Weavers Inc., a popular clothing brand, has been providing its customers with the best quality silk products for many years. The employees of Weavers Inc. use pink berry silkworms for their silk products and weave their greased silk threads in such a way that they produce different shades of colors when held at different angles. Weavers Inc. has been providing unmatched service toward millions of customers around the world. Other companies have tried to imitate their products and services, but have not been successful. Few competitors who captured these silkworms did not know the precise temperatures that were essential for their breeding and survival. Which of the following factors of inimitability does this scenario regarding Weavers Inc. best reflect? A) Positive network externalities
B) Tacit knowledge
C) Time compression diseconomies
D) Causal ambiguity

Consider the following scenarios. use what you have learned to decide if the goods and services being provided are individual, public, or merit goods. for each case, state what kind of good has been described and explain your answer using the definitions of individual, public, and merit goods. (6 points each) 1. from your window, you can see a city block that's on fire. you watch city firefighters rescue people and battle the flames to save the buildings. 2. while visiting relatives, you learn that your cousins attend a nearby elementary school that is supported financially by local property tax revenue. 3. you see a squadron of military jets flying overhead. 4. you find out that your aunt works for a defense manufacturing company that has several defense contracts with the government. she tells you that she works for a team that is producing a communications satellite. 5. your class visits a local jail run by a private, profit-making company that detains county criminals and is paid with tax revenue.

Consider two similar industries, portal crane manufacturing (pcm) and forklift manufacturing (flm). the pcm industry has exactly three incumbents with annual sales of $800 million, $200 million and $100 million, respectively. the flm industry has also exactly three incumbents, with annual sales of $500 million, $450 million and $400 million, respectively. which industry is more likely to experience a higher level of rivalry?

Oz makes lion food out of giraffe and gazelle meat. giraffe meat has 18 grams of protein and 36 grams of fat per pound, while gazelle meat has 36 grams of protein and 18 grams of fat per pound. a batch of lion food must contain at least "46,800" grams of protein and 70,200 grams of fat. giraffe meat costs $1/pound and gazelle meat costs $2/pound. how many pounds of each should go into each batch of lion food in order to minimize costs? hint [see example 2.]