ch 1 essay questions possible
Explain the relationship of the strategic management process to organizational ethics.
Almost all strategic management process decisions have ethical implications because they affect stakeholders. The decisions of the strategic leaders influence the organization's culture which is based on the organization's core values (which are also influenced by the strategic leaders). The organization's culture can be functional or dysfunctional, ethical or unethical. Consequently, the strategic leader's role has a large impact on whether the organization is a good citizen.
Hypercompetition is a characteristic of the current competitive landscape. Define hypercompetition and identify its primary drivers. How can organizations survive in a hypercompetitive environment?
Hypercompetition is a condition of rapidly escalating competition based on price-quality positioning, competition to create new knowledge and establish first-mover advantage, and competition to protect or invade established product or geographic markets. In hypercompetition, firms aggressively challenge their competitors. Markets are assumed to be inherently unstable and changeable. The two primary drivers of hypercompetition are the global economy and rapid technological change. To survive in a hypercompetitive environment firms need strategic flexibility. This demands continuous learning which allows the firm to develop new skills so that they can adapt to the changing environment and to consistently engage in change
Describe an organization's various stakeholders and their different interests. Under what condition can the firm most easily satisfy all stakeholders? If the firm cannot satisfy all stakeholders, which ones must it satisfy in order to survive?
Stakeholders are the individuals and groups who can affect and are affected by the strategic outcomes achieved and who have enforceable claims on a firm's performance. There are three principal types of stakeholders. First, there are the capital market stakeholders. These stakeholders include the shareholders and the major suppliers of capital to the firm. They are most interested in the return on capital in relation to the risk incurred. The second group of stakeholders is the product market stakeholders. This group includes customers, suppliers, host communities, and unions representing workers. The customers seek a reliable product at the lowest possible price. The suppliers seek loyal customers willing to pay the highest sustainable price. Host communities want companies willing to be long-term employers and providers of tax revenues. Union officials want secure jobs with good working conditions for the workers they represent. The final group of stakeholders is the organizational stakeholders. This group includes the employees (both managerial and non-managerial). These stakeholders expect a firm to provide a dynamic, stimulating, and rewarding work environment. The firm can most easily satisfy all stakeholders if it earns above average returns. If the firm does not earn above-average returns, it must prioritize its stakeholders by their power, urgency, and degree of importance to the firm. The firm must then make trade-offs among the stakeholders.
Define strategic competitiveness and above-average returns. What is the relationship between strategic competitiveness and returns on investment?
Strategic competitiveness is achieved when the firm successfully formulates and implements a value-creating strategy. Above-average returns are returns in excess of what investors expect to earn from other investments with similar risk levels. Firms will only be able to earn above-average returns if they develop a competitive advantage. Competitive advantage derives from a strategy that competitors cannot duplicate or find too costly to imitate.
. Describe the industrial organization (I/O) model of above-average returns. What are its main assumptions? What is the key to success according to the I/O model?
The I/O model of above-average returns argues that the external environment is the primary determinant of firm success, rather than the firm's internal resources. The model has four underlying assumptions. First, the external environment is assumed to impose pressures and constraints that determine the strategies that would result in above-average returns. Second, most firms competing within a particular industry, or in a certain segment of the industry, are assumed to control similar strategically relevant resources and pursue similar strategies in light of those resources. Third, resources used to implement strategies are mobile across firms, which results in resource differences between firms being short-lived. Fourth, organizational decision makers are assumed to be rational and committed to acting in the firm's best interests as shown by their profit maximizing behaviors. The key to success according to the I/O model is to find the most attractive industry (the one with the highest profit potential) in which to compete.
Who are the firm's strategic leaders? How do strategic leaders predict the profit outcomes of different strategic decisions?
The firm's strategic leaders include the CEO and top-level managers, but they also include organizational members who have been delegated strategic responsibilities. Strategic leaders use the strategic management process to help the firm reach its vision and mission. Mapping an industry's profit pool is one way strategic leaders can anticipate the profitability of different strategic decisions. A profit pool is the total profits earned in an industry along all points in the value chain. This helps the leaders determine where the primary sources of profit in the industry are located and allows them to take actions to tap these sources.
What are a firm's vision and mission? What is the value to the firm of having a specified vision and mission?
The firm's vision is a picture of what it wants to be and what it wants to ultimately achieve. The firm's mission is based on its vision. It specifies the business(es) in which the firm intends to compete and the customers it intends to serve. The value of having a vision and mission is that they inform stakeholders what the firm is, what it seeks to accomplish, and who it seeks to serve. A successful vision is inspirational. The mission is more concrete and guides employees' behavior as they achieve the firm's vision. Research shows that an effectively formed vision and mission positively impact firm performance in terms of growth in sales, profits, employment, and net worth.
Describe and discuss the resource-based model of above-average returns.
The resource-based model focuses on the firm's internal resources and capabilities. These resources and capabilities determine the firm's strategy and its ability to earn above-average returns. The firm's resources are inputs into its production process. Resources must be formed into capabilities, the capacity to perform a task or activity in an integrative manner. According to this model, capabilities evolve over time and must be managed dynamically to achieve above-average returns. Resources and capabilities that give a firm a competitive advantage are called core competencies. This model assumes that resources are not highly mobile across firms; consequently, all firms within a particular industry may not possess the same strategically relevant resources and capabilities. So, different firms will have different core competencies. The organizations strategy is based on finding the best environment in which to exploit its core competencies.
