A certain automaker aims to increase its market share by deeply discounting its vehicles' prices for the next several months. The discounts will cut into profits, but because they will be heavily advertised the manufacturer hopes that they will attract buyers away from rival manufacturers' cars. In the longer term, the automaker envisions that customers initially attracted by the discounts may become loyal customers.

In assessing the plan's chances of achieving its aim, it would be most useful to know which of the following?

• AWhether the automaker's competitors are likely to respond by offering deep discounts on their own products  
• BWhether the advertisements will be created by the manufacturer's current advertising agency  
• CWhether some of the automaker's models will be more deeply discounted than others  
• DWhether the automaker will be able to cut costs sufficiently to maintain profit margins even when the discounts are in effect  
• EWhether an alternative strategy might enable the automaker to enhance its profitability while holding a constant or diminishing share of the market