Mortimer
and Randolph Duke are billionaires who own one of the
largest commodities brokerages in the world. Callous,
competitive, and, above all, greedy, the Duke brothers are
guilty of countless instances of unethical, disreputable,
and illegal business practices. They are constantly on the
lookout for ways to increase their own wealth and power at
the expense of others, and stop at nothing to achieve their
ends. Their most recent scheme involves using inside
information gathered by their malevolent agent, Clarence
Beeks, to corner the market in frozen concentrated orange
juice.
As a pleasant diversion from their capitalist plotting, the
Dukes often compete with each other by making cruel wagers
involving the lives of their employees. Unfortunately for
Louis Winthorpe III, a particularly tempting bet presents
itself one day. Winthorpe, the CEO of Duke and Duke, has
had a black street hustler named Billy Ray Valentine
arrested for stealing a briefcase containg the company
payroll. It’s an unfair charge, and Valentine is innocent
of anything but having had the misfortune to bump into
Winthorpe in front of a snobby club. However, to Randolph
Duke this is a golden opportunity to test his theory that
environment counts for more than heredity. He bets Mortimer
that if Winthorpe and Valentine were to change places, the
elitist Winthorpe would rapidly turn to a life of crime.
Alternatively, given the proper surroundings and
encouragement, the “negro from a bad home” would soon become
just as successful in the commodities market as any Ivy
League graduate.
The Dukes are rich, and money can make just about anything
happen. The wager is made, and with the reluctant aid of Winthorpe’s butler, Coleman, they strip their wealthy CEO of
everything--his job, his home, his money, his limousine,
even his fiancee and his self-respect; then they give
Valentine everything they’ve taken from Winthorpe. And
that’s when things get complicated . . .
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ASSIGNMENT
Define and give an example from the film of
the following economic vocabulary terms:
Demand/Quantity Demanded
Supply/Quantity Supplied
Market Equilibrium
Economic Profit/Loss
Write out your answers on the
AP
Economics Blackboard Discussion Board no later than
midnight, Sunday, October 1. |
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