A company operates two plants which manufacture the same item and whose total cost functions are and , where and are the quantities produced by each plant. The company is a monopoly. The total quantity demanded, , is related to the price, , by . How much should each plant produce in order to maximize the company's profit?1

Aprice ceiling is “binding” if the price ceiling is set below the equilibrium price. suppose that the equilibrium price is $5. if a price ceiling is set at $6, this will not affect the market in any way since $5 remains a legally allowable price (since $5 < $6). a price ceiling of $6 is called a “non-binding” price ceiling. on the other hand, if the price ceiling is set at $4, the price ceiling is “binding” because the natural equilibrium price is $5 but that is no longer allowed. what happens when there is a binding price ceiling? at a price below the equilibrium price, quantity demanded exceeds quantity supplied. there is a shortage. normally, price increases eliminate shortages by increasing quantity supplied and decreasing quantity demanded. in this case, however, price increases are not allowed past the price ceiling. we therefore predict that the observed market price will be right at the price ceiling and there will be a permanent shortage. the observed quantity bought and sold will be dictated by the quantity supplied at the price ceiling. although consumers would like to buy more, there are no more units for sale

Over the past year, three of the star salesmen at family resorts international's corporate office have been lured away to competitors. on top of that, karina, the general manager of the sales department, has noticed that most employees come in, do their jobs, and leave. family resorts offers a good salary, benefits, and tuition reimbursement, as well as a number of development and training programs. most employees seem contented enough, but karina would like to do something to increase the level of engagement among her staff. what do you think karina should do?

Bridge building company estimates that it will incur $1,200,000 in overhead costs for the year. additionally, the company estimates 50,000 direct labor hours will be spent building custom walking bridges for the year at a total direct labor cost of $600,000. what is the predetermined overhead rate for bridge building company if direct labor costs are to be used as an allocation base?