TABLE OF CONTENTS

 

 

Introduction____________________________________________________________ 1

Internal Factors Relevant to Pricing Decisions_______________________________ 1

Pricing Objectives______________________________________________________ 1

Cost Relationships and Pricing____________________________________________ 3

External Factors Relevant to Pricing Decisions_______________________________ 4

Product Market and Demand_____________________________________________ 4

Competitor price and product attributes____________________________________ 6

Government Regulations________________________________________________ 7

General Pricing Approaches_______________________________________________ 9

Cost-Based Pricing_____________________________________________________ 9

Value-Based Pricing___________________________________________________ 10

Competitive-Based Pricing______________________________________________ 10

Pricing Strategies______________________________________________________ 11

Differential Pricing Strategies____________________________________________ 11

Competitive Pricing Strategies___________________________________________ 13

Product Line Pricing Strategies__________________________________________ 15

Psychological Pricing___________________________________________________ 17

Pricing Innovations_____________________________________________________ 17

Conclusion____________________________________________________________ 18

References____________________________________________________________ 19

 


Introduction

Price is the value consumers exchange for the benefit of goods or services.  Historically, prices were determined through bargaining or negotiations between buyers and sellers.  Different prices were agreed upon based upon buyer needs and bargaining skill.  The establishment of one price for every customer is a relatively new phenomenon that came about with the rise of large retailers.  Although diminishing in importance, price remains a major factor in affecting consumer-buying decisions. In addition, it is the most flexible of those components.  The ability of price to affect consumer decisions and its flexibility makes pricing strategies important in meeting company objectives in a competitive environment. This discussion will cover internal and external factors pertinent to pricing decisions, general pricing approaches, pricing strategies, and new developments in pricing strategies and policies (Armstrong & Kotler, 1996, p. 340).

Internal Factors Relevant to Pricing Decisions

Pricing Objectives

  Pricing decisions are not made in isolation.  The pricing decision process should be approached with company objectives firmly in mind. Larger objectives such as the target market and product positioning strategy should be determined first.  By focusing on the desired target market and positioning, it becomes easier to develop an appropriate marketing mix.  Within this marketing mix, the appropriate product or service price can assist in pursuing one of four pricing objectives.  These objectives include: survival, maximum current profit, market share leadership, or product-quality leadership. It is important to note that non-profit and public organizations can have alternative objectives largely dependent upon their overall objectives, purposes, and environments (Kotler, 1997, p. 496). 

Survival. Survival is a relatively short-term objective.  The over riding concern of the company is no longer profits, but rather, simply turnover that will cover a portion of their variable and fixed costs.  Common market or environmental conditions associated with such a strategy include: over capacity, intense competition, or changing consumer demand (Kotler, 1997, p.496). 

Maximum current profits. Maximizing profits requires balancing the relationship between demand, price, and costs. The metrics commonly used to evaluate pricing decisions with these objectives are total current profit, cash flows, or return on investment. This approach neglects long-run competitive viability, competitor reactions, legal restraints, and the effect of other marketing mix variables.  Perhaps the most serious challenge to this pricing objective is the ability to accurately forecast demand and a product's cost function is far from precise.  Resulting inaccuracies can result in serious complications (Kotler, 1997, p.496).

Market share leadership. Focusing on revenues indirectly focuses on market share.  This approach believes that large market share will result in long-run profitability.  Profitability is believed to be achieved by reducing unit costs through economies of scale.  By reducing costs, more revenue is retained as profits. This approach also requires knowledge of the demand curve (Kotler, 1997, p.497).

Product-quality leadership. This pricing objective circumvents conventional price competition by differentiating products and services.  This strategy typically provides higher quality to individuals who value that product attribute.  Price can indirectly signal or reflect product quality (Kotler, 1997, p.497).

Cost Relationships and Pricing

Production costs at different levels of output. The total cost function defines the minimum possible cost of producing each output level.  Total production costs in the short-run are equal to the sum of fixed and variable costs.  Variable costs are costs that change with different levels of output.  Fixed costs do not change with the levels of output and are inflexible in short time frames.  These costs include rent, overhead, and other set costs.  As production increases, one finds that the fixed portion of the cost structure is absorbed by a greater number of units.  Therefore, the average cost of a unit produced decreases as output increases.  It is these factors that motivate many firms to pursue market-share dominance objectives.  Just as costs associated with overhead and facilities are inflexible in the short-run, so to is the capacity of those facilities.  After an optimal level of output, other costs and inefficiencies associated with producing over optimal capacity increases the average cost per unit.  When average cost per unit is decreased by additional output, economies of scale are said to exist.  However, when additional production results in increasing average costs, diseconomies of scale are said to exist. In the long run, capacity, and therefore, fixed costs are flexible.  A producer’s long-run average cost curve is defined by the aggregate of all short-run average cost curves associated with facilities of different optimal capacities and the demand for the product within the market (Baye, 2000, p. 177).

Relationship between costs and production experience. While reducing costs per unit can be attributed to increasing output, the actual relationship between cost and production can also be altered by increasing employee knowledge and experience.  With each unit produced, the labor force increases its efficiency.  This results in decreased variable cost per unit and decreased fixed cost per unit.  This relationship can be expressed by an experience or learning curve.  It is a downward sloping curve with unit cost on the vertical axis and accumulated production on the horizontal axis.  The amount of labor force learning or experience is directly related to the accumulated production experience.  Therefore, this places pressure upon firms to increase market share in order to exploit cost reductions associated with increased production (Armstrong & Kotler, 1996, p. 346).

External Factors Relevant to Pricing Decisions

Product Market and Demand

Effect of market structure on pricing policies.  The market structure of a product largely determines a firm’s freedom in pricing.  Product markets are classified into four categories: pure competition, monopolistic competition, oligopolistic competition, and pure monopolies.  These market structures and their effect on prices are largely determined by characteristics such as barriers to entry, number of buyers and sellers, and product differentiation (Armstrong & Kotler, 1996, p. 347-348).

Many buyers and sellers, no barriers to entry, and uniform products characterize pure competition markets.  The large numbers of market participants and low barriers to market entry encourages competition.  Furthermore, the commodity nature of the product ensures that competition is based primarily upon price considerations.  Under these characteristics, firms often have little control over product pricing.  In fact, these firms can be said to be price takers, meaning that the firms must accept the market price (Armstrong & Kotler, 1996, p. 347-348).

Monopolistic competition markets have large numbers of buyers and sellers, no barriers to entry, but differentiated products.  The different product attributes allow firms to compete based upon factors other than price.  These factors may include quality, style, and other features.  The end result is pricing freedom within a market-determined range of prices (Armstrong & Kotler, 1996, p. 347-348).

Oligopolistic competition markets typically have either differentiated or uniform products and few sellers resulting from barriers to entry.  While these conditions typically result in economic profits, there is still relatively low price flexibility.  Price decreases are usually matched by competitors.  In addition, it is uncertain how much volume such tactics gains.  Furthermore, there is little certainty that competitors will follow price increases, which could result in loss of market share (Armstrong & Kotler, 1996, p. 347-348).

Pure monopoly market structures are mainly distinguished by having only one seller.  The selling firm has complete control over price levels within these markets.  However, the threat of entry, production volume considerations, and potential government interference limits prices to some degree (Armstrong & Kotler, 1996, p. 347-348).

Relationships among consumers, price, and demand. Michael Baye (2000, p. 34) states that a fundamental principle of economics is the law of demand, which declares that price and quantity demanded are inversely related.  This relationship is derived from the individual consumer’s perception of value.  In transactions, consumers exchange a store of value (money) in substitute for the benefits or value of a product or service.  Each individual values the product differently.  Therefore, as price increases consumers become increasingly unwilling or unable to purchase the product.  The purchasing decisions of individual consumers can be aggregated into a demand cure.  This curve indicates the total quantity of a good all consumers are willing and able to purchase at each possible price, holding other factors constant.  When other factors (income, advertising, price of substitutes, consumer tastes or expectations, etc.) change, the entire demand curve may shift because all consumers are affected at every price.  However, when price changes, the quantity changes are represented by shifts along the demand curve.  The extent of the shift and its affects on quantity demanded are determined by price elasticity of demand.

“Price elasticity is a measure of the sensitivity of demand to changes in price (Armstrong & Kotler, 1996, p. 350).”  Inelastic demand denotes that the quantity demanded will change by a smaller percentage than the price.  Whereas, elastic demand means that the quantity demanded will change by a greater percentage amount than price.  The extent of a product’s elasticity can be determined by factors such as: product differentiation, scarcity, absence of viable substitutes, and the proportion of a consumer’s income such a purchase represents.

Competitor price and product attributes 

Almost no product or transaction is conducted in isolation.  Competitors and substitutes must be considered relative to a firm’s own product.  The product’s value to price ratio must be comparable to the other options available to consumers for long-term competitive viability.  In this context, benchmarking becomes important.  Competition among products is often a zero sum game (especially in mature markets).  Therefore, quality and price are important relative to competitor and substitute products (Armstrong & Kotler, 1996, p. 351).

Government Regulations

Government regulations can have a profound effect upon pricing strategies and terms.  This discussion focuses on U.S. federal business legislation.  The overall purpose of this legislation is to protect the consumer from market conditions that limit consumer surplus.  This broadly equates to the preservation of competition within product markets. 

Sherman Act. Section 1 of the Sherman act prohibits contracts, combinations, and conspiracies that restrain trade.  U.S. courts have established two standards of proof for potential violations of this legislation.  The rule of reason test requires the courts to determine whether a practice unreasonably restricts competition considering factors such as relevant industry attributes, the defendant’s position within that industry, the competition’s ability to respond, and the defendant’s purpose of adopting the policy in question.  However, some categories of trade restraints have been deemed to be illegal per se, or unreasonable by their very nature.  Therefore, plaintiffs merely need to show the existence of such practices (Mann & Roberts, 1997, p. 1034-1038).

Price fixing is the primary and most serious of illegal per se violations of the Sherman Act.  Price fixing is an agreement with the purpose or effect of inhibiting price competition.  These agreements may attempt to raise, depress, fix, peg, or stabilize prices.  Both horizontal and vertical price fixing is illegal per se.  Horizontal price fixing involves agreements with competitors or other sellers.  Vertical price fixing covers arrangements with retailers or other purchasers that require a certain resale price level (Mann & Roberts, 1997, p. 1034-1038).

A second illegal per se violation of the Sherman Act that involves pricing decisions and structure is tying arrangements.  A tying arrangement occurs when the seller of a product or service conditions the sale on the buyer’s purchase of a second product.  These arrangements are illegal per se when the seller has substantial economic power in the tying product and involves significant interstate commerce (Mann & Roberts, 1997, p. 1034-1038).

Clayton Act.  The Clayton Act supplements the Sherman Act and is intended to stop trade practices before they become restraints of trade.  Section 3 of the Clayton Act primarily deals with tying arrangements and exclusive dealing, selling, or leasing arrangements that prevent the purchaser from dealing with the seller’s competitors.  The exclusive dealing clause is a violation if the arrangement tends to create a monopoly or may substantially lessen competition.  While the Clayton Act provides only for civil action, the legislation allows for treble damages, as does the Sherman Act (Mann & Roberts, 1997, p. 1040).

Robinson-Patman Act.  The Robinson-Patman Act primarily limits price discrimination practices involving commodities of same grade and quality.  Violations of this act must either tend to create monopolies or substantially lessen competition.  Differences in prices to different customers are allowed on two basis.  The first is a cost savings resulting from the attributes of a particular buyer.  These attributes may include distribution expenses or volume discounts.  The other basis of price discrimination among consumers is a good faith effort to meet competition (Mann & Roberts, 1997, p. 1043).

 

General Pricing Approaches

The voluntary nature of transactions dictates that any transaction price will fall between a price floor where no profit is achieved and a price ceiling where no demand exists.  These two boundaries are represented by the supply curve (price floor) and the demand curve (price ceiling).  Determining the relative distribution of consumer and producer surplus of value is dependent upon market, product, and environmental attributes.  Several approaches have been used to determine an offer price.

Cost-Based Pricing

This approach utilizes the cost structure of producing a product.  The pricing strategy is product driven rather than customer driven.  The benefit of this approach is that the chance of loss is low.  Purchasing decisions, however, are based upon the customer’s perceived value of the good.  Therefore, volume may be lost if costs are over estimated or profits may be lost if costs under estimate product value (Libresco, 1997, p. 10).

Mark-up pricing.  This cost-based pricing approach involves adding a standard markup to the product’s cost.  The amount of the markup is typically higher on goods that are demand inelastic, seasonal, slower moving, specialty items, or have high storage and handling costs. This method seldom results in the optimal price because it disregards customer perceived value, demand, and competition.  It does, however, simplify the pricing process and results in similar prices if the industry utilizes the method (Kotler, 1997, p.503).

Target profit pricing.  Rather than add a standard markup to the product’s cost, this method adds a premium equal to the return the project requires.  This method ignores price elasticity of demand and competitor policies and their effects on sales volume and profits.  A tool called a break-even analysis aids in evaluating the pricing policy's margin of error.  This tool determines the volume of sales necessary for the firm to cover all fixed costs.  This manner of pricing products greatly encourages production cost reductions in order to lower the break-even sales volume (Armstrong & Kotler, 1996, p. 354).

Value-Based Pricing

Perceived value pricing.  Value pricing sets its target price based upon customer perception of product value.  Therefore, the pricing is customer and value driven.  From a perceived value, the price is determined.  From the price, the product is designed at a certain cost to ensure profits of a desired level.  In this manner, firm’s attempt to claim greater portions of the value created by every transaction.  In essence, they seek to claim portions of consumer surplus as producer surplus.  Problem arises in estimating consumer perceptions of value (Armstrong & Kotler, 1996, p. 355). 

Competitive-Based Pricing

Going Rate.  This approach to pricing products relies mainly on the prices that leading competitors quote.  Firms that employ this method price their product relative to market leaders.  This approach is popular in pure competition or oligopolistic competitive market structures (Armstrong & Kotler, 1996, p. 356).

Sealed Bid.  This pricing method relies on pricing services or products based on the expected prices of other competitors.  Long-run operations often quote bids on an expected profit basis.  Both the probability of customer acceptance and profit margin are combined to determine the highest expected return.  Utilizing these two variables will result in the maximum profit over the long-run as more opportunities present themselves.  Determining the probability of project acceptance, however, is a difficult task (Armstrong & Kotler, 1996, p. 356). 

Pricing Strategies

“Pricing strategy is a reasoned choice from a set of alternative prices (or price schedules) that aim at profit maximization within a planning period in response to a given scenario (Tellis, 1986, p. 147).”  In his article, “Beyond the Many Faces of Price: An Integration of Pricing Strategies,” Gerard Tellis states that pricing strategies can be classified by two dimensions: a firm’s pricing objective, and consumer characteristics.  Possible pricing objectives include: differential pricing, competitive pricing, and product line pricing.  The relevant consumer characteristics include: search costs, price sensitivity, and transactions costs.  These two dimensions and their three options create a nine box matrix demonstrating which are the necessary conditions for each pricing strategy.

Differential Pricing Strategies

Due to consumer differences, the same product is sold to consumers under a variety of prices.  Consumer differences refer to search costs (allowing random discounting), price sensitivity (allowing periodic discounting), and transaction costs (allowing second market discounting) (Tellis, 1986, p. 148). 

Random discounting strategies.  Random discounting strategies or promotional pricing strategies involves decreasing the price of certain items on a random and unpredictable basis in order to increase short-run sales of individuals with low search costs.  Those with low search costs will look for and purchase items discounted because their opportunity costs are lower.  Whereas individuals with high opportunity or search costs will maintain their purchasing decisions regardless of discounts.  Therefore, a random discounting strategy is appropriate when the profits from attracting those with low search costs exceed the costs of individuals with high search costs inadvertently purchasing discounted items (Tellis, 1986, p. 146).  The High-Low Pricing Method is a prime example of random discounts among retailers.  This approach involves charging higher prices on an everyday basis, but running frequent promotions that lower prices in an attempt to lure price sensitive consumers (Dreze, Hoch, & Prurk, 1994, p. 16). 

Periodic discounting.  Periodic discounting  (market-skimming pricing) involves setting different prices for different portions of the market in order to set higher prices for individuals with less price sensitivity.  Higher prices are charged to those portions of consumers with less price sensitivity.  As this portion of the market matures, prices are lowered to attract new consumers.  This strategy requires a wide diversity of demand at different prices.  This diversity of consumer perceived value may require high quality products to support higher consumer valuations.  Seasonal discounts for fashion, automobiles, travel, and technology are common examples of this pricing strategy (Tellis, 1986, p. 149).  

Second market discounting.  Second market discounting  (segmented pricing) is the sale of a product or service at two or more prices. These prices are not based on product cost or attribute differences. The main thrust of this strategy is to penetrate other market segments while maintaining both the profit margin and position within the branded product segment.  The main prerequisites of this strategy are firm over capacity and high consumer transaction costs.  These transaction costs prevent arbitrage between the two markets.  Transaction costs may result from traveling costs, investment risk, the cost of money, or switching costs. Generic products are an example of this differentiation strategy strategy (Tellis, 1986, p. 149).

Competitive Pricing Strategies

These strategies are employed with the firm's competitive position in mind.  Specific pricing strategies include penetration pricing, experience curve pricing, predatory pricing (although illegal), price signaling, and geographic pricing.

Penetration pricing.  Penetration strategies (market-penetration pricing) involve setting low prices in order to increase market share so that economies of scale are achieved.  Market characteristics such as consumer price sensitivity, falling production and distribution costs associated with increased volume, and the threat of competitive entry increases the attractiveness of such a pricing strategy.  A similar pricing strategy that can be employed is limit pricing. This approach seeks to set prices at the maximum level that still discourages market entry (Armstrong & Kotler, 1996, p. 366).

Another form of market penetration pricing is value pricing strategies.  Value pricing focuses on providing customers with prices that provide high value offers.  Quite simply, these firms provide low costs while maintaining product quality.  This process requires more commitment than simply lowering prices.  In order to remain competitively viable, the firm must reduce its operating expenses in order to become a low cost producer throughout the organization (Kotler, 1997, p. 507-508).

One example of value pricing within the retail industry is a practice called Everyday Low Pricing (EDLP).  An EDLP policy attempts to charge a constant low price without temporary price discounts.  Many contend that EDLP is an effective manner of communicating to consumers a pricing strategy and credibility when random discount strategies have eroded credibility.  In addition, it has cost reductions associated with reduced service, inventory, handling, and labor expenses (Dreze, Hoch, & Prurk, 1994, p. 16). 

Price signaling pricing.  Using price as a false indication of quality, price signaling seeks to sell lower quality goods to consumers with high search costs.  Individuals with high opportunity costs find it overly expensive to determine product quality.  Three conditions are necessary for such a pricing strategy to be successful.  First, information on price must be easier to attain than information on product quality.  Secondly, consumers must value quality so highly that they will risk purchasing over priced goods.  Finally, a sufficiently large portion of the market must both be able to distinguish product quality and be willing to pay for it.  This final condition allows the price quantity relationship to be maintained as an indication of product attributes (Tellis, 1986, p. 153).

Geographic pricing.  Geographic pricing strategies determine the manner in which differing distribution expenses are spread among customers.  A free on board (FOB-origin pricing) strategy allows individual customers to pay for their own distribution.  While this approach may result in true individual costs, competitive viability among distant customers is reduced.  Another method, uniform delivered pricing, charges the same distribution expense to all customers regardless of location.  Some consumers pay for product distribution of other consumers.  Zone pricing is a hybrid of the FOB-origin pricing and the Uniform delivered pricing approaches.  It involves designating geographic territories or zones with certain distribution expenses.  While prices more accurately reflect true costs, subsidization of distribution costs still occurs with in the zones.  Basing point pricing is another strategy which selects a city or reference point and then charges customers based on their location relative to that point.  This transfers distribution expenses from those in distant locations to those close to the factory.  Finally, freight absorption pricing simply charges distribution expenses to the seller thereby allowing market penetration or retention of market share in an increasingly competitive environment (Armstrong & Kotler, 1996, p. 373-375).  

Product Line Pricing Strategies

Product line pricing is applicable when a firm has a set of related products.  The firm seeks to maximize profit by pricing its products to match consumer demand.  Product line pricing strategies include price bundling, premium pricing, image pricing, and complementary pricing strategies (Tellis, 1986, p. 154).

Price bundling.  Combining two or several firm products at a reduced price is product-bundle pricing.  This strategy is typically employed when non-substitutable perishable goods are being sold in a heterogeneous market.  Examples of this tactic are season tickets, software packages, and hotel packages (Tellis, 1986, p. 155).

Premium pricing. Premium pricing (product line pricing) is setting the price steps between various products in a product line based on cost differences, customer evaluations of different product features, and competitors' prices (Armstrong & Kotler, 1996, p. 368).  These product lines are typically differentiated only by additional product features.  Therefore, economies of scale result from producing different product models on the same facilities.  In addition, heterogeneous demand is exploited to charge different prices for the different product lines (Tellis, 1986, p. 156).

Image pricing. This pricing tactic involves introducing an identical existing product, but with a different name and a higher price. Image pricing is a cross between price signaling and premium pricing.  The firm uses the higher price to imply higher quality to uniformed consumers.  The higher profits on the higher priced version are then used to subsidize the lower priced version.  It is a different product only in name and price.  This pricing method can be seen in the variance of prices in soaps, wines, fashion, and cosmetics (Tellis, 1986, p. 156).

Complementary pricing.  Two strategies are included within this category.  The first of these categories is called captive pricing.  Captive pricing is the setting of a premium price on a good that is used along with a main product.  The main limiting factor on supplementary goods is that there are seldom dual product economies of scale.  Without these cost reductions, there are little barriers to entry to those that would provide the secondary good.  Therefore, the premium charged is limited (Tellis, 1986, p. 157).

Retailers have similar pricing strategy known as loss leadership.  Store traffic is generated through the reduction of price on major brand items.  With increased traffic, retailers hope to generate offsetting profits from the items that consumers purchase in addition to the discounted items.  Consumers have incentive to purchase other items in order to limit their transaction cost.  Manufacturers disapprove of these tactics mainly because it erodes the brand value and causes conflicts with other retailers (Tellis, 1986, p. 157).         

Psychological Pricing

This approach to pricing considers the psychological nature of prices rather than economic factors.  Price is a reflection of product quality.  The importance of price as a measure of quality increases, as determining product quality through other means becomes more difficult.  Consumers have prices to compare product prices and their attributes to called reference prices.  Even the visual aspect of prices and its price range are considered when setting prices  (Armstrong & Kotler, 1996, p. 371).

Pricing Innovations

Technology remains the biggest innovation in determining pricing policies and strategies.  Technology allows instantaneous transfer of information from a register at Wal-Mart to the central office.  This information in turn can be turned into data points on the demand curve of products.  Perhaps the biggest change has been the use of the Internet and web-based auction sites.  "Technology is enabling us to gain information about the prices of products and services quickly and inexpensively (Krauss, 1998, p. 9)."  These transactions are recorded, compiled, and provide valuable pricing information due to its large volume of transactions.  "One of the most important added benefits to adding auction technology to a corporate web site is the simple fact that it can generate traffic (Briody, 1999, p. 31)."  The effects of more accurate and timely estimates of demand curves could be felt in the general pricing approaches and strategies that companies pursue.

Conclusion

Pricing can arguably be described as the most important component of a marketing mix.  It is the negotiation between a consumer and a firm for the transfer of a product and the benefits associated with it.  Internal factors, external factors, pricing objectives, and pricing strategies combine to dictate a product's or service's price.  One must remember, however, that price is not in isolation from other product attributes and marketing decisions.  These all combine so that competition is based upon consumer perceived product attributes and value relative the price that is charged.


References

 

  Armstrong, Gary, and Philip Kotler. Principles of Marketing. 7th ed. Englewood Cliffs: Prentice Hall, 1996.

 

Baye, Michael. Managerial Economics and Business Strategy. 3rd ed. New York: Irwin McGraw Hill, 2000.

 

Briody, Dan. "Web Auctions Making a Big Impact." InfoWorld. 27 September 1999, 30-31.

 

Dolan, Rober, and Hermann Simon. Power Pricing: How Managing Price Transforms the Bottom Line. 1st ed. New York: The Free Press, 1996.

 

Dreze, Xavier, and Hoch, Stephen, and Purk, Mary. "EDLP, Hi-Lo, and Margin Arithmetic." Journal of Marketing 58 (October 1994): 16-27.

 

Friedman, Hershey, and Barbara Lewis. "Dynamic Pricing Strategies for Maximizing Customer Satisfaction." National Public Accountant 44 (January / February 1999): 8-10.

 

Kotler, Philip. Marketing Management: Analysis, Planning, Implementation, and Control. 9th ed. Upper Saddle River: Prentice Hall, 1997.

 

Krauss, Michael. "Web Offers Biggest Prize in Product Pricing Game." Marketing News. 6 July 1998, 8-10.

 

Libresco, Joshua. "The Pricing Game: Have I got a Deal for You." Marketing News. 8 December 1997, 10-12.

 

Mann, Richard, and Barry Roberts. Smith and Roberson's Business Law. 10th ed. New York: West Publishing Company, 1997.

 

Tellis, Gerard. "Beyond the Many Faces of Price: An Integration of Pricing Strategies." Journal of Marketing 50 (October 1986): 146-160.