Answer :
Final answer:
The Lay's "Do Us a Flavor" contest represents the 'idea generation' stage in the new-product development process, where customers submit potential flavour ideas that could lead to a new flavour or brand name in a monopolistic competition.
Explanation:
The stage of the new-product development process described by Lay's "Do Us a Flavor" contest is idea generation. In this contest, customers are essentially part of a crowdsourcing effort that allows Lay's to gather a wide array of potential product concepts. This is an innovative approach that combines marketing with product development, fostering customer engagement and generating a diverse set of ideas that could potentially turn into a successful new product.
While this could lead to the development of a new flavour or brand name, it is also an interesting case study in monopolistic competition, where products compete on style, flavour, and brand, despite being in a crowded and competitive market.