Markets seek equilibrium, and the demand for goods and services will come to an equilibrium with supply of goods and services. When markets are not in equilibrium, surpluses and shortages, as well as underground markets, can exist. Sometimes, the government may want to intervene in markets to try to help reduce economic hardships. Analyze the impact of an increase in the minimum wage from the current level to $15 per hour. How would the following be affected?

a. employment of people previously earning less than $15 per hour

b. the unemployment rate of teenagers

c. the availability of on-the-job training for low-skilled workers

d. the demand for high-skilled workers who are good substitutes for low-skilled workers

Review the mechanics of price floors and price ceilings. Why does a price floor lead to surpluses? Why does a price ceiling lead to shortages? Review consumer and producer surplus. A price floor will lead to a transfer of consumer surplus to producer surplus; a price ceiling will lead to a transfer of producer surplus to consumer surplus; both price regulations lead to deadweight losses, which is a loss of surplus to society. Why?

According to management education expert ashok rao, companies can increase their profitability by through careful inventory management. a. 5% to 10% b. 10% to 25% c. 20% to 50% d. 75%

Now ray has had the tires for two months and he notices that the tread has started to pull away from the tire. he has already contacted the place who sold the tires and calmly and accurately explained the problem. they didn’t him because they no longer carry that tire. so he talked with the manager and he still did not get the tire replaced. his consumer rights are being violated. pretend you are ray and write a letter to the company’s headquarters. here are some points to keep in mind when writing the letter: include your name, address, and account number, if appropriate. describe your purchase (name of product, serial numbers, date and location of purchase). state the problem and give the history of how you tried to resolve the problem. ask for a specific action. include how you can be reached.

The gilbert instrument corporation is considering replacing the wood steamer it currently uses to shape guitar sides. the steamer has 6 years of remaining life. if kept,the steamer will have depreciaiton expenses of $650 for five years and $325 for the sixthyear. its current book value is $3,575, and it can be sold on an internet auction site for$4,150 at this time. if the old steamer is not replaced, it can be sold for $800 at the endof its useful life. gilbert is considering purchasing the side steamer 3000, a higher-end steamer, whichcosts $12,000 and has an estimated useful life of 6 years with an estimated salvage value of$1,500. this steamer falls into the macrs 5-year class, so the applicable depreciationrates are 20.00%, 32.00%, 19.20%, 11.52%, 11.52%, and 5.76%. the new steamer is fasterand allows for an output expansion, so sales would rise by $2,000 per year; the newmachine's much greater efficiency would reduce operating expenses by $1,900 per year.to support the greater sales, the new machine would require that inventories increase by$2,900, but accounts payable would simultaneously increase by $700. gilbert's marginalfederal-plus-state tax rate is 40%, and its wacc is 15%.a. should it replace the old steamer? b. npv of replace = $2,083.51