Warby Parker Was Developed to Challenge the Dominant Player in the Market

question 93

True/False

Warby Parker was developed to challenge the dominant player in the market for eyewear. Founder Neil Blumenthal realized that a major firm, Luxottica, had an almost monopolistic hold on the eyewear and vision industry. They could therefore set high prices. He and his partners developed Warby Parker to develop less expensive glasses in-house at a fraction of the cost. Not only are Warby Parker's glasses much more affordable, but also the company donates money to a vision care nonprofit organization for every pair of glasses it sells. This allows people in developing countries access to eyewear who normally could not afford it. Warby Parker is an example of a company that has successfully engaged in disruptive innovation.

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Definitions:

Predetermined Overhead Rate

A predetermined rate for assigning manufacturing overhead to products, calculated at the start of the period using estimated expenses and levels of activity.

Direct Labor-Hours

Total working hours of employees directly taking part in the production operation or service provision.

Manufacturing Overhead

Refers to all the indirect costs associated with manufacturing, beyond direct labor and materials, such as utilities and rent for the manufacturing space.

Predetermined Overhead Rate

A rate used to allocate manufacturing overhead costs to products or job orders, calculated based on estimated overhead costs and an allocation base such as direct labor hours.