BUSA Policy 4900 chapter 1

Which of the following is an example of fulfilling philanthropic responsibilities?

A legal firm donates large amounts of money to charities

The _____ is a model that links strategy analysis, strategy formulation, and strategy implementation, which together helps managers plan and implement a strategy that can improve performance and result in competitive advantage.

AFI strategy framework

_____ are incidents that describe highly improbable but highly impactful events.

Black swan events

Silver Screen Cinemas Inc. and Digi Now Inc. are two companies that own and run movie theaters in malls and other commercial areas. While Silver Screen Cinemas Inc. pursues a cost-leadership strategy, Digi Now Inc. adopts a differentiation strategy. Which of the following statements is most likely true of this scenario?

Digi Now and Silver Screen Cinemas will not be direct competitors to each other, and their customer segments will overlap very little.

The average cost of production for a bottle of vitamin water in the industry is $4 while its average price is $7. StoreAll Inc. manufactures the same product for $3 per bottle and sells it for $7 per bottle. Which of the following statements is most likely true of StoreAll Inc. in this scenario?

It has a competitive advantage in the industry.

Which of the following scenarios best illustrates a good stakeholder strategy?

PA Corp. distributes only 70 percent of its annual profit after taxes to shareholders, while the remaining is distributed among employees and the local community, and invested for further research.

_____ provides a decision tool that enables a firm to act as a good corporate citizen by allowing its managers to recognize, prioritize, and address the needs of different groups of individuals who take personal interest in the firm's performance and survival.

Stakeholder impact analysis

Which of the following statements accurately describes firm effects?

They attribute firm performance to the actions managers take within a chosen industry.

Which of the following provides an example of what AFI strategy framework is used for?

Using AFI, the Gasquet Motor Company was able to implement a strategy that produced high-quality cars more efficiently and thereby reduced costs.

Which of the following scenarios illustrates a firm that has a sustainable competitive advantage?

Zhang Corp. was able to hold its market share of 68 percent in the social networking industry for more than three years.

Shortly after the small island of Balamia experienced multiple unexpected high-intensity earthquakes that caused massive destruction, many banks and insurance companies filed for bankruptcy. This left the economy of the country in a poor state. The natural calamity in Balamia best exemplifies

a black swan event

Which of the following is an element of good strategy?

a set of coherent actions to implement the firm's guiding policy

The U.S. government legitimized claims by thousands of businesses and individuals in the aftermath of the BP oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico, causing the claims to become of great urgency to BP. This best represents the process of

addressing stakeholder concerns

The management of Five Square Corp. wants to reduce the separation between ownership (by shareholders) and control of the firm (by professional managers). Which of the following practices would best help the company do this?

allowing employees to purchase the stock of the company at a discounted rate

When the strong dictatorial rule in Backenstein unexpectedly collapsed due to the shocking death of the royal family in an explosion, the nation's economy experienced drastic changes. The laws became more restrictive, the country lost many locally produced resources and products, and the distribution of wealth became inequitable. The unexpected event that led to these changes can best be described as a(n) _____ event.

black swan

If SA Pharmaceuticals obtains an 18 percent return on invested capital, which of the following will help determine if it has a competitive advantage over other pharmaceutical companies

comparing the return to the return on invested capital obtained by other firms in the industry

The Scoop, Ltd. is a magazine publishing company whose average return on invested capital is approximately 5 percent. Because magazine publishing is a declining industry, the industry average has been negative (-5 percent) for the last few years. In this scenario, The Scoop Ltd. has a

competitive advantage.

Rapida Inc. and Click Inc. are two companies that have been manufacturing typewriters for almost 30 years. Due to the reduced demand for typewriters today, both companies' average return on invested capital is approximately -5 percent. The current industry average is 2 percent. In this scenario, Rapida Inc. and Click Inc. most likely have

competitive parity with each other.

While creating its AFI strategy framework, the Kowalski Candy Company decided what markets the firm should compete in. By doing this, what type of strategy did the company devise?

corporate strategy

Paying taxes to local government authorities from the annual revenues generated by a firm represents the firm's _____ responsibilities.

economic

The amount of xylene that can be used in household paint is legally limited to 0.03 percent. Anything beyond this amount is hazardous to health and the environment, and considered a legal offense. Consequently, CW Paints Corp. has vouched to make its products as safe as possible. Therefore, it manufactures xylene-free paints even though this increases its costs and reduces the dividends paid to its shareholders in the long run. Which of the following responsibilities is CW Paints Corp. primarily compromising in this scenario?

economic responsibilities toward its shareholders

The board at TriCom Manufacturing Corp. has decided to allocate 20 percent of the company's shares to its workforce, at a discounted price. Apart from being a valued investment, the plan will allow the employees to take personal responsibility for the firm's performance. Which of the following employee incentive schemes does this best illustrate?

employee stock ownership plan

Which of the following is not one of the three interdependent tasks of strategic management?

estimate

In 2010, an explosion of a BP oil drill resulted in the deaths of 11 workers and the largest environmental disaster in U.S. history. The BP CEO was fired because of his ineffective handling of the crisis. The CEO lost his job because he failed to uphold _____ responsibilities.

ethical

Van Dyke's Fashion Inc., a company that manufactures clothing, incurs higher costs because of its refusal to build factories in countries where child labor is prevalent. This reflects Van Dyke's Fashion's _____ responsibility.

ethical

The interaction between a firm and its diverse internal and external stakeholders is best described as a(n)

exchange relationship

Organic Food Inc., a multinational company, relies on its media partner Radio Plus to regularly advertise its offers, sales, and new products. Radio Plus is invested in this relationship because it generates most of its revenue from advertising Organic Food's products. In this scenario, Radio Plus is Organic Food Inc.'s

external stakeholder

Sun Inc., a vendor, regularly supplies pallets to Octangle Corp. for its shipping business. Therefore, Sun Inc. is Octangle Corp.'s

external stakeholder

State-level government agencies that check whether firms are meeting statutory safety measures in their production units are considered to be the firms'

external stakeholders

The best example of a firm's external stakeholder is a(n)

government agency that regulates the prices of products manufactured by the firm.

An effective strategist _____ the formulated strategy through structure, culture, and controls

implements

Which of the following strategies does Twitter need to implement to increase its competitive advantage?

increase its user base

Rachel owns a large portion of GM Cube Inc.'s stocks. However, she is not employed by the company. In this scenario, Rachel is the company's

internal stakeholder

Which of the following factors most effectively contributed to the success of Threadless in comparison to other companies with T-shirt designs, including American Eagle, Old Navy, and Urban Outfitters?

its reliance on crowdsourcing

The minimum wage in the country of New Morland is $8 an hour. Odion, a restaurant in New Morland's capital city, pays its servers $8 per hour. However, the management of the restaurant feels that this amount is excessive for workers whose only job is to clear tables. By continuing to adhere to the rules set by the government of New Morland, which of the following responsibilities is Odion satisfying?

legal responsibilites

The past black swan events in the United States demonstrate that

managerial actions can affect the economic well-being of large numbers of people around the globe.

During an AFI planning session, the managers of the Fukuhara Motorcyle Corporation decided to place various stages of production in different countries. By doing this, what issue did the firm address?

organizational design

Jake's Taxi Service is a new entrant to the taxi industry. It has achieved success by staking out a unique position in the industry. How did Jake's Taxi Service mostly likely achieve this position?

providing long-distance cab fares at a lower rate than competitors; servicing the same area as competitors

Pink Couture Inc. and Pink Blush Inc. are two companies in the apparel industry. While Pink Couture Inc. focuses on providing unique product features and superior customer service, Pink Blush Inc. focuses on low prices and minimal customer service. Both companies have been able to gain a competitive advantage. This is most likely because the companies have

pursued distinct strategic positions.

Javier, a retired CEO, invests capital in a start-up company that creates budgeting software. He mentors the entrepreneur and the employees of the company because he wants the company to perform well and survive in the market. Thus, Javier is the start-up company's

stakeholder

BlueStainless Corp. has been able to gain and sustain a competitive advantage due to its strong relationship with its employees, customers, suppliers, and local communities. The company believes in lifetime employment and ensures that its employees grow along with the company. Investors are more than satisfied with the returns on their investments. Also, 3 percent of the company's profit is spent on community development. With initiatives like these, customers feel privileged to associate themselves with BlueStainless products. This scenario best illustrates the implementation of a

stakeholder strategy

According to AFI strategy framework, in which of the following tasks of strategic management is a firm's vision, mission, and values identified?

strategic analysis

FindFor Inc. is an e-commerce retail firm that sells a variety of merchandise online. Through services like cash on delivery, easy return, and online tracking, the company has created more customer value than its competitors (brick-and-mortar businesses) at the same price. Also, the company's costs are substantially low due to minimal investment in operation and administration. In this scenario, FindFor Inc. has most likely been able to provide superior value and cost control through

strategic positioning

_____ is best described as a set of goal-directed actions a firm takes to gain and sustain superior performance relative to competitors.

strategy

Patterson Foods Inc. was the first company to start selling energy bars in its country—a product that gained popularity among diverse groups. Soon, other companies started to sell their own brands of energy bars, thereby giving Patterson Foods ample competition. In response, Patterson Foods decided to limit its variety of energy bars to only four. However, it ensured that these four varieties were low in calories and low in cost. With this innovation, Patterson Foods Inc. consistently outperformed its competitors for ten years. In this scenario, Patterson Foods Inc. maintained a _____ through its innovative strategy.

sustainable competitive advantage

In the United States, which of the following was born out of dissatisfaction with the capitalist system in 2011?

the Occupy movement

Which of the following forces tends to be more important in determining a firm's performance?

the actions of managers within the firm

Which of the following was a key driver in the Occupy movement of 2011?

the issue of income disparity

Which of the following forces is most closely related to industry effects within the automobile industry?

the types of products and the services offered within the industry

During strategy implementation, managers primarily focus on deciding the

type of corporate governance that is most effective and ways in which it can put the formulated strategy into practice.