In Chapter 17 of your textbook, there is a list of different pricing objectives that a company can implement in pricing products. A brief description of four companies follow. For each company identify the pricing objective and state the facts that support your analysis.

A. Bella Computers earned a 6 percent return on investment this year and wants to increase this to 9 percent next year. To its retailer customers, Bella Computers gives cash discount terms of 2/10, net 30. It also gives retailers a 3 percent reduction on the invoice amount for advertising Bella products locally. Bella gives retailers' salespeople 2 percent of the sale price for each Bella Computer they sell.

B. Ross Pharmaceuticals has invested heavily in developing a new product that recently received a patent. Because cash is tight, the company wants to achieve a rapid return on its investment. The new patented product is badly needed in the market, so a very inelastic demand curve is expected.

C. Digital Imaging makes photographic prints for wedding photographers. It is very concerned about competitor reactions to its pricing, so it has selected prices that will not draw the attention of the competition and will not start a price war. Digital Imaging offers customers an 8 percent discount if their purchases exceed $20,000 a year. D. Jack's One-Hour Cleaners recently opened for business. The company invested a lot of money in new equipment and feels that it has to quickly get "at least 10 percent market share to stay in the game." This need obviously influences the company's pricing decisions. Jack's also plans to offer customers 20 percent discounts on any order over $20.