Suppose that there is only one provider of a service in a state. because this provider experiences economies of scale, the government does not want to break it into smaller pieces, but it does want the provider to supply the efficient quantity. which of the following policy options might most effectively enable the government to achieve its objectives in this situation? use antitrust laws to increase competition. turn the company into a public enterprise. do nothing at all. regulate the firm's pricing behavior.

Aldrich and co. sold goods to donovan on credit. the amount owed grew steadily, and finally aldrich refused to sell any more to donovan unless donovan signed a promissory note for the amount due. donovan did not want to but signed the note because he had no money and needed more goods. when aldrich brought an action to enforce the note, donovan claimed that the note was not binding because it had been obtained by economic duress. was he correct? [aldrich & co. v. donovan, 778 p.2d 397 (mont.)]

Daniel owns 100 shares of abc corporation's common stock. abc uses the fair value option, and recent declines in the firm's credit rating have caused the value of the firm's outstanding bonds payable to drop by 10%. daniel feels this is good news, but he wants to know what you think about the situation. which of the following represents your best response? a : "this situation may be positive for you in that the change in abc's credit standing indicates that the value of the firm's assets is likely increasing. however, the drop in bond value may negate any positive effects on your bottom line, because it means your claim on the firm's assets is simultaneously decreasing." b : "actually, this is bad news all around. the drop in the value of abc's bonds payable means shareholders' claims on the firm's assets have decreased. moreover, abc's declining credit rating means that the firm's assets are probably also dropping in value, thus magnifying your losses even more." c : "on the surface, this seems like good news because it means your claim on the firm's assets has increased. however, the drop in creditworthiness may also indicate that abc's assets are declining in value, thus offsetting any gains associated with the drop in bonds payable." d : "you're right! this is good news because it means that abc's debtholders have a decreased claim on the firm's assets. as a result, the firm's existing shareholders"like you"have seen their claim on the firm's assets increase."

conquest, inc. produces a special kind of light-weight, recreational vehicle that has a unique design. it allows the company to follow a cost-plus pricing strategy. it has $9,000,000 of average assets, and the desired profit is a 10% return on assets. assume all products produced are sold. additional data are as follows: sales volume 1000 units per year; variable costs $1000 per unit; fixed costs $4,000,000 per year; using the cost-plus pricing approach, what should be the sales price per unit?