Tag: costs

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‘Swine Flu’: the economic impact

Even in the current gloomy economic climate, there is something else that has grabbed media attention – the outbreak of swine flu. This is of particular concern, given the WHO’s announcement that we are in an H1N1 flu pandemic. The symptoms and health risks have been widely broadcast, but it is not just this that governments are concerned about. The economies of some countries, in particular Mexico, have been suffering. ‘Swine flu has dealt a major blow to Mexico’s already battered economy’. Many countries have issued advice to businesses on dealing with a potential pandemic and some countries are facing trade restrictions. It’s important to consider the economic consequences of this outbreak in a time of global recession. How will some of the worst hit industries cope and what are the costs that firms could face if the situation gets worse? The following articles explore the issues.

Economic impact of swine flu BBC News: World News America (4/5/09)
Advice to businesses on swine flu BBC News (4/5/09)
Swine flu nations make trade pleaBBC News (3/5/09)
WTO protectionism report to feature swine flue bans The Economist (12/6/09)
Mexico economy squeezed by swine flu BBC News (30/4/09)
Swine flu fears hit travel shares BBC News (27/4/09)
Swine flu: Four ETFs to watch Seeking Alpha (12/6/09)
Employers have to pay for swine flu quarantines Scoop Business: Independent News (12/6/09)

Questions

  1. Which industries are the most affected by the outbreak of swine flu?
  2. What are some of the costs that businesses will face following the WHO’s announcement that we are in a flu pandemic?
  3. Some of the articles talk about possible trade restrictions. What are the arguments (a) for (b) against protectionist measures in these circumstances?
  4. How will this flu pandemic add to the global crisis we are currently facing? What will happen to share prices, to tourism, to people’s expectations?
  5. Do you think that firms have a social responsibility to deal with this pandemic?
  6. Will there be additional health costs and who should bear them? What do you think will be the impact on the NHS, given its method of provision and finance?
  7. Do you think that this pandemic will affect the global economy’s ability to recover from this recession?
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The rise of freeconomics

Increasing numbers of firms are offering goods to consumers for free. Chris Anderson, the editor of Wired magazine, has developed a thesis called freeconomics which postulates that this trend will increase and that firms that don’t join in will go to the wall. “As much as we complain about how expensive things are getting, we’re surrounded by forces that are making them cheaper,” Anderson wrote in a recent article.

The big giveaway Guardian (6/5/08)

Questions

1. Explain what is meant by the term ‘freeconomics’.
2. How can firms afford to make goods and services available for free?
3. “Anderson’s idea is that the internet, by reducing marginal costs, encourages businesses to make their money by offering free goods or services to an extent we have not witnessed before”. Discuss the extent to which doing business over the internet reduces marginal costs.
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Airport fees flying higher

The Civil Aviation Authority (CAA) – the regulatory body for Britain’s airports – has allowed the main airport operator BAA to increase substantially the landing charges it levies on airlines. The airlines have reacted angrily and argued that the higher charges will simply be passed on to passengers in the form of higher fares.

Q&A: Airport landing fees BBC News Online (11/3/08)
BAA to raise airport landing fees BBC News Online (11/3/08)
Fares will rise as fees cap is lifted Guardian (cartoon) (12/3/08)
Fares will rise as fees cap is lifted, airlines warn Guardian (12/3/08)

Video

BAA to raise landing fees BBC News Online

Questions

1. Explain the regulatory system in operation for the control of landing fees at UK airports .
2. Explain why the CAA has increased the landing fees that BAA can charge for planes landing at UK airports.
3. Is raising landing fees an efficient method of internalising the externalities associated with air travel?
4. Evaluate the extent to which the higher landing fees will be passed on to airline passengers. Use diagrams as appropriate. You may also like to consider the relevance of the price elasticity of demand for air travel in determining the extent to which the higher landing fees can be passed on by the airlines.