《牛奶可乐经济学》读书报告Y英文版

Enlightenment of the Economic Naturalistin Search of Explanations for Everyday Enigmas.陈志奇I61214054Last year, one of my friends gave me a book, which was about economic naturalist. One raining day, I picked up this book out of curiosity, and began to enjoy it. The book is most interesting one I have ever learned.Robert H. Frank who is the author of the book is the Henrietta Johnson Louis Professor of Management and Professor of Economics at Cornell University's Johnson Graduate School of Management. His "Economic Scene" column appears monthly in the "New York Times." His previous books include "The Winner-Take-All Society" (with Philip Cook), "Luxury Fever," and "Principles of Economics" (with Ben Bernanke). Frank's many awards include the Apple Distinguished Teaching Award and the Leontief Prize for Advancing the Frontiers of Economic Thought. He lives in Ithaca, New York.Why do the keypads on drive-up cash machines have Braille dots? Why are round-trip fares from Orlando to Kansas City higher than those from Kansas City to Orlando? For decades, Robert Frank has been asking his economics students to pose and answer questions like these as a way of learning how economic principles operate in the real world-which they do everywhere, all the time. Once you learn to think like an economist, all kinds of puzzling observations start to make sense. Drive-up ATM keypads have Braille dots because it’s cheaper to make the same machine for both drive-up and walk-up locations. Travelers from Kansas City to Orlando pay less because they are usually price-sensitive tourists with many choices of destination, whereas travelers originating from Orlando typically choose Kansas City for specific family or business reasons. The Economic Naturalist employs basic economic principles to answer scores of intriguing questions from everyday life, and, along the way, introduces key ideas such as the cost-benefit principle, the “no cash on the table” principle, and the law of one price. This is as delightful and painless a way to learn fundamental economics as there is.Commonplace book, professor frank from reality and neglected life phenomenon, first put forward a series of seemingly simple but suddenly unexpectedly let us hard to answerthe question, fully arouse the curiosity of readers and psychological knowledge. Then, he just explains them with the economics principle and method. In so doing, let us see both small behind the phenomenon is of great wisdom of life, also borrow the ubiquitous phenomenon in life deepens our understanding of economics.The book describes the author thinks that the basic concepts of the two most important economics: the opportunity cost and cost benefit principle. Opportunity cost is to point to engage in certain activities and give up other things of value; Cost-benefit principle means only when the action when the additional revenue is greater than the additional costs, are worth to do so, it is the source of all economic concept. Why milk is packed in boxes, for example, coke in a round bottle? This problem is for the vast majority of people don't pay attention to it. "Economics of milk coke answer: one is to difference of amount of products, mostly need to put into the freezer fresh milk, if it is round, will reduce the utilization rate of the freezer; Coke is not fresh, there is no this problem. Second, circular cola for drink in your hands, and few people took the drink milk box. And "the road lay a seemingly one hundred dollar bill, do you want to pick up", "fine can stop late", etc. Not released when the answer, it is estimated that many people will lack dare not answer, but after seeing the answer, will think of the reason was so simple. So professor frank a starting point of this book is to make readers feel close to our economics, through to every corner of life.In this book to see many examples of the same view in life, and deepened my understanding of many of its. It seems that a correct principle, applicable is a field, not just one aspect. Like this seemingly simple cost-benefit principle, the original is not just a particular aspect of the basis of scientific decision-making, is also the foundation and core of economics. This reminds me of the philosophy of, universality and particularity, particularity without universality.Economics this chapter in product design, left me the deepest impression is that 1: product design should not only contain the most conforms to the consumer of heart function, and to meet the needs of the seller keep prices low, is advantageous for the competition, this means that the product design must be balanced between the two. Saw this chapter, many is a flash in my mind confused and puzzled answered, this let me inhappy also had to consider - why I also have found it in the life the can explore and think the phenomenon and problems, and I chose to put it behind, ignore? Like a refrigerator, boxes of milk, and so on, I also have doubts, but never on the heart, too lazy to go find the answer, as time passes, even these once a flash doubts disappeared. It seems that life, not only need good at discovering eyes, also need to thinking of the brain.Think again the paper box of milk, I found that it has a lot of reasonable. First, due to the short shelf life of milk production to drinking cycle is short, so the paper, in order to reduce costs; And soft drinks such as cola cannot use paper, because their shelf life, cycle is long, paper is relatively too fragile, is not suitable for long-term preservation. Second, milk box is printed, if make a cylindrical, under the extrusion collision, believe that will only become party circle, neither fish nor fowl, and square has more stable; And soft drinks such as cola for glass or metal container, apparently made from round much easier, how much more the material is strong enough, not easy to deformation. Third, especially big boxes of milk, milk drink is usually a family or a person drink several times, it is believed that many people will be a big boxes of milk points several times in the cup, this time, in the right Angle cut square box open, is very convenient, on the contrary, the circular hole will often make the milk to the outside of the quilt, not only waste, but not health; This is probably why soft drinks round hole is done very small relative to the whole bottle.A small product design, the wisdom is profound. Product design seeks the most conforms to the consumer of heart function and meet the needs of the seller keep prices low, is advantageous for the competition between the two balance, also is the philosophy of dialectical unification, also similar to today's society of harmony. This is my experience interest in economics.Knowledge of relevant theory of supply and demand, also learned in high school political economics class, only find rigid boring. Professor Frank a life practice, however, interesting. Small to low-cost items such as batteries, film, big to big-ticket items such as computers, cars, from the material consumer goods to the consumer to enjoy... Life of all the goods and the market in all need clever use of supply and demand can be profitable, and make their own profit.The "law of one price" to point out that any attempt to use the idea of lady willing to spend more money suppliers, give competitors to create the direct profit opportunities. If you have can take the opportunity, in a market economy, who will miss? And seller's bad competition in the market economy will cause the chaos of market economy, finally will only cause the recession of the economy as a whole. How to avoid such tragedy? Competitors itself exists between the "law of one price" is one of the effective ways to exempt from this disaster, it is better to stop the vicious competition between the competitors. Equilibrium price, the market clearing price, it is the perfect balance of supply and demand condition. This state is almost non-existent in the market, but it is to measure the balance of a specific product in the market, is a good measure.Discount threshold, this concept is also very interesting and clever. When shopping, almost always encounter this or that kind of a discount, but want to carefully, you will find every discount has its threshold.Discount the most advantage is found on the surface of the meager profit but high turnover, although prices down, but then will drive sales growth, business is to gain profit. Merchants to face challenge, of course, are to prevent the willing to goods purchased at the price payment buyers with a big discount. In order to achieve this goal, sales are often having a limited amount of time, and it is for buyers to set up two threshold. First, intent on shoppers to buy discounted goods, must remind ourselves that what time is the discount; Secondly, he must wait to buy until sale and buy. And the threshold is effective, because want to skip the threshold, if it weren't for discounts, originally a year would not have to buy to buy the product, at least not buy in large quantities. Why others don't skip these threshold? The reason is simple: those time opportunity cost is high, often feel jump threshold too much trouble. So, discount threshold filter was well mixed consumers, target clearly will be favorable to the people who is sensitive to price, intent on consumers' hands at discount shopping, in order to achieve the best purpose of profit. It is very clever!The book also speak when psychology in economics. It said the behavioral economics, namely the psychology into economics. Economic theory is objective, nature is rational, however, use of the subject and the object of economics is a subjective consciousness of human itself, so inevitably affected by the psychological perceptualknowledge. So when they make a decision, people sometimes depend on the wrong information, in other cases, they will be from the correct information is deduced from the wrong conclusion. From this we know that people's inherent understanding, or preconceptions to receive error messages, leads to conclusions and decide on the errors. This is we need to restraint and avoid.However, everything has two sides, as is the person's psychology. Caught people's psychological weakness, or good at its good, can bring unexpected huge benefits. Behavioral economics tells us that if you want to understand people in economic activities in the actual choice, must be more detailed analysis on the motivation of human. In theory, advanced reward than an equal value of other prizes. But people tend to prefer other forms of rewards, which is originated from human subtle psychology and motivation. So, as long as the careful analysis, grasp the real human psychology and motivation, can get the best result.Theory is gray, and the tree of life evergreen. Professor frank's unique teaching method, a simple and novel and interesting. While the whole book is common examples of common language, can be seen everywhere in life, but after reading it, give a person the sense with sobering. In a fun, relaxed and pleasant reading, unconsciously, I have gained a preliminary understanding of the principles of economics, understand a lot of wisdom in life. It let I learned to use the way and the Angle of economics to a more in-depth thinking about things around, to live is more rational.Reading professor frank's book "economics of milk coke, I just found out that life is full of the economics, which is the author" natural history "economics professor frank said. "Economics of milk coke church, we start from around things to study, using the principles of economics to explain things around, result is a two-way street, let us not only master the economic theory, and let us understand the rule of life, kill two birds with one stone of it.Similarly, in dealing with complex problems we tend to be blinded by problem that phenomenon, in fact, the whole, see the essence through, didn't we think of the complex. Professor frank exalted "opportunity cost" and "cost effective" two standard flag to judge the complicated economic problem, problem is solved, because the two standard touchedthe essence of economics. Also, we are dealing with practical problems can also draw lessons from his this kind of practice. "Economics of milk coke is, as it were, a common problem in this life of the encyclopedia. It aroused us to think the enthusiasm and interest in economics, starting from the book, we found everywhere in our daily life the shadow of economics. Though not every one is economists, but at least we can be more active in thinking, and thinking for life.。