What are the strategic advantages of IBM’s globally integrated enterprise strategy? What kind of organizational changes do you think had to be made at IBM to make this strategy a reality?
> Because Elaine has a family history of significant medical problems, she buys health insurance, whereas her friend Jerry, who has a healthier family, goes without. This is an example of a. moral hazard. b. adverse selection. c. signaling. d. screening.
> Suppose the United States decides to subsidize the export of U.S. agricultural products, but it does not increase taxes or decrease any other government spending to offset this expenditure. Using a three panel diagram, show what happens to national savin
> A senator renounces his past support for protectionism: “The U.S. trade deficit must be reduced, but import quotas only annoy our trading partners. If we subsidize U.S. exports instead, we can reduce the deficit by increasing our competitiveness.” Using
> Suppose the French suddenly develop a strong taste for California wines. Answer the following questions in words and with a diagram. a. What happens to the demand for dollars in the market for foreign-currency exchange? b. What happens to the value of do
> An economist discussing trade policy in The New Republic wrote: “One of the benefits of the United States removing its trade restrictions [is] the gain to U.S. industries that produce goods for export. Export industries would find it easier to sell their
> The chapter notes that the rise in the U.S. trade deficit during the 1980s was due largely to the rise in the U.S. budget deficit. On the other hand, the popular press sometimes claims that the increased trade deficit resulted from a decline in the quali
> Suppose that Congress is considering an investment tax credit, which subsidizes domestic investment. a. How does this policy affect national saving, domestic investment, net capital outflow, the interest rate, the exchange rate, and the trade balance? b.
> Over the past 20 years, Mexico has had high inflation and Japan has had low inflation. What do you predict has happened to the number of Mexican pesos a person can buy with a Japanese yen?
> Define net exports and net capital outflow. Explain how they are related.
> The theory of purchasing-power parity says that higher inflation in a nation causes the nation’s currency to _________, leaving the _________ exchange rate unchanged. a. appreciate, nominal b. appreciate, real c. depreciate, nominal d. depreciate, real
> If a cup of coffee costs 2 euros in Paris and $6 in New York and purchasing-power parity holds, what is the exchange rate? a. 1/4 euro per dollar b. 1/3 euro per dollar c. 3 euros per dollar d. 4 euros per dollar
> Economist George Stigler once wrote that, according to consumer theory, “if consumers do not buy less of a commodity when their incomes rise, they will surely buy less when the price of the commodity rises.” Explain this statement using the concepts of i
> If a nation’s currency doubles in value on foreign exchange markets, the currency is said to _________, reflecting a change in the _________ exchange rate. a. appreciate, nominal b. appreciate, real c. depreciate, nominal d. depreciate, real
> If the value of a nation’s imports exceeds the value of its exports, which of the following is NOT true? a. Net exports are negative. b. GDP is less than the sum of consumption, investment, and government purchases. c. Domestic investment is greater than
> In an open economy, national saving equals domestic investment a. plus the net outflow of capital abroad. b. minus the net exports of goods and services. c. plus the government’s budget deficit. d. minus foreign portfolio investment.
> Comparing the U.S. economy today to that of 1950, one finds that today, as a percentage of GDP, a. exports and imports are both higher. b. exports and imports are both lower. c. exports are higher, and imports are lower. d. exports are lower, and imports
> Describe the economic logic behind the theory of purchasing-power parity.
> Explain the relationship among saving, investment, and net capital outflow.
> A can of soda costs $0.75 in the United States and 12 pesos in Mexico. What is the peso-dollar exchange rate if purchasing-power parity holds? If a monetary expansion caused all prices in Mexico to double, so that soda rose to 24 pesos, what would happen
> If an economy always has inflation of 10 percent per year, which of the following costs of inflation will it NOT suffer? a. shoeleather costs from reduced holdings of money b. menu costs from more frequent price adjustment c. distortions from the taxatio
> According to the quantity theory of money and the Fisher effect, if the central bank increases the rate of money growth, a. inflation and the nominal interest rate both increase. b. inflation and the real interest rate both increase. c. the nominal inter
> Hyperinflations occur when the government runs a large budget _________, which the central bank finances with a substantial monetary _________. a. deficit, contraction b. deficit, expansion c. surplus, contraction d. surplus, expansion
> Explain why majority rule respects the preferences of the median voter rather than the average voter.
> According to the quantity theory of money, which variable in the quantity equation is most stable over long periods of time? a. money b. velocity c. price level d. output
> If nominal GDP is $400, real GDP is $200, and the money supply is $100, then a. the price level is ½, and velocity is 2. b. the price level is ½, and velocity is 4. c. the price level is 2, and velocity is 2. d. the price level is 2, and velocity is 4.
> The classical principle of monetary neutrality states that changes in the money supply do not influence _________ variables and is thought most applicable in the _________ run. a. nominal, short b. nominal, long c. real, short d. real, long
> Explain how an increase in the price level affects the real value of money.
> If inflation is less than expected, who benefits— debtors or creditors? Explain.
> According to the Fisher effect, how does an increase in the inflation rate affect the real interest rate and the nominal interest rate?
> In what sense is inflation like a tax? How does thinking about inflation as a tax help explain hyperinflation?
> According to the quantity theory of money, what is the effect of an increase in the quantity of money?
> It is sometimes suggested that the Fed should try to achieve zero inflation. If we assume that velocity is constant, does this zero-inflation goal require that the rate of money growth equal zero? If yes, explain why. If no, explain what the rate of mone
> In a system of fractional-reserve banking, even without any action by the central bank, the money supply declines if households choose to hold _________ currency or if banks choose to hold _________ excess reserves. a. more, more b. more, less c. less, m
> What unusual property of voting did Condorcet notice?
> Emilio buys pizza for $10 and soda for $2. He has income of $100. His budget constraint will experience a parallel outward shift if which of the following events occur? a. The price of pizza falls to $5, the price of soda falls to $1, and his income fall
> What are the implications of diversity for group effectiveness?
> What are Hofstede’s five value dimensions of national culture?
> What are the motivational benefits of intrinsic rewards?
> How can flexible benefits motivate employees?
> What impact does emotional labor have on employees?
> How do we measure job satisfaction?
> What are the key traits in the Big Five personality model?
> What is organizational culture, and what are its common characteristics?
> What are the most useful methods of substantive selection?
> What are the five steps in the negotiation process?
> What standards can you use to determine whether a political action is ethical?
> What is the connection between sexual harassment about the abuse of power?
> How does channel richness underlie the choice of communication channel?
> What are the six key elements that define an organization’s structure?
> By the 1990s, the classic multinational strategic orientation was no longer working well for IBM. Why not?
> What kind of corporate-level strategies did News Corp pursue to build its multi business model?
> Use the Internet to investigate how Cisco’s new approach has worked. How is the company continuing to change its structure and control systems to solve its ongoing problems?
> In what ways did McComb change Liz Claiborne’s structure and control systems over time?
> What might John Thain have done differently? If he had pursued a different set of actions with regard to personal perks and bonuses, what might the outcome have been for him and for Merrill Lynch?
> Why do you think John Thain pushed for such high bonuses in 2008 given that Merrill was in a deep financial crisis? What might his motivations have been?
> What did UTC learn by repairing the quality problems at Otis? How did it leverage this learning to improve the performance of the entire corporation?
> Why do you think quality was so poor at Otis?
> How did poor quality at United Technologies’ Otis unit damage the company’s financial performance and competitive position?
> The case talks about Microsoft’s strengths, which might help it to build a cloud computing business. It does not talk about weaknesses. Can you think of any weaknesses that the company might have?
> How is Samsung currently performing? What kinds of changes is it making to its multi business model?
> If Microsoft does not build a cloud computing business, what might happen to the company over the next decade? Why did the company decide that it had little choice but to invest in cloud computing?
> Given the nature of competition in the U.S. steel industry, what must a steel maker focus on in order to be profitable?
> To develop its cloud computing business, Microsoft implemented a self-contained unit within its organization dedicated to that task. Why do you think that it did this?
> Demand for steel is very cyclical. Why do you think this is the case? What might steel makers do to better cope with the cyclical nature of demand?
> Why has Southwest’s business model and strategies changed over time?
> Microsoft and Nokia have both been losing share in the smartphone business. They have now decided to enter into an alliance. How are they hoping to reshape competition in the smartphone business? Do you think they will succeed?
> In what ways is it using non price strategies to improve its competitive advantage?
> How do changes in the environment affect the success of a company’s business model?
> Microsoft and RIM were selling smartphones several years before Apple and Google entered the market. Why then do you think Apple and Google’s Android phones are now starting to dominate the market?
> What general principles about competitive advantage and strategy can be drawn from this case?
> If you put the issues related to bonuses and personal perks to one side, how would you judge the effectiveness of John Thain as the leader of an organization deep in crisis?
> Diagram the life span of an exposure arising from selling a product on open account. On the diagram define and show quotation, backlog, and billing exposures.
> What are the main types of political risks that are global in origin?
> What, if anything, is a “euro-euro?”
> Why would anyone, individual or corporation, want to deposit U.S. dollars in a bank outside of the United States, when the natural location for such deposits would be a bank within the United States?
> Explain the strategies used by an MNE to counter blocked funds. What can a multinational firm do to transfer funds out of countries having exchange or remittance restrictions? At least six popular strategies are used:
> In January 2002 the government of Argentina broke away from its currency board system that had tied the peso to the U.S. dollar, and devalued the peso from APs1.0000/$ to APs1.4000/$. This caused some Argentine firms with dollar-denominated debt to go ba
> What are the benefits of achieving a lower cost and greater availability of capital?
> What is the difference between a “real” asset and a “financial” asset?
> Why does LIBOR receive so much attention in the global financial markets?
> If the BOP were viewed as an accounting statement, would it be a balance sheet of the country’s wealth, an income statement of the country’s earnings, or a funds flow statement of money into and out of the country?
> What is a collateralized debt obligation (CDO)?
> What is the effect of market liquidity and segmentation on a firm capital.
> Why have eurocurrencies and LIBOR remained the centerpiece of the global financial marketplace for so long?
> If a country follows a fixed exchange rate regime, what macroeconomic variables could cause the fixed exchange rate to be devalued?
> The measurement of all international economic transactions between the residents of a country and foreign residents is called the balance of payments (BOP). What institution provides the primary source of similar statistics for balance of payments and ec
> It has been claimed that failures in corporate governance have hampered the growth and profitability of some prominent firms located in emerging markets. What are some typical causes of these failures in corporate governance?
> Technically, what is a sovereign default?
> Brazil has experienced periodic depreciation of its currency over the past 20 years, despite occasionally running a current account surplus. Why has this phenomenon occurred?
> The U.S. dollar has maintained or increased its value over the past 20 years, despite running a gradually increasing current account deficit. Why has this phenomenon occurred?
> The IMF classifies all exchange rate regimes into eight specific categories that are summarized in this chapter. Under which exchange rate regime would you classify each of the following countries?
> Convert the following indirect quotes to direct quotes, and direct quotes to indirect quotes: a. Euro: €1.22/$ (indirect quote) b. Russia: Rubl 30/$ (indirect quote c. Canada: $0.72/C$ (direct quote) d. Denmark: $0.1644/DKr (direct quote)
> Smith Company and Jones Company enter into an interest rate swap, with Smith paying fixed interest to Jones, and Jones paying floating interest to Smith. Smith now goes bankrupt, and so defaults on its remaining interest payments. What is the financial d
> How should an MNE factor host country inflation into its evaluation of an investment proposal?
> The newspaper reports that a given June Eurodollar future settled at 93.55. What was the annual yield? How many dollars does this represent?
> Check The Wall Street Journal to find the United States locations for trading foreign exchange futures contracts.
> What is a mortgage-backed security (MBS)?
> Name the four main contractual instruments used to hedge transaction exposure.
> What are the major differences in translating liabilities between the current rate method and the temporal method?
> An alternative arrangement for managing operating exposure between firms with a continuing buyer-supplier relationship is risk sharing. Explain how risk sharing works.
