Q1. The following graph shows the cost curves for a perfectly competitive firm. Identify the shutdown point, the breakeven point, and the firm's short-run supply curve.
Q2. The following facts characterize the furniture industry in the United States.
a. The industry has been very fragmented so that few companies have the financial backing to make heavy investments in new technology and equipment.
b. In 1998, only three U.S. furniture manufacturers had annual sales exceeding $1 billion. These firms accounted for only 20% of the market share, with the remainder split among 1000 other manufacturers.
c. Capital spending at one manufacturer, Furniture Brands, was only 2.2% of sales compared with 6.6% at Ford Motor company. Outdated, labor incentive production techniques are still being used by many firms.
d. Furniture manufacturing involves a huge number of options to satisfy consumer preferences, but this extensive set of choices slows production and raises costs.
e. Small competitors can enter the industry because large manufacturers have not built up any overwhelming advantage in efficiency.
f. The American Furniture Manufacturers Association has prepared public relations campaign to "encourage consumers to part with more of their disposable income on furniture."
g. In the fall of 2003, a group of 28 U.S furniture manufacturers as the U.S government to impose antidumping trade duties on Chinese-made bed room furniture, alleging unfair pricing.
h. The globalization of the furniture industry since the 1980s has resulted from technological innovations, governmental implementation of economic development strategies and regulatory regimes that favor global investment and trade, and the emergence of furniture manufacturers and retailers with a capacity to develop global production and distribution networks using Chinese subcontractors has accelerated globalizing in recent years.
Discuss how these facts are consistent with the model of perfect competition.