mba 5004 - course design guide - assignments layout

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Course Design Guide MBA/5004 1 South University Online Course Design Guide School of Business MBA/5004 Managerial Economics Course Description This course provides an overview of microeconomic concepts and applications to common business problems. Topics include supply and demand analysis, cost analysis, economies of scale, basic market types and their characteristics, pricing, risk analysis, and the government’s role in economic affairs. Policies This page provides information about requirements, factors, policies, and practices that are important to your success as a student at South University Online. Please review sections in the South University Online catalog that pertain to Institutional Policies and Academic Policies and Procedures. Also visit other links on this page to read about online course attendance and participation, academic integrity, scholarly writing, and grading. In addition, please familiarize yourself with the resources and services available to you by reviewing information provided in the Academic Resources page. Please Read and Respond. Once you have read the information and policies identified above please indicate that you have done so and that you understand it by posting a response in the Discussion Area below. Do not proceed to Week 1 until you have done so. Course Materials Hirschey, M. (2008). Fundamentals of managerial economics. Cengage Learning. Retrieved from http://myeclassonline.com

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Course Design GuideMBA/5004

1

South University Online

Course Design GuideSchool of Business

MBA/5004Managerial Economics

Course Description

This course provides an overview of microeconomic concepts and applications to common business problems. Topics include supply and demand analysis, cost analysis, economies of scale, basic market types and their characteristics, pricing, risk analysis, and the government’s role in economic affairs.

Policies

This page provides information about requirements, factors, policies, and practices that are important to your success as a student at South University Online. Please review sections in the South University Online catalog that pertain to Institutional Policies and Academic Policies and Procedures. Also visit other links on this page to read about online course attendance and participation, academic integrity, scholarly writing, and grading. In addition, please familiarize yourself with the resources and services available to you by reviewing information provided in the Academic Resources page. Please Read and Respond. Once you have read the information and policies identified above please indicate that you have done so and that you understand it by posting a response in the Discussion Area below. Do not proceed to Week 1 until you have done so.

Course Materials

Hirschey, M. (2008). Fundamentals of managerial economics. Cengage Learning.

Retrieved from http://myeclassonline.com

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Week One: Introduction to Managerial Economics

Details Points

Overview This week, you will learn about the factors that influence management decisions.

Management decisions must be made considering the operations and circumstances not only within the company but also within the economic environment outside the company, which includes other similar companies and the economy in general.

In this week, you will examine:

The way decision makers incorporate knowledge of the economic environment to make better decisions

The basic economic relationships of costs and revenue involved in the decision-making process

The basic supply and demand relationships and the way these concepts lead to market equilibrium

These relationships allow management to address the issues within the company, as well as those in the general economy, when making decisions that can determine the profitability of the company and even its existence in the long term.

Readings Read Week 1 online lectures From your course textbook, Fundamentals of managerial

economics, read the following chapters: Introduction to managerial economics Basic economic relations

Demand and supply

Participation Participate in class discussion.

Assignment #1Autobiography

By Thursday, November 28, 2013, post a brief autobiography to this Discussion Area. Introduce yourself to the class and outline your reasons for taking the course, your career aspirations, and anything else you wish to share with the class. Your introduction should cover the following details:

Name

Location Profession Work or professional experience, especially if it pertains to the

managerial field

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Expectations from this course and interest in its specific aspects

By the end of the week, review and comment on the autobiographies of your classmates. Comment on the expectations your peers have from the course.

Assignment #2Discussion Questions

The instructor will assign you two questions from the discussion questions listed below. Check the appropriate Discussion Area to see which questions have been assigned. By Friday, November 29, 2013, respond to the assigned discussion questions and submit your responses to the appropriate topic in this Discussion Area.

Respond to the assigned questions using the lessons and vocabulary found in the reading. Support your answers with examples and research and cite your research using the APA format.

Start reviewing and responding to the postings of your classmates as early in the week as possible. Respond to at least two of your classmates. Participate in the discussion by asking a question, providing a statement of clarification, providing a point of view with a rationale, challenging an aspect of the discussion, or indicating a relationship between one or more lines of reasoning in the discussion.

Discussion Question 1:Many believe that the study of economics belongs in the classroom or in the area of government policy decisions because economics is not an exact science and only provides us with theories on how an economy works. Can you dispute this idea? Can economics be used in a managerial context or in the decision-making process of business firms? If so, how? If not, why not?

Support your answers with examples and reasoning. Comment on the postings of at least two peers.

Discussion Question 2:Consider this statement: "To make effective decisions, managers must use basic cost and revenue relationships."

What are cost and revenue relationships? Describe them in detail.

What is the difference between marginal and incremental analysis? How can the methodology and tools of managerial economics help in decision making?

Support your answers with examples and reasoning. Comment on the postings of at least two peers.

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Assignment #3Midweek Assignment

Your instructor will assign you one of the topics for your assignment. Post your document to the appropriate W1: Assignment 3 Dropbox

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by Week 1, Day 4.

Kramer Smith Case

Kramer Smith owns a dry-cleaning service and is thinking about changing his advertising expenditures for the year. He hires you as a consultant to determine the relationship between sales, consumer incomes, and advertising by means of multiple regression analysis.

Smith has gathered the sales, income, and advertising data for the last year, as shown in Table 1.

Click here to view Table 1.

Create a report answering the following questions:

Construct a scatter graph showing the advertising and sales relationship over the last twelve months.

Using multiple regression, conduct an analysis of the firm’s sales revenue, consumer incomes, and advertising.

Describe how you would explain your results to Smith and what recommendations you would suggest.

Summarize your recommendations or advice to Smith concerning the relationship between sales, income, and advertising.

Create your report in a 2- to 3-page Microsoft Word document.

Name your report SU_MBA5004_W1_A3_LastName_FirstInitial.doc.

Submit your report to the W1: Assignment 3 Dropbox by Week 1, Day 4.

Cite any sources using the APA format on a separate page.

Assignment #4Final Project

For the final project for this course, each week, you will examine several topics regarding the economic analysis of a company and the environment in which it operates. In your report, you will use all the quantitative and qualitative tools discussed in class to examine, evaluate, and present the information requested each week.

Early in Week 1, you need to select a company of interest to you.

While selecting a company, ensure the following:

Information about the company is readily available.

The company is listed on one of the major stock exchanges.

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The company is not a financial or insurance company.

After selecting the company, submit the associated information to the instructor, requesting approval. All information used in your research must be the most current data available.

Report 1: Content Template

Discuss the supply and demand as well as elasticity concepts of the chosen company. Incorporate these concepts into an analysis that will validate how the company establishes its pricing strategy.

In your analysis of the company:

Include the following information about the company and summarize your findings:

o Where is the company's corporate office located?o How many years has the company been in business?o Where are the different markets for the company

located worldwide?o What are the company's major product lines, and what

is their significance to the company in terms of revenues and costs?

o What are the features of the company's products? What is the degree of similarity between the features of the products?

o Who is the company’s major competition?o What are the respective market shares being serviced

by the company? List the utilities the company's products provide to consumers. Identify and enumerate the factors affecting the supply,

demand, and price for the company's products. Examine whether the demand for the company's products is

relatively price elastic or relatively price inelastic and explain why.

Using multiple regression analysis, conduct an analysis of the relationship between sales levels, income levels, and the employment level in the overall economy over the last twelve months. Explain in detail your findings and recommendations using the appropriate indicators from your analysis.

On the basis of your analysis, suggest initiatives to improve the revenue of the company.

Create your report in a 2- to 3-page Microsoft Word document.

Name your report SU_MBA5004_W1_A4_LastName_FirstInitial.doc.

Submit your report to the W1: Assignment 4 Dropbox by

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Wednesday, December 4, 2013.

Cite any sources using the APA format on a separate page.

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Week Two: Demand and Supply Functions

Details Points

Overview

Last week, you learned about the nature of managerial economics. You learned that the basic goal of a company is to maximize its value. You also reviewed what the basic economic relationships are between costs and revenues and how they affect the decision-making process of management. Finally, you examined the workings of the market in terms of supply and demand.In Week 2, you will examine the demand and supply functions. You will analyze how these functions are influenced by various factors. You will discuss concepts of utility theory and elasticity and observe how elasticity affects pricing decisions. Finally, you will learn how companies must use tools such as a cost-volume-profit (CVP) analysis in the decision-making process in order to achieve market balance in the short term and the long term.

Readings Read Week 2 online lectures From your course textbook, Fundamentals of managerial

economics, read the following chapters: Demand analysis and estimation

Cost analysis and estimation

Participation Participate in class discussion.

Assignment #1Discussion Questions

The instructor will assign you two questions from the discussion questions listed below. Check the appropriate Discussion Area to see which questions have been assigned. By Friday, December 6, 2013, respond to the assigned discussion questions and submit your responses to the appropriate topic in this Discussion Area.

Respond to assigned questions using the lessons and vocabulary found in the reading. Support your answers with examples and research and cite your research using the APA format.

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Start reviewing and responding to the postings of your classmates as early in the week as possible. Respond to at least two of your classmates. Participate in the discussion by asking a question, providing a statement of clarification, providing a point of view with a rationale, challenging an aspect of the discussion, or indicating a relationship between one or more lines of reasoning in the discussion.

Discussion Question 1:One of the major concerns of managers and managerial economics is the demand for a company's product. Many factors influence the demand curve for a product, and they all must be included, to some degree, in estimating the demand curve. Define the following factors and discuss how they can affect the demand curve for a product:

Inferior versus normal goods Substitution and income effects Derived demand Changes in demand and changes in quantity demanded

Support your answers with examples and reasoning. Comment on the postings of at least two peers.

Discussion Question 2:With regard to profit maximization, managers are concerned about the responsiveness of the quantity demanded for variables such as the price of a product, prices of related products, and consumer incomes. Describe the types of measures and information a manager requires to measure the effects of these variables on costs and revenues. How do these measures assist in profit-maximizing decisions?Support your answers with examples and reasoning. Comment on the postings of at least two peers.

Assignment #2Midweek Assignment

Your instructor will assign you one of the topics for your assignment. Post your document to the appropriate W2: Assignment 2 Dropbox by Week 2, Day 4.

Golden Star Winery Case

Golden Star Winery produces midlevel wines consumed primarily in North America. Given below is the projected income statement for the company for 2011.

Projected Income Statement (2011)

 Sales (100,000 cases at $7 per case)   $700,000

 Cost of goods sold:    

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 Materials $180,000  

 Labor $225,000  

 Fixed manufacturing expenses $45,000  

     

 Administrative and selling expenses:    

 Delivery $30,000  

 Commissions $50,000  

 Advertising $10,000  

 Travel $5,000  

 Fixed administrative and selling expenses

$15,000  

 Total expenses   $560,000

 Net income before taxes   $140,000

Create a report answering the following questions:

Complete the following table in a fully functional Microsoft Excel spreadsheet.

PriceQuanti

ty

Total Reven

ue

Total Variable Cost

Total Fixed Cost

Total Cost

Profit

$8.00 65,000          $7.75 75,000          $7.50 80,000          $7.25 90,000          

$7.00 100,00

0         

$6.75 115,00

0         

$6.50 120,00

0         

Using Excel, prepare a graph showing the breakeven point and any profit or loss at the current price of $7. Explain to the Golden Star management the implications of this analysis.

What is the elasticity coefficient for each price between $6.50 and $7.50? Is the demand elastic or inelastic at these points? How can this information be useful to management in its pricing and output

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decisions? On the basis of your calculations and the

information above, what recommendations would you make to Golden Star in terms of price and output levels?

Create your report in a 2- to 3-page Word document.

Name your Excel sheet SU_MBA5004_W2_A2_LastName_FirstInitial.xls.

Name your report SU_MBA5004_W2_A2_LastName_FirstInitial.doc.

Submit your Excel sheet and report to the W2: Assignment 2 Dropbox by Week 2, Day 4.

Assignment #3Final Project

In Week 2, you will examine the nature and cost structure of the company you selected. Analyze the past, current, and future cost considerations of the company and, on the basis of your costs analysis, create a list of strategies to enhance the company’s profit.

In your analysis, include the following information about the various costs that affect the company:

Fixed costs, such as land, rent, utility bills, property taxes, mortgage payments, fire insurance, and lease on delivery trucks

Variable costs, such as wages of production workers or salespeople, raw materials, electric power, and inventory

Life cycle costs, such as acquisition, installation, operation, maintenance, refurbishment, and disposal fees

Operating costs, such as failures, repairs, spares, downtime, and loss of production

This report will be the next step in building your Final Term Project due in Week 5.

Create your report in a 2- to 3-page Microsoft Word document. Attach any supporting documents, such as

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spreadsheets, as an appendix.

Name your report SU_MBA5004_W2_A3_LastName_FirstInitial.doc.

Submit your report to the W2: Assignment 3 Dropbox by Wednesday, December 11, 2013.

Cite any sources using the APA format on a separate page.

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Week Three: Market Structures

Details Points

Overview

In Week 2, you examined the demand and supply functions and analyzed how these functions are influenced by various factors. You explored the concept of elasticity and discussed how it affects pricing decisions. You also examined the decision-making processes that companies must engage in to achieve market balance in the short and the long term by using tools such as Cost-Volume-Profit (CVP) analysis.In Week 3, you will discuss different market structures and their characteristics. You will examine the criteria for profit maximization or loss minimization. You will also discuss market failure. In addition, you will look at government intervention in markets and its effects on the decision-making process of management.

Readings Week 3 online lectures From your course textbook, Fundamentals of managerial

economics, read the following chapters: Pricing practices Competitive markets

Performance and strategy in competitive markets

Participation Participate in class discussion.

Assignment #1Discussion Questions

The instructor will assign you two questions from the discussion questions listed below. Check the appropriate Discussion Area to see which questions have been assigned. By Friday, December 13, 2013, respond to the assigned discussion questions and submit your responses to the appropriate topic in this Discussion Area.

Respond to assigned questions using the lessons and vocabulary found in the reading. Support your answers with examples and research and cite your research using

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the APA format.

Start reviewing and responding to the postings of your classmates as early in the week as possible. Respond to at least two of your classmates. Participate in the discussion by asking a question, providing a statement of clarification, providing a point of view with a rationale, challenging an aspect of the discussion, or indicating a relationship between one or more lines of reasoning in the discussion.

Discussion Question 1:To achieve company goals, managers must make decisions regarding pricing and output. These decisions will be influenced by the nature of the company's market environment or structure. In case of competitive firms, how does the market structure affect the pricing and output decisions of individual firms? What are the basic characteristics of a competitive firm?

Support your answers with examples and reasoning. Comment on the postings of at least two peers.

Discussion Question 2:In general, competitive markets allocate resources to the highest and best use. Then why does market failure—a situation in which too many or too few resources are allocated to the production or consumption of a good or service—occur?

Adam Smith, widely known as the father of modern economics, expounded the theory of the free market and opposed any form of economic concentration. He believed that establishing a price that provides a fair return on land, labor, and capital distorts the market's natural ability. Was he correct or incorrect in his theories concerning the efficiency of the marketplace? Explain.

Support your answers with examples and reasoning. Comment on the postings of at least two peers.

Assignment #2Midweek Assignment

Your instructor will assign you one of the topics for your assignment. Post your document to the appropriate W3: Assignment 2 Dropbox by Week 3, Day 4.

TopicsCrossroads Sign Case

Bravo Pork Rinds Case

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Assignment #3Final Project

This week, you will apply the specific knowledge of market structures you have gained in class to the company you selected.

Create an analysis report addressing the following points:

Describe the market structure in which the company competes with regard to its products. In your report, answer the following questions:

o Who is a major competitor of the company?o Do the company and the competitor share the

same target market?o What differentiates the company's products

from its competitor's in terms of utility?o What differentiates the company's products

from its competitor's in terms of packaging, size, and availability?

o Are the company's products available in the same geographic location, both domestic and international, as those of its competitor?

o Who has more global reach, the company or its competitor?

In your report, answer the following questions with regard to the company's pricing strategy for its products:

o In reference to its competitors, is the company the price leader? If not, who is?

o Is the pricing of the company at the skimming (high) or penetration (low) level? Provide a rationale for your answer. Include at least three competitors’ prices.

In your report, answer the following questions with regard to the measures the company has taken in an effort to sustain or enhance its competitive position in the given market structure:

o Does the company have a strong marketing budget to create awareness for its products?

o What types of media advertising has the company used?

o Which two countries has the company entered? Has it been received favorably?

o Does the company offer value-added benefits,

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such as an extended warranty, rebates, buy-one-get-one promotions, seasonal or quantity discounts, free samples, etc., with its products that its competitor does not?

Create your report in a 2- to 3-page Microsoft Word document.

Name your report SU_MBA5004_W3_A3_LastName_FirstInitial.doc.

Submit your report to the W3: Assignment 3 Dropbox by Wednesday, December 18, 2013.

Cite any sources using the APA format on a separate page.

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Week Four: Noncompetitive Markets

Details Points

Overview

Last week, you examined different market structures and their characteristics and the criteria for profit maximization and loss minimization. You also discussed market failure. You concluded the lectures with a discussion of government intervention in markets and its effect on the decision-making process.In Week 4, you will focus on the noncompetitive markets of a monopoly. You will examine the level of government involvement in these markets in terms of antitrust legislation. In addition, you will explore the market structures of an oligopoly.Let's begin this week's lectures with a discussion of monopoly and monopolistic competition.

Readings Week 4 online lectures From your course textbook, Fundamentals of managerial

economics, read the following chapters: Monopoly and monopsony

Monopolistic competition and oligopoly

Participation Participate in class discussion.

Assignment #1Discussion Questions

The instructor will assign you two questions from the discussion questions listed below. Check the appropriate Discussion Area to see which questions have been assigned. By Friday, December 20, 2013, respond to the assigned discussion questions and submit your responses to the appropriate topic in this Discussion Area.

Respond to assigned questions using the lessons and vocabulary found in the reading. Support your answers with examples and research and cite your research using the APA format.

Start reviewing and responding to the postings of your classmates as early in the week as possible. Respond to

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at least two of your classmates. Participate in the discussion by asking a question, providing a statement of clarification, providing a point of view with a rationale, challenging an aspect of the discussion, or indicating a relationship between one or more lines of reasoning in the discussion.

Discussion Question 1:Which market structure—perfect competition or monopoly—will result in a more efficient use of an economy's resources? Why? What conditions must exist to facilitate the efficient use of the economy's resources? How realistic are these conditions?

Support your answers with examples and reasoning. Comment on the postings of at least two peers.

Discussion Question 2:Assume you are hired as a consultant by Barks Industries, a company in a monopolistically competitive industry. How would you advise the company in terms of pricing, output, resource usage, and advertising? Would the company encounter any problems in decision making?Support your answers with examples and reasoning. Comment on the postings of at least two peers.

Assignment #2Midweek Assignment

Your instructor will assign you one of the topics for your assignment. Post your document to the appropriate W4: Assignment 2 Dropbox by Week 4, Day 4.

Calculating the Industry Output and Market Share

Assume you are the manager of Abba Cable Company, which provides commercial communication services to the town of Canyon Lake, Texas. Because of licensing restrictions in the market, only your company and two others (Babba and Cabba) are allowed to operate in this market. The three companies decide to form a cartel and divide the market shares such that each company will provide services that will maximize its profits. The licensing restrictions allow each company to sell as much as it wants at a price ceiling of $2,200. You have the following output and MC data for each company:

Output MC ($)Q Abba Babba Cabba

1,000 2,500 2,600 2,7002,000 2,400 2,300 2,5003,000 2,200 2,100 2,300

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4,000 2,000 2,000 2,1005,000 2,100 2,200 2,2006,000 2,200 2,500 2,300

a. Calculate the industry output and market share at the current price of $2,200, assuming the prices are stable and unlikely to change.

b. Assume the current prices in the market are challenged by the regulatory agency, resulting in a new maximum price of $2,000. How will this change the industry output and market share for each company?

c. Is there any incentive for any company to cheat under either of the conditions in tasks a and b? Why or why not?

Create your report in a 2- to 3-page Microsoft Word document.

Name your report SU_MBA5004_W4_A2_LastName_FirstInitial.doc.

Submit your report to the W4: Assignment 2 Dropbox by Week 4, Day 4.

Cite any sources using the APA format on a separate page.

Assignment #3Final Project

This week, you will apply specific knowledge of the considerations for managerial decision making in international trade and the comparative advantage for the selected company over its competitors.

Create an analysis report including the following information:

The advantages and disadvantages of the company's involvement in international trade

Trade-off considerations the company faces in the international marketplace

Describe the methods the company uses to identify

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opportunities, threats, viable alternatives, and consequences.

Specific comparative advantages the company possesses in the selected product

Strategies to enhance the company's competitive position in the different domestic and international markets and market structures

Create your report in a 2- to 3-page Microsoft Word document.

Name your report SU_MBA5004_W4_A3_LastName_FirstInitial.doc.

Submit your report to the W4: Assignment 3 Dropbox by Wednesday, January 1, 2014.

Cite any sources using the APA format on a separate page.

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Week Five: Long-Term Investment Decisions

Details Points

Overview

Last week, you focused on the noncompetitive markets of a monopoly. You examined the level of government involvement in these markets in terms of antitrust legislation. You also explored the market structures of an oligopoly.In Week 5, you will focus on the process by which a company makes long-term investment decisions. The concept of risk will be introduced in terms of the different types of risks faced by a firm and the various methods that can be used to measure risk and incorporate those factors into the decision-making process related to long-term investments. The capital-budgeting process will also be examined, including cash flow estimation and evaluation. Next, you will discuss and evaluate the decision rules of the three most often used methods—net present value (NPV), internal rate of return (IRR), and payback—for cash flow evaluation. Finally, you will examine the financing decisions made by firms using the concept of the cost-of-capital approach in terms of the influence on the adoption of an optimal capital budget.

Readings Week 5 online lectures From your course textbook, Fundamentals of managerial

economics, read the following chapters: Risk analysis

Capital budgeting

Participation Participate in class discussion.

Assignment #1Discussion Questions

The instructor will assign you two questions from the discussion questions listed below. Check the appropriate Discussion Area to see which questions have been assigned. By Friday, January 3, 2014, respond to the assigned discussion questions and submit your responses to the appropriate topic in this Discussion Area.

Respond to assigned questions using the lessons and vocabulary found in the reading. Support your answers

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with examples and research and cite your research using the APA format.

Start reviewing and responding to the postings of your classmates as early in the week as possible. Respond to at least two of your classmates. Participate in the discussion by asking a question, providing a statement of clarification, providing a point of view with a rationale, challenging an aspect of the discussion, or indicating a relationship between one or more lines of reasoning in the discussion.

Discussion Question 1:Many companies produce more than one product. What is the motivation to do this? How do the rules for profit maximization differ between a single-product company and a multiproduct company? Would a company make secondary products even though it loses money or has zero profits on those products? Why?

Support your answers with examples and reasoning. Comment on the postings of at least two peers.

Discussion Question 2:What are the different types of risks a company faces when making investment decisions? Which types of risks are controllable? Which types are uncontrollable? Explain with an appropriate rationale. How can a company incorporate risk into the decision-making process?Support your answers with examples and reasoning. Comment on the postings of at least two peers.

Assignment #2Midweek Assignment

Your instructor will assign you one of the topics for your assignment. Post your document to the appropriate W5: Assignment 2 Dropbox by Week 5, Day 4.

Incorporation of Risk into the Decision-Making Process

Your company has asked you to analyze two mutually exclusive projects for the coming year. Project A will have an initial outlay of $7,200. Project B will cost $6,800. Both projects will last for three years.

On the basis of the information regarding the risk involved in the two projects, you came up with the following probability distributions for the projects:

Project A Project B

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Probability

Net Cash Flows ($)

Probability

Net Cash Flows ($)

0.3 8,100 0.3 5000.5 9,100 0.5 8,1000.2 10,500 0.2 16,500

To evaluate the two projects, you decide to use the company's weighted average cost of capital (WACC) for the less risky project (11 percent) and the WACC plus two points (13 percent) for the more risky project.

What is the expected value for each project? What does this value represent?

What is the coefficient of variation for each project? What information does this measure provide to you and to the company?

Which project has the most risk? Why? What is the risk-adjusted NPV for each project?

What do these measures tell you and the company? Which project would you recommend to

management, and how would you justify your selection?

If these two projects were not mutually exclusive, would you select both? Why or why not?

Create your report in a 2- to 3-page Microsoft Word document.

Name your report SU_MBA5004_W5_A2_LastName_FirstInitial.doc.

Submit your report to the W5: Assignment 2 Dropbox by Week 5, Day 4.

Cite any sources using the APA format on a separate page.

Assignment #3Final Project

Final Project: Risk, Optimal Plant Size, and Government Involvement in a Company's Operations

This week, you will focus on the fundamentals of long-

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term decision making by the selected company.

Create an analysis report examining and discussing the company's long-term strategies and decision-making process. In your analysis report:

Identify the company's long-term objectives and goals.

Evaluate the direction the company is going in, in terms of its products and market strategies.

Identification of risk measurements and strategies of risk minimization to anticipate uncertainty.

Describe the company’s long-term objectives on profitability, competitive activities, and technological and market leadership, as well as its social and environmental responsibilities.

Identify the process by which the company identifies and raises funds for capital investments. Describe the cost structures of these funds from both internal and external sources.

Create your report in a 2- to 3-page Microsoft Word document.. Name your report SU_MBA5004_W5_A3_LastName_FirstInitial.doc. Submit your report to the W5: Assignment 3 Dropbox by Wednesday, January 8, 2014. Cite any sources using the APA format on a separate page.

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Week Six: Effects of Market Failure

Details Points

Overview

Last week, you focused on the capital-budgeting process, especially cash flow estimation and evaluation, by which a company makes long-term investment decisions. You were also introduced to the concept of risk. In addition, you examined the financing decisions companies make using the cost-of-capital approach in terms of the influence of such decisions on the adoption of an optimal capital budget.In Week 6, you will explore the effects of market failure on the economy and the methods by which the government deals with these market externalities. You will also examine the concepts of private and public goods and the reasons resources must be allocated to the two types of goods.Let's begin this week's lectures with a discussion on public goods and externalities.

Readings Week 6 online lectures From your course textbook, Fundamentals of managerial

economics, read the following chapter:

Government in the market economy

Assignment #1Discussion Questions

The instructor will assign you two questions from the discussion questions listed below. Check the appropriate Discussion Area to see which questions have been assigned. By Friday, January 10, 2014, respond to the assigned discussion questions and submit your responses to the appropriate topic in this Discussion Area.

Respond to assigned questions using the lessons and vocabulary found in the reading. Support your answers with examples and research and cite your research using the APA format.

Start reviewing and responding to the postings of your classmates as early in the week as possible. Respond to at least two of your classmates. Participate in the discussion by asking a question, providing a statement of

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clarification, providing a point of view with a rationale, challenging an aspect of the discussion, or indicating a relationship between one or more lines of reasoning in the discussion.

Discussion Question 1:Mary lives next door to Mike. Since she works the night shift, she suggests to Mike the idea of constructing a light post between their two houses. He agrees and tells her to get the light post constructed and to send him the bill for his share. Later, however, he refuses to pay his share of the cost. Mike now has the benefits of the light at no cost, and Mary can do nothing about it.

This situation can also occur in the marketplace, where no one can be excluded from using a public good such as electricity and water. What actions can be or are being taken to deal with such situations? Give examples.

What are public goods? Why must the government provide them or force the private sector to provide them? What is the free-rider problem?

Support your answers with examples and reasoning. Comment on the postings of at least two peers.

Discussion Question 2:What is Pareto optimality? How can this concept be applied to government programs and their implementation? Can marginal analysis be applied to the evaluation of government programs?Support your answers with examples and reasoning. Comment on the postings of at least two peers.

Assignment #2Final Project

This week, your final project is due for submission. Your final project should adhere to the following guidelines:

Ensure the final assignments in the weekly tasks of Weeks 1–5 form the basic outline and content for your final report.

Change or add to this format, if required. Put together a final paper that constitutes one

comprehensive report, not a series of weekly reports, copied together into one paper.

Include the following information in your final term paper:

60

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An executive summary of your final report

The major factors responsible for the success of the selected company

The factors that may need improvement Any recommendations you may have to offer the

company

Create your final term paper in a 12- to 15-page Microsoft Word document. Attach any supporting documents, such as spreadsheets, as an appendix.

Name your final term paper SU_MBA5004_W6_A2_LastName_FirstInitial.doc.

Submit your final term paper to the W6: Assignment 2 Dropbox by Saturday, January 11, 2014.

Cite any sources using the APA format on a separate page.

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Week 2 – Midweek Assignment

The Sales and Advertising Data (2009)

Table 1

MonthAdvertising

($)Sales

($)

Consumer Income ($)

January 10,000 43,000 41,000

February 9,000 40,500 43,000

March 11,000 41,000 45,000

April 12,000 45,900 47,000

May 11,000 47,000 49,000

June 12,000 51,000 51,000

July 13,000 54,000 53,000

August 13,000 57,000 55,000

September 14,000 56,000 57,000

October 15,000 60,000 58,000

November 15,800 61,000 59,000

December 16,700 63,000 61,000

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Week 3 – Midweek Assignment

Topic: Crossroads Sign Case

Assume you are the plant manager for Crossroads Sign Company, which produces road signs in a market that approximates perfect competition. Due to a slow economy, business has been slow and the company is losing money every month. The owners have asked you whether to continue operations or to shut down at least until the economy improves. You have the following information available:

Marginal Revenue (MR) = $130Total Cost (TC) = $1,100 + 135Q + 0.6Q2

Marginal Cost (MC) = 135 + 1.2Q

As the plant manager, should you recommend to the owners that the plant be shut down for a while? Justify your answer using at least two analytical techniques and presenting the information graphically.

Create your report in a 2- to 3-page Microsoft Word document.

Name your report SU_MBA5004_W3_A2_LastName_FirstInitial.doc.

Submit your report to the W3: Assignment 2 Dropbox by Week 3, Day 4.

Cite any sources using the APA format on a separate page.

Assignment 2 Grading Criteria Maximum

PointsAnalyzed and justified whether, as the plant manager, you should recommend to the owners that the plant be shut down for a while.

15

Used at least two analytical techniques to justify your response and presented the information graphically.

15

Presented a structured document free of spelling and grammatical errors.

5

Properly cited sources using the APA format. 5Total:

Topic 2: Bravo Pork Rinds Case

Assume you are the plant manager for Bravo Pork Rinds, which produces pork products in a market that approximates perfect competition. Due to a slow economy, business has been slow and you are losing money every month. The owners have asked you whether to continue operations or to shut down at least until the economy improves. You have the following information available:

  

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Marginal Revenue (MR) = $105Total Cost (TC) = $1,200 + 135Q – 0.6Q2

Marginal Cost (MC) = 135 – Q

As the plant manager, should you recommend to the owners that the plant be shut down for a while? Justify your answer using at least two techniques and presenting the information graphically.

Name your report SU_MBA5004_W3_A2_LastName_FirstInitial.doc.

Submit your report to the W3: Assignment 2 Dropbox by Week 3, Day 4.

Cite any sources using the APA format on a separate page.

Assignment 2 Grading Criteria Maximum

PointsAnalyzed and justified whether, as the plant manager, you should recommend to the owners that the plant be shut down for a while.

15

Used at least two analytical techniques to justify your response and presented the information graphically.

15

Presented a structured document free of spelling and grammatical errors.

5

Properly cited sources using the APA format. 5Total: 40