Final answer:
The question relates to Business and covers market share and product life cycle analysis. Without specific data provided for Red Bull and Monster's market shares and sales, we can't calculate the percentage changes or analyze the product life cycle stage. However, a dominant market position offers benefits like brand recognition and pricing power, and even large companies like Coca-Cola can fail to launch new products due to reasons like poor market research and not understanding consumer preferences.
Step-by-step explanation:
The question asked falls primarily under the curricular area of Business, focusing on concepts such as market share, product life cycle, and the challenges that major companies face when launching new products. The levels of detail and analysis required in the questions suggest they are most suited for a High School grade level.
To answer the first part of the question regarding Red Bull's market share in 2015, we would need specific data on the market share percentages or sales figures for Red Bull and its competitors, which are not provided. Since we cannot calculate without this data, I cannot answer question 1a.
For question 1b on business benefits, having a dominant market share, even if reduced from previous years, allows Red Bull to benefit from brand recognition and pricing power. A strong market share typically means that the brand is well-known, which can lead to customer loyalty and reduced costs for customer acquisition. Additionally, companies with a dominant position can often set prices favorably without losing significant market share, contributing to higher profit margins.
The second set of questions, 2a and 2b, rely on data not provided and are again not answerable without the needed sales figures for Monster and Red Bull in 2015. Without these figures, any attempt to provide an answer would be incomplete.
Finally, for question 3, when assessing why a company like Coca-Cola might fail when launching a new product, several factors come into play despite the company's size and expertise. These include poor market research, failure to understand consumer preferences, prioritization of business interests over customer needs, and challenges in adapting to local market conditions. Even well-established companies can face setbacks if they do not adequately assess the competitive landscape, consumer trends, or fail to effectively market the new product.