Apple

Brandan Berard
Do you believe that Apple is the most valuable company in the world of cash & money? Well we all know that Apple makes a lot of money, well maybe too much money in that they have to ship some of the money from sales off to countries overseas because of high taxes here in the USA. According to CNN Money, Apple has over $246 billion in cash in overseas accounts. In which is absolutely crazy to think about, they even have more cash than the GDP of many countries from Finland, Chile, and many other countries. So why does Apple have all this money in overseas accounts? It's because of extremely high taxes in the US and Apple doesn’t want to lose any of its money it just wants more and more, but to be fair though Apple uses their money to research new ideas for the new iPhones, iPads, Macbooks, Apple Watches, and many other of their technology to make it better than ever before. Plus they have to pay their workers because no one likes to work for free for his or her hard work all day. With all this said, Apple is going to keep on growing and keep pushing the milestones higher and higher every day. Apple is the most valuable company on the S&P 500 which is the 500 largest companies having common stock listed on the stock market, they even passed being worth over $1 trillion dollars and growing.

Above you see a demand curve for the iPhone 7, iPhone 7 Plus, and the iPhone SE. Everybody has different wants and needs for his or her phones so that's why Apple makes so many different types of iPhones. The more products they have the more money they make and they more money they make the larger they become. Apple will always be one of the largest companies in the world based on economics, data, research, and overall knowledge of the company. They might even pass the GDP of the USA one day, you never know what a company is capable of in the world of technology. 

                   


Works Cited
“Apple Accelerates US Investment and Job Creation.” Apple (Canada), 31 Aug. 2018, www.apple.com/newsroom/2018/01/apple-accelerates-us-investment-and-job-creation/.
Archanco, Eduardo. “The Price Elasticity of the IPhone Demand.” The Technalyzer, 30 Mar. 2017, thetechnalyzer.com/price-elasticity-of-the-iphone-demand/.
The maker of iEverything had $246.1 billion in cash, and Investments On Its Balance Sheet As Of The End Of Its Most Recent Quarter. “Apple Has $246 BILLION in Cash, Nearly All Overseas.” CNNMoney, Cable News Network, money.cnn.com/2017/02/01/investing/apple-cash-overseas/index.html.

Nike's Dream Crazy Commercial

Nike’s Dream Crazy Commercial
Ellie Kaczkowski
Nike is known for supporting athletes through their career with both paraphernalia, and big endorsement deals with professional athletes worth millions of dollars. The most recent deal with Colin Kaepernick led to a major disagreement in not only the sports world but the economy as well. Nike released a commercial played during the first game of the 2018 season where Kaepernick narrated his ideology that no matter what people say you can never dream or act too crazy. Due to his recent scandal in the NFL people considered this as Nike siding with Colin’s political stance.

Before Nike could produce the controversial commercial they had to weigh the tradeoffs that this commercial would cost them; consumers that did not agree with Kaepernick's campaign would likely stop buying products from Nike out of personal opposition. While this could be a problem it is also giving them free publicity as their brand is being highlighted in the media with even the president weighing in. When the commercial was released, according to the Huffington Post, the stock plummeted in hours dropping over 3 percent, as seen in the image. The advertisement was released September 4th; people were destroying Nike products and boycotting the stores. While Nike did take an immediate hit, the consumers defacing their goods did more damage to themselves, as they lost the money they had spent on the products without getting a refund from Nike. This hurts both the producer and the consumer as the consumer stops buying the products and the company than loses the profit destroying the market.

After the initial loss of profit, Nike amassed a huge amount of free publicity both good and bad; people shared the story across all platforms and this boosted the profits with Nikes new market value being up $6 billion. People that agreed with Colin Kaepernick and Nikes political point of view used to advertisement as a reason to purchase more from the company showing their support for the cause. It also increased the amount of people wanting to have stock in the company as they shared political sides.

Nike used politics, a driving force in the United States to decide whether the commercial would be successful. They did have trade offs as they did sacrifice customers that will no longer patrion the store but in turn developed a whole new customer base. While it may have shifted the market against them temporarily it was a positive decision for their business in the long run and for the people that invested and worked for them. It will ensure that the products will stay in demand and using the political angle gave them word of mouth recognition with people that may have not normally associated with the brand.


Hershman, Brett. "Nike's New 'Dream Crazy' Ad Is Narrated By Colin Kaepernick (NYSE:NKE)." Benzinga. N.p., 15 Sept. 2018. Web. 25 Sept. 2018.
https://www.benzinga.com/news/18/09/12310279/nikes-new-dream-crazy-ad-is-narrated-by-colin-kaepernick

Mosbergen, Dominique. "Nike's Market Value Surges By $6 Billion After Controversial Kaepernick Ad." The Huffington Post. TheHuffingtonPost.com, 23 Sept. 2018. Web. 25 Sept. 2018.
https://www.huffingtonpost.com/entry/nike-market-value-colin-kaepernick_us_5ba7693ae4b0375f8f9dcb09

Rucker, Derek. "Nike - Dream Crazy - A Rich Opportunity To Learn About Brand Management In The Digital Age." Forbes. Forbes Magazine, 14 Sept. 2018. Web. 25 Sept. 2018.
https://www.forbes.com/sites/derekrucker/2018/09/06/nike-dream-crazy-a-rich-opportunity-to-learn-about-brand-management-in-the-digital-age/#5c4765db3c4b 

Minimum Wage

Noah Schlaikowski

In 1938 when minimum wage was first introduced at $0.25 an hour, the federal minimum wage has increased 22 times. The minimum wage is the salary floor or the lowest possible rate that employers can pay employees.
The most recent update to the federal minimum wage was in 2009, when it was raised to $7.25 an hour. So should minimum wage be raised and to what hourly rate?   


Yes, there are many things that could be done if we raised the minimum wage. The minimum wage hasn't kept up with inflation. As a result, the pay of many workers those with families of three or more people are now well below the poverty level. An increase in the minimum wage can raise the standard of living for these impoverished workers and their families. Additional income would be spent by consumers if raised, any kind of entertainment sense more people would able to afford more expensive luxuries and would ripple through the economy. Increasing the minimum wage could also help reduce gender and race based income inequality, with everyone being paid at least a decent amount that way not one race or gender is being paid more than others. Government expenses for social programs aimed at the poor would potentially be reduced because everyone would be getting paid more and wouldn’t need as much support from the government anymore. This could also result in slightly lower taxes for other Americans.







So with that I think the question isn’t “Why should we raise minimum wage?” It should actually be “why haven’t we raised minimum wage yet?”.




Works cited



“Minimum Wage - ProCon.org.” Should the Federal Minimum Wage Be Increased?, minimum-wage.procon.org/.
   


Doyle, Alison. “Should the Minimum Wage Be Raised?” The Balance Careers, The Balance Careers, www.thebalancecareers.com/pros-and-cons-of-raising-the-minimum-wage-2062521.

Gas Prices

Sammi Dominiak
Whether we like it or not, gas prices are rising again and unfortunately they do not plan on decreasing the price in the near future as we are all hoping for. Gas prices being increased has a big effect on what we spend our money on because gas is a necessity when you need to drive to work or school. Spending more money on gbas means that most of us will have less to spend on  other goods or services.

The Price for gas is rising quickly and there are no plans of stopping that, gas is $3 in the suburbs currently and merely $5 in the city. President Trump wants to drill of the entire U.S. coast in order to produce more oil and gasoline. Though the United States is the third top oil producer in the world, we want to move higher up the totem pole. People living on the coast have a big disagreement with the thought of drilling on setially land that could be potentially harmful to drill on. The risk of an oil spill on one of the beautiful beaches that line the coast is not low and even the thought of an oil spill is scaring the residents in the area.
Why are gas prices increasing so much? With the economy and government crashing in Venezuela we are expecting the production of oil and gasoline to drop very soon, so raising the gas prices is the short term solution to a long term problem. As the production levels drop more and more gasoline prices will begin to raise more and more so that the U.S. is able to keep a steady economy. We need our economy to stay steady because if we were to decrease gas prices while the production of gas is dropping it would only take a huge bite out of our economy. However another good part of the gas prices rising for the economy is that the use for public transportation will be more necessary helping keep our economy up and thriving.


Works Cited:

Amadeo, Kimberly. “Why Are Gas Prices So High?” The Balance, The Balance, www.thebalance.com/why-are-gas-prices-so-high-3305653.

Crudele, John. “Why Gas Prices Are so High - and What Americans May Have to Risk to Make Them Lower.” New York Post, New York Post, 24 May 2018, nypost.com/2018/05/23/why-gas-prices-are-so-high-and-what-americans-may-have-to-risk-to-make-them-lower/.

Folger, Jean. “How Gas Prices Affect The Economy.” Investopedia, Investopedia, 16 Oct. 2015, www.investopedia.com/financial-edge/0511/how-gas-prices-affect-the-economy.aspx.

The Economics Behind Internet Ads

The Economics Behind Internet Ads
Written by: Matt Dehart

Ads are one of the most important parts of websites.  You might say that many get annoying, appearing before videos, or taking space on the page.  But these advertisements are necessary for the content on the internet.  People want things free, and ads are the only way to keep a site free.  Things are a lot more complicated though.  In simple terms, a business gives money to a publisher when they show an ad for the business.  Without earning money, a publisher would shut down with the opportunity cost of getting a job is lower than the hours spent for no income.  Most revenue from ads is based on clicks, meaning the payout is based on how much business the advertiser receives from the ad.  It gets much deeper though.  A company will choose which sites to advertise for based on the audience.  They have to compare the possible profit from sponsoring one website compared to another.  A publisher had to think of many different factors while placing ads on their site.  They have to use a lot of marginal analysis to estimate ad amount and placement.  They have to decide if they think another ad will increase either viewers and or clicks on the advertisement, and not use an amount that will give less than before.  Over the years tools have been developed to help an advertiser with placing ads.  One such example is Google Adsense, which will use content on the website to place ads that will make more revenue.  So before you just look away with the next advertisement, think about how much work and economic analysis was used to bring the ad to you.

Works Cited

Bishop, Tyler. “How Internet Ads Work & How Sites Make Money Using Them.” Ezoic Blog, 13 Mar. 2018, blog.ezoic.com/how-internet-ads-work-how-to-make-money-using-them/.

Suggett, Paul. “Start Making Money Today with Google Ads.” The Balance Small Business, The Balance Small Business, www.thebalancesmb.com/how-to-make-money-with-google-ads-39108.

The Shortage of Skilled Trades in the US

The Shortage of Skilled Trades in the US
Adam Immel

The expectations of the American youth have changed much since the days when industry thrived in the United States. Whether it was for better or for worse is debatable, but as the country transitioned from manufacturing to service based industries, the generations of people were further divided by changing labor expectations. The changes have led many to believe that the United States is experiencing a labor shortage, an insufficient amount of qualified workers, in the market of skilled trades. Because of this, many consumers are finding it much more difficult to find contractors that aren’t being replaced fast enough to accomodate for the wave of retiring baby boomers.

The decline in demand for such jobs is the change in expectations in career development that began in the 1970’s and 80’s. 40 years ago, the United States was a powerhouse economy that relied heavily on manufacturing. Since that period, economic decision making by manufacturers to produce overseas to lower the cost of production, as well as America’s fledgling effort to combat air pollution in the 1970’s, have sent those jobs out of country, taken by countries such as China that own a significantly lower minimum wage than the US, and have made less of an effort to mitigate air pollution from factories. Because of this, America has lost “some 7 million manufacturing jobs”, according to Forbes. While the same source argues that the US has “added some 53 million jobs in services”, the impact of the changes has been left on following generations. Millennials and Generation Z have been persistently advised that the best option towards finding reliable employment is through a four-year Bachelor’s Degree. These factors have all contributed to the steadily growing “skills gap” as the older generations tire from their laborious careers.

What makes this gap in demand for skilled trades surprising is the potential such a career provides for a lucrative career. According to an article by NPR, Pacific Northwest Ironworkers based in Seattle provides workers and opportunity to earn “$28.36 an hour, or more than $50,000 a year”, a wage that is commonplace in many similar careers. Besides this, the shallow belief that the only way to “make it” in life is via a traditional college continues, even with increasing average debt. Some may assume the youth are too afraid the get their hands dirty; others may argue ignorance and a lack of promoting the field are to blame. Regardless, this trend doesn’t appear to be improving; the outlook on the youth’s demand in skilled trades hasn’t shifted at all, and the proportion of skilled trade workers older than 45 in 2012 was 53 percent, according to EMSI, which is a significantly high proportion. With demand as low as it is currently among the younger generation, in 20 years the majority of current employees in the field will be retired, putting a strain on industries that many of American workers in service based industries take for granted. Somehow, new parents and school systems need to promote the promise that becoming a machinist, electrician, welder, or any similar career can provide and prevent more Americans from college debt and looming unemployment straight out of college. The opportunity is there if the youth are willing to put in the effort.

Works Cited

Wright, Joshua. “America's Skilled Trades Dilemma: Shortages Loom As Most-In-Demand Group Of Workers Ages.” Forbes, Forbes Magazine, 23 May 2014, www.forbes.com/sites/emsi/2013/03/07/americas-skilled-trades-dilemma-shortages-loom-as-most-in-demand-group-of-workers-ages/#2b0f15bd6397

Gross, Ashley, and Jon Marcus. “High-Paying Trade Jobs Sit Empty, While High School Grads Line Up For University.” NPR, NPR, 25 Apr. 2018, www.npr.org/sections/ed/2018/04/25/605092520/high-paying-trade-jobs-sit-empty-while-high-school-grads-line-up-for-university.

Krupnick, Matt. “After Decades of Pushing Bachelor's Degrees, U.S. Needs More Tradespeople.” PBS, Public Broadcasting Service, 29 Aug. 2017, www.pbs.org/newshour/education/decades-pushing-bachelors-degrees-u-s-needs-tradespeople.

Worstall, Tim. “The U.S. Lost 7 Million Manufacturing Jobs--And Added 33 Million Higher-Paying Service Jobs.” Forbes, Forbes Magazine, 19 Oct. 2016, www.forbes.com/sites/timworstall/2016/10/19/the-us-lost-7-million-manufacturing-jobs-and-added-33-million-higher-paying-service-jobs/#66e2a7b04a20.

The Subtle Economics Of AP Classes

Liam O’Neill Mrs. Straub AP Economics 18 May 2018

The Subtle Economics Of AP Classes

It is sunday may 20th, and the awful stress of AP testing is over, and i’m sure you all can agree that it is great to finally feel as though the school year is almost over. Although it may feel as though only thing AP classes do is bring unneeded stress into our lives, Ap classes have a real impact on our economy in a way that none of us even think about.

Long before I took my AP test, I thought long and hard about the opportunity cost that comes with it. I looked at the tradeoffs that come with taking and not taking the test. The primary thing I thought about was whether or not the test would truly benefit me, especially for $90 (AP data). For many, $90 is a lot of money, especially for the students that have to pay the fees themselves. And $90 is just for one class, it is an additional $90 for every test meaning that some students will need to spend $400 to take tests. Although Paying $90 to take a test might at first sound like one of the dumbest decisions a person could ever make, it’s much more than just a test. Not only does the AP score you receive demonstrate your performance on your AP Exam, but it also measures of your achievement in your college-level AP course. This score will be used by colleges and universities to determine if they will grant you credit for what you've already learned, scoring a 3 (4 for some colleges and even 5 for others) will result in you being qualified to skip the equivalent course once you get to college. This reason alone is a significant incentive to take the AP test as $90 and passing the test can turn into a potential $2400 in savings. To break that down on how big of a potential impact that is, of the 841 students at Pewaukee 53% participate in AP testing with a 83% pass rate on the various AP tests meaning that around 371 kids are successful on passing an AP test each year at Pewaukee (rankings). When you take that into consideration, that is a total of $887,894 in potential savings on college tuition for students at Pewaukee High School.

Everybody knows what it is like to feel broke, but for college students they rarely know the feeling of not being broke. High school students work for hours in attempt to save up enough money for college, taking AP classes results in less money that is needed to be saved as the cost of college tuition decreases significantly. Less money that is needed to be paid off in loans also means that college students have to worry significantly less about debt and interest rates. This is a positive externality for businesses around colleges as less money to pay off means that the purchasing power of students increases greatly for normal goods thus greatly increasing potential consumption expenditures on things such as food or clothes.

Additionally, taking an AP class allows you to differentiate yourself from other college applicants as all AP classes are greatly respected across all the nations institutions. Colleges look at how rigorous a students classwork was as a determinant in acceptance and academic scholarships. On average $50 billion is awarded to eligible students in scholarships, with 94% of these funds came from federal, state and local government sources (saving for college). In conclusion AP classes have an impact that goes far beyond our individual lives. Their impact on the economy is undeniable whether it goes unnoticed or not. They provide individuals with many benefits and positive externalities and are an overall great addition to our lives although we may rarely feel that way. Works Cited “AP Data - AP Report to the Nation 2014.” SAT & SAT Subject Tests™ – Research – College Board, research.collegeboard.org/programs/ap/data/nation/2014. “AP Program Participation and Performance Data 2017.” SAT & SAT Subject Tests™ – Research – College Board, research.collegeboard.org/programs/ap/data/participation/ap-2017. “Google Sheets - Create and Edit Spreadsheets Online, for Free.” Google Slides, Google, docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1mIgxDcES1F_nfpb6ksj7oq-JDJ_w9adN7x0W67yDfpg/edit#gid=0. Rankings, National. “How Does Pewaukee High Rank Among America's Best High Schools?” U.S. News & World Report, U.S. News & World Report, www.usnews.com/education/best-high-schools/wisconsin/districts/pewaukee-school-district/pewaukee-high-21834. “Surprising Facts About Scholarships.” Savingforcollege.com, www.savingforcollege.com/articles/surprising-facts-about-scholarships-836. “Table 5. - Average Public School Size (Mean Number of Students per School), by Instructional Level and by State: Overview of Public Elementary and Secondary Schools and Districts: School Year 1999-2000.” Revenues and Expenditures for Public Elementary and Secondary Education: School Year 2001-2002, E.D. Tab, National Center for Education Statistics, nces.ed.gov/pubs2001/overview/table05.asp. Wilson-Swokowski, Tye. “AP Test Scores, Participation Rise in Wisconsin.” The Badger Herald, 26 Feb. 2016, badgerherald.com/news/2016/02/26/ap-test-scores-participation-rise-in-wisconsin/.