BUSN 620 Mid-Term Exam (Chapters 1-5)

.0pt;line-height:14.4pt;mso-outline-level:
3″>Assignment: Mid-Term Exam (Chapters 1-5)1. Which one of the following is not a
characteristic of an effectively worded strategic vision statement?graphic (paints a picture of the kind of company management is trying to
create and the market position or positions the company is striving to stake
out)consensus-driven (commits the
company to a “mainstream” directional path that most all stakeholders
will enthusiastically support)focused (is specific enough to provide guidance to managers in making
decisions and allocating resources)directional (is forward-looking, describes the strategic course that
management has charted and the kinds of product-market-customer-technology
changes that will help the company prepare for the future)easy to communicate (is explainable in 10 to 15 minutes, can be reduced
to a memorable slogan)2. Which of the following is
generally not considered as a barrier to entry?sizable capital requirements and an array of regulatory requirementssizable economies of scale in productionrapid market growthstrong buyer loyalty to existing brandsdifficulties in gaining access to distribution and securing adequate
space of retailers’ shelves3. Which of the following is not one
of the five typical sources of competitive pressures?the attempts of companies in other industries to win customers over to
their own substitute productsthe market maneuvering and jockeying for buyer patronage that goes on
among rival sellers in the industrythe bargaining power of suppliers and seller-supplier collaborationthe power and influence of
industry driving forcesthe threat of new entrants into the market4. A first-rate SWOT analysisreveals whether a company is competitively stronger than its closest
rivals.provides a good basis for
crafting a strategy.is a tool for benchmarking whether a firm’s strategy is closely matched
to industry key success factors.is a way to measure whether a company’s value chain is longer or shorter
than the chains of key rivals.identifies the reasons a company’s strategy is or is not working very
well.5. The objective of competitive strategy
is togrow revenues at a faster annual rate than rivals are able to grow their
revenues.provide detail to the company’s business model.get the company into the best strategic group and then dominate it.establish a competitively powerful value chain.build competitive advantage in
the marketplace by giving buyers superior value relative to the offerings of
rival sellers.6. The major avenues for achieving a
cost advantage over rivals includeeliminating or curbing
nonessential cost-producing activities and performing essential value chain
activities more cost-effectively that rivals.outsourcing high-cost activities to offshore vendors.being a first mover in adopting the latest state-of-the-art
technologies, especially those relating to low-cost manufacturing.having a management team that accepts below-market salaries.paying lower wages to hourly workers than what rivals are paying
workers.7. Which one of the following is not a
reliable measure of how well a company’s current strategy is working?the company’s overall financial strengthchanges in the firm’s image and reputation with its customerstrends in the company’s sales and earnings growthevidence of improvement in internal processes such as defect rate, order
fulfillment, and employee productivitythe company’s development of
human capital, organizational capital, and information capital8. The options for remedying a
supplier-related cost disadvantage includeshifting from a low-cost leadership strategy to a differentiation or
focus strategy.cutting selling prices and trying to win a bigger market share.forward vertical integration.trying to negotiate more
favorable prices with suppliers and switching to lower priced substitute
inputs.shifting into the production of substitute products.9. In identifying an industry’s key
success factors, strategists shouldconsider what it will take to overtake the company with the industry’s
overall best strategy.focus their attention on what it will take to capitalize on impacts of
the industry’s driving forces.consider on what basis customers
choose between competing brands, what resources and competitive capabilities
firms need to be competitively successful, and what shortcomings are almost
certain to put a company at a significant competitive disadvantage.consider whether the number of strategic groups is increasing or
decreasing and whether the five competitive forces are powerful or relatively
weak.try to single out all factors that play a major role in shaping whether
buyer demand grows rapidly or slowly.10. Which one of the following does not represent
market circumstances that make a focused low-cost or focused differentiation
strategy attractive?when buyers are not strongly
brand loyal and a large number of other rivals are attempting to specialize in
the same target segmentwhen it is costly or difficult for multisegment competitors to meet the
specialized needs of the target market niche and at the same time satisfy the
expectations of their mainstream customerswhen the target market niche is big enough to be profitable and offers
good growth potentialwhen the industry has many different segments and market niches, thereby
allowing a focuser to pick an attractive niche suited to its resource strengths
and capabilitieswhen industry leaders have chosen not to compete in the niche11. Which one of the following is not a
common type of driving force?changing societal concerns, attitudes, and lifestylesentry or exit of major firmstechnological change and manufacturing process innovationdiffusion of technical know-how across more companies and more countriesincreasing efforts on the part
of industry members to collaborate closely with their suppliers12. Which of the following best describes
the market opportunities that tend to be most relevant to a particular company?those that help promote greater diversification of revenues and profitsthose that match up well with
the firm’s financial resources and competitive capabilities, offer the best
growth and profitability, and present the most potential for competitive
advantagethose that help correct a company’s biggest weaknesses and competitive
deficienciesthose that provide avenues for taking market share away from close
rivals and enhance a company’s image as a leader in product innovation and
product qualitythose that offer the company a chance to raise entry barriers13. Opportunities to differentiate a
company’s product offeringare more likely to be captured by highly skilled marketers.are always dependent on the capabilities of the company’s R&D staff.usually are tied to product quality, durability, reliability, and
proliferation.are most frequently attached to a product’s brand image, performance,
and reliability.can exist in supply chain
activities, R&D, manufacturing activities, distribution and shipping, or
marketing, sales, and customer service.14. Which of the following is not one
of the basic reasons that a company’s strategy evolves over time?an ongoing need to abandon those strategy features that are no longer
working wellthe proactive efforts of company managers to improve the company’s
financial performance and secure a competitive advantagethe need to keep strategy in step with changing industry and competitive
conditionsthe need to respond to the actions and competitive moves of rival firmsthe need on the part of company
managers to make no adjustments to the company’s business model15. A company’s resources are competitive
assets that are owned or controlled by the company and includeintangible assets such as brand recognition and buyer loyalty.tangible resources such as plants, distribution centers, and
manufacturing equipment.All of these choices are
correct.financial resources such as a company’s credit rating and borrowing
capacity.intangible assets such as having a results-oriented culture.16. A competitive environment in which
there is strong rivalry among sellers, low entry barriers, strong competition
from substitute products, and considerable bargaining leverage on the part of
both suppliers and customersis highly conducive to achieving strong product differentiation and high
brand loyalty.offers moderate to good prospects for achieving low costs and building a
sustainable competitive advantage.offers little ability to build a sustainable competitive advantage.requires that industry members have a strongly differentiated product
offering in order to be profitable.is competitively unattractive
from the standpoint of earning good profits.17. The payoff of good scouting reports
on rivals is improved ability todetermine which rivals are in the best strategic group.determine whether a rival is gaining or losing market share, whether rivals
are increasing or decreasing R&D spending, and what new marketing
promotions are in the works.predict what strategic moves
rivals are likely to make next, thereby allowing a company to prepare defensive
countermoves and develop strategies to exploit rivals’ missteps.figure out how many key success factors a rival has.determine whether a rival has the best strategy and is the industry
leader.18. Which one of the following is not a
reason industry members are often motivated to enter into collaborative
partnerships with key suppliers?to speed the availability of next-generation componentsto enhance the quality of parts and components being supplied and reduce
defect ratesto reduce the costs of switching
suppliersto reduce inventory and logistics coststo squeeze out important cost savings for both themselves and their
suppliers19. Which of the following are most
unlikely to qualify as driving forces?mounting competition from substitutes
and increasing efforts to collaborate with suppliers via strategic alliancesnew Internet technology applications, new government regulations, and
significant changes in government policy toward the industrychanges in the long-term industry growth rate, the entry or exit of
major firms, and changes in cost and efficiencyincreasing globalization of the industry and product innovationchanges in who buys the industry’s product and how they use it20. Why should long-run objectives take
precedence over short-run objectives?Long-run objectives are
necessary for achieving long-term performance and stand as a barrier to undue
focus on short-term results.The focus is placed on improving performance in the near term.None of these are correct.Long-run objectives will force the company to deliver performance
improvement in the current period.Long-run objectives will satisfy shareholder expectations for progress.21. It is normal for a company’s strategy
to end up beingleft unchanged from management’s original planned set of actions and
business approaches since making on-the-spot changes is too risky.a blend of deliberate planned
actions to improve the company’s competitiveness and financial performance and
as-needed unplanned reactions to unanticipated developments and fresh market
conditions.a mirror image of its business model, so as to avoid impairing company
profitability.like the strategies of other industry members since all companies are
confronting much the same market conditions and competitive pressures.a combination of defensive moves to protect the company’s market share
and offensive initiatives to set the company’s product offering apart from
rivals.22. A strategy to be the industry’s
overall low-cost provider tends to be more appealing than a differentiation or
focus strategy whenbuyers have high switching costs in changing from one seller’s product
to another.the market is composed of many buyer types, all with varying needs and
expectations.there are many ways to achieve product differentiation that buyers find
appealing.buyers use the product in a variety of different ways.the offerings of rival firms are
essentially identical, standardized, commodity-like products.23. The most important payoff of doing a
thorough SWOT analysis isassisting strategy makers in
drawing conclusions about the company’s overall situation and crafting a
strategy that is well-matched to the company’s resources and capabilities, its
market opportunities, and the external threats to its future well-being.identifying whether the company’s value chain is cost effective
vis-à-vis the value chains of rivals.revealing whether a company’s market share, measures of profitability,
and sales compare favorably or unfavorably vis-à-vis key competitors.helping strategy makers benchmark the company’s resource strengths
against industry key success factors.enabling a company to assess its leverage in negotiations with buyers.24. Management’s strategic vision for an
organizationdescribes in fairly specific terms the organization’s business model,
strategic objectives, and strategy.addresses the critical issue of “why our business model needs to
change and how we plan to change it.”spells out how the company will become a big moneymaker and boost
shareholder value.spells out the organization’s strategic moves that will be undertaken to
achieve competitive advantage.charts a strategic course for
the organization (“where we are going”) and outlines the company’s
future product-customer-market-technology focus.25. A company’s strategy is a “work
in progress” and evolves over time because of theneed to make regular adjustments in the company’s strategic vision.ongoing need to imitate the new strategic moves of the industry leaders.frequent need to modify key elements of the company’s business model.importance of developing a fresh strategic plan every year.ongoing need of company managers
to react and respond to changing industry and competitive conditions.26. Which of the following is not an
appropriate guideline for developing a strategic group map for a given
industry?Sizes of the circles on the map should be drawn proportional to the
combined sales of the firms in each strategic group.Variables chosen as axes for the map can be quantitative, qualitative,
or discrete and defined in terms of distinct classes and combinations.Variables chosen as axes for the map should indicate big differences in
how rivals have positioned themselves to compete in the marketplace.Several maps should be drawn if more than one pair of variables can help
illuminate differences in the competitive positioning of industry members.Variables selected as axes for
the map should be highly correlated.27. The target market of a best-cost
provider isprice-sensitive buyers.value-conscious buyers.brand-conscious buyers.young adults (in the 18-to-35 age group).middle-income buyers.28. Which of the following is not one
of the pitfalls of a low-cost provider strategy?becoming so fixated on cost reductions that products become too
features-poorusing a cost-based advantage to
improve the company’s bargaining position with high-volume buyersusing approaches to reducing costs that can be easily copied by rivalscutting prices more than the size of a company’s cost advantageoverly aggressive price cutting29. Thinking strategically about industry
and competitive conditions in a given industry involves evaluating such
considerations asinterest rates, exchange rates, unemployment rates, inflation rates, and
economic growth.the birth of new industries, new knowledge, and disruptive technologies.weather, climate change, and water shortages.how often sellers alter their prices, how sensitive buyers are to price
differences among sellers, whether
the item being purchased is a good or a service, and whether buyers buy
frequently or infrequently.cultural, lifestyle, and demographic changes.30. The benefit of a vivid, engaging, and
convincing strategic vision isAll of these are important
benefits of an effective strategic vision.it reduces the risk of rudderless decision making by managers at all
levels of the organization.it helps an organization prepare for the future.its ability to unite company personnel behind managerial efforts to get
the company moving in the intended direction.its ability to crystallize top management’s own view about the company’s
long-term direction.31. Which of the following conditions
acts to weaken buyer bargaining power?when the costs incurred by buyers in switching to competing brands or to
substitute products are relatively lowwhen buyers are well informed about sellers’ products, prices, and costswhen buyers are unlikely to
integrate backward into the business of sellerswhen buyers are few in number and/or often purchase in large quantitieswhen buyers have the ability to postpone purchases if they don’t like
the prices offered by sellers32. One of the most telling signs of
whether a company’s market position is strong or precarious iswhether it is in a bigger or smaller strategic group than its closest
rivals.whether its product is strongly or weakly differentiated from rivals.whether its prices and costs are
competitive with those of key rivals.the opinions of buyers regarding which seller has the best product
quality and customer service.whether it has a lower stock price than key rivals.33. A resource-based strategyuses a company’s valuable and
rare resources and competitive capabilities to deliver value to customers that
rivals have difficulty matching.uses industry key success factors to provide a company with a core
competence that rivals cannot effectively imitate.is typically based on a stand-alone resource strength such as
technological expertise.is often based on cross-department combinations of intellectual capital
and expertise.refers to a company’s most efficiently executed value-chain activity.34. The aim of the best-cost provider
strategy is to create a competitive advantage bytranslating its best-cost status into achieving the highest profit
margins of any firm in the industry.offering buyers the industry’s best-performing product at the best cost
and best (lowest) price in the industry.outcompeting rivals using low-cost provider strategies.incorporating attractive or
upscale product attributes at a lower cost than rivals.attracting buyers on the basis of having the industry’s overall
best-performing product at a price that is slightly below the industry-average
price.35. A company’s direction, objectives,
and strategyAll of these choices are
correct.have to be revisited whenever a firm encounters disruptive changes in
its environment.are never final as it is an ongoing process.are not a now-and-then task.have to be revisited any time internal conditions warrant.36. Which of the following questions
ought to be used to distinguish a winning strategy from a so-so or flawed
strategy?Does the strategy contain a sufficient number of emergent and/or
reactive elements?Is the company putting too little emphasis on growth and profitability
and too much emphasis on behaving in an ethical and socially responsible
manner?Is the strategy well matched to
the company’s situation, helping the company achieve a sustainable competitive
advantage and resulting in better company performance?Is the strategy built on a company’s weakness, or does it require
resources that are deficient in the company?Does the strategy strike a good balance between maximizing shareholder
wealth and maximizing customer satisfaction?37. An industry’s driving forcescan be triggered by such factors as growing competitive pressures from
substitute products, greater seller-supplier collaboration, and the efforts of
rival firms to employ new or different offensive strategies.are normally triggered by ups and downs in the economy, higher or lower
inflation rates, higher or lower interest rates, or important new strategic
alliances.are generally determined by competitive pressures, the sizes of
strategic groups, and the power of rival firms’ competitive strategies.generally act in ways that will
strengthen or weaken market demand, make competition more or less intense, and
lead to higher or lower industry profitability.frequently cause a leveling off of industry growth and a reduction in the
bargaining power of buyers.38. A company’s mission statement
typically addresses which of the following questions?Who are we? What do we do? and
Why are we here?Where are we going and what should our strategy be?What objectives and level of performance do we want to achieve?Why have we chosen a particular business model to achieve our objectives
and our vision?What approach should we take to achieve sustainable competitive
advantage?39. What sets focused (or market niche)
strategies apart from low-cost leadership and broad differentiation strategies
istheir suitability for market situations where most industry rivals have
weakly differentiated products.their objective of delivering more value for the money.the extra attention paid to top-notch product performance and product
quality.their concentrated attention on
a narrow piece of the overall market.greater opportunity for competitive advantage.40. The external market opportunities
that are most relevant to a company are the ones thatmatch up well with the firm’s
financial resources and competitive capabilities, offer the best growth and
profitability, and present the most potential for competitive advantage.correct its internal weaknesses and resource deficiencies.help defend against the external threats to its well-being.increase market share.reinforce its overall business strategy.41. The elements of a company’s business
model areits business strategy, its collection of competitively valuable
resources, and a strong management team.management’s answers to the questions: Where are we now? Where do we
want to go? and How are we going to get there?its actions to capture emerging market opportunities and defend against
threats to the company’s business prospects, its actions to strengthen
competitiveness via strategic alliances, and its actions to enter new
geographic or product markets.its deliberate strategy, its emergent strategy, and its realized
strategy.its customer value proposition
as well as the company’s profit formula.42. Which one of the following is not part
of a company’s broad macro-environment?conditions in the economy at largegovernmental regulations and legislationtechnological and ecological factorspopulation demographics, and societal values and lifestylesthe company’s resource
strengths, resource weaknesses, and competitive capabilities43. Which of the following is not a
factor to consider in identifying an industry’s dominant economic features?role and pace of technological changestrength of both driving forces
and competitive forcesmarket demand-supply conditionsmarket size, growth rate, and prospectsscope of competitive rivalry including geographic area44. Which of the following is not generally
a “driving force” capable of producing fundamental changes in
industry and competitive conditions?Product innovation and technological changeChanges in the long-term industry growth rateIncreasing globalization of the industryUps and downs in the economy and
interest ratesNew government regulations or significant changes in government policy
toward the industry45. When looking at the entire industry,
the main areas in a company’s overall value chain where important differences
between firm’s cost and value donot occur are ina company’s own internal
activities, the suppliers industry value chain, and the forward channel portion
of the industry chain.the forward channel portion of the industry chain.None of these choices are correct.the suppliers industry value chain.a company’s own internal activities.46. The risks of a focused strategy based
on either low-cost or differentiation includethe chance that niche customers will bargain more aggressively for good
deals than customers in the overall marketplace.the potential for the segment to be highly vulnerable to economic
cycles.All of these choices are correct.the potential for segment growth to race beyond the production or
service capabilities of incumbent firms.the chance that competitors will
find effective ways to match the focused firm’s capabilities in serving the
target niche.47. Company objectivesplay the important role of establishing the direction in which the
company needs to be headed.need to be broken down into performance
targets for each of its separate businesses, product lines, functional
departments, and individual work units.are important because they help guide managers in deciding what the
company’s strategy map should look like.should be set in a manner that does not conflict with the performance
targets of lower-level organizational units.are needed only on a companywide basis related to a company’s short-term
and long-term profitability.48. Effectively communicating the
strategic vision down the line to lower-level managers and employees has the
value ofhelping lower-level managers and employees better understand the
company’s business model.making it easier for top executives to set strategic objectives.All of these choices are correct.helping company personnel understand why “making a profit” is
so important.not only explaining “where
we are going and why” but, more importantly, also inspiring and energizing
company personnel to unite to get the company moving in the intended direction.49. A differentiation-based competitive
advantagenearly always is attached to the quality and service aspects of a
company’s product offering.often hinges on incorporating
features that: (1) raise the performance of the product, (2) lower the buyer’s
overall costs of using the company’s product, (3) enhance buyer satisfaction in
intangible or noneconomic ways, or (4) deliver value to customers by exploiting
competitive capabilities that rivals can’t match.most often is the result of highly effective marketing and advertising
campaigns designed to build awareness and recognition of the product or service
offering.requires developing at least one distinctive competence that buyers
consider valuable.hinges on a company’s success in developing top-of-the-line product
features that will command the biggest price premium in the industry.50. Driving forces analysishelps managers identify which of the five competitive forces will be the
strongest driver of industry change.helps managers identify which key success factors are most likely to
help their company gain a competitive advantage.involves identifying the driving
forces, assessing whether their impact will make the industry more or less
attractive, and determining what strategy changes a company may need to make to
prepare for the impact of the driving forces.helps managers identify which industry member is likely to become (or
remain) the industry leader and why.identifies which strategic group is the most powerful.