Externalities cause deadweight loss which can lead to market failure. Businesses can make more money if they can internalize the externalities. Externalities can be internalized if the transaction cost of the business is low. “Transaction costs are the costs of identifying and bringing buyers and sellers together, bargaining and drawing up a contract”2and it is relatively high for department stores like Galeria Kaufhof in comparison to stores like H&M. Similarly, the transaction cost for stores such as H&M is more than that of the jewelry shops but less than the department stores.
Diamond and other high-end jewelry purchases are expensive, and many customerswill trade off other factors for the Tiffany customer experience when making such purchases.Moreover, when spending thousands of dollars for a single item, customers often want to see andfeel what they are buying. Zales does not have the product variety and availability that Blue Nileprovides, nor does it have the brand name advantage that Tiffany enjoys. The weaker brand isreflected in the firm’s margins, which are lower than those of Tiffany. Blue Nile’s focus on lowprices is reflected in the lower margins it has relative to both Zales and Tiffany. Blue Nile operates out of one warehouse, with its entire
They are trying to create a cost-based competitive advantage by having cheaper prices on their high-quality jewelry compared to traditional retailers. 3. What do you like and dislike about Blue Nile’s business model? I like Blue Nile carrying a low amount of inventory. By not buying a gem from a supplier until a customer purchases it, it strongly limits the amount of risk and cash tied up at any point.
Through arrangements with suppliers, they are able to offer a large inventory of loose diamonds at low prices. Until a customer orders a stone, Blue Nile does not have to purchase it. Besides being able to have small inventories, this set up allows them to be paid by the customer before they have to pay suppliers. Using this cost saving supply chain also gave them the advantage of being able to set a markup price lower than competitors. The nature of their business model enabled them to enter the fairly new online market and compete based on lower prices.
Therefore manufacturers make bigger profit. As well as that, there are fewer factory regulations at sweatshops because the health and safety regulations aren’t as important in LEDC’s, that way it makes it cheaper to run the factory. As well as that, renting and buying the factory is cheaper too because the economy of LEDCS are weak the demand of buying property is low because not many people can afford it therefore buildings and houses are worth less because of low demand. Another reason clothes are manufactured in LEDCs is because there is less tax to foreign government, therefore there is a bigger profit for the manufacturers. Because LEDCs have a weak economy, there are very few
Their target market’s needs have been met by cellular phones much cheaper and more convenient to carry around, providing greater value to them. Iridium also had no competitive advantages. They cannot charge lower prices because their fixed costs are too high. The Iridium service was also far from perfect. Since Iridium’s technology depended on the line-of-sight between the mobile phone and their satellites, customers often reported dropped calls and poor reception inside buildings, cars, and in many urban areas.
In most cases the side who is more powerful will win the war. Wealth is important but not as much. It helps to be wealthy because you are able to afford better weapons and put more into newer technology, but if you don't know how to use the new technology is doesn't make that much of a difference if your wealthy or not. In this book we can tell the side that My Luck is fighting for is not wealthy and has very little power. We can see examples of this when he is always pillaging for food and ammo.
How strong are the competitive forces confronting Blue Nile and other online retail jewelers? Which one of the five competitive forces is the strongest? In the online retail jewelry industry there is a strong power of buyers and suppliers, and a stronger difficulty of entry. In the diamond industry the biggest threat is competition from other online retail jewelers as well as huge completion from brick-and-mortar retail stores. While all five of the competitive forces are strong when analyzing Blue Nile and other online retail jewelers, the strongest competitive force is analyzing rivalry determinants.
Those with vast riches in the banks are by far the most powerful people in the world. However, there are many different types of power that are prevalent today that you do not have to be rich to be influential. If a person or a group with some power and influence feels that they have something to gain from conflict, it will be often less of a risk for them to enter
Supplier Power (SIC 3861) is low. Equipment components are specialized and likely not many customers. Threat of Substitutes is medium/high due to many options including theme parks, sporting events and live theater. The cost of these substitute products may be prohibitive to many if consumers enjoy movies due to their relatively low cost. Rivalry Among Existing Firms (SIC 7812) is low.