The answer is A. Deletion; harvesting
This option is correct. In the decline stage of the product life cycle, companies often choose between two main strategies: deletion and harvesting. Deletion involves removing the product from the market entirely, while harvesting involves reducing costs and continuing to sell the product as long as it remains profitable.
This option is incorrect. While deletion is a valid strategy for the decline stage, diversification is not typically associated with handling products in decline. Diversification involves expanding into new markets or products, which is not directly related to managing declining products.
This option is incorrect. "Building" is not a recognized strategy for handling products in the decline stage. Divesting, which involves selling off parts of the business, is more related to restructuring than managing declining products.
This option is incorrect. Diversification, as mentioned earlier, is not a strategy for handling declining products. Contraction, which involves reducing the scale of operations, is not a standard term used in the context of the product life cycle.
This option is partially correct. Harvesting is a valid strategy for the decline stage, but divesting is more about selling off parts of the business rather than managing a specific product in decline.