There are three equally-sized distinct subpopulations in Utopolis: unemployed, workers, and retirees. There are four possible social states which result in different utility levels for the three subpopulations:

Social State Unemployed Workers Retirees
A 12 50 10
B 20 20 20
C 15 15 15
D 1 40 1

a. Which social states might plausibly be chosen by the government of Utopolis? And Why?
b. There is a government election in Utopolis with two candidates: a Rawlsian and a Utilitarian candidate. Each candidate promises to enact one of the social states above. If the majority of citizens elect the candidate, which social state will be enacted?

Answer:

Utopolis

a. Social states chosen by the government of Utopolis are:

Social State  Unemployed  Workers  Retirees

A                              12             50              10

D                               1              40                1

The reason for choosing these social states is that the social states of A and D reduce the headache felt by the government in managing unemployment and paying pensions to retirees, unlike the social states of B and C, which have equal numbers of the distinct subpopulations.

b. The enacted social state will be D.  This is the social state preferred by the majority of citizens.  There is a utopian economic condition achieved with social state D unlike with other social states.

Explanation:

a) Data and Calculations:

Utility levels in Utopolis:

Social State  Unemployed  Workers  Retirees

A                              12             50              10

B                             20             20             20

C                             15              15              15

D                               1             40                1

Kenji and Lucia are building their portfolios. Kenji purchases shares in a mutual fund and pays fees to a manager who actively manages the mutual fund's portfolio. He does so because he believes that the manager can identify inexpensive stocks that will rise in value. Lucia is not convinced. She buys shares in an index fund—a type of mutual fund that simply buys all of the stocks in a given stock index rather than actively managing a portfolio.

Kenji builds his portfolio on the supposition that:________

a. Stock analysts can use fundamental analysis to identify undervalued stocks.
b. Stock prices follow a random walk
c. The stock market exhibits informational efficiency.

Nordstrom, Inc. operates department stores in numerous states. Suppose selected financial statement data (in millions) for 2020 are presented below.

End of Year Beginning of Year
Cash and cash equivalents $750 $81
Accounts receivable (net) 2,060 1,810
Inventory 880 830
Other current assets 570 429
Total current assets $4,260 $3,150
Total current liabilities $2,060 $1,610

For the year, net credit sales were $8,258 million, cost of goods sold was $5,328 million, and net cash provided by operating activities was $1,251 million.

Required:
Compute the current ratio, current cash debt coverage, accounts receivable turnover, average collection period, inventory turnover, and days in inventory at the end of the current year.

What are the requirements for something to be used as money?

Ever since e-commerce started rising in prominence, the value of the retail showroom has diminished significantly. After all, consumers no longer need to visit a store to see what types of products are available for purchase. Not only does a quick search on Amazon accomplish this goal within seconds, but the site also provides helpful resources such as customer reviews and recommendations. Nevertheless, the online retail model doesn't work the same way for all products. Consumers on the whole still visit showrooms when they're looking to buy big expensive items like cars or mattresses.

Thanks to a new wave of startups, however, online retailers are beginning to break through these barriers of size and expense. While many consumers remain reluctant to purchase a car without driving it, online mattress sellers like Casper and Leesa Sleep are winning over thousands with a streamlined approach. Customers simply select the size they want, pay for it, and then wait for the mattress to arrive at their doorstep compressed into a single box. Most showrooms contain a variety of mattresses that can greatly fluctuate in price depending on what sales are happening at the moment. Customers then learn all these intricate details from assertive salespeople on the hunt for a commission.

Today's online mattress sellers cut out this rigmarole by using simplified inventory and fixed prices. But that doesn't necessarily mean these brands provide customers with the best deal possible. For instance, a king from Casper costs $950, not exactly a bargain for a foam mattress. In fact, customers could likely get a better deal if they were simply willing to do some haggling at a showroom. For Casper's customers, though, the company's appeal lies in its convenience rather than its value. There's also little risk in trying out a compressed mattress: Casper offers free shipping, 100-day guarantees and free returns on all of their products. While it remains to be seen if these upstarts can take on the $14 billion U.S. mattress industry, Casper's $100 million in sales during its first year of operation suggests that they're certainly on the right track.

Requried:
a. Intermediaries can be eliminated, but their activities cannot. Describe the activities provided by retail showrooms that manufacturers like Leesa and Casper are now providing. Specifically, what utility are the manufacturers providing?
b. Would you ever purchase a car or an expensive refrigerator direct from the manufacturer without seeing the product in person or testing the product? Explain why or why not. If not, what would you need from the manufacturer in order to purchase direct from them?

The Aleander Company plans to issue $10,000,000 of 20-year bonds at par next June, with semiannual interest payments. The company's current cost of debt is 10 percent. However, the firm's financial manager is concerned that interest rates will increase in coming months, and has decided to take a short position in U. S. government t-bond futures. See the settlement data below for t-bond futures. (Note: One standard futures contract is $100,000).
a. Calculate the present value of the corporate bonds if rates increase by 2 percentage points.
b. Calculate the gain or loss on the corporate bond position.
c. Calculate the number of contracts required to cover the bond position. Then calculate the current value of the futures position.
d. Calculate the implied interest rate based on the current value of the futures position.
e. Interest rates increase as expected, by 2 percentage points. Calculate the present value of the futures position based on the rate calculated above plus the 2 points.
f. Calculate the gain or loss on the futures position.
g. Calculate the overall net gain or loss.
h. Is this problem an example of a perfect hedge or a cross hedge? Is it an example of speculation or hedging? Why?
Delivery Month Open High Low Settle Change Open Interest
(1) (2) (3) (4) (5) (6) (7)
Dec 103'14 103'14 102'11 102'17 -6 678,000
Mar 102'11 102'23 100'28 101'01 -5 135,855
June 101'14 101'26 100'02 100'12 -5 17,255

Nontariff barriers are: _________

a. numerical limitations on the quantity of products that a country can import
b. rules, regulations, inspections, and paperwork which make it more costly or difficult to import products
c. taxes levied on the value of imported goods
d. all of the above

Revenue and expense data for Bluestem Company are as follows:

Year 2 Year 1
Administrative expenses $37,720 $20,300
Cost of goods sold 360,000 319,900
Income tax 41,000 32,200
Sales 820,000 700,000
Selling expenses 154,160 109,900

Required:
Prepare a comparative income statement, with vertical analysis, stating each item for both years as a percent of sales.