Managerial Economics & Business Strategy (Mcgraw-hill Series Economics)
9th Edition
ISBN: 9781259290619
Author: Michael Baye, Jeff Prince
Publisher: McGraw-Hill Education
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Chapter 8, Problem 14PAA
To determine
To ascertain: The way to boost the profits of small pharmaceutical company.
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You are the manager of a small pharmaceutical company that received a patent on a new drug three years ago. Despite strong sales ($150 million last year) and a low marginal cost of producing the product ($0.50 per pill), your company has yet to show a profit from selling the drug. This is, in part, due to the fact that the company spent $1.7 billion developing the drug and obtaining FDA approval. An economist has estimated that, at the current price of $1.50 per pill, the own price elasticity of demand for the drug is –2. Based on this information, what can you do to boost profits? Explain.
NutraSweet
Aspartame is a low-calorie, high-intensity sweetener known by Monsanto’s brand name, NutraSweet. It was the key to the success of Diet Coke and Diet Pepsi in the 1980s. NutraSweet made billions of dollars, yielding very high profits. Such profits usually attract entry, but in this case entry was barred by a patent on the sweetener and because the process of creating the sweetener was expensive and difficult. Monsanto had a distinct capability—its monopoly. It had also created another strategic asset—the NutraSweet brand name as represented by its trademark ‘swirl.’ The problem was that Monsanto’s patent was about to expire. As a result, the Holland Sweetener Company began building an aspartame plant in Geleen, the Netherlands, to challenge Monsanto’s hold on the aspartame market. Holland Sweetener was a joint venture between the Japanese Tosoh Corporation and DSM (Dutch State Mines).
What did Monsanto do? Why?
What did Holland Sweetener do? Why?
Your family owns a small sandwich shop called Healthy Hearty Sandwich that mainly caters to local residents in Glendale. As of late, your parents are concerned that business has been slow due to the economic downturn. Your father suggests that you increase the price of sandwiches so you can earn more profit for every sandwich you sell, but your mom is worried that this is going to lose too many customers. She reminds the family that last time you raised the price by 10%, half the people went to your competitors’ store My Sandwich Is Better Than Yours. Your sister wonders if there is anything that can be done to attract more customers other than through a price cut. Your brother remembers that you are currently taking microeconomics and asks if you can share some insight to what the family can do. What economic wisdom will you share with your family? Keep in mind that no one in the family has formally taken an economics class before, which means you should try to avoid too much economic…
Chapter 8 Solutions
Managerial Economics & Business Strategy (Mcgraw-hill Series Economics)
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