Problem 1. One challenge you face on a daily basis in business is calculating decision-making information when you know only part of the information. You must know how much you need to determine how changes in sales will affect the bottom line. If you know your fixed costs (FC), your variable costs per unit (VCu), your price per unit (P), and the number of units (U) sold, you can use a mathematical equation to determine your net income (NI). In this case the formula is:
NI = [U * (P-VCu)] - FC
Find another problem a classmate has not already used that you may need to solve in business, as well as the mathematical formula. What is the formula, and what are the variables? Why do you need to use this shorthand so much in business?
Problem 2. Using the formula NI = [U * (P-VCu)] - FC, what is the order in which you need to do the calculation? Why does it matter?
Problem 3. In management, how important is it that you learn to use mathematics to solve problems? How valuable is an MBA degree without the ability to identify the cost of a company's capital, its return on investment, gross margin percentage, break-even point, or what percent of a population would be willing to buy its product?