Q11~Q14: TTGWD4-Q3 to Q6:

       Extensive research has shown that the effects of short-term price promotions on sales are themselves short-term.  Companies’ hopes that promotions might have a positive aftereffect have not been borne out for reasons that researchers have been able to identify.  A price promotion entices only a brand’s long-term or “loyal” customers; people seldom buy an unfamiliar brand merely because the price is reduced.  They simply avoid paying more than they have to when one of their customary brands is temporarily available at a reduced price.  A price promotion does not increase the number of long-term customers of a brand, as it attracts virtually no new customers in the first place. Nor do price promotions have lingering aftereffects for a brand, even negative ones such as damage to a brand’s reputation or erosion of customer loyalty, as is often feared.

       So why do companies spend so much on price promotions?  Clearly price promotions are generally run at a loss, otherwise there would be more of them.  And the bigger the increase in sales at promotion prices, the bigger the loss.  While short-term price promotions can have legitimate uses, such as reducing excess inventory, it is the recognizable increase in sales that is their main attraction to management, which is therefore reluctant to abandon this strategy despite its effect on the bottom line.

B.       the frequency with which price promotions occur

C.      price promotions’ inability to attract new customers

D.      price promotions’ recognizable effect on sales

E. the legitimate uses to which management can put price promotions

答案是(B), 为什么呢?? 文章中并没有提到price promotions发生的频率啊??

我的答案是(D)

个人觉淂应该看前一句....

"Clearly price promotions are generally run at a loss, otherwise there would be more of them. And the bigger the increase in sales at promotion prices, the bigger the loss."

i think that the result of "effect on the bottom line" is caused by more of price promotions.

我觉得这个底线bottom line应该是与作者在末句提到的东西向呼应，如果定位到该段开始似乎有些牵强。大致翻译一下，尽管短期价格促销还是有其合理的用处的，比如减少过多的库存，但真正吸引管理层的东西是可观察到的销售增长，从而让他（管理层）不肯放弃这一策略（短期降价促销）除非到了它所能达到的效果（effect）底线（或者极限）。这个effect的主语就是stretegy，也就是short－term price promotion，那么这个stretegy的真正目的是什么呢？作者用一个while开头的转折句，并用it is－－that的强调语气说明了：短期促销赔钱还要作是因为管理被可观察到的销售增长（recognizable increase in sales）所吸引。那么我认为这个bottom line就应该是这个销售增长的bottom line。潜台词就是这种促销要做到不会增加可观察的销售为止，再降价也不会多卖出产品了。这题应该选D，price promotions’ recognizable effect on sales，这就是作者原意的精确改写。不知讲明白了没，欢迎大家讨论。

While short-term price promotions can have legitimate uses, such as reducing excess inventory, it is the recognizable increase in sales that is their main attraction to management, which is therefore reluctant to abandon this strategy despite its effect on the bottom line.

我仍然倾向B...

题目问的是，作者暗示短期促销的效果在帐本底线的证据是什么。文中说的是尽管短期促销的效果在帐本底线，但是他们仍因为销量高不愿意放弃。可见，这个底线效果和销量高是相反的，是一个消极效果。那么，作者说了为什么是消极的吗？说了，就是Clearly price promotions are generally run at a loss; otherwise there would be more of them.如果效果好，那就会有更多。暗示其实促销量（频率）是限制在一定范围的，而这个范围就是bottom line.

这道题我要是在考试中遇到的话铁定做错，原因也是对its effect on the bottom line毫无概念。

这里bottom line应该是P&L bottom line，即盈亏底线：the final line on a company's accounting statement that shows profit or loss that the company makes at the end of a given period of time after everything has been calculated.用于表示企业的盈亏情况。

D)是我首先会排除，原因就看这句话：it is the recognizable increase in sales that is their main attraction to management, which is therefore reluctant to abandon this strategy despite its effect on the bottom line。这句话里是有一个转折的reluctant to abandon this strategy despite ...意思是：即使。。。（管理层）还是不情愿抛弃这个战略（促销），如果选D)证据的意思就变成：销量的大幅度提高导致管理层不管以抛弃促销战略，即使促销的结果是销量大幅度提高。逻辑马上混乱掉。

我会犹豫在A),B),C)这三个选项间。A）和C）是关于市场效应的，和财务报表并不是直接相关。所以只好尽量找找B）的合理之处。我们可以定位到这句话And the bigger the increase in sales at promotion prices, the bigger the loss.我理解这句话为：促销的频率越高，公司的亏损越大。马马虎虎可以把B)和bottom line的关系扯上。