Chapter 10 Solutions to Monopolistic Competition

Keep in mind, if you are unable to increase productivity, you would actually increase your average variable cost. This increased variable cost will cause you to increase your overall loss from 400,000 to 500,000. Here are the numbers:

3. Assume that the selling prices, volumes, and material costs for the 1991 model year will not change for fuel tanks and doors produced by the ACF of Bridgeton Industries. Assume also that if manifolds are produced, their selling prices, volume, and material costs will not change either.

Economic analysis of a monopolistically competitive industry is more complicated than that of pure competition because:

Essentially, all risk in price fluctuations in the raw materials market is transferred and paid for by the bottling business. Supplier power of the concentrate business is also exerted over the bottling business by the threat of acquisition and vertical integration – the concentrate business supports its bottling business through providing suggestions for operational improvement. While this support can be viewed positively, both Coca-Cola and Pepsi have acquired its bottling franchises due to their dissatisfaction over the operational effectiveness of its bottling business. Through the last few decades, Coca-Cola and Pepsi have oscillated between acquiring and re-franchising its partner bottling businesses.

The competition between Coke and Pepsi reached its peak to become a real war battle by the year 1980. This war had affected the industry profit for both concentrate producers and bottlers, while the effect of bottlers was much higher. After the successful “Pepsi Challenge” (blind taste tests: sales shot up) in 1974, Coke countered with rebates, retail price cuts and significant concentrate price increases. Pepsi followed of a 15% price increase of its own. During the early 1990’s bottlers of Coke and Pepsi employed low price strategies in the supermarket channel in order to compete with store brands. The concentrate producers were always able to increase their profits by increasing the concentrate price, while the bottlers, especially the

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The Marginal Cost graph intersects the Average Total Cost graph and the Average Variable Cost graphs at their minimum points. As long as the cost of producing one additional unit remains less than average total cost, the average total cost continues to fall. When marginal cost finally exceeds average total cost, average total cost begins to rise in response. The same effect applies to the relationship between marginal cost and average variable cost.

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average variable costs AVC = 2Q and average total costs ATC = 48/Q + 2Q. If market

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2. If the department that produces Item 345 was a profit center and if you were the manager of that department, would it be to your financial advantage to lower the price?

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Coca-Cola is the number one non-alcoholic beverage in the world and is also the golden standard in the beverage industry. Over the pass decade carbonated beverage sales has decrease which has lead Coca-Cola to seek for new opportunity and investor. Contribution of US soda sales in Coca-Cola’s revenue could decline to less than 15% by 2020. By the end of 2017 Coca-Cola is looking to refranchise two-thirds of its bottling territories in North America. The outcome of Coca-Cola refranchise two-third of its bottling territories will reduce the revenue to Coca-Cola sales of its products, however the operating margin will increase. Also, this could reduce the percentage contribution by the U.S to Coca-Cola overall revenue.

The non-alcoholic beverages industry requires significant levels of infrastructure and technology, as well as large capital investments, in order to successfully compete in the market. As a result, it is considered as an industry with high barriers to entry that are difficult to overcome for new entrants. Additionally, the dominant position of the industry’s key players - Coca Cola and Pepsi - lower the threat of entry on the market as new entrants do not have the resources or capabilities to compete with these