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ECON545: Project 1—Microeconomic Analysis

The Microeconomic Paper tests your ability to apply economic principles to a business decision. Select one situation from the items outlined below: A to D. Complete the paper on the selected situation as specified below. The completed paper is a professional report and is due in Week 3 (230 points). See the grading rubric at the end of this document. Be sure to use the DeVry library for finding data; avoid questionable sources, such as Wikipedia.

The following is a list of the specific required information, research, graphs, and math to be included in each answer regardless of the scenario chosen.

1. Demand Determinants:
a. Each individual determinant analyzed for your situation, with examples applicable to your situation (5 points each) and research (3 points each) showing current Demand data or most recent past data, except for the Expectations Determinant in which you need to use data estimating future market conditions.
b. (20 points) Price Elasticity of Demand facing you in your scenario, including actual calculation of it using the midpoint formula. If you can’t find data, then determine the Price Elasticity from the Characteristics and make up numbers to use. Be sure to identify this if you use this approach. This will help you in deciding the slope of your Demand curve below.
c. (10 points) Graph the Demand facing your situation. Note that this requires information from the Supply Determinant analysis before deciding how to draw the curve(s), as you may need a separate MR curve.
2. Supply Determinants:
a. Each individual determinant analyzed for your situation, with examples applicable to your situation (5 points each) and research (3 points each) showing current Supply data or most recent past data, except for the Expectations Determinant in which you need to use data estimating future market conditions.
i. (40 points) You need to be very specific in the Cost of Production Determinant to identify Fixed, Variable, and Marginal Cost in order to derive your Supply curve for the graphing component. You will need to explain and show how Profit Maximization or Loss Minimization output and price are determined. You will need to do the math using actual figures [cited] or your own estimated figures [identified as such] and explain why you expect Short Run Economic or Normal Profits, Acceptable Loss or temporary Shut Down and how you will know which it is.
ii. The Number of Sellers determinant must contain your analysis of the kind of market structure in which your firm or labor service will be sold.
b. (20 points) Price Elasticity of Supply you have based on the Cost of Production changes as output changes, including actual calculation of it using the midpoint formula. If you can’t find data, then determine the Price Elasticity from the Characteristics and make up numbers to use. Be sure to identify this if you use this approach. This will help you in deciding the slope of your Supply curve.
c. (10 points) Graph your Supply situation using the numbers from your earlier Cost of Production analysis.
3. Recommendations—(40 points) what are your recommendations explained by your analysis?
4. Paper presentation—(10 points) good format, citations, lack of spelling errors, etc.

Situation A

Jenny, your niece, is a smart high-school student who wants to make intelligent choices for her future. Hearing of your course in business economics, she has e-mailed you asking for advice on whether to become a doctor and on the best location to practice it. She recognizes the high costs of tuition and the years of study involved in becoming a doctor. She wants to evaluate if that career choice is an optimal decision for her, so she has asked you for advice.

Having read the piece “Fewer Physicians Move, a Sign of Career Caution” on page 20 of the textbook, you recognize the significance of such a career decision for Jenny. You decide to educate yourself about the market for physicians in terms of supply and demand, elasticity, costs of production, pricing, and economic or normal profit or loss. You want to provide Jenny with the most informed advice possible.