D. the fact his favorite book is Red Badge of Courage

E. his desire to experience what it was like to be a Civil War soldier

The information contained within a paragraph is based on the topic sentence of a paragraph. The topic sentence is generally the first sentence and expresses the main idea to be developed within the paragraph.

a) Look at the topic sentences below and discuss what kinds of information you would expect to follow.

1. The government of the United States of America consists of three main branches.

2. The world-wide increase in road transport is a serious threat to the natural environment.

3. Deforestation has a direct effect on food supplies.

4. Although development in the Third World is intended to increase self-reliance, the actual result is often increased dependence on the West.

5. There is a mistaken idea that, because of pocket calculators, children no longer need to learn how to do basic arithmetic.

6. When it comes to the arts, there is a clear case for subsidy.

7. There are no grounds for subsidizing the arts.

8. The British attitudes towards food are very different from the attitudes in my own country.

9. My grandfather/grandmother is/was very easy/difficult to get on with.

10. There are no justifications for any country possessing nuclear weapons.

11. There are a number of reasons to justify a country possessing nuclear weapons.

b) Take one of the sentences a write a paragraph.

Please use the economics knowledge you have learned so far to analyze the case below. You can propose your own questions and then answer them. Remember, there is no absolutely correct answer to this exercise. Its purpose is to provide you an opportunity to demonstrate your ability to think like an economist by applying economic principles to interpret the logic of a real-world phenomenon. Why Is JPMorgan Chase Laying Off Workers? Many workers lost their jobs during the 2007–2009 recession and the banking industry was hit especially hard. JPMorgan Chase, the largest bank in the United States, saw its profit decline by two-thirds from 2007 to 2009. By 2015, the U.S. economy and JPMorgan were well into a recovery, but banks were still struggling for three key reasons: Interest rates remained at low levels, increased regulation caused some banks to stop certain activities—such as making student loans—and technological change resulted in more activity taking place online. In May 2015, JPMorgan announced it would lay off 5,000 workers. Three other banks—Bank of America, Citigroup, and Wells Fargo—also laid off workers for similar reasons.

Week 3 Homework

For this assignment, you will research information related to the GDP (Gross Domestic Product). This will help you practice using the Internet as a research tool for finding financial information and you will gain insights about how the United States participates in the global economy by providing goods and services to other countries.

Use the Week 3 GDP Homework Word Document template provided below to complete your assignment before uploading it to the assignment submission area.

Instructions:

Use a search engine such as Google to do the following:

1. Define GDP in your own words.
2. Report the current GDP in trillions of dollars.
3. Report the current Federal debt in trillions of dollars.
4. Report the outlays for the bottom line of the current (last) budget approved by Congress (surplus or shortage).
5. Report the revenues for the bottom line of the current (last) budget approved by Congress (surplus or shortage).
6. Report the deficit for the bottom line of the current (last) budget approved by Congress (surplus or shortage).
7. Report the debt held by the public for the bottom line of the current (last) budget approved by Congress (surplus or shortage).
8. Discuss the inferences drawn from the numbers collected and provide insight about the impact of the numbers on the American economy in a response that is at least 5 sentences in length

Over the decades trade volume has increased due to reduction in tariffs, increased trade agreements, and subsidies among other trade enhancing measures. Gerber (2018) observed that the trade system has established trading rules and reduced tariffs under the GATT and WTO umbrellas. Although there has been significant reduction in tariffs and trade barriers there are still advances to eliminate tariffs even further. One might argue that such a move would only have diminishing returns to trade negotiations and a minor impact on GDP. Why would nations then continue to desire further market openings? Please respond to either following and use examples where applicable: NB: You can choose to respond to 1 or 2 but 3 is mandatory. So, in total respond to at least 2 topics, 3 being one of the 2 topics. Cite at least three reasons why economists trade openings. Explain why costs to consumers of a tariff or quota are greater than the net welfare costs to the nation. Which industries are more heavily protected in the United States and Japan? Are high income or low-income nations more affected by American and Japanese trade barriers? Explain.

PICK ONE TOPIC AND WRITE ABOUT IT (maybe 3 pages?) or as much as you can :)

1. Discuss and explain in detail the legacy (inheritance) you want to leave behind for your children?

2. If you were granted three wishes for the present or future what would you wish for and why? Discuss and explain in detail.

3. Discuss in detail five things on your bucket list, and explain why you want to accomplish them in your life time.

4. If you were the President of the United States what policy would you make into law to support economic growth for the country? Discuss and explain in detail.

5. How does compassion for others influence your connection with other human beings outside of your family and friends? Discuss and explain in detail.

6. What is your favorite home cooked meal? Discuss and explain in detail why you chose that meal?

7. What is your favorite childhood story that you read or that was read to you as a child? Discuss and explain in detail why that story is your favorite.

8. If you could do one thing to unite a divided country what would you do and why? Discuss and explain in detail.

For each of the examples below, draw (or describe drawing) a sampling distribution around the reported mean, mark the upper and lower limits of the 95% confidence interval, and compute the mean values that correspond to those upper and lower limits.

1. Dr. Grimm collected a random sample of 30 sociology majors and administered an IQ test (σ = 15). This group had an average IQ of M = 105. Compute a 95% confidence interval to determine the population mean of psychology majors’ IQ scores.

2. According to 2016 data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, the average life expectancy in the United States is 78.6 years, with an approximate standard deviation, σ, of 15 years. A random sample of 45 dead rock musicians finds an average age of death of 45.2 years. Calculate a 95% confidence interval to determine the population mean of a rock musician’s life expectancy.

3. Dr. Morris collects information on text messaging from a random sample of 50 adults ages 25 to 44. Dr. Morris finds that these individuals send or receive an average of 75 text messages per day. Using a standard deviation, σ, of 22, calculate the 95% confidence interval for the average number of texts sent by adults in this age group.

Proterra was founded by Dale Hill in 2004 with a vision to design and manufacture world-leading, advanced technology heavy-duty vehicles powered solely by clean domestic fuels. After launching a first successful fleet of alternative fuel buses in the 1990s, Proterra focused on developing the 'bus of tomorrow.' Proterra Inc. also designs and manufactures heavy-duty vehicles including EcoRide, a battery electric and zero-emissions bus, and Proterra Catalyst, an electric transit vehicle. The company manufactures a TerraFlex Energy System that enables customers to select amount and type of energy storage to meet specific route requirements, plus TerraVolt fast-charge batteries, TerraVolt extended range batteries, an on-route charge station and in-depot charging services. It offers financing solutions, route simulation analysis, battery lifecycle management, and standard warranty services (Proterra, 2015). It serves customers throughout the United States. The company is privately owned, but is in the process of becoming a public corporation. With this expectation, the firm's chief executive officer (CEO) has asked for determination of which of two companies appears to be a better peer to compare itself against, New Flyer Industries, Inc. (a Toronto-based firm), or Tesla. Tesla Motor Vehicles designs, develops, manufactures, and sells high-performance fully electric vehicles and stationary energy storage units similar to certain Proterra products. Tesla Motors has subsidiaries in North America, Europe and Asia, with the primary purpose of these subsidiaries being to market, manufacture, sell and/or service their vehicles (Tesla Motors, 2016). New Flyer was founded in 1930, and is now the largest transit bus and motorcoach manufacturer and parts distributor in North America with fabrication, manufacturing, distribution and service centers in Canada and the United States. It is North America's heavy-duty transit bus leader and offers clean diesel, natural gas, diesel-electric hybrid, electric-trolley and battery-electric. Information regarding Tesla and New Flyer is given here, for your use in comparing these firms.

Tesla Versus New Flyer

Significance

Measure

TSLA

NFI

Total Market Value of all outstanding shares.

Market capitalization

33.63B

1.831B

Number of outstanding shares currently held by all shareholders.

Outstanding shares of stock

147.28M

59.742M

A Beta coefficient indicates the systemic risk that an asset has relative to an average asset. A risk-free asset has a Beta of zero.

Beta

1.28

0.16

The return the firm must earn on its existing assets to maintain the value of its stock, and the required return on any investments by the firm that have essentially the same risks as existing operations.

WACC

9.03%

8.34

PE ratio divided by expected future earnings growth (after multiplying the growth rate by 100).

PEG Ratio

18.47

0.5

A measure of profit per dollar of assets.

ROA

-7.04%

6.26%

A measure of how the stockholders fared during the year.

ROE

-113.20%

13.21%

A measure of how much investors are willing to pay per dollar of current earnings. Higher PEs are often taken to mean the firm has significant prospects for future growth.

P/E Ratio

-29.17

25.3

Ratio of Net income to sales.

Profit Margin

-23.91%

-3.83%

References

Bloomberg. United States rates and bonds.

Federal Reserve. (2016). Federal Reserve economic data.

Korosec, K. (2015). This startup is gearing up to be the Tesla of electric buses. Fortune Magazine.

Proterra. (2015). About Proterra.

Securities and Exchange Commission. (n.d.) SEC.gov home.

Tesla Motors. (2016). Tesla Motors, Inc. 2016 annual report.

Yahoo. (n.d.) Yahoo finance.

Assume that you are the finance manager for Proterra and you have been asked to provide an analysis of the following issues, as the firm develops benchmarks for its cost of capital (WACC) estimates. The firm's CEO has instructed you to use the pure play approach to estimate its WACC cost of capital, and has chosen Tesla Motors (ticker symbol TSLA) and New Flyer (ticker symbol NYI.TO) as possible representative peers (Korosec, 2015).

QUESTION: Analyze the relative applicability or inapplicability of utilizing these firms as peers to evaluate Proterra's likely cost of capital, with the given above data about Proterra, Tesla and New Flyer, and the lessons of Capital Market History.

When Song Mei Hui moved from being Vice President for Human Resources at Pierce & Pierce in Shanghai to her international assignment in New York, she was struck by the difference in perception of Pierce & Pierce as an employer in China and the United States. Pierce & Pierce in China stands for an attractive and popular place to work, as opposed to its image as an employer in the United States, which was one of an unattractive, traditional, and uninspiring place of work. This difference in perception was bothering Song Mei Hui, because a strong and appealing ‘employer brand’ has the capacity to attract (and retain) talent as denoted by the number of university graduates aspiring to work for companies such as SAS, Google, Cisco, and the Boston Consulting Group.According to Song Mei Hui, the drivers of employer attractiveness have evolved into a complex and challenging set in this day and age. Even though she believes that the success of the organization itself is at the cornerstone of being an attractive employer (and Pierce & Pierce is flourishing indeed), she feels that a wide variety of factors contribute to being successful in attracting and retaining talent. “For many employees, being a part of a profitable, thriving corporation is a reward on its own,” she says. “However, this is obviously not enough. Opportunities for empowerment, a feeling of achievement, a substantial compensation package, and a culture of grooming and development also play a major role in the decision making process of today’s young professionals. Job candidates are looking for a career, and not just for a job.”Song Mei Hui has hired a graduate student in management, Timothy Brice, to develop and test a model of employer attraction. The results of Timothy’s study should help Pierce & Pierce to become more popular as an employer in the United States and hence to attract and retain talented young professionals. Timothy has conducted a literature review and in-depth interviews with graduate students and young professionals who have just started their careers in order to establish the drivers of employer attractiveness. Based on the results of the literature review and the qualitative study, he has developed the following model. he effect of Brand Image on Employer attraction Employer brand image can be defined as the potential applicants’ perceptions of instrumental and symbolic attributes of an organization (cf. Backhaus and Tikoo, 2004; Lievens and Highhouse, 2003; Lievens, 2007; Martin, Beaumont, Doig and Pate, 2005). The instrumental dimension includes tangible attributes related to the job and/or the organization such as ‘job opportunities’, whereas the symbolic dimension includes (the perception of) intangible attributes of an employer (as if it were a person) such as ‘sincerity’ and ‘being exciting’. Both instrumental and symbolic attributes have been found to affect applicant attraction to an employer (Backhaus and Tikoo, 2004; Cable and Turban, 2001; Turban and Greening, 1997). Therefore, the following hypotheses are proposed:H1a: The more positive the perception of instrumental attributes of an employer, the stronger applicant attraction to the organization. H1b: The more positive the perception of symbolic attributes of an employer, the stronger applicant attraction to the organization. Feelings of significant others.If significant others in someone‘s surrounding (e.g., family and friends) tell this person that a company is a much better employer than other employers, someone’s level of attraction to Instrumental attributes:-Workplace atmosphere-Job opportunities-Industry characteristicsEmployer attractionSymbolic attributes:-Excitement-Sincerity-PrestigeSubjective norms that particular organization will grow. It is generally recognized that potential applicants often consult other people (e.g., family, friends, and/or acquaintances) about jobs and organizations(e.g., Van Hoye and Lievens, 2007)”. What’s more, Turban (2001) found that university personnel’s beliefs about organizations affect students’ attraction to that organization. Kilduff (1990) also found that in the early stages of job search, college students are heavily influenced by the beliefs of their friends and classmates. These findings all point at the relevance of social influences to potential applicants in influencing the level of employer attraction. Hence, the following hypothesis is proposed: H2: The more positive significant others are about an organization, the stronger applicant attraction to the organization. To test these hypotheses, Timothy has undertaken a quantitative field study. He has collected data using a questionnaire measuring the variables in his model and a couple of respondent characteristics such as age, gender, and level of education with closed-ended questions.

Suppose that multicollinearty is a problem in this study. What can Timothy do about it?

Do you expect that multicollinearty is a problem? Explain