Discussion Topic 1 -
There are many dairy farmers in the world and also many Starbucks coffeehouses. Why does a Starbucks coffeehouse face a downward-sloping demand curve while a dairy farmer has a horizontal demand curve? What other suppliers might face a downward-sloping demand curve and what implications does this have for their advertising budget as compared to suppliers with horizontal demand curves?
Discussion Topic 2 -
How do barriers to entry impact the level of competition in a market? What might happen to market price as greater barriers to entry come into existence? Not all barriers to entry are created through market conditions. Barriers to entry, such as patents, licenses, or international trade restrictions, may be government imposed. How do government-imposed barriers such as patents impact consumers and suppliers in these markets?