Patricia Curtis has been running the Ferrets First Rescue and Shelter (FFRS) since 1996. FFRS is in the business of ferret pickup and rescue, as well as ferret boarding and training, and education for ferret owners. Curtis would like to expand her operations, and has been asked to write a marketing plan in order to apply for a bank loan. She knows she can better serve ferrets and ferret owners if she can expand her target audience to schools, animal control officers at city facilities, and pet stores. To do this, she must increase marketing communications.

 Refer to the above scenario. The fact that FFRS is the only shelter of its kind in the region to have a "no-kill" policy, to offer pickup services in a five-county area, and to have exclusive rights in the region to market Totally Ferret Food makes up which of the following?

Select one:

a. the company's marketing alliance

b. the company's sustained window of opportunity

c. the company's competitive advantage

d. the company's comparative edge