Global Production Essay

730 Words3 Pages
Audi Predicts Record Sales by William Boston. 1. Does the Audi division of Volkswagen appear to be achieving economies of scale, constant economies of scale, or diseconomies of scale? 2. How could the introduction of new models that achieve greater unit sales actually reduce profits earned by the Audi division (or any luxury brand manufacturer/retailer)? 3. What factors are likely driving Audi to invest in production facilities outside of Germany? This assignment is worth 10 points. 1. Does the Audi division of Volkswagen appear to be achieving economies of scale, constant economies of scale, or diseconomies of scale? At first glance it would appear that Audi is experiencing diseconomies of scale. As diseconomies of scale occurs when a company experiences an increase in marginal cost when output is increased. Audi's global sales rose 8.3% to 1.58 million vehicles in 2013 however despite the increase in revenue, the net profit fell 7.7% ($5.57billion) and the operating profit margin fell to 10.1% from 11% the previous year. Based on this one could assume Audi is experiencing diseconomy of scale. But when you dig deeper into their situation the reasons for a lower net profit is not because of a “per-unit” cost of production which would truly mean they are operating as a diseconomies of scale. The true reasons appear to be because of their expansion investments. As per the article Audi “warned that profit would be hit by investment in new models and tougher climate regulation”. In turn this could mean that discounting the investments they are making it could mean that Audi is operating at constant or economies of scale. 2. How could the introduction of new models that achieve greater unit sales actually reduce profits earned by the Audi division (or any luxury brand manufacturer/retailer)? Many factors can come into play when a new model

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