A competitive advantage refers to

a unique strength relative to competitors that provides superior returns, often based on quality, time, cost, or innovation.

the added value given to a product beyond the functional benefits provided.

those characteristics of a product that make it superior to competitive substitutes.

the cluster of benefits that an organization promises customers to satisfy their needs.

Time value an iowa state savings bond can be converted to $750 at maturity 5 years from purchase. if the state bonds are to be competitive with u.s. savings bonds, which pay 5% annual interest (compounded annually), at what price must the state sell its bonds? assume no cash payments on savings bonds prior to redemption. ignore taxes.

M. cotteleer electronics supplies microcomputer circuitry to a company that incorporates microprocessors into refrigerators and other home appliances. one of the components has an annual demand of 235 units, and this is constant throughout the year. carrying cost is estimated to be $1.25 per unit per year, and the ordering (setup) cost is $21 per order. a) to minimize cost, how many units should be ordered each time an order is placed? b) how many orders per year are needed with the optimal policy? c) what is the average inventory if costs are minimized? d) suppose that the ordering cost is not $21, and cotteleer has been ordering 125 units each time an order is placed. for this order policy (of q = 125) to be optimal, determine what the ordering cost would have to be.

Caleb construction (cc) incurs supervisor salaries expense in the construction of homes. if cc manufactures 100 homes in a year, fixed supervisor salaries will be $400,000. with the current construction supervisors, cc's productive capacity is 150 homes in a year. however, if cc is contracts to build more than 150 homes per year, it will need to hire additional supervisors, which are hired as full-time rather than temporary employees. cc's productive capacity would then become 200 homes per year, and salaries expense would increase to $470,000. how would cc’s salaries expense be properly classified? fixed variable mixed stepped curvilinear