Q1. Why do economists attempting to forecast short run future changes in real GDP and employment look closely at data on business inventories and unfilled orders?
Q2. Consider Procter and Gamble, a firm that sells a variety of consumer products, including potato chips and shampoo. Consider Hanover Foods, a firm that sells a variety of food products, including potato chips and pretzels. Discuss the manner in which an analyst would compare the relative profitability of the two potato chip segments. How does SFAS 131 help the analyst?