Question

"it will be very important to maintain product continuity. We have a large base of devoted customers. We want to make sure that the quality and key characteristics of island knight stay the same through this transition. Talk to frank, our consulting professional perfumer, for more information about the cologne. Seasonal variations in costs are the single most significant factor in our deciding to go with another supplier, so finding a way to limit that should be the top priority. The overall marginal costs and shipping costs are probably somewhat less significant. You may want to talk to cindy, the product manager for island knight, regarding pricing information about the product." what is the best action to take next?

Answer 1

Answer: gather more information by speaking to the professional perfumer and product manager

Explanation: this will allow you to gather information to help you further define your problem and give you more background information for formulating decision criteria

Answer 2

In this case, the next best action is to engage in forward contracts with our supplier of cologne. That means that the price our company pays in the future for cologne is pre-negotiated, agreed, and fixed together with the quantity. This will smoothen seasonal variations in cost, as the forward contracts hedge against the risks of rising prices.

Step-by-step explanation:

For instance, with a forward contract, there is a private agreement between our company and the supplier of cologne that simultaneously obligates our company to purchase certain quantities of cologne and the supplier to sell the cologne at a set price at a future point in time. While our company will benefit during seasons with rising prices, it loses when prices are falling.