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The article talks about an import substitution on building materials in the Ukraine. Companies increased their used of domestic building materials by 10% resulting in a total use of 80% of domestic building materials.

This article talks about Lenovo's vision of growing demand for their 7-inch tablets. It suggests combinations of substitutes and complement goods, which has to do with the value of XED. They see tablets as competitors for large-screen smartphones (like Samsung S3), but also as something that will not replace traditional computers. So, value of XED in combination tablets - smartphones is positive, meaning that these two goods are substitutes, whereas the value of XED in combination tablets - computers is negative, meaning that these two goods are complements. Lenovo also suggests that they are prepared for the steady supply of high-resolution touch screens for which they see a bright future as components of computers. So, it is also about non-determinant of supply - expectation for future prices.

The strong dollar and increasing competition present a barrier for McDonald's effort to increase its profit. McDonald's used to have inelastic demand, since it did not have much competition and changes in price would not affect total revenue. If they wanted to increase total revenue, they just raised the prices. However, nowadays, as competition takes place, their demand is becoming more and more elastic, because of the more substitutes offered by competition.

This article talks about Virginia carrier NTelos Wireless $50 discount for the new iPhone 5. This is a win for this company, because the demand will increase (movement along the existing demand curve). At the same time we can introduce substitution effect: iPhone 5 for the NTelos' customers level of attractiveness will rise due to price drop, whereas customers of other carriers in Virginia offering iPhone 5 at higher prices will find it too expensive there, so they might decide for the switch of the carriers, resulting in left shift of the demand curve for carriers offering iPhone 5 at higher prices (less demand at every price). Also demand for mobile phones at T-Mobile might decrease as well due to the fact they don't offer iPhones 5 which are selling like hot cakes around the world, so customers won't find they offer as attractive as the offer of other carriers selling iPhone 5 (here we talk about 'tastes/preferences factor' and other factors).

The profit of the Microsoft decreased as people started buying more smart phones and tablets. This is related to elasticity as people will buy more tablets since they are cheaper than PCs. Therefore, the demand of the PCs and Microsoft is elastic since it is not a necessity and people are buying substitute products

For the past century or so, cigarettes have been an inelastic product. Due to their addictive properties, changes in the price have had a minimal effect on market demand, allowing tobacco companies to rake in boat loads of cash. In the early 1900s, big tobacco hit its peak in sales with the ability to advertise in color and through whole new mediums (newspaper, radio, TV, etc.) It was at this time that the American public and many other nations, although I don't which, started to recognize the dangers of smoking and the government begin creating restrictions. Though cigarrettes now have prices that fluctuate like gas, can't have ads on radio or television, and can't be sold to minors, consumer demand has still remained for them because of how powerful the addictive effects of nicotine are on the human brain. However, now there is an alternative to conventional smoking which replaces deadly secondhand smoke with clean water vapor. E-cigarettes are a trend that is sure to build demand and will cigarettes and cigars as elastic as a rubber band.

This article discusses the controversies involved in the sale of wildlife and a global ban in the trade of a species when it is threatened with over-exploitation. The author relates to trade bans as something that do more harm than good. This is perfectly illustrated by the following quote: "Combine inelastic demand, lack of substitutes, scarcity and open access to habitats with a trade ban, Dr Conrad argues, and a black market will flourish." Some of these conclusions also relate to arguments against protection we did in class, such as the limited options that consumers and firms have.