TTGWD-4-5，竟然还米有人问过

  Extensive research has shown

 that the effects of short-term price

       promotions on sales are themselves

Line       short-term.  Companies’ hopes that

  (5)      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

 (10)      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

 (15)      their customary brands is temporar-

ily available at a reduced price.  A

price promotion does not increase

the number of long-term customers

of a brand, as it attracts virtually

 (20)      no new customers in the first place.

       Nor do price promotions have linger-

       ing aftereffects for a brand, even

negative ones such as damage to

a brand’s reputation or erosion of

 (25)      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

 (30)      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

(35)         reducing excess inventory, it is the

recognizable increase in sales that

is their main attraction to manage-

ment, which is therefore reluctant

to abandon this strategy despite

its effect on the bottom line.

Q5：The passage suggests that evidence for price promotions’ “effect on the bottom line” (line 40) is provided by

A the lack of lingering aftereffects from price promotions
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，偶选的是E。

偶觉得答案不对。。。谁能解释一下"effect on the bottom line"?

也许是我对文章和题目的理解有问题？

那么， E错在哪里呢？我觉得B无法在原文找到定位。

顶一下，这题我也不明白。但是我觉得应该选D

much on price promotions?  Clearly

price promotions are generally run

at a loss,
            otherwise there would

 (30) be more of them. 

Let me try:

Because promotion usually ends up with a loss, companies are not supposed to have it often. I guess that's the bottom line.

As for E, I try to find any indication of "legitimate uses", but don't see any match.

Leaf MM, I thought you have past GMAT test a long time, why are you still around with this question?

谢谢mbz的解释!

While

       short-term price promotions can

have legitimate uses, such as

(35)         reducing excess inventory, it is the

recognizable increase in sales that

is their main attraction to manage-

ment, which is therefore reluctant

to abandon this strategy despite

its effect on the bottom line.

I still understand what means for "bottom line". Obvious it is a oppisitive relation  here. who can detail it? thanks

While

       short-term price promotions can

have legitimate uses, such as

(35)         reducing excess inventory, it is the

recognizable increase in sales that

is their main attraction to manage-

ment, which is therefore reluctant

to abandon this strategy despite

its effect on the bottom line.

choice D is prefect I think. why not correct?

谢谢leoozop，这题我已经明白了。

(35)       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.

定位: 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.

理解了bottom line的意思（之前以为是价格促销的最小作用呢）,更有助于做对该题.

bottom line: (business) the amount of money that is a profit or a loss after everything has been calculated. 最终赢利(或亏损), 损益表底线

例: These small promotions were costly and they did nothing to increase his bottom line.

问题是: 文章通过提供什么来表明价格促销对公司损益的影响的.

定位: 为什么公司花这么多钱在价格促销上呢? 很明显价格促销是通常是亏损的,否则(如果不亏损而是赚钱的话)会有更多的价格促销.

通过数量/发生频率的多少来证明价格促销对公司的损益有影响…(正面影响,频率高;负面影响,频率相对低.)