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The CEO of a grocery food chain in California would like to know if putting a 10% sale on organic products boosts their sales. He/She collected data from all store locations last year. Some store managers put a 10% discount on organic products for the entire year and some did not. The difference in organic food sales between the stores that implemented the discount and those that did not was about 20%.

(a) The CEO claims that the 20% difference between the stores that implemented the 10% discount and those that did not is due to the 10% discount. Can you explain to him/her why this may or may not be the case?

(b) Explain why a 20% increase in sales might overestimate the effect of the 10% discount?

(c) The CEO is convinced by your argument, but is not sure how to proceed to answer his/her question? Can you propose a strategy to answer it?

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Mahe Alam
Mahe AlamLv10
28 Sep 2019

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Related questions

Starbucks Value Chain From Bean to Cup to You.

The steaming cup of coffee placed in a customer’s hand at any Starbucks store location starts as coffee beans (berries) plucked from fields of coffee plants. From harvest to storage to roasting to retail to cup. Starbucks understands the important role each value chain participant plays.

Starbucks offers a selection of coffees from around the world, and its coffee buyers personally travel to the coffee ­growing regions of Latin America, Africa/Arabia, and Asia/Pacific to select and purchase the highest­ quality Arabica beans. Once the beans arrive at any one of its five roasting facilities (in Washington, Pennsylvania, Nevada, South Carolina, or Amsterdam), Starbucks’ master professional roasters do their “magic” in creating the company’s rich signature roast coffees. There are many potential challenges in “transforming” the raw material into the quality product and experience that customers expect at Starbucks - weather, shipping and logistics, technology, political instability, and so forth. All could potentially affect the company. Although those operations management challenges are significant, the most challenging issue facing Starbucks today is balancing its vision of the uniquely Starbucks’ coffee experience with the realities of selling a $4 latte in today’s world. Starbucks products have become an unaffordable luxury for many. As revenues and profits declined during the economic downturn, CEO Howard Schultz realized that “the company needed to change almost everything about how it operates.” Although it built its business as “the anti­- fast ­food joint,” the recession and growing competition forced Starbucks to become more streamlined. Under one new initiative put into effect at its U.S. stores, employee time wasters such as bending over to scoop coffee from below the counter, idly standing by waiting for expired coffee to drain, or dawdling at the pastry case were discouraged. Instead, employees were to keep busy doing something, such as helping customers or cleaning. At one of the first stores to implement the “lean” techniques, the store manager looked for ways for her employees to be more efficient with simple things like keeping items in the same place, moving drink toppings closer to where drinks are handed to customers, and altering the order of assembly. After two months under the new methods, her store experienced a 10 percent increase in transactions.

Another thing that Schultz did that was quite unprecedented was to close every one of its stores for three hours on one Tuesday evening to train ALL of their some 135,000 baristas (a barista is a person who prepares and serves espresso based coffee drinks. During that training, baristas were reminded that they played an important role in creating not only a fabulous product but a fabulous customer experience. Despite warnings that closing the stores would be a public relations nightmare and a financial mistake, the decision seemed to be a sound one. In the weeks following the retraining, quality scores for the company’s beverages went up and stayed there.

1. Would you describe production/operations technology in Starbucks retail stores as unit, mass, or process? Explain your choice. (Hint: You may need to review this material found in Chapter 6.) How does its production/operations technology approach affect the way products are produced?

2. What uncertainties does Starbucks face in its value chain? Can Starbucks manage those uncertainties? If so, how? If not, why not?

3. Go to the company’s Web site at www.starbucks.com and find the information on the company’s environmental activities from bean to cup. Select one of the steps in the chain (or your professor may assign one). Describe what environmental actions it’s taking. How might these affect the way Starbucks “produces” its products?

4. Research the concept of lean organizations. What benefits does “lean” offer? How might a business like Starbucks further utilize the concepts of being lean?

5. What lessons could other organizations learn from Starbucks’ actions?

1.
A channel of distribution:
A) is any series of firms or individuals who participate in the flow of goods and services from producer to consumer or final user.
B) is only needed when products must be stored.
C) must include one or more intermediaries.
D) is only needed when products are sold indirectly.
2.
Which of the following statements about Place decisions is True?
A) Product classes are not related to Place objectives.
B) The product life cycle is not related to Place objectives.
C) Place decisions are short-term decisions that are easy to change.
D) Different market segments may require separate Place arrangements.
3.
Direct _____ involves personal sales contact between a representative of the company and an individual consumer.
A) marketing
B) selling
C) distribution
D) servicing
4.
A manufacturer prefers to produce and ship in large quantities to take advantage of economies of scale. Final consumers often want to purchase in small quantities. This difference between the producer and consumer is a:
A) Discrepancy of assortment.
B) Discrepancy of quantity.
C) Regrouping activity.
D) Discrepancy adjustment
5.
Which of the following best illustrates adjusting "discrepancies of assortment?"
A) General Motors makes Hummer for one product-market and Chevrolet for another product-market.
B) A hardware store sells all the hardware items wanted by most people.
C) Over 310 million U.S. consumers are served by around 330,000 manufacturers.
D) RCA sold more than 2,000,000 TVs last year
6.
Small farmers in the mountains of Peru pick coffee beans by hand, obtaining only a bucket a day. Then they sell them to buyers who put the beans in large bags to be shipped to processors. This regrouping activity is called:
A) Assorting
B) Wholesaling
C) Bulk-breaking
D) Accumulating
7.
Costco is a warehouse store that sells groceries, household items, and business products. Purchase quantities tend to be larger than in traditional stores that serve final consumers. For example, soft drinks are only sold in 24-can cases, not in 6-packs. Coffee is sold in 3-pound cans instead of one-pound foil packs. Which regrouping activity is Costco shifting to the consumer?
A) Accumulating.
B) Adjusting discrepancies.
C) Assorting.
D) Bulk-breaking.
8.
_____ means separating products into grades and qualities desired by different target markets.A) B) C) D)
A) Bulk-breaking
B) Sorting
C) Accumulating
D) Assorting
9.
A wine producer wants a supermarket manager to display its wines in a desirable end-of-aisle location, but the supermarket manager refuses to give that valuable real estate to this producer. This is an example of __________ conflict.
A) contractual
B) vertical
C) corporate
D) horizontal
10.
A local TV retailer hires knowledgeable salespeople to explain the differences among its models to customers, but a nearby discount store with very few sales staff sells the same TVs at a lower price. This is an example of __________ conflict.
A) horizontal
B) traditional
C) vertical
D) contractual
11.
Yukon Sportswear, a manufacturer of textile products, bought out the wholesaler that had been handling its distribution in Canada. This is an example of:
A) dual distribution.
B) reverse distribution.
C) a contractual channel system.
D) vertical integration.
12.
______________ means selling a product through only one wholesaler or retailer in a particular geographic area.
A) Exclusive distribution
B) Direct distribution
C) Intensive distribution
D) Multichannel distribution
13.
_____ means selling the right to use some process, trademark, patent, or other right for a fee or royalty.
A) Licensing
B) Management contracting
C) Joint venturing
D) Exporting
14.
Logistics, or physical distribution, is the ________________ part of the marketing mix.
A) Place
B) Production
C) Promotion
D) Product
15.
Physical distribution customer service level means all of the following EXCEPT:
A) Honda wants enough bumpers to build cars that day.
B) A vacationer wants Avis to have his rental car clean and ready when he arrives at the rental car counter.
C) Sears' shirts are priced at a fair value.
D) McDonald's has enough large cups so that customers can buy the larger size drinks which are on sale.
16.
The right physical distribution system should be based primarily on
A) the desired customer service level.
B) how customers store the product.
C) the physical characteristics of the product.
D) what is the lowest cost method of transportation for the product.
17.
The "total cost approach" to physical distribution management:
A) seeks to eliminate the storing function.
B) seeks to minimize the cost of transportation.
C) might suggest a high-cost transporting mode if storing costs could be reduced enough to lower total distribution costs.
D) ignores inventory carrying costs.
18.
Just-in-time (JIT) delivery:
A) Increases physical distribution costs for business customers.
B) Requires that a supplier be able to respond to the customer's production schedule.
C) Usually does not require e-commerce order systems and computer networks.
D) Means that deliveries are larger and less frequent.
19.
A _____ is the complete set of firms, facilities, and logistics activities that are involved in procuring materials, transforming them into intermediate or finished products, and distributing them to customers.
A) supply chain
B) physical distribution group
C) logistics partnership
D) just-in time group
20.
Which of the following products would have the lowest transporting costs as a percentage of the selling price?
A) Electronic equipment.
B) Chemicals and plastics.
C) Pharmaceuticals.
D) Sand and gravel.
21.
Which of the following statements about transporting by rail is True?
A) Rail transportation is the slowest mode of transportation.
B) Rail transportation is the least expensive mode of transportation.
C) Rail transportation is good for long-distance transportation of heavy, bulky items.
D) Railroads are most efficient at handling less-than-carload (LCL) shipments
22.
Regarding transporting by truck:
A) Trucks are best for moving large quantities of goods long distances.
B) Trucks are a very low cost mode of transportation.
C) Trucks are not reliable in meeting delivery schedules.
D) Trucks tend to provide fast delivery.
23.
Products that require a high frequency of scheduled shipments would be least suited to travel by
A) truck.
B) rail.
C) air.
D) water.
24.
In spite of high cost, high value, low-weight goods like high-fashion clothing and parts for the electronic industry are often shipped long distances by ____
A) rail.
B) water.
C) air.
D) pipeline.
25.
Air express companies place many small packages into specially designed cylinders that conform to the interior dimensions of a cargo airplane. This practice protects the smaller packages and helps to reduce distribution costs. The air express companies are practicing:
A) Containerization.
B) Piggybacking.
C) Freight forwarding.
D) Cylinderization.
26.
The railroad service which picks up truck trailers at a producer's location, loads them onto rail flatcars, hauls them close to the customer, and then delivers them to the buyer's door is:
A) truck service.
B) fast freight.
C) trailer service.
D) piggyback service.
27.
Inventory refers to
A) the amount of goods being stored.
B) minimizing storage costs.
C) the amount of goods being sold.
D) the marketing function of holding goods.
28.
When the manager of a local electronics store decides to offer its customers a gift-wrapping service for the holidays, this is a decision about:
A) Product
B) Place
C) Promotion
D) Price
29.
When the manager of a RadioShack electronics store decides to accept American Express credit cards from its customers, this is a decision about:
A) Product
B) Place
C) Promotion
D) Price
30.
Limited-line storesA) B) C) D)
A) specialize in certain lines of related products rather than a wide assortment.
B) carry anything they can sell in reasonable volume.
C) are a type of unconventional general store.
D) are larger stores that are organized into many separate departments and offer many product lines.
31.
Specialty shops generally:
A) want to be known for the distinctiveness of their product assortment and the special services they offer.
B) sell homogeneous shopping products.
C) are very good at speeding turnover.
D) carry complete lines--like department stores.
32.
The ____________ says that retailers should offer low prices to get faster turnover and greater sales volumes by appealing to larger markets.
A) Wheel of retailing theory
B) Production concept
C) Mass-merchandising concept
D) Sales concept
33.
A retail store that averages about $17 million in sales annually and specializes in groceries--with self-service and large assortments is a:
A) mass-merchandiser.
B) specialty shop.
C) convenience food store.
D) supermarket.
34.
________ offer

Question 3

According to Joseph Schumpeter, the theory of creative destruction describes a process by which

A

some new products unleash a gale of destruction that drive other new products out of the market.
B

new products unleash a gale of destruction that drives old products out of the market.
C

new products are created by the destruction of capital.
D

the creation of new products never involves the destruction of old products.

Question 4

Which of the following countries had the highest GDP per capita in 2012?

A Qatar
B

United States
C

Japan
D

Norway

Question 5

________ save a ________ of their income. This ________ capital in their economy and raises economic growth.

A

Developing countries; large proportion; decreases
B

Developing countries; small proportion; increases
C

High-income countries; large proportion; increases
D

High-income countries; small proportion; increases

Question 6

The demand for loanable funds is determined by the willingness of ________ to borrow money to engage in new investment projects.

A

A

government
B

households
C

banks
D

firms

Question 7

The U.S. economy has been more stable since 1950.

True

False

Question 8

When the economy reaches a trough in a business cycle, which of the following will occur?

A

Income, production, and employment will continue to fall.
B

Income, production, and employment will begin to rise.
C

Income and production will rise, but employment will continue to fall.
D

Employment rises, but income and production will continue to fall.

Question 9

In a closed economy, what is the relationship between saving and investment?

A

Saving is greater than investment.
B

Investment is greater than saving.
C

Investment is equal to saving.
D

Investment may be greater or smaller than saving.

Question 10

The per-worker production function shows the relationship between ________ per hour worked and ________ per hour worked, holding ________ constant.

A

labor; real GDP; technology
B

capital; real GDP; technology
C

labor; capital; real GDP
D

capital; labor; real GDP

Question 11

New growth theory states that increases in ________ capital will result in ________ at the ________ level.

A

knowledge; increasing returns to scale; firm
B

physical; decreasing returns to scale; firm
C

knowledge; decreasing returns to scale; economy
D

knowledge; increasing returns to scale; economy

Question 12

Which of the following is not a reason why the Industrial Revolution occurred when and where it did?

A

The British government was committed to upholding private property rights.
B

The British government was able to eliminate arbitrary increases in taxes.
C

The British government was able to more easily seize wealth.
D

Institutional changes by the British government helped protect wealth.

Question 13

Growth in real GDP per capita for the world economy was greatest during

A

the seventeenth century.
B

the eighteenth century.
C

the nineteenth century.
D

the twentieth century.

Question 14

Which of the following is a normative statement about economic growth?

A

Economic growth is associated with higher labor productivity growth.
B

Economic growth increases GDP per capita.
C

Economic growth hurts developing countries.
D

Foreign direct investment stimulates economic growth.

Question 15

The effect of a recession on a company like Whirlpool Corporation is such that

A

sales decline more sharply for Whirlpool as compared to firms that do not produce durable goods.
B

profits fall less sharply as compared to firms that do not produce durable goods.
C

the decline in sales is more short-lived as compared to firms that do not produce durable goods.
D

there is no difference in the impact of the recession on its profits as compared to firms that do not produce durable goods.

Question 16

For the recessions in the United States since the 1950s,

A

cyclical unemployment has been non-existent.
B

unemployment rises on average by about 1.2 percentage points 12 months after a recession begins.
C

unemployment falls on average by 2 percentage points 12 months after a recession begins.
D

unemployment rises on average about 5 percentage points 12 months after a recession begins.

Question 17

You are an economic advisor to the president. You are asked to recommend a policy to promote long-term economic growth in the economy. Which of the following policies would you choose?

A

a reduction in sales taxes
B

an investment tax credit
C

a reduction in taxes on luxury yachts
D

All of these

Question 18

In comparison to a government that runs a balanced budget, when the government runs a budget deficit,

A

the equilibrium interest rate will fall.
B

business investment will fall.
C

household savings will fall.
D

None of these

Question 19

If labor productivity growth slows down in a country, this means that the growth rate in ________ has declined.

A

labor force participation
B

the quantity of goods or services that can be produced by one hour of work
C

the working-age population
D

nominal GDP

Question 20

Policies to promote growth by increasing saving and investment work through

A

decreasing the supply of loanable funds, lowering the interest rate, raising the level of investment in physical capital.
B

increasing the supply of loanable funds, increasing the interest rate, raising the level of investment in physical capital.
C

increasing the supply of loanable funds, lowering the interest rate, lowering the level of investment in physical capital.
D

increasing the supply of loanable funds, lowering the interest rate, raising the level of investment in physical capital.

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