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:

• Which of the company’s costs correspond to the primary value chain activities depicted in Figure 4.3?

• Which of the company’s costs correspond to the support activities described in Figure 4.3?

• What value chain activities might be important in securing or maintaining Boll & Branch’s competitive advantage? Explain your answer.