The price of flavored hake, used by sushi bars in place of crabmeat, has increased by 33 percent over the past three years. Crabmeat is up about 50 percent. Californian sushi rice has increased in price by about 25 percent in the past two years. The wholesale price of sushi-grade sockeye salmon has fluctuated between $11 and $15 a kilogram. The price of avocados has fluctuated between $40 and $60 a case.

a. Do the fluctuations in the prices of items in the news clip change a sushi bar’s fixed cost, variable cost, or marginal cost?

b. Explain how the price fluctuations influence a sushi bar’s short-run cost curves.