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  3. Read the following extract from a book on marketing management. For questions 15-20, mark one letter A, B, C or D on your Answer

Read the following extract from a book on marketing management. For questions 15-20, mark one letter A, B, C or D on your Answer

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问题 Read the following extract from a book on marketing management.
For questions 15-20, mark one letter A, B, C or D on your Answer Sheet.
    Murrayhill’s principal distribution channel until 1979 was a network of approximately 450 nonproprietary retail outlets throughout the United States, many of which also sold other brands of men’s premium shoes. Murrayhill’s shoes were sold wholesale to retailers at approximately 50 percent of the suggested retail price. Price increases usually were announced in February or August. The company did not offer its retail accounts quantity discounts.
    Because producing high-quality men’s shoes demanded highly skilled labor and specialized facilities, Murrayhill’s entire product life had been manufactured at the company’s facility in Lynn, Massachusetts, throughout most of the company’s history. As consumer preferences changed and fashion became more important in men’s shoes during the 1970s, Murrayhill began contracting with outside manufacturers to produce casual shoes that matched Murrayhill’s quality and feature specifications yet could extend the brand’s franchise to a younger age group. Murrayhill’s executives labeled these styles "outside" shoes, while those manufactured at the Lynn plant were called "inside" shoes. In 1985, the average prices the retailer paid Murrayhill for a pair of inside shoes was $ 52 and, for a pair of outside shoes, $ 34. Variable manufacturing costs per pair of inside shoes were $ 40. The average cost of a pair of outside shoes to Murrayhill was $ 28.
    Murrayhill sold approximately 160 inside shoe styles and 56 styles made by outside manufacturers. Since there were 80 sizes to each style, Murrayhill’s total SKUs numbered around 17,280, and it carried an inventory in stock of over 64,000 pairs. Both internal and external production schedules for each style were set in advance, based on sales projections. Murrayhill rarely did "makeup" (styles not included in its regular product line, manufactured to the specification of a retailer) for a particular retail account.
    Each of Murrayhill’s 16 salespeople was assigned a geographic territory and was responsible for retailer sales and service with the area. Salespeople also were expected to perform "previews" at the beginning of fall and spring seasons as a method of increasing both consumer and trade sales. Previews consisted of a sales presentation at retail store, where the Murrayhill salesperson would display and explain the company’s entire line, to store customers. During the preview, the customer was offered a price promotion of $ 10 off any pair of Murrayhill shoes. The retailer was responsible for absorbing the cost of the promotion, while the cost of advertising placed to stimulate retail traffic during the preview was shared between Murrayhill and the retailer. The Murrayhill salesperson would spend time with the retailer’s salespeople and customers describing the quality and comfort of Murrayhill shoes.
    Company management believed that consumers were likely to "trade up" to a higher-priced brand if they understood the features and benefits of premium shoes. The managers believed that retail salespeople often missed sales opportunities by assuming that casually dressed customers would not buy expensive high-quality shoes, and one of Murrayhill’s goals was to have retail salespeople try a pair of Murrayhill shoes on every customer. For some Murrayhill retail accounts, dose to 30 percent of annual sales were made during the fall and spring previews.
    Murrayhill management tracked the sales of every shoe style. If sales of a particular style slowed, management might elect to replace only the middle sizes, ensuring that Murrayhill would end up with the most popular sizes of a style before the style was terminated or "closed out".
    Established retail accounts had the option of purchasing close-outs at a 30 percent discount from the regular wholesale price.
    A list of close-outs was sent to retail accounts twice each year. Retailers would often try to sell these styles at full retail price to increase their unit margins, then mark them down, as necessary. Close-outs accounted for unit sales of 5,500 to 6,500 pairs of Murrayhill shoes per year.
Why did Myrrayhill begin contracting with outside manufacturers to produce casual shoes?
选项 A、Because Murrayhill wanted to assure consumers of the quality of the shoes.
B、Because producing high-quality shoes needed high skills.
C、Because consumer preferences had changed and fashion became more important.
D、Because Murrayhill wanted to sell the shoes at a lower price.
答案C
解析 注意到文章第二段提到As consumerpreferences changed and fashion becamemore important in men’s shoes during the1970s，Murrayhill began contracting with out-side manufacturers to produce casual shoes．我们可以从文意中知道，Murrayhill与外部制造商签订制造休闲鞋的合同是为了适应市场需求，在20世纪70年代“fashion”已变得更为重要，所以Murrayhill也就做了相应的调整以适应变化了的顾客偏好，故答案为C。
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