Consider the Case of a Manufacturing Firm That Purchases Subassemblies

question 56

Essay

Consider the case of a manufacturing firm that purchases subassemblies from a supplier, creates a finished product, and then sells that product to a wholesale distributor. What advantages might this firm gain from forward integration? From backward integration? What potential pitfalls of vertical integration might the firm face?

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Definitions:

Marketable

Describes assets or securities that can easily be sold or converted into cash without a significant loss in value.

Cash Dividend

A payout from the company's profits, determined by the board of directors, given to certain shareholders as cash.

Trading Securities Portfolio

A collection of marketable securities that a business holds for the purpose of reselling them in the short term to profit from market price changes.

Fair Value

An estimate of the price at which an asset or liability could be traded in an orderly transaction between market participants at the measurement date.