Matsuda Economics Laboratory -MEL- © 2004-2010 Kazu Matsuda All rights reserved.
Matsuda Journal of Applied Economics
Issue 3: May 2008
Abstract: As the price of a barrel of crude recently hit over $120.00, and Americans everywhere are currently facing rising fuel prices, our paper attempts to discover the economic and environmental impact that alternative fuel sources would have on our economy. We first look at Hybrid technology, a growing trend in the auto industry because of its fuel efficiency and lower emissions. Ethanol is the second option researched that is a corn oil based alternative fuel that is being implemented in manufacturers such as GM and Ford. One of the newest technologies being researched is fuel cell technology. This energy alternative replaces gasoline completely and instead uses hydrogen to produce energy. Last, we look at Biodiesel which is a cleaner burning diesel fuel than conventional diesel and more fuel efficient. The pros and cons of each of these alternative fuel sources will be evaluated and the best alternative will be selected. With the recent rise in oil prices, gas mileage has become a major concern for consumers looking to buy a new car, truck, or SUV. The current state of the economy in the United States makes living difficult for many families, but factoring in the amount of money spent on gasoline each month can make a family’s budget appear even tighter. Our paper examines four alternatives to the growing energy crisis in terms of each alternative’s economic and environmental effects. Each alternative: hybrid technology, ethanol, fuel cell and biodiesel, each pose various benefits and drawbacks. We hope that through examining each alternative we can come to a conclusion in order to recommend a proposed solution to the current problem.
Abstract: Over the course of history, the Olympic Games have had a monumental impact on the world. What once began as single-sporting race in ancient Greece in 776 B.C. has transformed into one of the most celebrated and prestigious events in the course of human history, including over 302 sporting events and representatives from more than 202 different countries around the globe. It should not be at all surprising then, that multiple countries aggressively compete for the opportunity to host this illustrious international event. Of course, bringing nations together to compete against one another while sharing tradition and culture is not the main attraction of hosting the Games; the ultimate reason for their remarkable appeal is largely economic. Subsequently, the objective of this paper is to provide a detailed overview of how host countries have been and will be economically impacted by hosting either the Winter or Summer Olympic Games. This involves an in-depth analysis that weighs the both the short-term and long-term costs and benefits of hosting the Games in terms of their affect on the Gross Domestic Product (GDP), employment rates, economic-growth and prosperity after the Games, the infrastructure of both the host city and nation, deficits and surpluses, business investment, costs and expenditures and future tourism. The following analysis examines five different host cities including Atlanta, Georgia and Sydney, Australia, two past Summer Olympic host nations, Torino, Italy, which hosted the 2006 Winter Olympics, and two future host cities, Beijing, China, which will host the 2008 Summer Olympic Games and Vancouver, Canada, which will host the 2010 Winter Olympic Games. This paper will assess the economic impact of hosting the Games on each of these individual countries, beginning with the most recent hosts and concluding with future hosts of the Games.
Abstract: Tata Motors is a company focused on creating new and innovative vehicles. Tata has not been around as long as the some of the other major automobile manufacturers, but it is a company that is looking to add its name to the top of the list with those major competitors. Tata Motors headquarters are located in India. The company was created in 1945 as a locomotive production line and has developed into a manufacturer of a wide variety of vehicles. Tata Motors is just one division of a larger corporation known as Tata family enterprises. There are around one hundred companies and seven business sectors that hold the name Tata. The family created Tata Motors and is India’s largest independent company to date.
Tata can credit its recent success to their green policies which consists of improving fuel efficiency, and becoming a socially responsible company. They are the first Indian automobile company to introduce cleaner engines and using environmentally-friendly fluids in the vehicles. With these improvements, Tata has enjoyed financial success as well. The company’s sale and more importantly, profits, are steadily increasing with the growth of the company. Tata is taking advantage of its local boom in demand for small, fuel efficient vehicles. Since the company’s future is optimistic, speculation on how Tata could affect the U.S. economy and automobile industry is growing. Currently, the company is small but growing rapidly. This could provide Tata with a major opportunity to expand into the United States and beyond in the future.
Abstract: Toyota and General Motors have been rivals for decades in the auto industry. Each were established in the same era, but have taken very different roads to get to the top of the industry. While their histories are similar, the companies’ approaches to management, production and marketing are very different, with Toyota looking to the future and General Motors looking to the past. When calculated their financial ratios are fairly similar. With the economy worsening and gas prices rising, each company will need to develop top of the line automobiles at reasonable prices to retain their respective market positions.
Abstract: The economic impact of sports teams on their respective cities is a very debatable issue among economists. Many people, including team owners and city officials, believe that teams have a huge impact on the economy of a city while most economists tend to disagree. The following is an in-depth look at four cases of teams leaving their city and what the impact has been on the city and the impact of the city they move too.
Abstract: This paper is to show the broad impacts of rising oil prices. We can see many examples in our every day life such as gas prices, milk prices, and other industries that are making headlines lately. Some other implications may not be as readily apparent.