Economics is defined in the textbook as the study of… how people manage their resources to meet their needs and enhance their well-being. profit maximization by private enterprises. inflation, unemployment and taxation. how households, businesses and governments attain wealth all of the above

You are chairman of the board of a successful technology firm. there is a nominal federal corporate tax rate of 35 percent, yet the effective tax rate of the typical corporation is about 12.6%. your firm has been clever with use of transfer pricing and keeping money abroad and has barely paid any taxes over the last 5 years; during this same time period, profits were $28 billion. one member of the board feels that it is un-american to use various accounting strategies in order to avoid paying taxes. others feel that these are legal loopholes and corporations have a fiduciary responsibility to minimize taxes. one board member quoted what the ceo of exxon once said: “i’m not a u. s. company and i don’t make decisions based on what’s good for the u. s.” what are the alternatives? what are your recommendations? why do you recommend this course of action?

You receive a memo from the vice president of procurement responding to your query. he writes: “it will be very important to maintain product continuity. we have a large base of devoted customers. we want to make sure that the quality and key characteristics of island knight stay the same through this transition. talk to frank, our consulting professional perfumer, for more information about the cologne. seasonal variations in costs are the single most significant factor in our deciding to go with another supplier, so finding a way to limit that should be the top priority. the overall marginal costs and shipping costs are probably somewhat less significant. you may want to talk to cindy, the product manager for island knight, regarding pricing information about the product.” what is the best action to take next?

Why is the cournot equilibrium an​ equilibrium? a. there are​ short-run barriers to exit in a cournot​ duopoly, so both firms cannot alter their output levels. b. given the other​ firm's level of​ production, both firms are maximizing profits and cannot improve their situation by unilaterally altering their level of output. c. both firms operate at zero profit under a cournot​ equilibrium, so they would face negative profits if they change output. d. both firms operate at minimum​ long-run average cost under a cournot​ equilibrium, so changes to output would reduce​ long-run profits. even if they​ can't collude, why​ don't firms set their outputs at the joint​ profit-maximizing levels​ (i. e., the levels they would have chosen had they​ colluded)? a. given that other firm produces at the collusive​ level, a firm could increase their own profits by increasing output above the collusive level. b. the midpoint of the collusion curve​ (i. e., the collusive​ outcome) lies below the reaction​ curves, so both firms have an incentive to increase output under the cournot duopoly. c. both a and b are correct d. both a and b are incorrect