Whitonomics - Issue 1 Jan 2014 | Page 9

P.7 Chartwells only have a profit incentive to sell more goods up to fit provides financial supthe point o the school, e.g bursaries, in which eachers, facilities etc. when they reach their Funding for Trinity School, profit target. From Old Palace Chartwells’ perspective School etc. the best outcome is when service is good enough to hit their profit target, but not drops in demand, once again too good such that costs are harming pupils. Chartwells higher than also benefit from economies necessary. of scale in the catering Another sector in a way that Whitgift disadvantage could not. They have huge is that the purchasing economies of consumer scale as they buy food in has to trust bulk for all of the many Whitgift schools they operate in. (rather than They also have managerial the forces of economies of scale as they supply and have vast experience in demand) to how to run school catering give them a efficiently. competitive price. If However this business model Whitgift does (in my opinion) have a wanted to, few weaknesses. Generally they could raise the price businesses operate more above its equilibrium efficiently if they have profit price on the high street to incentives to do so (eg increase profit. The final Private vs. Public sector). disadvantage relates to the Pupil PED of Chartwells’ food being very inelastic. It would make more economic sense for Chartwells to decrease the quality of service (to cut costs) and raise the price of food (to reach the profit target and receive the full management fee) rather than the o ѡ