Case study:

Married with two young children, John and his wife rented a two-bedroom apartment in a safe neighborhood with good schools. John liked his job as a delivery driver for a large foodservice distributor, where he had worked for more than four years. His goal was to become a supervisor in the next year. John’s wife was a stay-at-home mom.

John had always been healthy. Although he had health insurance through his job, he rarely needed to use it. He smoked half a pack of cigarettes each day and drank socially a couple of times a month.

One afternoon, John’s company notified him that it was laying him off along with more than a hundred other employees. Though he was devastated about losing his job, John was grateful that he and his wife had some savings that they could use for rent and other bills, in addition to the unemployment checks he would receive for a few months.

John searched aggressively for jobs in the newspaper and online, but nothing worked out. He began to have feelings of anger and worry that led to panic. His self-esteem fell, and he became depressed. When John’s wife was hired to work part-time at the grocery store, the couple felt better about finances. But demoralized by the loss of his job, John started to drink more often.

Two beers a night steadily increased to a six-pack. John and his wife started to argue more often. Then, about six months after losing his job, John stopped receiving unemployment checks. That week, he went on a drinking binge that ended in an argument with his wife. In the heat of the fight, he shoved her. The next day, John’s wife took the children and moved in with her parents. No longer able to pay the rent, John was evicted from the apartment.

John tried to reconcile with his wife, but she said she’d had enough. Over the next few months, John “couch-surfed” with various family members and friends. At one point, he developed a cold, and when it worsened over a few weeks, he sought care at the emergency department. The hospital staff told him that he would be billed because he didn’t have insurance. John agreed, and a doctor diagnosed him with a sinus infection and prescribed antibiotics. With no money to spare, John could not get the prescription filled.

John continued to live with family and friends, but his heavy drinking and anger only got worse, and his hosts always asked him to leave. He went from place to place. Finally, when John ran out of people to call, he found himself without a place to stay for the night and started sleeping at the park.

One night when John was drunk, he fell and got a cut on his shin. The injury became red and filled with pus. John was embarrassed about his poor hygiene and didn’t want a health care provider to see him. But when he developed a fever and pain, he decided to walk to the nearest emergency department. He saw a provider who diagnosed him with cellulitis, a common but potentially serious bacterial skin infection, and gave him a copy of the patient instructions that read “discharge to home” and a prescription for antibiotics. John could not afford the entire prescription when he went to pick up the antibiotics, but he was able to purchase half the tablets.

Winter arrived, and it was too cold for John to sleep outside, so he began staying at a shelter run by the church. Each morning, he had to leave the shelter by 6 AM. He walked the streets all day and panhandled for money to buy alcohol.

One evening, some teenage boys jumped John in the park, stealing his backpack and kicking him repeatedly. An onlooker called 911, and John was taken to the emergency department. Later that evening, the hospital discharged John. He returned many times to the emergency department for his health care, seeking treatment for frequent colds, skin infections, and injuries. Providers never screen him for homelessness and always discharge him back to “home.”

One day at the park, an outreach team from the local Health Care for the Homeless (HCH), one of about 250 such non-profit organizations in the United States, approached John. The team, including a doctor, nurse, and caseworker, introduced themselves and asked John, “Are you OK?” John didn’t engage. They offered him a sandwich and a warm blanket. John took the food without making eye contact. The team visited John for the next several days. John started making eye contact and telling the team about his shortness of breath and the cut on his arm. The team began seeing John frequently, and he began to trust them.

A couple of weeks later, John agreed to go to the HCH clinic. It was the first time in years that John went to a health clinic. Upon his arrival, the staff at the clinic registered him and signed him up for health insurance through Medicaid and food benefits. John felt comfortable in the clinic, and he saw some of the people who also stayed at the shelter and spent their days in the park. They were happy to see him and told John about how the clinic staff care and would be able to help.

John began going to the HCH clinic on a regular basis. He saw a primary care provider, Maggie, a nurse practitioner. In John’s words, she treated him like a real person. In addition to primary care, the clinic offered behavioral health services. Both scheduled appointments and walk-in care were available. John connected with a therapist and began working on his depression and substance abuse. A year later, John’s health has improved. He rarely needs to go to the emergency room. He is sober and working with a case manager in finding housing.

Discussion Questions:

1. What events in John’s life created a “downward spiral” into homelessness? Which events related to social needs, and which could health care have addressed?
2. What were some of the barriers John faced in accessing health care?
3. Why do you think the emergency department was the first place John thought to go for care? How might the emergency department improve care for patients like John?
4. Why do you think John wouldn’t make eye contact with the HCH team at first? How would you build a trusting relationship with a person like John?
5. What aspects of HCH care do you think represent high-quality care for the homeless? How do you think Maggie made John feel like he was a “real person?”
6. In your own experience, have you encountered a homeless individual? What was that like? Do you recall what you were thinking?

​​Remember some of these questions are Two questions in One. Ensure you answer all completely (detailed) but does not need to be a novel.

1.      According to most estimates, the size of the "underground" economy in the United States could be as large as

a.       The “above-ground” economy

b.      The economy of China

c.       10% of GDP

d.      The state of Rhode Island

2.      The GDP per capita tells us

a.       The amount of output each person would get if the economic pie were sliced evenly.

b.      The amount of output each worker would get if the economic pie were sliced evenly.

c.       The ratio of the maximum amount of output any person gets to the minimum amount of output each person gets.

d.      The median amount of output each person gets, adjusted for inequality.

3.      In the early 1940s, military planners needed to know the size of the economy so they could determine

a.       The size of the tax base in the case of war

b.      How many tanks and planes the economy could produce

c.       The military budget for the next five years

d.      Whether military spending was too large

4.      Government social benefits paid to individuals are

a.       Known as transfer payments, and are counted as part of government consumption and investment

b.      Known as transfer payments, and are typically used to fund personal consumption

c.       Known as output of government, and are counted as pert government consumption and investment

d.      Known as output of government, and are typically used to fund personal consumption

5.      GDP is defined as the dollar value of __________ in a given year.

a.       The total output of the economy

b.      All outputs used in the economy

c.       All intermediate and final goods produced in the economy

d.      The total purchases made in the economy

6.      In GDP calculations, the work of stay-at-home parents is

a.       Counted only for equivalent hours

b.      Not counted

c.       Counted as intermediate inputs

d.      Counted at 50%

7.      Government consumption includes all

a.       Salaries paid to factory workers

b.      Fuel for nuclear submarines

c.       Cola served in a company cafeteria

d.      Pencils bought by a private university

8.      Imports enter the calculation of GDP

a.       With a positive sign

b.      With a negative sign

c.       As an addition to changes in private inventories

d.      Through the personal consumption category

9.      Which of the following is NOT an element of the underground economy?

a.       Off the books babysitting

b.      Illegal drug deals

c.       Commissioned salespeople

d.      Cash only under the table businesses

10. If gross domestic purchases are ________, then net exports are ________.

a.       Greater than gross domestic product; greater than net imports

b.      Equal to zero; also equal to zero

c.       Greater than gross domestic product; positive

d.      Less than gross domestic product; positive

11. Gross domestic product does NOT include

a.       Personal consumption

b.      Intermediate inputs

c.       Residential investment

d.      Net exports

12. If a foreign car manufacturer builds a plant in the United States, the new plant will

a.       Increase U.S. GDP by the amount produced

b.      Have no effect on GDP because it is a foreign company

c.       Decrease U.S. GDP by the amount produced because of foreign ownership

d.      Increase U.S. GDP by the net exports of the company

Given that IKEA had to change its strategy for American market, did the company had to change itsinternationalization strategy for its entry into the Indian market?

The furniture industry is an example of an industry that did not lend itself to globalization before the 1960s. The reasons for that are its features. Furniture has a huge volume compared to its value, relatively high transport costs and is easily damaged in shipping. Government trade barriers also were unfavorable. But IKEA – company established in the 1940s in a small village in Sweden, has become one of the world’s leading retailers of home furnishings. In 2002 it was ranked 44th out of the top 100 brands by Interbrand, topping other known brands such as Pepsi. In 2002, it had more than 160 stores in 30 countries. How did IKEA achieve it? The IKEA business idea is: ‘We shall offer a wide range of well-designed, functional home furnishing products at prices so low that as many people as possible will be able to afford them.’ By the early 1960s the Swedish market was saturated and IKEA decided to expand its business formula outside Sweden. They noted: ‘Sweden is a very small country. It’s pretty logical: in a country like this, if you have a very strong and successful business, you’re bound to go international at some point. The reason is simple—you cannot grow any more’ (Retrieved from http://www.ikea.com). IKEA’s internationalization strategy in Scandinavian countries and the rest of Europe has not paid significant attention to local tastes and preferences in the different European countries. Only necessary changes were allowed, to keep costs under control and IKEA’s low responsiveness to local needs strategy seems to work well in Europe (Kling K., Gofeman I. 2003).

The first challenge came in 1985 when IKEA entered the US market and faced several problems there. The root of most of these problems was the company’s lack of attention to local needs and wants. US customers preferred large furniture kits and household items. As a result of initial poor performance in the US market, IKEA’s management realized that a standardized product strategy should be flexible enough to respond to local markets. In the early 1990s IKEA redesigned its strategy and adapted its products to the US market. Thanks to it IKEA’s sales in the US increased significant and by 2002 the US market accounted for 19% of IKEA’s revenue. As the case study illustrates, in several industries firms with effective strategy do not have to change their core strategy significantly when they move beyond their home market. IKEA does not significantly change its corporate strategy and operations to adapt to local markets unless there is a compelling reason for doing so. IKEA’s strategy in the US during the 1980s demonstrates that even the most successful formula in the home market can fail if multinational companies do not respond effectively to local business realities.

Question: Given that IKEA had to change its strategy for American market, did the company had to change its internationalization strategy for its entry into the Indian market?

1) True or False? In a simple regression with the sample size being 20, we find the sum of squared residuals to be 1800, then the mean square error of the regression equals 10.

2) True or False? A local trucking company fitted a regression to relate the travel time (days) of its shipments as a function of the distance traveled (miles). The fitted regression is Time = −7.126 + 0.0214 Distance, based on a sample of 20 shipments. The estimated standard error of the slope is 0.0053. In a right-tailed test for a nonpositive slope at ? ൌ 0.01, we fail to reject the null hypothesis that the slope is no more than zero.

3) True or False? Smaller mean square errors lead to wider prediction intervals for Y.

4)True or False? If there is non-normality of errors, the OLS estimators of the slope and intercept will be biased and inconsistent.

5) True or False? In a runs test with 80 residuals, we find there are 60 zero centerline crossings. It suggests there is negative autocorrelation for the errors

6) True or False? In a simple regression with 25 observations, a leverage statistic of 0.1 would indicate the corresponding observation has high leverage.

7) True or False? A studentized residual equal to -2.5 indicates the original residual is unusual.

16. The accompanying table shows a portion of a data set that refers to the property taxes owed by a homeowner (in $) and the size of the home (in square feet) in an affluent suburb 30 miles outside New York City.

a. Estimate the sample regression equation that enables us to predict property taxes on the basis of the size of the home. (Round your answers to 2 decimal places.)

TaxesˆTaxes^ =  +  Size.

b. Interpret the slope coefficient.

• As Size increases by 1 square foot, the property taxes are predicted to increase by $6.67.

• As Property Taxes increase by 1 dollar, the size of the house increases by 6.67 ft.

c. Predict the property taxes for a 1,600-square-foot home. (Round coefficient estimates to at least 4 decimal places and final answer to 2 decimal pl

A survey of 500 major U.S. manufacturing plants was completed in order to gain information about water pollution near each plant facility. Data have been collected on the amount of WATER POLLUTANTS (PL) found within ½ mile of each plant. (No plants were within 50 miles of each other). The pollutants were measured as the average parts per million based on each gallon of water sampled for each plant. For each plant, the AMOUNT OF WATER (W) used and the AVERAGE RAINFALL (R) was recorded. Plants were classified to be within one of four TYPES (chemical, paper, consumer durable goods, others) and the plant AGE (under 15 years; 15 years or older) was noted. A scale for LOCAL ENVIRONMENTAL REGULATIONS ENFORCEMENT was made (Strong enforcement; Moderate enforcement; Minimal to No Enforcement). Using these data, (20 points) a. Specify a linear model that would allow you test the effects of the impact of each variable above. b. Interpret each parameter in your model. c. Show how you would test the hypothesis that chemical and paper plant pollution is equal. d. How would you test the impact of local regulation enforcement on plant’s pollution

“I rented a car through price line via the internet. I got a great price for 10 days at 25$ a day. I reserved the car from Vernon NJ and I was scheduled to pick it up at the Ontario California airport. When I arrived to pick it up the Budget attendant said that priceline cancelled the reservation. I said no problem, I am here so reinstate it. They said sure and asked for $89 per day. I immediately called priceline who refused to do anything. I explained that I was stranded 2600 miles from home and rep kept repeating there was nothing she could do, it was budget who cancelled it- I demanded that the budget rep print the cancel order and; low and behold Budget cancelled it but it appears that it was in concert with priceline.” This is an example of: q) everyday low pricing h) dynamic pricing r) uniform delivered pricing i) loss-leader pricing s) bait and switch deceptive pricing j) price lining/pricing points t) price fixing p) cash discounts o) trade discounts l) basing-point pricing k) flexible-price policy

Making Money, Inc. is considering the purchase of a new truck so it can make more money. The truck costs $120,000.

Making Money, Inc. had been renting the truck every week for $500 per week plus $1.20 per mile. On average, the truck is traveling 75 miles per week.

If Making Money, Inc. purchases the truck, it will only have to pay for diesel fuel and maintenance, at about $.50 per mile. Insurance costs for the new truck are $5,000 per year.

The truck will probably be worth $20,000 (in real terms) after six years, when the company would be looking to sell the truck.

Assume a nominal discount rate of 10% and a forecasted inflation rate of 2.5%. The tax code is rapidly changing, so we are going to ignore taxes for now.

WHAT IS THE NPV of BUYING vs RENTING? (round to nearest whole dollar)

Hint: All numbers given in the questions are in real terms. Assume CF at end of year, for simplicity.

Hint #2:

Step 1: list assumptions

Step 2: calc real interest rate

Step 3: Calc cost (NPV) to rent

Step 4: Calc cost (NPV) to buy

Step 5: subtract NPVs

6. The coolest stars are those whose color is

a. blue
b. red
c. yellow
d. white


7. A pulsar is a powerful source of radio (and sometimes light) waves thought to be coming from

a. rapidly spinning white dwarf stars
b. supernovas
c. spinning stars composed primarily of neutrons
d. ordinary stars like our Sun which happen to be more energetic than the average


8. The existence of "black holes" has been

a. verified by actual astronomical observations
b. derived from a theoretical analysis of how large stars evolve and explode
c. disproved by recent astronomical evidence
d. used to explain the formation of our solar system


9. Our Milky-way galaxy has a diameter of approximately

a. 1,000,000 miles
b. 1,000,000,000 km
c. 4 light years
d. 100,000 light years


10. Current theories indicate that our universe is composed of huge galactic cluster of stars. These clusters

a. travel randomly in all directions
b. are all moving in the same direction
c. are approaching one another due to gravitational attractive forces
d. are moving away from one another at very high speeds