Business

External Influences on Consumer Behavior SaGa is a European fashion store chain that specializes in accessible, trendy clothes and accessories for men and women. Its target audience includes fashion-conscious young men and women, ages 16-30. After success in Europe, SaGa is getting ready to launch its flagship stores in five U.S. markets-New York, Los Angeles, Chicago, San Francisco, and Miami. Based on its product offerings, SaGa is targeting millennials (those born between 1982 and 2000, also called gen Y). As a group, millennials are open to making impulse purchases, and are socially connected as demonstrated by their use of Twitter to tweet about products and brands. Also, based on its "accessible" price for its fashion offerings, Saga is targeting middle-to upper-middle-class millennials. SaGa's advertising agency of record was excited about the impending launch campaign in the U.S. and its first-ever foray into the American market, which is heavily influenced by celebrity and pop culture. The agency was developing a campaign that focused on "usage occasion"the ad would show a group of friends, in their 20s, getting together for a Friday night out in the city. A social occasion such as a night out with friends, combined with the setting of a city street lined with trendy clubs and restaurants, highlighted a perfect usage occasion for wearing fashionable clothes from SaGa. In the ad, the friends walk through a busy city street that has a party atmosphere, and pass several other people whose fashion sense is not as trendy as theirs. As they pass these people, the contrast between their group and the other people is highlighted by the use of muted, fading colors (for the other people) versus bright and pleasing colors (for the group of friends wearing SaGa). The agency was thus contrasting those who do not wear SaGa, a dissociative group, with those who do. Meanwhile, Raza, a high-end fashion store chain in Europe, is planning to enter the Japanese market. RaZa's promotional strategy decisions include highlighting the purchase situation in their ads by showing the exclusive boutique store atmosphere, and by using international supermodels that denoted an aspirational group for their target audience. RaZa targeted older and more affluent consumers compared to SaGa; their target market consisted of upper-class gen X'ers in Japan (those born between 1946 and 1976). RaZa's research revealed that the Japanese culture understood and respected high-end fashion. The consumer does not make purchase decisions in isolation. A number of external factors have been identified that may influence consumer decision-making, such as culture, subcultures, social class, reference groups, and situational determinants. Match the various external (or environmental) influences on consumer behavior to the relevant situations in SaGa's promotional decisions. Then match these external influences to examples found in RaZa's decisions. Born between 1965-1976 SaGa's Promotional Decisions External Influences Examples of External on Consumer Influence from Behavior RaZa's Promotional Decisions Affluent consumers Exclusive boutique-like shopping atmosphere Decision to launch in America, which represented a new culture, compared to their existing markets. Supermodels Target consumers: millennials Situational determinants Target consumers: middle and upper-middle class Social class Ads featured people that the target consumers identify with (associative groups), and also people that the target group does not belong to (dissociative groups). Subculture Ads featured a typical usage occasion for SaGa's product offerings - a Friday night out with friends. Japanese appreciation for high-end fashion Reference groups Culture
Beasley Industries' sales are expected to increase from $5 million in 2019 to $6 million in 2020, or by 20%. Its assets totaled $3 million at the end of 2019. Beasley is at full capacity, so its assets must grow in proportion to projected sales. At the end of 2019, current liabilities are $740,000, consisting of $160,000 of accounts payable, $450,000 of notes payable, and $130,000 of accrued liabilities. Its profit margin is forecasted to be 4%, and its dividend payout ratio is 50%. Using the AFN equation, forecast the additional funds Beasley will need for the coming year. Do not round intermediate calculations. Round your answer to the nearest dollar.$ The AFN equation assumes that ratios remain constant. However, firms are not always operating at full capacity so adjustments need to be made to the existing asset forecast. Excess capacity adjustments are changes made to the existing asset forecast because the firm is not operating at full capacity. For example, a firm may not be at full capacity with respect to its fixed assets. First, the firm's management must find out the firm's full capacity sales as follows:Next, management would calculate the firm's target fixed assets ratio as follows:Finally, management would use the target fixed assets ratio with the projected sales to calculate the firm's required level of fixed assets as follows:Required level of fixed assets = (Target fixed assets/Sales) Projected salesQuantitative Problem 2: Mitchell Manufacturing Company has $1,600,000,000 in sales and $310,000,000 in fixed assets. Currently, the company's fixed assets are operating at 70% of capacity.A. What level of sales could Mitchell have obtained if it had been operating at full capacity? Do not round intermediate calculations. Round your answer to the nearest dollar.$ B. What is Mitchell's Target fixed assets/Sales ratio? Do not round intermediate calculations. Round your answer to two decimal places.%C. If Mitchell's sales increase by 60%, how large of an increase in fixed assets will the company need to meet its Target fixed assets/Sales ratio? Do not round intermediate calculations. Round your answer to the nearest dollar.$