Passing Along Costs:
1- Suppose the price of coffee beans increases by $0.20 per pound. What is the effect of this raw material priceincrease on the demand for roasted coffee? If one pound produces 50 cups of coffee, would the price of a cup of coffee rise by $0.01? Explain.
2- The article reports that J.M. Smucker Co. plans to increase its coffee prices by 9%. If Smucker has a lot of rivals but has a brand name that has vakue, will this 9% increase in retail prices imply that profits will rise by 9%?
3- Is it optimal for a firm to slash prices to retain market share? Is cutting prices during a recession and then raising them in a recovery a good strategy?