Delano, Based on your findings, it appears that the United Kingdom’s banking system, the Central Bank of England, is extremely similar to the United States banking system, the Federal Reserve System. You did well with incorporating relevant data into your discussion of the home country’s banking system. I would be interested in researching how British Petroleum appears to be unaffected by changes in inflation rates in its home country and key market. The specific fiscal policy you discussed was interesting. The cancelation of corporation tax increases would greatly benefit this company's economic growth as it is such a big corporation. I appreciated that you also discussed a harmful fiscal policy. Is it harmful in that it requires British Petroleum to minimize its product portfolio? I, too, examined stimulus checks as an example of impactful fiscal policies in the United States. I hadn’t realized the negative nature and repercussions of this policy, such as contributing to a higher inflation rate, until I completed this assignment (GOBankingRates, 2022). It is surprising that the company is still able to benefit from this policy. Overall, great job on your discussion. You examined several key components of a company’s economic growth. References GOBankingRates. (2022, June 19). Pandemic Stimulus Checks: The Good, the Bad, and the TBD. Retrieved September 30, 2022, from https://www.gobankingrates.com/money/economy/pandemic-stimulus-checks-good-bad-tbd/

Good afternoon, This post provides a thorough, substantial review of the Sony Group Corporation from an economic standpoint. Sony is a vast company and encompasses a wide array of entertainment enterprises, many of which you listed in your milestone. Sony is a well-known household name, so learning about it more detailedly was fascinating. I was especially interested in reading the several notable music artists signed to their expansive music labels, like Aretha Franklin and Beyonce. The strategies discussed within the "Sony's Comparative Advantage" subsection are indeed advantages but perhaps competitive or overall, not comparative specifically. A company has a comparative advantage in its market when it can continually produce goods or services at the lowest opportunity cost compared to other producers of the same goods (Cowen & Tabarrok, 2020). Examining Sony's production costs compared to their competitors like Microsoft, Apple, or Samsung should allow you to identify whether or not they hold a comparative advantage against their rivals. I appreciated that you identified strategies Sony uses to match consumer demand, such as collaboration with other companies like Samsung and broadening their online presence for more easy accessibility. The contrast in Playstation sales in the US compared to their key market, Japan, is astounding! I would've assumed it was a much smaller margin. Overall, great job on your milestone! Thanks for an interesting read! References Cowen, T., & Tabarrok, A. (2020). Loose-leaf Version for Modern Principles of Economics (Fifth ed.). Worth Publishers.

Thomas, Your Milestone draft looks fantastic. You have excellent sourcing and explain the pertinent macroeconomic principles in an easily understandable fashion. Toyota is a well-established company, which makes it a prime candidate for analysis. Your discussion of comparative advantage is thorough. Toyota’s elimination of human error was a strategic business move that allowed them to gain a comparative advantage by lessening defective products and producing more products. I believe their philosophy may be more of a competitive advantage rather than a comparative one as it doesn’t directly relate to a smaller cost of production. However, I do see the connection you made. From my own research into the Toyota brand, it appears that the company has seen an increase in both gross profit and net income (Toyota Gross Profit 2010–2022). In 2022 the company’s gross profit was $53.148 billion, a 17% increase from the previous year. Toyota’s 2022 net income was $25.366 billion, a 20.19% increase from 2021. This means that despite the fact that the company is struggling to match current product demand, the company has managed to experience significant growth overall. I enjoyed reading your analysis of the GDP of Toyota’s home country, the United States, and a key market, Japan. I would not have initially recognized tariffs as a roadblock for the company, so it was enlightening to learn about their effect on international car sales. Thanks for an interesting read! References Toyota Gross Profit 2010–2022 | TM. (n.d.). MacroTrends. Retrieved September 3, 2022, from https://www.macrotrends.net/stocks/charts/TM/toyota/gross-profit