A.being manufactured
B.manufactured
C.manufacturer
D.manufacturing
(1)计算该生产函数下劳动的平均产量和边际产量;
(2)该生产函数是否显示了劳动的边际报酬递减,请解释;
(3)请直观地解释劳动边际产量为负的原因?
Suppose a chair manufacturer is producing in the short run (with its existing plant and equipment). The manufacturer has observed the fallowing levels of production corresponding to different numbers of workers:
a. Calculable the marginal and average product of labor for this production function.
b. Does this production function exhibit diminishing returns to labor? Explain.
e. Explain intuitively what might cause the marginal product of labor to become negative,
5 The directors of Blaina Packaging Co (BPC), a well-established manufacturer of cardboard boxes, are currently
considering whether to enter the cardboard tube market. Cardboard tubes are purchased by customers whose
products are wound around tubes of various sizes ranging from large tubes on which carpets are wound, to small
tubes around which films and paper products are wound. The cardboard tubes are usually purchased in very large
quantities by customers. On average, the cardboard tubes comprise between 1% and 2% of the total cost of the
customers’ finished product.
The directors have gathered the following information:
(1) The cardboard tubes are manufactured on machines which vary in size and speed. The lowest cost machine is
priced at $30,000 and requires only one operative for its operation. A one-day training course is required in order
that an unskilled person can then operate such a machine in an efficient and effective manner.
(2) The cardboard tubes are made from specially formulated paper which, at times during recent years, has been in
short supply.
(3) At present, four major manufacturers of cardboard tubes have an aggregate market share of 80%. The current
market leader has a 26% market share. The market shares of the other three major manufacturers, one of which
is JOL Co, are equal in size. The product ranges offered by the four major manufacturers are similar in terms of
size and quality. The market has grown by 2% per annum during recent years.
(4) A recent report on the activities of a foreign-based multinational company revealed that consideration was being
given to expanding operations in their packaging division overseas. The division possesses large-scale automated
machinery for the manufacture of cardboard tubes of any size.
(5) Another company, Plastic Tubes Co (PTC) produces a narrow, but increasing, range of plastic tubes which are
capable of housing small products such as film and paper-based products. At present, these tubes are on average
30% more expensive than the equivalent sized cardboard tubes sold in the marketplace.
Required:
(a) Using Porter’s five forces model, assess the attractiveness of the option to enter the market for cardboard
tubes as a performance improvement strategy for BPC. (10 marks)
nadino, California. Now a new McDonald’s restaurant opens every eight hours somewhere in the world. The restaurant chain serves about 45 million customers every day. The corporation’s yellow M is recognized by people all over the world as a symbol of dynamism, happiness and, above all, America. The busiest restaurant, however, is in Moscow.
Coca-Cola
Coca-Cola is the most successful product in history and today it is sold in 185 countries. The drink was invented in 1886 by pharmacist John Pemberton in Atlanta, Georgia, while he was trying to stop his addiction to morphine. It is estimated that 200 million cans or bottles of coke are sold every 24 hours. 80% of Coca-Cola’s profits now come from outside the United States.
Nokia
Ironically, the Nokia Corporation started life as a paper manufacturer – the original form. of communication. Nearly 150 years later, this Finnish company is the world’s largest mobile phone producer and accounts for more than a quarter of Finland’s total economy. Nokia was the pioneer of mobile phone communication. In fact, the first text message was sent by the mayor of Helsinki on a Nokia mobile in 1991.
Levi
Levi Strauss & Co. was founded in 1853 and 20 years later they produced their first pair of jeans. The trousers were designed as tough, long-lasting work clothes for the worker of San Francisco. In the 1960s, blue jeans became very popular and since then they have never gone out of fashion. It is estimated that Levi Strauss & Co. now make approximately 2% of the world’s clothes.
1.McDonald’s was founded in_______.
A、New York
B、California
C、Texas
2.The busiest McDonald’s restaurant is in_______.
A、America
B、Britain
C、Moscow
3.Coca-Cola was invented by_______.
A、a pharmacist
B、a doctor
C、a nutritionist
4.Nokia is based in_______.
A、Japan
B、Korea
C、Finland
5.The first pair of Levi’s jeans were made in_______.
A、1853
B、1873
C、1903
sports retailing business in the UK has undergone a major change over the past ten years. First of all the supply side
has been transformed by the emergence of a few global manufacturers of the core sports products, such as training
shoes and football shirts. This consolidation has made them increasingly unwilling to provide good service to the
independent sportswear retailers too small to buy in sufficiently large quantities. These independent retailers can stock
popular global brands, but have to order using the Internet and have no opportunity to meet the manufacturer’s sales
representatives. Secondly, UK’s sportswear retailing has undergone significant structural change with the rapid growth
of a small number of national retail chains with the buying power to offset the power of the global manufacturers.
These retail chains stock a limited range of high volume branded products and charge low prices the independent
retailer cannot hope to match.
Good Sports has survived by becoming a specialist niche retailer catering for less popular sports such as cricket,
hockey and rugby. They are able to offer the specialist advice and stock the goods that their customers want.
Increasingly since 2000 Good Sports has become aware of the growing impact of e-business in general and e-retailing
in particular. They employed a specialist website designer and created an online purchasing facility for their
customers. The results were less than impressive, with the Internet search engines not picking up the company
website. The seasonal nature of Good Sports’ business, together with the variations in sizes and colours needed to
meet an individual customer’s needs, meant that the sales volumes were insufficient to justify the costs of running
the site.
Bob, however, is convinced that developing an e-business strategy suited to the needs of the independent sports
retailer such as Good Sports will be key to business survival. He has been encouraged by the growing interest of
customers in other countries to the service and product range they offer. He is also aware of the need to integrate an
e-business strategy with their current marketing, which to date has been limited to the sponsorship of local sports
teams and advertisements taken in specialist sports magazines. Above all, he wants to avoid head-on competition
with the national retailers and their emphasis on popular branded sportswear sold at retail prices that are below the
cost price at which Good Sports can buy the goods.
Required:
(a) Provide the partners with a short report on the advantages and disadvantages to Good Sports of developing
an e-business strategy and the processes most likely to be affected by such a strategy. (12 marks)
ago, the Perfect Shopper franchise group was launched that allowed these neighbourhood shops to join the group
and achieve cost savings on tinned and packaged goods, particularly groceries. Perfect Shopper purchases branded
goods in bulk from established food suppliers and stores them in large purpose-built warehouses, each designed to
serve a geographical region. When Perfect Shopper was established it decided that deliveries to these warehouses
should be made by the food suppliers or by haulage contractors working on behalf of these suppliers. Perfect Shopper
places orders with these suppliers and the supplier arranges the delivery to the warehouse. These arrangements are
still in place. Perfect Shopper has no branded goods of its own.
Facilities are available in each warehouse to re-package goods into smaller units, more suitable for the requirements
of the neighbourhood shop. These smaller units, typically containing 50–100 tins or packs, are usually small trays,
sealed with strong transparent polythene. Perfect Shopper delivers these to its neighbourhood shops using specialist
haulage contractors local to the regional warehouse. Perfect Shopper has negotiated significant discounts with
suppliers, part of which it passes on to its franchisees. A recent survey in a national grocery magazine showed that
franchisees saved an average of 10% on the prices they would have paid if they had purchased the products directly
from the manufacturer or from an intermediary – such as cash and carry wholesalers.
As well as offering savings due to bulk buying, Perfect Shopper also provides, as part of its franchise:
(i) Personalised promotional material. This usually covers specific promotions and is distributed locally, either using
specialist leaflet distributors or loosely inserted into local free papers or magazines.
(ii) Specialised signage for the shops to suggest the image of a national chain. The signs include the Perfect Shopper
slogan ‘the nation’s local’.
(iii) Specialist in-store display units for certain goods, again branded with the Perfect Shopper logo.
Perfect Shopper does not provide all of the goods required by a neighbourhood shop. Consequently, it is not an
exclusive franchise. Franchisees agree to purchase specific products through Perfect Shopper, but other goods, such
as vegetables, fruit, stationery and newspapers they source from elsewhere. Deliveries are made every two weeks to
franchisees using a standing order for products agreed between the franchisee and their Perfect Shopper sales
representative at a meeting they hold every three months. Variations to this order can be made by telephone, but only
if the order is increased. Downward variations are not allowed. Franchisees cannot reduce their standing order
requirements until the next meeting with their representative.
Perfect Shopper was initially very successful, but its success has been questioned by a recent independent report that
showed increasing discontent amongst franchisees. The following issues were documented.
(i) The need to continually review prices to compete with supermarkets
(ii) Low brand recognition of Perfect Shopper
(iii) Inflexible ordering and delivery system based around forecasts and restricted ability to vary orders (see above)
As a result of this survey, Perfect Shopper has decided to review its business model. Part of this review is to reexamine
the supply chain, to see if there are opportunities for addressing some of its problems.
Required:
(a) Describe the primary activities of the value chain of Perfect Shopper. (5 marks)