Which one of these could not be considered cutthroat competitors? (LO2) a) Members of Japanese dangos b) McDonald's and Burger King c) Costco and Sam's Club d) Gas stations on the same intersection

Cutthroat competitors are businesses that compete fiercely and aggressively with each other, often using tactics like price-cutting to outperform their competitors. With this understanding, we will now analyze each option to determine which one could not be considered cutthroat competitors. a) Members of Japanese dangos - A Japanese dango is a group of businesses that collude together to fix prices and stifle competition. They cooperate with one another rather than competing, so they would not be considered cutthroat competitors. b) McDonald's and Burger King - Both McDonald's and Burger King are fast-food chains that target the same customers and sell similar products. They compete fiercely for market share, which makes them cutthroat competitors. c) Costco and Sam's Club - Both Costco and Sam's Club are wholesale clubs that offer a wide range of products at discounted prices. They cater to a similar target market and are directly competing for customers, so they would be considered cutthroat competitors. d) Gas stations on the same intersection - Gas stations placed in close proximity often engage in price wars and compete aggressively to attract customers. They can be considered cutthroat competitors.

On analyzing all the options, we can see that option a) Members of Japanese dangos could not be considered cutthroat competitors, as they cooperate with each other to fix prices and stifle competition rather than competing aggressively against one another.