Review the information in Illustration Capsule 4.1 concerning Boll & Branch’s

average costs of producing and selling a king-size sheet set, and compare this with

the representative value chain depicted in Figure 4.3. Then answer the following

questions:

 a. Which of the company’s costs correspond to the primary value chain activities

depicted in Figure 4.3?

 b. Which of the company’s costs correspond to the support activities described in

Figure 4.3?

 c. What value chain activities might be important in securing or maintaining Boll

& Branch’s competitive advantage? Explain your answer.