All CPA Business Environment and Concepts (BEC) Resources
Example Questions
Example Question #1 : Money, Banking Fiscal Policy
Which of the following methods may the Federal Reserve use to reduce inflationary pressures?
Decrease reserve requirements
Increase margin requirements
Decrease the target interest rate
Increase the money supply
Increase margin requirements
The Fed can increase margin requirements as a means to decrease the economy's money supply. This is a viable contractionary monetary policy used by the Fed to lower the economy's price level.
Example Question #2 : Money, Banking Fiscal Policy
Which of the following individuals would be most hurt by an unanticipated increase in inflation?
A borrower whose debt has a fixed interest rate
A union worker whose contract includes a provision for regular cost of living adjustments
A retiree living on a fixed income
A saver whose savings was placed in a variable rate savings account
A retiree living on a fixed income
A retiree living on fixed income would be hurt because the retiree's income would not increase to offset the negative effects of inflation.
Example Question #184 : Cpa Business Environment And Concepts (Bec)
If the Federal Reserve raises the discount rate, which of the following effects is likely to occur?
Corporate profits will increase
Fixed interest rates on mortgages will decrease
Consumer spending will increase
Short term interest rates will likely increase
Short term interest rates will likely increase
Declines in the money supply lead to an increase in interest rates.
Example Question #3 : Money, Banking Fiscal Policy
Under which of the following conditions is the supplier most able to influence or control buyers?
When the industry is controlled by a large number of companies
When the supplier's products are not differentiated
When the supplier does not face the threat of substitute products
When the purchasing industry is an important customer to the supplying industry
When the supplier does not face the threat of substitute products
When there are few good substitutes for a supplier's product, the supplier has market power.
Example Question #4 : Money, Banking Fiscal Policy
Which one of the following is not one of Porter's five forces?
Bargaining power of customers
Existence of a substitute product
Barriers to market entry
Existence of complementary products
Existence of complementary products
Existence of complementary products is not one of Porter's five forces.
Example Question #6 : Economic Concepts & Analysis
When will new companies attempt to enter a market?
When there is an ologopoly
When there is monopolistic competition
When the economy is weak
When the economy is strong
When there is monopolistic competition
Under monopolistic competition, barriers to entry are low, and potentially high profits exist in the market. This would incentivize new firms to enter the market.