IBS

Mr. Kumar, son of Bhushan Triboovandas is the CEO of PTPL.

Case Study-3
Last month, he called the senior management of the company to
understand the reason for stagnating sales. This month, there was
About Case Study a follow up meeting where the findings of the investigations detailed
above, were presented to him. Anticipating heated arguments,
Industry Tea- Blending and Packaging Mr. Kumar on behalf of PTPL, has hired you as a consultant to guide
the company on ways to improve its sales and increase its market
Strategic Cost Management¸ Advanced share. He wants to focus on the smaller market segment, which is the
Subjects Financial Management, Corporate and sales in smaller towns and cities that are handled by contract based
Economic Laws local sales agents. Local agents need to travel on an average 60 kms a
day meeting SGSs who are willing to stock tea. It was found that local
Business Model: Change in Distribution sales agents were doing business with only 25% of the SGSs within
Channel, Customer Profitability Analysis, their area of operation.
Topics Forward Contract, Foreign Exchange When you along with Sally, the sales manager, met the local sales
Management (Overseas Investment) Rules agents here is what they had to say: “A1 Tea” has a good taste and
2022, Interest Rate Swap, Porter’s Five Forces has reasonable preference among customers. There are not too many
companies selling tea in our areas, hence choice is lesser, therefore
competition is also lesser. PTPL can establish a good market presence
Prime Tea Private Limited-2 here. However, we need to travel on an average 60 kms just to make a
sales call. PTPL pays us 2% commission for each package of “A1 Tea”
Prime Tea Private Limited (PTPL) was established in 1938, sold to the local grocer. This hardly covers the expenses we incur on
headquartered in Kolkata. The company is privately owned by the travel. Instead, we call up once a month to check if the store needs
Triboovandas family members, who have been in the tea business fresh supplies. This will at least save the travel cost. Only then it is
for the past 3 generations. Shri Bhushan Triboovandas started out viable to sell “A1 Tea” here. Otherwise, the company has to increase
as a broker in the Siliguri Auction centre. In due course, he started the commission rate to at least 8% to make it worth the travel we need
a tea blending and packaging company, PTPL in Kolkata. Tea leaves to undertake.”
are blended and packed at its production facilities and sold further
to tea distributors. Tea distributors in turn sell the packages to other Scenario-1
smaller wholesalers or large retail outlets. Retail chains across India
It has now been two weeks since you have started working on the
stock tea packages blended by PTPL.
assignment. Various discussions have been made with different
In smaller cities and towns, where there is no presence of proper levels of management and operational staff. Various business
distributors, PTPL has local sales agents that it hires on contract to models have been discussed with Mr. Kumar. Eventually, after
sell tea to small grocery stores and other local shops (SGSs). Goods many iterations, the senior management agrees that distribution
are sent to these local agents on consignment. Tea packages have a channel will be changed. The current system of consignment sales
long shelf life and can be stored up to a year if stored in appropriate will be discontinued. The proposal is explained below:
conditions. PTPL commands a moderate 8% market share in terms of PTPL wishes to adopt a new distribution channel, that will be to
sales in the Indian Market. deliver “A1 Tea” directly to the SGSs in smaller towns. Each SGS
PTPL has been a profitable business for most of the years of its can login to the specially designed portal and place an order for
existence. The past many years have seen significant inflationary “A1 Tea” directly with PTPL. Depending on the average demand
trends in the economy. Like many other companies, PTPL too has by the end user PTPL has decided to offer its tea packages in
been enduring the increase in tea leaf price, which is the primary 1/2 kg. pack, 1 kg. pack and 2 kgs. pack. Against each type of
raw material. To combat reducing profit margins due to inflation, it package, the local store (SGS) can choose the quantity required.
has concocted a uniform blend that it sells under the brand name Once received, PTPL will then process the order, bundle the entire
“A1 Tea”. The blend is prepared by mixing few popular tea flavours order into one package that will be delivered to the local store within
into one. This concoction was done with the help of an expert tea 3 days of order. The local store has to settle the entire amount due
sommelier a decade back. PTPL has used this same composition electronically through bank transfer or digital payment systems like
over the last many years. The tea that PTPL prepares under the “A1 UPI, digital wallet etc. while placing the order. In order to increase
Tea” is of the black tea variety, which is the most popular tea variety the popularity of “A1 Tea” among the end use consumers, it is
consumed in India. suggested to offer teacups along with the tea packages. Advertising
and promotional activities like free tea tasting stalls in popular
The Indian marketplace is crowded with many tea companies like
spots where people get together (like parks, shopping centres,
PTPL. In retail outlets and grocery stores shelves stocking tea railways stations, bus stops) will be undertaken.
beverage have many brands stocked together. There is nothing much
to differentiate PTPL’s “A1 Tea” brand from the rest. Brands have By increasing its market reach, sales from this expansion plan are
to fight to gain visibility among customers and this is done using expected to contribute up to 15% of PTPL’s total revenue. This is
attractive packaging, increasing advertisement spend etc. Hence, substantially more than the current contribution of 1% of total
customers are more price sensitive rather than conscious about revenue.
quality of tea. PTPL has a policy agreement with the grocers (SGSs), that “A1 Tea”
packages cannot be opened and sold in loose. This is so in order to
Today, in 2023 the total Indian Tea market is estimated to be `34,400
maintain the quality of tea. Quality of loose tea will not be the same
crore with branded business constituting approximately 74% of
as that sold in airtight packages. Lower quality will affect customer
the total market value. The global tea market is estimated to range
perception of “A1 Tea”. This can negatively impact PTPL’s brand
between $45-50 billion, with primary demand stemming from the
value.
Black Tea segment. There is a growing interest in other segments
such as Green Tea, Fruit & Herbal, Decaf, Speciality, among others. SGSs can provide feedback and register complaints with PTPL
Despite optimistic prospects, the management at PTPL observes either through the portal or by calling up the service department
stagnation in tea sales rather than growth. that is going to be set up for this purpose.

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A meeting has been set up to discuss this proposed plan. As the costs, the net sales revenue per kg of tea reduces. If this is at all a
management consultant, you are the lead presenter of the plan. The plausible proposition, these points must be kept in mind as they
question answer session is now open. Below is a sample of few of impact profitability.
the questions that you had to answer during the meeting. You are
Note- PTPL has an agreement with the grocers that tea
requested to provide your detailed comments and answers to these.
packages cannot be opened, and that tea cannot be sold in open
Required loose lots. Hence, end users can buy “A1 Tea” only in packages.
What is the rationale behind adopting the new distribution
channel of doing business directly with SGSs? ANALYSE. Scenario-2

Answer PTPL has successfully adopted and executed the plan in a phased
Doing business directly with SGSs through the new distribution manner. The company can now directly sell its tea to the SGSs
channel brings PTPL much closer to SGSs. These stores are potential based on their online orders. A significant increase in the volume
point of sale of tea to the end user. PTPL has so far relied on local of sales through this revenue channel is anticipated. The company
sales agents to connect with these SGSs. However, the agents are now wants to develop an MIS report that gives detailed information
not motivated enough to drive sales. It was found that local sales about the sales order volume and profitability. The MIS aims to have
agents were doing business with only 25% of the SGSs within their the information captured at state level, regional level right down to
area of operation. The margins of the company are already squeezed customer level. The company policies under this plan include:
due to inflationary pressures. In this background, agents are already (1) Discount of 5% is given on selling price if each order size is
demanding a fourfold increase in commission from 2% to 8%. cumulatively more than 50 kgs. The order can comprise of any
However, given their current performance, it might not be in PTPL’s combination of ½ kg. pack, 1 kg. pack and 2 kgs. pack.
interest to use their services since it’s not at all effective. There is (2) PTPL delivers the order to the SGS. At the same time, it offers
no assurance of better service by paying this extra cost. By directly flexibility to the SGSs to arrange for their own transport. In
interacting with the stores/ shops, PTPL will have a direct channel of case the SGS arranges for its transport, further discount of 8%
communication and can get complete and proper feedback directly is given on the selling price of each tea pack.
from them. It is far more effective to use the specially designed portal
(3) Selling price of tea is `300 per kg. Therefore, 1 kg. package
as a channel (way) to reach out to them since the target segment is
sells at `300 each, 2 kgs. package sells at `600 each and ½ kg.
geographically spread out over a larger area. The dedicated customer
package sells at `150 each.
service department can gather information that will help the company
improve its operations and resolve customer complaints in a much (4) Variable cost per kg. is `200 per kg.
quicker and more effective manner. Hence, given the geographical (5) Order processing costs are `2,000 per order.
spread of the target customer segment, lack of effective support (6) Delivery costs, where PTPL is arranging for delivery `3,000 per
from consignment agents, inflationary cost trends that hike up costs, delivery.
better connect with the market etc., it makes good business sense
to follow the newer distribution channel of directly selling to SGSs. (7) Delivery will be within 3 days of placing the order. If there is
a rush order, typically delivery within a single day, the cost of
Required delivery would be `5,000 per delivery.
One of the suggestions given was that packaging tea into smaller Below is an extract of the MIS for the town of Palani, Tamil Nadu. It
packets increases the cost. Packaging is not really adding value to has 3 SGSs: Customer A, Customer B and Customer C.
the company. Instead of having smaller packages, why not have one
large 5kg “A1 Tea” package? EVALUATE. Particulars Customer Customer Customer
A B C
Answer Total sales in a month 250 400 1,020
A business should eliminate non-value-added activities in order (kgs.)
to improve margins. This is especially true in times of inflation. Number of orders 2 2 15
However, while eliminating these activities, the company has to make Number of deliveries – 2 - 10
sure that it is not disrupting any other area or impacting value. As per normal
the suggestion, with the view to reduce packaging material cost, if it Number of deliveries – - - 5
decides to sell “A1 Tea” in 5 kg packets instead of packets of smaller rush
quantities, this will have repercussions on the value that PTPL wishes
Order quantity is the same for each order placed by each customer.
to offer. Its value proposition is to “Increase the availability of “A1
Tea” in small cities and towns where the choice of tea is limited”. Required
The eventual market segment that is going to benefit from this value Provide a critical ANALYSIS of the difference in profitability of
is the retail customers, primarily households in smaller towns. Their each customer.
requirements will be for smaller quantities of tea rather than bulk
requirements of 5kg at one go. Answer
In this case, increasing package size to save on packaging cost will Each of the customers places an order above 50 kgs. per order.
adversely impact sales since SGSs can sell tea only in small quantities Customer A’s order size is 125 kgs. per order (250 kgs. / 2 orders),
to their end-user retail customers. Big packets selling bulky 5 kg tea Customer B’s order size is 200 kgs. (400 kgs. / 2 orders) and Customer
will rather hurt sales and harm the value that PTPL wants to deliver. C’s order size is approximately 68 kgs. (1,020 kgs. / 15 orders).
So, care should be taken while eliminating non-value-added services. Therefore, all of them can avail the 5% quantity discount. This
This suggestion can be considered only if the grocers agree that there amounts to `15 per kg. (5% of `300 per kg.). Delivery discount of 8%
will be equal, if not more, demand for 5kg bulk packages by the end further reduction can be given only to Customer B, since this is the
user. SGSs are a link that helps PTPL to understand the pulse of only customer that arranges for its own delivery. This amounts to
the market. An end user will be attracted to bulk purchases only if further reduction of `24 per kg. (8% of `300 per kg.). The individual
substantial discounts are provided. Hence, while saving on packaging customer profitability can be calculated as below:

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Particulars Customer Customer Customer (i) Pay immediately by availing overdraft facility. Currently it has
A B C clean overdraft limit and bank charges 14 percent per annum
Selling Price per kg. 300 300 300 for availing the same facility.
Less: Quantity Discount - 5% 15 15 15 (ii) Pay after three months with interest @ 7 percent per annum
of selling price and cover position in forward market.
Less: Delivery Discount - 8% --- 24 --- The exchange rates in the market are as follows:
of selling price Spot rate (`/$): 82.19/ 82.21
Net Selling Price (`) 285 261 285 3-Months forward rate (`/$): 82.98/ 83.01
Less: Variable Cost per kg. (`) 200 200 200
Required
Contribution per kg. (`) 85 61 85
PTPL seeks your ADVISE on the option to be chosen to hedge
Total Sales in a month (kgs.) 250 400 1,020
the foreign exchange risk.
Total Contribution (`) 21,250 24,400 86,700
Less: Overheads (`) Answer
Delivery Cost 6,000 --- 30,000 If PTPL pays now, it will have to buy US$ in Spot Market by availing
overdraft facility. Accordingly, the outflow under this option will be:
Ordering Cost 4,000 4,000 30,000
Extra Cost - rush delivery --- --- 25,000 `
Profit per Customer (`) 11,250 20,400 1,700 Amount required to purchase $1,30,000 [$1,30,000 1,06,87,300
Analysis × `82.21]
Add: Overdraft Interest for 3 months @14% p.a. 3,74,056
It can be seen that Customer B is the most profitable, followed by
Customer A. Customer C is the least profitable. In terms of quantum, 1,10,61,356
Customer A buys the least, however the number of orders are just 2. If PTPL makes payment after 3 months, then, it will have to pay
Hence, the fixed order cost of `2,000 per order is absorbed over a interest for 3 months @7% p.a. and then to buy $ in forward market.
larger order size. This is true with regards to Customer B also since The outflow under this option will be as follows:
a larger order size absorbs the fixed order cost of `2,000 per order.
$
It can be noticed that out of the 15 orders relating to Customer C,
5 orders are rush orders requiring delivery within a single day. The Amount of Bill 1,30,000
cost of these rush order delivery is much higher at `5,000 per delivery. Add: Interest for 3 months @7% p.a. 2,275
Therefore, despite being the largest customer among the three, 1,32,275
Customer C is the least profitable. PTPL can seek to pass on the rush Amount to be paid in Indian Rupee after 3 months under the forward
delivery cost to the customer instead of bearing it entirely. Since rush purchase contract - `1,09,80,148 (US$1,32,275 × `83.01).
order deliveries are 1/3 of the total orders placed by Customer C, Advise: Since outflow of cash is least in (ii) option, hence, it should
PTPL can seek to have an understanding with the customer and try be opted for.
to find a way to reduce this. Charging for rush deliveries will deter
MCQ-1
the customers from placing unnecessary and unreasonable requests.
This will help to improve profitability derived from the customer. PTPL has given another consulting assignment to you to have an
Customer B is extended an additional discount of `24 per kg. (8% in-depth industry analysis to understand PTPL’s current position
of selling price) since the customer arranges for their own delivery. within the industry, understanding the value chain, identifying
The normal delivery cost to Palani is `3,000 per delivery. Customer prospects for growth, future scenario etc. This would give the
B orders 400 kgs. in a month by placing 2 orders. Hence, if PTPL had company a correct and fair view about the feasibility of its future
shipped the goods, it could have done it at `15 per kg. (`3,000 × 2 acquisition plans. This study is being undertaken independently
orders = `6,000 spread over 400 kgs.). Instead, due its pricing policy of the expansion plans mentioned in above in the case study,
it is incurring an extra cost of `9 per kg. for the orders by Customer which also includes capital assets acquisition project of ~`1 crore
B. Here, PTPL can either reduce the discount to 5% of selling price mentioned in previous section.
(`15 / `300) or discontinue this policy and arrange for delivery of The study lasted a minimum of four months, and its findings were
goods to Customer B. presented to the senior management. To summarize the findings
It can hence be concluded that volume of sales alone does not of the study, it concluded that “muted prices plus rising cost spells
guarantee higher profits as in the case of Customer C. Similarly, a stale brew for tea companies. The domestic market has saturated
faulty pricing policies can also hurt profitability, as in the case of with penetration as high as 80% of the tea drinking population. There
Customer B. are few fragments like small town markets where there is potential
Scenario 3 for some growth. However, apart from this, there is limited growth
potential for almost all companies within the industry including
Work is underway to adopt the new distribution channel of PTPL. The wages of workers have been revised in every three years.
doing business directly with SGSs. It might take upto 2 years to This is pertinent because tea industry is very cost intensive, with
completely implement this plan. The Board of Directors of PTPL labour cost accounting for at least 60% of the cost of production.
have been working on expanding the plant capacity to meet the Industry margins are under pressure. PTPL’s overall performance to
requirements of the current expansion plan. A set of 10 machines remain a sustainable business will depend on its ability to sell at
need to be bought for this project. The gestation period would be remunerative prices and manage costs efficiently.”
2 years, whereas the machines have to be ordered and imported
from USA. After this period, the cash flow will start increasing Given this bleak outlook, PTPL has reached a conclusion that it has
gradually over 15 years. Overall, the expansion project is expected reached a stage of maturity in this business, which of the following
to generate positive cash flows. For this, PTPL will have to settle an actions by the management will not be in the overall interests of
import bill for $1,30,000. There are two options: the company?

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(a) Open company owned stores in major metros in order to sell (b) The CFO is incorrect. However, if the investment value is
“A1 Tea” to customers directly (Forward integration) reduced by `50 Crore, then PTPL can proceed with the
(b) Introduce product lines selling economy, popular and premium proposed investment.
grade tea by promoting tea in as an aspirational beverage for (c) CFO is correct as Chief Law Officer is not aware of recent
health or lifestyle choice amendments of FEMA which advocates ease of foreign
investments by the Indian Companies.
(c) Acquire tea plantation estates if available at attractive rates
(Backward Integration) (d) The CFO is correct, and PTPL can proceed with the proposed
investment. Even after this investment, PTPL still have a
(d) After appropriate due diligence in terms of business feasibility, remaining foreign investment limit of `1,550 Crore.
acquire promising start ups which have the potential to disrupt
the tea ecosystem Answer
Answer The correct answer is B. The CFO is incorrect. However, if the
The correct answer will be (a) Open company owned stores in investment value is reduced by `50 Crore, then PTPL can proceed
major metros in order to sell A1 Tea to customers directly (Forward with the proposed investment.
integration). Reason
Reason As per Schedule I, Part 3 of the Foreign Exchange Management
PTPL has reached a stage of maturity in the business. The industry (Overseas Investment) Rules 2022, (1) the total financial commitment
study mentions that the market is already saturated with penetration made by an Indian entity in all the foreign entities taken together
levels as high as 80%. Only limited scope for market growth exists at the time of undertaking such commitment shall not exceed 400
like that in small towns and cities. Hence, opening company owned percent of its net worth as on the date of the last audited balance
stores in major metros in order to sell “A1 Tea” directly to customers sheet or as directed by the Reserve Bank, (2) The total financial
will not be in the overall interests of the company. commitment referred to in sub-paragraph (1) shall not include
capitalisation of retained earnings for reckoning such limit but shall
MCQ-2 include −
PTPL chooses to pursue vertical integration by acquiring the (i) utilisation of the amount raised by the issue of American
tea plantation of a neighbouring country, ‘SL’. Due to the recent Depository Receipts or Global Depositary Receipts and stock-
economic crisis in ‘SL’, it is straddled with high unemployment swap of such receipts; and
rates. The famed tea industry in ‘SL’ is also reeling under the crisis. (ii) utilisation of the proceeds from External Commercial
Many plantation companies are going bankrupt. PTPL decides to Borrowings to the extent the corresponding pledge or creation
explore acquisitions in this market, where acquisitions of tea estates of charge on assets to raise such borrowings has not already been
reckoned towards the above limit.
producing high quality tea leaves may be available at reasonable
rates. It opts to invest in SL’s 200-acre plantation. CFO has Financial Commitment includes amount of Investment made by
identified an investment opportunity and feels confident that it will a Person Resident in India by way of Overseas Direct Investment,
Debts other than Overseas Portfolio Investments and Non-Fund
be approved by the board. The board generally favours acquiring
Based Liabilities. Bank Guarantee is one of the Non-Fund Based
distressed assets if any in neighbouring countries, as this provides
Liabilities.
supply chain benefits. Approximately a year ago, PTPL acquired
Overseas Direct Investments includes investment by way of −
a Testing & Research Laboratory in a neighbouring country ‘NP’
exclusively for tea-related research. (i) Acquisition of unlisted equity capital of a foreign entity or
(ii) Subscription as a part of Memorandum of Association of foreign
The Chief Legal Officer cautions against moving forward with the
entity,
fresh investment, emphasizing its non-Indian company nature.
(iii) Investment in >= 10% of the paid-up equity share capital or
Nevertheless, the CFO argues that the investment is viable, citing
laboratory acquisition in country ‘NP’ where no approval was (iv) Investment with control where investment is <10% of the paid-
up equity share capital of listed foreign entity
required. The Chief Legal Officer, however, presents the following
information: The computations are as follows:

Particulars Amount Particulars Amount

` Crore
` Crore
A. PTPL’s Equity Investment - >51% in Testing & 1,100
PTPL’s Equity Investment - >51% in Testing & 1,100
Research Laboratory
Research Laboratory
B. Bank Guarantee provided to NP’s Banks on 1,600
Bank Guarantee provided to NP’s Banks on 1,600 behalf of Testing & Research Laboratory
behalf of Testing & Research Laboratory
(i) Total Current Foreign Direct Investment (A+B) 2,700
SL’s Based Company Proposed Investment 750 C. Net Worth of PTPL 1,100
Value
D. Bonus Component in the Net Worth of 250
Net Worth of PTPL 1,100 Company
Bonus Shares capitalised through Retained 250 (ii) Total Financial Commitment Allowed (C- 3,400
Earnings D)×400%
Assess the CFO’s assertion regarding PTPL’s ability to proceed with E. Possible Further Investment (ii) - (i) 700
the investment in SL’s 200-acre plantation. F. SL’s Based Company Proposed Investment 750
(a) The CFO is correct, that PTPL can make this investment as Value
there are no restrictions imposed by the Indian Government. Reduction required in Investment Value (F-E) 50

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MCQ-3 Answer
The correct answer is (c), sustainable business ensures ongoing
To fund the investment of ~$85 million in SL’s 200-acre plantation, demand for the business’s products for which continuous supply is
PTPL plans to raise $30 million through debt. With the intention also needed.
of maintaining certainty in future interest payments, PTPL aims to
Reason
secure a fixed interest rate. PTPL can borrow for one year at a fixed
Unless there is a demand for the product, the need for suppliers won’t
rate of 6% or at a floating rate of 2% above SOFR. Management
be required. Therefore, in order to survive, companies like PTPL
of PTPL decides to enter into a swap arrangement with Company
need to earn money by charging remunerative prices. This means
Tima. Company Tima also wishes to raise $30 Million. To take that need to recoup their costs and earn regular profits. At the same
advantage of any fall in interest rates Tima is interested in borrowing time, if the prices charged are very high, demand for the product will
funds at Floating Rate. However, it can only borrow funds at fixed reduce. This will not sustain PTPL or companies like it.
rate of 7% p.a. or at SOFR +4%, because of lower credit rating in The other way of improving margins is to cut costs. This is done by
comparison of PTPL. procuring material at low prices, paying low wages, using cheaper
What effective rate will each end up paying if both have agreed to resources etc. However, unless the supplier finds it remunerative to
enter into a Swap agreement and split the resultant gain equally. sell, PTPL cannot procure its raw material. So, the supplier should
also benefit from sale to PTPL. Similarly, very low wages will lead
(a) PTPL: 7% and Tima: SOFR +2% to attrition among workers, very cheap resources will lead to quality
(b) PTPL: 5.5% and Tima: SOFR +3.5% issues. Everyone does business to make profits and customers derive
value at reasonable prices. Each link in the supply chain should ensure
(c) PTPL: SOFR +2% and Tima: 7%
that the ecosystem benefits allowing for normal profits, sufficient
(d) PTPL: SOFR +3.5% and Tima: 5.5% cash resources to be earned. Otherwise, the industry will not sustain.
Answer MCQ-5
The correct answer is (b)- PTPL: 5.5% and Tima: SOFR +3.5%.
PTPL is using Porter’s Five Model to examine key aspects of tea
Reason industry and the impact that some of its strategic decisions can
There is bigger difference in the variable rate so to take advantage have on various forces. One of the points being considered is the
of this, Tima will borrow fixed and PTPL then has to borrow at a decision to adopt the new distribution channel of directly reaching
variable rate. Accordingly, Swap arrangement shall be carried out as out to SGSs. This is a novel distribution system in the industry.
follows: Which of the following statements are true?
Working (a) Risk of competitive rivalry has been lowered
(b) Threat of substitute has been lowered
Tima PTPL Difference
(c) Threat of new entrants has been lowered
Fixed 7% 6% 1%
(d) Bargaining power of suppliers has been lowered
Floating S + 4% S + 2% 2%
Answer
Absolute Difference 1%
The correct answer is (a) risk of competitive rivalry has been lowered.
Split of gain equally +0.5% +0.5% -1% Reason
Net Interest S + 3.5% 5.5% Since this is a novel distribution system in the industry, PTPL
has a first mover advantage over its rivals. This lowers the risk of
MCQ-4
competitive rivalry. Sustaining this advantage however depends
on whether the rivals are able to replicate and better this new
As understood from the case study, that industry margins are under
distribution channel.
pressure due to prolonged high inflation. Survival of companies
and future prospects of the tea industry’s overall performance to Concept Insight
remain a sustainable business will depend on its ability to sell at
remunerative prices and manage costs efficiently. It is important to note that, it is possible for a firm to be mature
Supply chain highlights the interdependency of each part of the while the industry it operates in remains dynamic or less mature.
chain. When managing a supply chain, a business may wish to The maturity of a firm and the maturity of an industry are distinct
ensure that the entire industry ecosystem (other entities) also concepts. While it is common for mature firms to operate in mature
remain sustainable. Entities should have sufficient cash and/or industries, it is entirely possible for a mature firm to exist in an
profits. Which of the following reasons explains the reason for this? industry that is still evolving or undergoing significant changes.
(a) Sustainable business ensure that the business has sufficient This situation can arise for various reasons like where the firm
information on all parts of its supply chain may have found a niche within the industry where it dominates
or specializes, allowing it to remain mature even as the broader
(b) Sustainable business ensures quality throughout the supply
industry evolves. Therefore, it’s important for firms to continually
chain
assess their strategies and adapt to changes in the business
(c) Sustainable business ensures ongoing demand for the business’s environment, regardless of whether their industry is mature or
products for which continuous supply is also needed experiencing growth. Flexibility, innovation, and strategic decision
(d) Sustainable business ensures maximum collaboration making are key factors in sustaining a mature firm’s success over
throughout the supply chain the long term.

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