This essay sheds light on who are the scalpers of the action figure market, explicates how scalpers affect the market dynamics of the action figure market, and expounds upon how toy companies can prevent supply shortages of action figures in the action figure market. Succinctly stated, the scalpers of the action figure market are the resellers of the action figure market. The scalpers of the action figure market are not just ordinary resellers who are amenable to selling products at reasonable markups that are not significantly above their retail price points, but rather are resellers who are keen on maximizing their profits. The scalpers of the action figure market are able to maximize their profits by charging exorbitant premium prices for their products. The scalpers of the action figure market will often sell their products at steep price points that are 50%-1,000% higher than their retail price points. The scalpers of the action figure market are also often disinterested in offerings promotions on their products to the members of their target market. The scalpers of the action figure market will also often not make concessions on the pricing of their products to help action figure collectors to be able to complete their action figure collections. The scalpers of the action figure market are also often eminently reticent about lowering the pricing of their products and will also often wait for their products to sell at their steep asking prices since they have purview over almost the entirety of the supply of desirable action figures on the secondhand market. Action figure collectors seldomly sell their action figures on the secondhand market. In contexts in which former action figure collectors decide to sell their action figures on the secondhand market, they will then often charge steep premium prices for their action figures that are significantly more expensive than their retail prices. Former action figure collectors who sell their action figures via the secondhand market also want to receive top dollar for their action figures even though they may possibly be all the more amenable to entertaining offers for their action figures than scalpers. The scalpers of the action figure market are resellers who are often the primary purveyors of desirable discontinued action figures on the secondhand market. The scalpers of the action figure market are also often inclined to purchase as many highly desirable action figures from retailers as possible that are egregiously underproduced and that there is sizeable customer demand for at their retail prices. When highly desirable action figures of fantasy characters who are derived from popular mass media franchises have sizeable customer demand for them at their retail prices and are egregiously underproduced, then it renders them all the more apt to significantly appreciate in value post becoming sold out at brick-and-mortar retail stores and on the e-commerce websites of e-commerce retailers. This is because most highly desirable action figures of fantasy characters who are derived from popular mass media franchises will never become reproduced once their respective production runs have ended even though there is tremendous pent-up customer demand for these highly desirable action figures at their retail prices that remains eminently unsatisfied post these highly desirable action figures no longer being available at retail stores due to them being sold out at retail stores. Highly desirable action figures of fantasy characters who are derived from popular mass media franchises are often not produced in sufficient quantities to be able to satisfy sizeable customer demand for them at their retail prices. If highly desirable action figures of fantasy characters who are derived from popular mass media franchises were produced in sufficient quantities to satisfy sizeable customer demand for them, then they would be far less apt to significantly appreciate in value post them no longer being available at retail stores due to them being sold out at retail stores. If most action figure collectors were able to buy highly desirable action figures of fantasy characters who are derived from beloved mass media franchises at retail stores prior to the advent of them becoming sold out at retail stores, then it would be significantly more cumbersome for scalpers to sell their action figures at enormous markups on the secondhand market at steep price points that are 50%-1,000% higher than their retail price points.

In Homer Economicus a cast of lively contributors takes a field trip to Springfield, where the Simpsons reveal that economics is everywhere. By exploring the hometown of television's first family, this book provides readers with the economic tools and insights to guide them at work, at home, and at the ballot box. Since The Simpsons centers on the daily lives of the Simpson family and its colorful neighbors, three opening chapters focus on individual behavior and decision-making, introducing readers to the economic way of thinking about the world. Part II guides readers through six chapters on money, markets, and government. A third and final section discusses timely topics in applied microeconomics, including immigration, gambling, and health care as seen in The Simpsons. Reinforcing the nuts and bolts laid out in any principles text in an entertaining and culturally relevant way, this book is an excellent teaching resource that will also be at home on the bookshelf of an avid reader of pop economics.

A news-breaking account of the global stock market's subterranean battles, Dark Pools portrays the rise of the "bots"--artificially intelligent systems that execute trades in milliseconds and use the cover of darkness to out-maneuver the humans who've created them. In the beginning was Josh Levine, an idealistic programming genius who dreamed of wresting control of the market from the big exchanges that, again and again, gave the giant institutions an advantage over the little guy. Levine created a computerized trading hub named Island where small traders swapped stocks, and over time his invention morphed into a global electronic stock market that sent trillions in capital through a vast jungle of fiber-optic cables. By then, the market that Levine had sought to fix had turned upside down, birthing secretive exchanges called dark pools and a new species of trading machines that could think, and that seemed, ominously, to be slipping the control of their human masters. Dark Pools is the fascinating story of how global markets have been hijacked by trading robots--many so self-directed that humans can't predict what they'll do next.

"There has never been a craze like Beanie Babies. The $5 beanbag animals with names like Seaweed the Otter and Gigi the Poodle drove a large swath of America into a greed-fueled frenzy as they chased the rarest Beanie Babies, whose values escalated weekly in the late 1990s. Just as strange as the mass hysteria was the man behind it. Sometimes called the "Steve Jobs of plush" by his employees, he obsessed over every detail of every animal his company ever released. He had no marketing budget and no connections, but he had something more valuable - an intuitive grasp of human psychology that would make him the richest man in the history of toys. The Great Beanie Baby Bubble is a classic American story of people winning and losing vast fortunes chasing what one dealer remembers as "the most spectacular dream ever sold.""--Back cover.

Business and industry leaders are eager to find ways to spark the creative instinct in their work forces. The creation, implementation, and sustainability of new ideas is the lifeblood ensuring the growth and viability of any organization. Without continuing innovation, competitive advantage and global market share are endangered. Once-thriving organizations can find themselves unprepared for the future. This newly translated work examines the multi-layered environment of innovation by melding the thoughts of business management pundits like Peter Senge with the views of artist, politicians, and other non-traditional thinkers like Tao Ho, Peter Greenaway, and Wolfgang Rihm. These thought leaders share their insights and help us to understand the process of creativity and construction and the methods to move organizations forward in an ever-changing climate.

Dozens of lively international case studies that help readers put core marketing principles in a real-world context From market research to positioning and brand management to customer relations, marketing is the engine that drives innovation and growth in the modern business organization. This latest addition to the acclaimed Pathfinder series, like its popular predecessor, The Strategy Pathfinder, features a unique blend of core concepts and brief, international case studies. A refreshing contrast to traditional marketing texts and references, which tend to be prescriptive and directive, The Marketing Pathfinder offers professionals and marketing students alike an effective way to contextualize the marketing decisions they'll make in the real world of business. Not another one-size-fits-all marketing toolkit, The Marketing Pathfinder functions as a dynamic, interactive resource Each chapter presents a set of core concepts, frameworks, and tools, followed by five or more short, lively international case studies illustrating how the concepts and tools can be applied in the real world The case studies are specifically designed to encourage readers to pursue additional independent research and to encourage them to articulate and defend their decisions Throughout, the emphasis is on the reader as a marketing professional in the thick of it and responsible for the decisions they make

"Barnow, Trutko, and Piatak focus on whether persistent occupation-specific labor shortages might lead to inefficiencies in the U.S. economy. They describe why shortages arise, the difficulty in ascertaining that a shortage is present, and how to assess strategies to alleviate the shortage. Four occupations are used as test cases: 1) special education teachers, 2) pharmacists, 3) physical therapists, and 4) home health and personal care aides. For each of these occupations the authors summarize evidence that reveals whether it is currently or has recently experienced a labor shortage and suggest possible ways to alleviate the shortage if it is present. The authors close with a chapter discussing their conclusions and potential uses for occupational shortage data, including in helping determine immigration policy. They also discuss the limited nature of the occupational data currently collected by the Bureau of Labor Statistics and how the federal and state governments could expand their data collection efforts to assist policy formation."--Publisher's website