TOPICS FOR INVESTIGATION AND REPORT
I
1. Suppose an unscrupulous individual fraudulently secured possession of property belonging to you. What steps would you take to secure justice?
2. What penalties are inflicted in your state for highway robbery, embezzlement, theft, forgery, and similar crimes against property?
3. Suppose that you are a florist and that you have ordered a large quantity of flowers from a greenhouse keeper for your Decoration Day trade. Assume that you could not sell the flowers at a profit if they arrived later than Decoration Day. Assume, also, that you have reason to suspect that the greenhouse keeper will not be prompt in delivering the flowers ordered. Draw up a contract (to be signed by him) which would protect you against his tendency to carelessness.
4. Select for study an isolated rural district, a small town, or a section of a suburb in which the community secures its supply of a given commodity from a single shop or store. Compare the price of the commodity, and its quality, with the price and quality of a similar commodity in stores located in communities served by several competing stores. What do you conclude as to the value of competition?
5. Make a study of bill-board advertising, listing the number of advertisements inviting purchase of competing commodities. Write to a bill-board advertising company for advertising rates, and draw your conclusions as to (a) the cost of advertising, and (b) the waste involved in advertising competing commodities.
Make a similar study of magazine advertising, writing to the advertising manager of the magazine selected for study, in order to secure advertising rates.