If you are asked to fill out a W-9 instead of a W-4 when you first start a job, what does that mean? What kind of taxes might you have to pay and how much are they?

Who is better at multi-tasking? in business, employees are often asked to perform a complex task when their atten-tion is divided (i.e., multi-tasking). human factors (may 2014) published a study designed to determine whether video game players are better than non–video game play-ers at multi-tasking. each in a sample of 60 college stu-dents was classified as a video game player or a non-player. participants entered a street crossing simulator and were asked to cross a busy street at an unsigned intersec-tion. the simulator was designed to have cars traveling at various high rates of speed in both directions. during the crossing, the students also performed a memory task as a distraction. two variables were measured for each student: (1) a street crossing performance score (measured out of 100 points) and (2) a memory task score (measured out of 20 points). the researchers found no differences in either the street crossing performance or memory task score of video game players and non-gamers. “these results,” say the researchers, “suggest that action video game players [and non-gamers] are equally susceptible to the costs of dividing attention in a complex task”

You are an employee of an u.s. firm that produces personal computers in thailand and then exports them to the united states and other countries for sale. the personal computers were originally produced in thailand to take advantage of relatively low labor costs and a skilled workforce. other possible locations considered at that time were malaysia and hong kong. the u.s. government decides to impose punitive 100% ad valorem tariffs on imports of computers from thailand to punish the country for administrative trade barriers that restrict u.s. exports to thailand. how do you think your firm should respond? what does this tell you about the use of targeted trade barriers?

Yael decides that she no longer enjoys her job, and she quits to open a gluten-free, dairy-free kosher bakery. she pays a monthly rent for her store of $2,000. her labor costs for one month are $4,500, and she spends $6,000 a month on nut flours, sugar, and other supplies. yael was earning $2,500 a month working as a bank teller. these are her only costs. her monthly revenue is $14,000. which of the following statements about yael’s costs and profit are correct? correct answer(s) an accountant would say she is earning a monthly profit of $1,500. her implicit costs are $2,500 a month. an economist would tell her that she is experiencing a loss. her total costs are $12,500 a month. her explicit costs include the labor, rent, and supplies for her store. her economic profit is $1,500 a month.