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RADICAL PEDAGOGY

T. R. Young
The Red Feather Institute

Aug, 1998

No. 004 HomeTown Monopolies
Distributed as part of the Red Feather Institute RADICAL PEDAGOGY Series. The Red Feather Institute, 8085 Essex, Weidman, Michigan, 48893.

 

Limit: The first 10 students who sign up may do the Assignment.
Cost: 20 generic points
 __________________ FIELD ASSIGNMENT 
     NAME             
Reference: Reading #4 by Howard Sherman             25 Quality Pts
Monopoly, Prices and Profits                        	 Possible
A.   Check out the gas stations, barber shops, doctors, dentists,
     real estate brokers, banks and other small business persons
     to see if they have informal agreements to keep prices/fees
     high and their profits steady.  HINT: if you can bargain
     with a doctor or a barber for lower rates, there probably is
     no agreement.
     1.   Check out the reasons for such semi-monopoly if there
          is one...ask managers or employees.
     2.   Find out how such pricing policy is enforced.
     3.   If there is a pricing agreement among small business
          and one or two do not conform to the agreement, list
          their names and we'll announce them in class.
     4.   Find out what their profit rate is (see p. 63); is it
          more or less than Sherman says.  Could they shift their
          business to Korea or Mexico?
DO A GOOD JOB--ONE PERSON IN EACH ATTRACTOR WILL BE INVITED BY
YOUR MENTOR TO A MINI-DEBATE FOR 25 MORE POINTS.  DUE 1 OCT 1992 .