David is trying to decide if it makes sense to outsource the purchasing function. He has a chain of 12 restaurants and employs two buyers at an annual fixed cost of $85,000. David estimates that the variable cost of each purchase order placed is $15. An outsourced company will perform the purchasing function for a fixed annual fee of $100,000 plus $5 for each purchase order placed. Last year, David placed 1400 purchase orders. Required:
a. What was the in-house purchasing cost last year?
b. What would the cost be if outsourced?
c. If David estimates it will place 1600 purchase orders next year, should he outsourced?

5. profit maximization and shutting down in the short run suppose that the market for polos is a competitive market. the following graph shows the daily cost curves of a firm operating in this market. 0 2 4 6 8 10 12 14 16 18 20 50 45 40 35 30 25 20 15 10 5 0 price (dollars per polo) quantity (thousands of polos) mc atc avc for each price in the following table, calculate the firm's optimal quantity of units to produce, and determine the profit or loss if it produces at that quantity, using the data from the previous graph to identify its total variable cost. assume that if the firm is indifferent between producing and shutting down, it will produce. (hint: you can select the purple points [diamond symbols] on the previous graph to see precise information on average variable cost.) price quantity total revenue fixed cost variable cost profit (dollars per polo) (polos) (dollars) (dollars) (dollars) (dollars) 12.50 135,000 27.50 135,000 45.00 135,000 if the firm shuts down, it must incur its fixed costs (fc) in the short run. in this case, the firm's fixed cost is $135,000 per day. in other words, if it shuts down, the firm would suffer losses of $135,000 per day until its fixed costs end (such as the expiration of a building lease). this firm's shutdown price—that is, the price below which it is optimal for the firm to shut down—is per polo.

20. to add body to a hearty broth, you may use a. onions. b. pasta. c. cheese. d. water.

While cell phones with holographic keyboards are currently in the introduction stage of the industry life cycle, tablet computers are in the growth stage. in the context of this scenario, which of the following statements is true? a. the industry for cell phones with holographic keyboards will face greater competition than the tablet industry. b. while the industry for cell phones with holographic keyboards will focus more on product innovation, the tablet industry will focus more on process innovation. c. while the industry for cell phones with holographic keyboards can reap the benefits of economies of scale, the tablet industry will experience no such benefits. d. the industry for cell phones with holographic keyboards will face price competition, whereas, in the tablet industry, the mode of competition will be non-price.