Three Laws of Robotics

Unfortunately, some companies have mismanaged their greatest asset—their brands. This is what befell the popular Snapple brand almost as soon as Quaker Oats bought the beverage marketer for $1.7 billion in 1994. Snapple had become a hit through powerful grassroots marketing and distribution through small outlets and convenience stores. Analysts said that because Quaker did not understand the brand’s appeal, it made the mistake of changing the ads and the distribution. Snapple lost so much…

Acme Products, Inc., requires a new machine to produce a part for a heat generator. Two companies have submitted bids, and you have been assigned the task of choosing one of the machines. Cash flow analysis indicates the following: Year Machine A Machine B ---- --------- --------- 0 -$1,000 -$1,000 1 0 417…

At the beginning of the period, the price of Computers, Inc. divided by the industry index was 0.39; by the end of the period, the ratio had increased to 0.50. As the ratio increased over the period, it appears that Computers, Inc. outperformed other firms in its industry. The overall trend, therefore, indicates relative strength, although some fluctuation existed during the period, with the ratio falling to a low point of 0.33 on day 19. 18. Five day moving averages: Days 1 – 5: (19.63 + 20 +…

drop in the actual contribution margin per unit below budget, led to the total contribution margin being much lower than budgeted. Other factors could be discussed here––for example, it seems that the PalmKid did not achieve much success with a three digit price point––selling price was budgeted at $149 but dropped to $102. At the same time, variable costs increased. This could have been due to a marketing push that did not succeed. 14-33 (20 min.) Market-share and market-size variances…