Chapter 2

What is the approximate observed median learning curve slope for typical firms? a. 0.6 b. 0.7 c. 0.8 d. 0.9 e. 1.0

0.8

Which of the following is NOT a source of diseconomies of scale at a large firm? a. Labor costs b. Spreading specialized resources too thin c. Conflicts of interest d. Incentive processes e. Capital intensive production processes

Capital intensive production processes

Which of the following is NOT a way managers generally benefit from acquisitions? a. Increased compensation b. Consolidation of other senior executives c. Shielding against risk d. Political power e.Social prominence

Consolidation of other senior executives

Which of the following benefits of diversification explains the idea that a firm with many business lines can reduce swings in value because it receives only a small percentage of its revenue from any one of those business lines? a. Use of internal capital markets b. Economies of scale and scope c. Economizing on transaction costs d. Diversifying shareholder portfolios e.Identifying undervalued firms

Diversifying shareholder portfolios*

Why is firm specific learning better in general for an organization? a. Encourages individuality among workers within the organization b. Keeps unionized workers happy c. Allows workers to acquire skills they can then "shop around" d. Ensures worker knowledge is tied to current employment e.Increases complexity and creativity in the organization

Ensures worker knowledge is tied to current employment

Which of the following benefits of diversification explains the idea that corporate diversification can provide situations where an acquiring firm determines the stock price for firm they intend to acquire is too low? a. Use of internal capital markets b. Economies of scale and scope c. Economizing on transaction costs d. Diversifying shareholder portfolios e.Identifying undervalued firms

Identifying undervalued firms

Suppose the cost of producing a 30 second commercial for television is $100,000. If airtime on the evening news costs $200,000 and is viewed by 5 million people, what is the advertising cost per potential customer? a. $.03 per potential customer, or $30.00 per 1000 customers b. $.05 per potential customer, or $50.00 per 1000 customers c. $.06 per potential customer, or $60.00 per 1000 customers d. $.08 per potential customer, or $80.00 per 1000 customers e. $.20 per potential customer, or $20.00 per 1000 customers

$.06 per potential customer, or $60.00 per 1000 customers

What institution within a firm must fail on some level for managers to be motivated to acquire another firm for the purposes of increasing their own compensation, shielding themselves against risk, or gaining prominence by running a larger firm? a. Legal department b. Corporate board c. Mergers and acquisitions program d. Firm bonus schedule e.Corporate governance

Corporate governance

By satisfying which of the following conditions can shareholders prevent management driven acquisitions? a. If shareholders could determine which acquisitions will lead to increased profits and which will not b. If shareholders cannot direct management to undertake only those acquisitions that will increase shareholder value c. If shareholders could provide management with the appropriate steps to conduct when performing acquisitions d. If manager bonuses are based overall firm sales e.If managers are paid a flat-rate salary

If shareholders could determine which acquisitions will lead to increased profits and which will not

Suppose that an oil refinery is considering building a new plant. It has estimated that for the relevant range of expected production, the average total cost will decrease as the production level of output increases. Thus, over this range of production, the firm has a. diseconomies of scale (decreasing returns to scale). b. no economies of scale (constant returns to scale). c. economies of scale (increasing returns to scale). d. negative economic profit. e. negative marginal revenue.

economies of scale (increasing returns to scale).

1. Which of the following is NOT a reason a supplier might seek to sell in bulk? a. Each sale incurs a fixed cost in writing a contract b. The purchaser is likely to switch over a small price due to the gains over the large number of units ordered c. Each sale involves setting up a different production run d. The cost of delivery is a fixed on a per unit basis e. The supplier fears uneven sales

Each sale involves setting up a different production run

What are economies of density as referred to in the airline industry? a. Reducing the size of an aircraft used to increase load factor b. Economies achieved by an airline flying from spoke to spoke in a hub-and-spoke network c. Economies of scope along a given route d. Economies of scale along a given route e. Reductions in average cost as traffic volume decreases

Economies of scale along a given route *pp61

Which of the following benefits of diversification explains the idea that mergers are more likely when there is an expectation of positive changes in market share? a. Use of internal capital markets b. Economies of scale and scope c. Economizing on transaction costs d. Diversifying shareholder portfolios e. Identifying undervalued firms

Economies of scale and scope

Which of the following practices does NOT contribute to the strategic fit of Southwest Airlines? a. No in-flight catering b. Use of multiple types of planes c. No use of congested airports d. Re-engineered boarding process e. No first class section on plane

Use of multiple types of planes

Which of the following is NOT generally a potential benefit of diversification? a. Control systems rewarding/penalizing division managers based on business unit objective b. Economies of scale and scope c. Economizing on transaction costs d. Diversifying shareholder portfolios e. Identifying undervalued firms

Control systems rewarding/penalizing division managers based on business unit objective*

Which of the following statements is true? a. If FC < AVC, then AVC is increasing. b. If MC > AFC, then AFC is increasing. c. If MC < AVC, then AVC is increasing. d. If MC > AVC, then AVC is increasing. e. If MC > ATC, then ATC is decreasing.

If MC > AVC, then AVC is increasing

How does umbrella branding aid economies of scale and scope? a. Increases effectiveness of advertising due to a greater presence b. Increases effectiveness of advertising due to national advertising c. Increases effectiveness of advertising due to offering a broad product line under one name d. Increased cost effectiveness through purchasing as a cooperative e. Increased cost effectiveness through bulk purchasing

Increases effectiveness of advertising due to offering a broad product line under one name

What kind of economies come from reductions in cost due to adoption of technology that has high fixed costs, but lower variable costs? a. Short-run economies of scale b. Short-run economies of scope c. Long-run economies of scale d. Long-run economies of scope e. Partially automated economies

Long-run economies of scale*

1. What force does Henry Manne indicate constrains the actions of managers so that they stay focused on the goals of owners? a. Market for corporate control b. SEC (Securities and Exchange Commission) c. Corporate board d. Corporate governance e. CEO (Chief Executive Officer)

Market for corporate control * p81 *

Examining which of the following is broadly considered one of the easiest ways to measure diversifying activity? a. Joint Ventures b. Mergers and acquisitions c. Internal Business Development d. Strategic Alliances e. Collaborative agreements

Mergers and acquisitions

How does carrying inventories contribute to economies of scale? a. Increases the interest on the expenses to produce the inventory b. Inventory depreciates in value while waiting to be used or sold c. Increases the storage facilities necessary d. Increases competition with rivals for customers e.Minimizes the chance of stock-out

Minimizes the chance of stock-out

Which of the following best describes economies of scope? a. The average cost declines as output increases b. The average cost increases as output increases c. The average cost remains constant as output increases d. Savings are achieved when a firm produces a wider variety of goods e. Savings are achieved when a firm produces a decreased variety of goods

Savings are achieved when a firm produces a wider variety of goods *pp57

Which of the following statements is true? a. The study of managerial economics only applies to nonprofit firms, and the principles are NOT applicable to firms that seek to maximize profit. b. The goal of every (for-profit) firm should be to maximize the profit in the current year, without consideration for any profit or losses in the succeeding future years c. Strategy focus on the determination of the basic long-term purposes, goals and objectives of a firm, including the kind of company that the firm should be. d. Strategy does NOT include the determination of the kind company that a firm should be, or the specifying the guidelines for coordinating the activities within a changing environment. e. Successful firms do not segment their markets; they strive to minimize any outsourcing of any aspect of production and use technology to determine their strategies.

Strategy focus on the determination of the basic long-term purposes, goals and objectives of a firm, including the kind of company that the firm should be

Which of the following is a characteristic of economies of scale? a. The average cost declines as output increases b. The average cost increases as output increases c. The average cost remains constant as output increases d. The average costs are cheaper when a firm produces a wider variety of goods e. The average cost curve takes the form of a U-shape

The average cost declines as output increases *pp55-56

Which of the following is not a product specific fixed cost? a. The cost to manufacture a special die to make an aircraft fuselage b. The cost of developing graphics software to facilitate video game development c. The cost of a one-week training program preceding the implementation of a specific management initiative d. The time and expense required to set up a textbook before printing it e. The cost of administrative expenses

The cost of administrative expenses

Which of the following is good example of a goal for a "for-profit" firm? a. The firm should minimize its net present value. b. The firm should minimize its marginal revenue. c. The firm should maximize its capital-to-labor ratio, thereby achieving the greatest degree of automation. d. The firm should maximize shareholder value through business conduct that balances the pursuit of earnings with socially responsible behavior. e. The firm should maximize customer satisfaction while minimizing shareholder value.

The firm should maximize shareholder value through business conduct that balances the pursuit of earnings with socially responsible behavior.*

Which of the following is generally a way that LBOs (leveraged buyouts) can help a firm realize its potential value? a. The synergies created allow for cost savings b. The transaction reduces the disparity between a firm's actual and potential share price c. The acquisition reduces the likelihood of competition in the industry d. The transaction requires debt repayment with future free cash flow leaving management no discretion over the investment of these funds e. The buyout gives an opportunity to adjust the management structure and makeup

The transaction requires debt repayment with future free cash flow leaving management no discretion over the investment of these funds * pp81

1. A firm produces two products, gasoline and plastic. The firm produces x units of gasoline, and y units of plastic. The production technology displays the following costs, TC is the total cost function: TC (x = 0, y = 50) = 100 TC (x = 0, y = 100) = 210 TC (x = 5, y = 0) = 150 TC (x = 10, y = 0) = 320 TC (x = 5, y = 50) = 240 TC (x = 10, y = 100) = 500 Which of the following is true? a. This production function displays economies of scale for gasoline only. b. This production function displays economies of scale for plastic only. c. This production function displays economies of scale for both gasoline and plastic. d. This production function displays economies of scope, but does not have increasing returns to scale for gasoline or plastic. e. This production function has economies of scope, and it has increasing returns to scale for gasoline.

This production function displays economies of scope, but does not have increasing returns to scale for gasoline or plastic.*

Why might a large firm actually be at an advantage over a smaller firm with respect to labor? a. Large generally pay a compensating differential to attract workers b. Worker turnover is generally lower c. Large firms enjoy better scale economies when negotiating with health insurance companies for health benefits d. Large firms are generally less attractive to qualified, upward mobile workers e. Large firms often have to draw workers from a greater distance to fill their ranks

Worker turnover is generally lower

What is the minimum efficient scale (MES) of production? a. The point on an average cost curve where the cost per unit begins to decline more rapidly b. The minimum point on a U-shaped average cost curve c. The minimum level of production at a plant for it to be considered profitable d. The level of production for a small sized plant e. The shut-down level of output production in the short-run

a. The minimum point on a U-shaped average cost curve *pp56-57