GBA 490 Chapter 1
A company achieves a competitive advantage when it: A. provides buyers with superior value compared to rival sellers or offers the same value at a lower cost. B. has a profitable business model. C. is able to maximize shareholder wealth. D. is consistently able to achieve both its strategic and financial objectives. E. has a strategy well-matched to its business model.
A
A company's strategy consists of the action plan management is taking to: A. stake out a unique market position and achieve superior profitability. B. compete against rivals and establish a transitory competitive advantage. C. concentrate on improving the existing product offering irrespective of the changing and turbulent markets. D. develop a more appealing business model than rivals. E. identify its strategic vision, its strategic objectives, and its strategic intent.
A
A company's strategy in toto that tends to be a combination of proactive and reactive elements is known as its: A. realized strategy. B. emergent strategy. C. deliberate strategy D. visionary strategy. E. abandoned strategy.
A
A regional electric scooter manufacturer sells its scooter at a lower price than other two-wheeler manufacturers. What will make the product most attractive for customers? A. low profit B. high value C. high cost D. low value E. low cost
B
A multinational company enters a new geographical location, considered an emerging market, with its established product line: laptops and tablets. Which of the following would NOT serve as a good strategic move to enhance profits? A. Creating a sales plan that aims to enhance initial sales and market share with low prices based on high operational costs B. Devising a marketing plan that aims at different customer segments with attractive advertisements and offers on products C. Implementing a diversification plan that aims at adding smartphones to the existing line of products D. Charting an acquisition plan that aims at acquiring small-scale companies looking for funding and with a similar product lineup E. Establishing a distribution plan that aims at setting up more supply outlets than any other rivals in the location.
A
A pharmaceutical company functioning in France for the last 10 years has moderate sales in a crowded market with competitors offering drugs with similar efficacy and safety precautions, but with better sales. The greatest challenge is to increase the prescription of their drugs. What would be the MOST effective strategy to improve sales performance in the existing market? A. Modifying marketing communication to increase brand familiarity within key physician segments B. Relocating all the existing drug manufacturing facilities to developing countries to reduce operational costs C. Employing hiring plans that aim at acquiring drug designers from rival companies D. Exiting the market and entering a new unexplored geographical location E. Engaging in new contract talks with suppliers about price breaks
A
Changing circumstances and ongoing managerial efforts to improve the strategy: A. account for Why a Companys Strategy Evolves over Time. B. explain why a company's strategic vision undergoes almost constant change. C. make it very difficult for a company to have concrete strategic objectives. D. make it very hard to know what a company's strategy really is. E. result in abandoned strategic visions.
A
Every strategy needs: A. a distinctive element that attracts customers and produces a competitive edge. B. to include similar characteristics to rival company strategies. C. to pursue conservative growth built on historical strengths. D. to employ diverse and sundry operating practices for producing greater control over sales growth targets. E. to mimic the plans of the industry's most successful companies.
A
Excellent execution of an excellent strategy is: A. the best test of managerial excellence and the best recipe for making a company a standout performer. B. a solid indication that managers are maximizing profits and looking out for the best interests of shareholders. C. the best test of whether a company is a "true" industry leader. D. the best evidence that managers have a emerging business model. E. the best test of whether a company enjoys sustainable competitive advantage.
A
Giving customers more value for the money by satisfying their expectations on key quality features, performance, and/or service attributes while beating their price expectations is a: A. best-cost provider strategy. B. focused low-cost strategy. C. focused differentiation strategy. D. broad differentiation strategy. E. low-cost provider strategy.
A
Strategy is about competing differently than rivals, thus strategy success is about: A. the sources of sustained advantages and superior profitability. B. those emergent, unplanned, reactive, and adaptive plans that are more appropriate than deliberate or intended ones that drive the realized strategy. C. matching internal resources and capabilities to the industry environment. D. keeping the firm current with the rapid pace of change in the industry. E. replacing proactive and reactive measures by modified ongoing strategic elements to preserve company values.
A
Telsteer Mobil, a smartphone manufacturer, is working on developing its next-generation products. It has decided on a strategy of focusing on a narrow buyer segment and outcompeting rivals by offering buyers customized product features for specialized needs and tastes. What basic strategic approach has Telsteer decided upon? A. Focused differentiation B. Best-cost provider C. Low-cost provider D. Broad differentiation E. Focused low-cost
A
The competitive moves and business approaches a company's management is using to grow the business, stake out a market position, attract and please customers, compete successfully, conduct operations, and achieve organizational objectives is referred to as its: A. strategy. B. mission statement. C. strategic intent. D. cost-price framework. E. market vision.
A
What is the foremost question in running a business enterprise? A. What must managers do, and do well, to make a company a winner in the marketplace? B. What can employees do, and do well, to ensure customer satisfaction? C. What can shareholders do, and do well, to ensure a profitable company? D. What do customers do, how to profile customers who buy a company's product, and tailor sales strategy around them? E. What do suppliers do, and how to get supplies at the lowest cost to build a profitable business?
A
Which of the following firms uses a deliberate strategy? A. A popular downtown theater that has been staging plays decides to begin booking rock and roll acts. B. An airline company cuts frills in order to cope with increasing fuel prices. C. An IT firm trims jobs during a recession. D. A smartphone company divests its tablet production branch after not gaining market share. E. An online jewelry site discontinues its line of turquoise rings due to lack of demand.
A
Which of the following is true of a company's business model? A. It zeroes in on the customer value proposition and its related profit formula. B. It explains why the customer value proposition takes precedence over the related profit formula to generate optimum revenues. C. It details the ethical and socially responsible nature of the company's strategy. D. It explains how it intends to achieve the same market position as a rival. E. It is termed a winning model if it passes any one of the three strategy tests.
A
Which one of the following does NOT account for WHY a company's strategy evolves from one version to another? A. A need to promote stability and retain the status quo B. The need to abandon some strategy elements that are no longer working well C. A need to respond to changing customer requirements and expectations D. A need to react to fresh strategic maneuvers on the part of rival firms E. The proactive efforts of company managers to improve obsolete aspects of the strategy
A
Is it more accurate to think of strategy as being "proactive" or as being "reactive"? Why?
A company's strategy is shaped partly by management analysis and choice and partly by the necessity of adapting and learning by doing. Depending on market factors, internal changes, and changing customer needs a mix of both proactive and reactive strategies is important to implement to achieve a companies realized strategy. Managers must always be willing to supplement or modify the proactive strategy elements with as-needed reactions to unanticipated conditions. Inevitably, there will be occasions when market and competitive conditions take an unexpected turn that calls for some kind of strategic reaction.
What is strategy and why is it important?
A company's strategy is the set of actions that its managers take to outperform the company's competitors and achieve superior profitability. A well-crafted strategy is the sort of lasting success that can support growth and secure the company's future over the long term. A company's strategy provides direction and guidance, in terms of not only what the company should do but also what it should not do.
Explain why a company's strategy cannot be completely planned out in advance and why crafting a company's strategy cannot be a one-time, once-and-for-all managerial exercise. Identify at least three factors that account for why company strategies evolve.
A company's strategy tends to evolve because of changing circumstances and ongoing efforts by management to improve the strategy. Planned initiatives to improve the company's financial performance and secure a competitive edge are implemented in sync with reactive strategies because market condition and customer preferences change from time to time. Changing circumstances and ongoing management efforts to improve the strategy cause a company's strategy to evolve over time—a condition that makes the task of crafting strategy a work in progress, not a one-time event. Factors that mostly lead to change in strategies are fresh strategic maneuvers on the part of rival firms, unexpected shifts in customer requirements, fast-changing technological developments, etc.
What are the three tests of a winning strategy?
A winning strategy must pass three tests: · The fit test: No strategy can work well unless it exhibits good external fit and is in sync with prevailing market conditions. · The competitive advantage test: Winning strategies enable a company to achieve a competitive advantage over key rivals that is long-lasting. The bigger and more durable the competitive advantage, the more powerful it is. · The performance test: The mark of a winning strategy is strong company performance. Two kinds of performance indicators tell the most about the caliber of a company's strategy (1) competitive strength and market standing and (2) profitability and financial strength.
Explain in detail what a company's business model entails.
At the core of every sound strategy is the company's business model. The two elements of a company's business model are (1) its customer value proposition and (2) its profit formula. The customer value proposition lays out the company's approach to satisfying buyer wants and needs at a price customers will consider a good value. The profit formula describes the company's approach to determining a cost structure that will allow for acceptable profits, given the pricing tied to its customer value proposition.
A company's business model: A. concerns the actions and business approaches that will be used to grow the business, conduct operations, and stake a competitor's market position. B. is management's blueprint for how it will generate revenues sufficient to cover costs and yield an attractive profit. C. concerns what combination of moves in the marketplace it plans to make to outcompete rivals. D. deals with how it can simultaneously maximize profits and operate in a socially responsible manner that keeps its prices as low as possible. E. concerns how management plans to pursue strategic objectives, given the larger imperative of meeting or beating its financial performance targets.
B
A company's realized strategy evolves from one version to the next due to: A. changing management direction because of understanding several appealing strategy alternatives. B. the proactive efforts of company managers to improve the current strategy, a need to respond to changing customer requirements and expectations, and a need to react to fresh strategic maneuvers on the part of rival firms. C. ongoing turnover in the managerial and executive ranks (new managers often decide to shift to a different strategy). D. pressures from shareholders to boost profit margins and pay higher dividends. E. the importance of keeping the company's business model fresh and up-to-date.
B
A company's strategy is NOT concerned with management's choices about how to: A. attract and please customers. B. stake out the same market position as successful rival companies. C. grow the business. D. compete successfully. E. conduct operations and improve the company's financial and market performance.
B
A luxury bathtub manufacturer offered scented bubble bath foams and massage coupons as a gimmick when their bathtubs did not sell. Their bubble foam became famous among some women and led to a line of exclusive bath products for women. They established shops in various regional locations and roped in celebrities to market their products to enhance sales. Now its products are sold through retail outlets and online sites throughout the world. Which of the following is accurate? A. Offering scented bubble bath foams and massage coupons was an emergent strategy. B. Creating a sub-brand that offered exclusive bath products for women was an emergent strategy. C. Establishing shops in regional locations was an emergent strategy. D. Roping in celebrities to market their products was an emergent strategy. E. Creating a worldwide presence through retail outlets and online sites was an emergent strategy.
B
A search engine giant specializes in all types of search items; provides a free translation feature for 80 different languages; allows users to view ads on previously made related searches; provides suggestive search items to assist the user; allows users to view a collation of related web pages users might want to visit; and provides a faster load time and more accurate hits than its rivals. Which of the following is a profit formula used by the company? A. Providing a free translation feature for 80 different languages B. Allowing users to view ads on previously made related searches C. Allowing users to view a collation of related web pages users might want to visit D. Providing a faster load time and more accurate hits than its rivals E. Providing suggestive search items based on history of sites visited
B
A winning strategy must pass which three tests? A. The Dominant Market Test, the Sustainable Advantage Test, and the Profit Test B. The Fit Test, the Competitive Advantage Test, and the Performance Test C. The Sustainable Performance Test, the Fit Test, and the Profit Test D. The Performance Test, the Dominant Market Test, and the Fit Test E. The Fit Test, the Sustainable Advantage Test, and the Dominant Market Test
B
Consider the following three companies and their strategies. · Company A is an established database management company that acquires a well-reputed but small publishing house to enter the booming publishing industry. · Company B, a sports management house, declared bankruptcy during a recent recession but now has created a television network that airs regional sports events. · Company C, a package delivery business, is a startup based on delivery efficiency models created by a few students, and delivers almost all kinds of packages. Which of the following describes the use of strategies by these companies accurately? A. Company B employs an emergent strategy, whereas Companies A and C employ deliberate strategies. B. All three companies employ deliberate strategies. C. All three companies employ emergent strategies. D. Company C employs a deliberate strategy, Companies A and B employ emergent strategy. E. Companies A and C employ emergent strategies, Company B employs a deliberate strategy.
B
FaberRoad, a respected courier brand, is fast losing its market share to competitors who do overnight deliveries of packages or offer lower prices. The company's research department has found that many customers care more about knowing exactly when a package will arrive than getting it the next day. Which strategy would best address the current state of FaberRoad and help it regain its market? A. Employing night delivery drivers at a high cost and maintenance charges B. Developing radio tags that could be attached to packages to allow for real-time tracking by customers' PCs and mobile phones C. Diversifying the different types of packages that can be transported and enabling booking through calls D. Acquiring small transportation companies with cheaper trucks and tempos, rebranding, and using them for deliveries E. Engaging in expensive advertising with new tag lines and famous celebrities to enhance its brand image in the market
B
Management's blueprint for how and why the company's business approaches will generate revenues sufficient to cover costs and produce attractive profits and returns on investment: A. best describes what is meant by a company's strategy. B. best describes what is meant by a company's business model. C. accounts for why a company's financial objectives are at the stated level. D. portrays the essence of a company's business purpose or mission. E. is what is meant by the term strategic intent.
B
To which of the following firms is the term "repeatedly evolving strategy" MOST applicable? A. A government agency that makes plans for a set period of time and implements them phase by phase through the tenure B. A mobile company, established in a saturated market, that aims at quarterly release of new products C. A new cosmetics manufacturer in a market that replicates the products of a competitor at a moderate quality and lower price D. A nationalized bank that lends at a lower interest rate but a zero processing fee in a market crowded with privatized banks running at high cost E. A firearms regulatory agency, set up by the government, that publishes industry standards for safety, reliability, and quality of arms and ammunition
B
Which of the following airlines does NOT employ a low-cost provider strategy? A. Airline 1 offers low prices on short-distance flights and cuts down on meals during flights. B. Airline 2 offers low prices on long-distance flights and has long service times for its planes between flights. C. Airline 3 offers low prices on short-distance flights and improves flight carrier capacity through addition of seats by reducing distance between existing seats. D. Airline 4 offers low prices on short-distance flights and pays minimum wage rates to the flight crew. E. Airline 5 offers low prices on long-distance flights and charges fees for carry-on as well as checked luggage.
B
Which of the following is NOT one of the managerial considerations in determining how to compete successfully? A. How can a company attract, keep, and please customers? B. How can a company modify its entire product line to emphasize its internal service attributes? C. How should a company respond to changing economic and market conditions? D. How should a company be competitive against rivals? E. How should a company position itself in the marketplace?
B
Which of the following pizza firms competing in a crowded market likely offers the best value proposition to its customers, based on the following sales pitches? A. Firm A: "The Tastiest Pizza You've Ever Had." B. Firm B: "Get fresh, hot pizza, delivered under 20 minutes-or it's free." C. Firm C: "Get your pizza at your doorstep-absolutely free delivery, anywhere." D. Firm D: "One pizza, 5 points: to be redeemed with a pan pizza upon reaching 50 points." E. Firm E: "Open you pizza box and find a free gift. Hurry! Free gifts for 100 lucky customers."
B
Why are crafting and executing business strategies the foremost tasks of any organization? A. Because they are necessary ingredients of a sound operational business model B. Because a good strategy coupled with a good strategy execution are the most telling signs of good management and allow a company to be a standout performer in the marketplace C. Because the management skills of top executives are sharpened as they work their way through the strategy-making, strategy-executing processes D. Because doing these tasks helps executives develop an appropriate strategic vision, strategic intent, and set of strategic objectives E. Because of the contribution they make to maximizing value for shareholders
B
A company's strategy and its quest for competitive advantage are tightly connected because: A. without a competitive advantage a company cannot become the industry leader. B. without a competitive advantage a company cannot have a profitable business model. C. crafting a strategy that yields a competitive advantage over rivals is a company's most reliable means of achieving above-average profitability and financial performance. D. a competitive advantage is what enables a company to achieve its strategic objectives. E. how a company goes about trying to please customers and outcompete rivals is what enables senior managers to choose an appropriate strategic vision for the company.
C
A company's strategy stands a better chance of succeeding when: A. it is developed through a collaborative process involving all managers and staff from all levels of the organization. B. managers employ conservative strategic moves based on past experience and form an underlying basis of control. C. it is predicated on competitive moves aimed at appealing to buyers in ways that set the company apart from rivals. D. managers copy the strategic moves of successful companies in its industry. E. managers focus on meeting or beating shareholder expectations.
C
A creative and distinctive strategy that sets a company apart from rivals and that gives it a sustainable competitive advantage: A. is a reliable indicator that the company has a socially responsible business model. B. is achievable in emerging but not mature industries. C. is a company's most reliable ticket to above-average profitability. D. signals that the company has a bold, ambitious strategic intent that places the achievement of strategic objectives ahead of the achievement of financial objectives. E. is the best indicator that the company's strategy and business model are well-matched and properly synchronized.
C
A pharmaceutical giant acquires a manufacturer of rare specialty drugs to improve its falling share prices and invests all its wealth into the deal. Due to a deficit, it agrees to do a joint venture for the acquisition and involves a major automobile giant to fund the deal. After a rocky start, the companies now have a strong market position and generate good profits. Which of the following regarding the company's strategy is true? A. It fails the Performance test. B. It fails the Competitive Advantage and the Fit tests. C. It is a winning strategy. D. It fails in all three tests. E. It fails the Fit test, but passes the Competitive advantage and Performance tests.
C
A winning strategy is one that: A. builds strategic fit, is socially responsible, and maximizes shareholder wealth. B. is highly profitable and boosts the company's market share. C. fits the company's internal and external situation, builds sustainable competitive advantage, and improves company performance. D. results in a company becoming the dominant industry leader. E. can pass the ethical standards test, the strategic intent test, and the profitability test.
C
Adapting to new conditions like new innovations by competitors, fast-changing technological developments, and constantly evaluating what is working result in: A. an assured profitability strategy. B. a broad market entry strategy. C. an emergent strategy. D. unlimited revenue generation. E. a proactive strategy.
C
Crafting a deliberate strategy involves developing strategy elements that: A. imitate as much of the market leader's strategy as possible so as not to end up at a competitive disadvantage. B. comprise a five-year strategic plan that is then fine-tuned during the remainder of the plan period; big changes in strategy are thus made only once every five years. C. consist of a blend of proactive new planned initiatives plus ongoing strategy elements continued from prior periods. D. deliberately eliminate the ongoing strategic elements and implement new planned initiatives. E. consist of adaptive change plans to new market situations along with abandoned redundant ongoing elements.
C
Crafting and executing a strategy is a top-priority managerial task because: A. it helps management create tight fits between a company's strategic vision and business model. B. it allows all company personnel, and especially senior executives, to know the answer to "who are we, what do we do, and where are we headed?" C. it is management's prescription for doing business, its roadmap to competitive advantage, a game plan for pleasing customers, and its formula for improving performance. D. it provides clear guidance as to what the company's business model and strategic intent are, and helps keep managerial decision-making from being rudderless. E. it establishes how well executives perform these tasks and are the key determinants of executive compensation.
C
Easy DriveIn, a fast food facility, offers products at lower prices than its competitors in the market and has a drive-through-only operation with no indoor seating. What strategy is Easy DriveIn using to gain competitive advantage? A. A low-cost provider strategy B. A broad differentiation strategy C. A focused low-cost strategy D. A focused differentiation strategy E. A best-cost provider strategy
C
The most significant signs of a well-managed company are: A. the eagerness with which executives set stretch financial and strategic objectives and develop an ambitious strategic vision. B. aggressive pursuit of new opportunities and a willingness to change the company's business model whenever circumstances warrant. C. good strategy-making combined with good strategy execution. D. a visionary mission statement and a willingness to pursue offensive strategies rather than defensive strategies. E. a profitable business model and a balanced scorecard approach to measuring the company's performance.
C
Which of the following is NOT a frequently used strategic approach to set a company apart from rivals and achieve a sustainable competitive advantage? A. Striving to be the industry's low-cost provider, thereby aiming for a cost-based competitive advantage B. Outcompeting rivals on the basis of differentiating features such as higher quality, wider product selection, added performance, better service, more attractive styling, technological superiority, or unusually good value for the money C. Focusing on a broad buyer segment and offering buyers a very low cost and highly customized attributes that meet their specialized needs better than rivals' products D. Focusing on a narrow market niche and winning a competitive edge by doing a better job than rivals of satisfying the needs and tastes of buyers comprising the niche E. Developing a cost advantage based on offering more value for the money
C
Why does a company's strategy tend to evolve over time?
Changing circumstances and ongoing management efforts to improve the strategy cause a company's strategy to evolve over time—a condition that makes the task of crafting strategy a work in progress, not a one-time event. Most of the time, a company's strategy evolves incrementally as management fine-tunes various pieces of the strategy and adjusts the strategy in response to unfolding events. However, on occasion, major strategy shifts are called for, such as when the strategy is clearly failing or when industry conditions change in dramatic ways. Industry environments characterized by high-velocity change require companies to repeatedly adapt their strategies.
A new entrant in a market uses copycat products at its rival at budget prices. What can you say about this company's long-term success?
Companies don't get to the top of the industry rankings or stay there with illogical strategies, copycat strategies, or timid attempts to try to do better. Only a handful of companies can boast of hitting home runs in the marketplace due to lucky breaks or the good fortune of having stumbled into the right market at the right time with the right product. Even if this is the case, success will not be lasting unless the companies subsequently craft a strategy that capitalizes on their luck, builds on what is working, and discards the rest. So there can be little argument that the process of crafting a company's strategy matters—and matters a lot.
Why is it appropriate to argue that good strategy-making combined with good strategy execution are valid signs of good management?
Crafting and executing strategy are thus core management functions. Among all the things managers do, nothing affects a company's ultimate success or failure more fundamentally than how well its management team charts the company's direction, develops competitively effective strategic moves and business approaches, and pursues what needs to be done internally to produce good day-in, day-out strategy execution and operating excellence.
A company's strategy is a "work in progress" and evolves over time because of: A. the importance of developing a fresh strategic plan every year that keeps employees from becoming bored with executing the same strategy year after year. B. the ongoing need to imitate the new strategic moves of the industry leaders. C. the need to make regular adjustments in the company's strategic vision. D. the ongoing need of company managers to react and respond to changing market and competitive conditions. E. the frequent need to modify key elements of the company's business model.
D
A middle-class customer (target) base in a region is most concerned with quality and price of products. Which of the following would be considered a best value proposition for the customers? A. A company that identifies unique features of its products without comparing it with a rival's products B. A company that offers copycat products at low cost but an average quality compared to rivals C. A company that offers the same quality of products as rivals but at a high cost based on greater market share and higher brand value D. A company that provides same quality of products at a much lower price than rivals, but leaves the final assembly of product pieces to customers with an easy assembly guide E. A company that sells an average quality product compared to rivals with a meager difference in price.
D
BloomsJay Resorts Inc. has multiple tropical resorts in various locations. In a crowded market that caters to all kinds of consumers, this resort caters mainly to gays with guaranteed hassle-free holiday experience at a premium price. What strategy is BloomsJay using to gain competitive advantage? A. A low-cost provider strategy B. A broad differentiation strategy C. A focused low-cost strategy D. A focused differentiation strategy E. A best-cost provider strategy
D
Different companies across different industries adopt any one of the five generic strategies to gain competitive advantage. Which of the following is most likely to use a low-cost provider strategy? A. A fashion clothing line uses sought-after designers and natural fabrics. B. A mortgage company specializes in lending money for second homes. C. An online retailer delivers organic groceries overnight. D. A baby products retailer sells unassembled baby furniture produced in China. E. A dairy products manufacturer uses exotic substitutes to produce lactose-free dairy products.
D
Good strategy combined with good strategy execution: A. offers a surefire guarantee for avoiding periods of weak financial performance. B. is the best sign that a company is a true industry leader. C. is a more important management function than forming a strategic vision combined with setting objectives. D. is the clearest indicator of good management. E. signals that a company has the best business model in a market.
D
In crafting a company's strategy, managers: A. face the biggest challenge of how closely to replicate strategies of successful companies in the industry. B. have comparatively little freedom in choosing the "hows" of strategy. C. are wise not to decide on concrete courses of action in order to preserve maximum strategic flexibility. D. need to come up with a sustainable competitive advantage that draws in customers and produces a competitive edge over rivals. E. are well-advised to be risk-averse and develop a "conservative" strategy—"dare-to-be-different" strategies are rarely successful.
D
It is normal for a company's strategy to end up being: A. a blend of offensive actions on the part of managers to improve the company's profitability and defensive moves to counteract changing market conditions. B. a combination of conservative moves to protect the company's market share and somewhat more risky initiatives to set the company's product offering apart from rivals. C. a close imitation of the strategy employed by the recognized industry leader. D. a blend of proactive actions to improve the company's competitiveness and financial performance, and adaptive reactions to unanticipated developments and fresh market conditions. E. more a product of clever entrepreneurship than of efforts to clearly set a company's product/service offering apart from the offerings of rivals.
D
The customer value proposition lays out the company's approach to: A. meeting profitability guidelines without the risk of losing customers. B. operating efficiently given the current level of customers. C. embracing rival company approaches to gaining customers. D. satisfying customer wants and needs at a price customers will consider a good value. E. assuring that the company makes enough profits based on its per-unit cost.
D
The difference between a company's strategy and a company's business model is that: A. a company's strategy is management's game plan for achieving strategic objectives while its business model is management's game plan for achieving financial objectives. B. the strategy concerns how to compete successfully and the business model concerns how to operate efficiently. C. a company's strategy is management's game plan for realizing the strategic vision, whereas a company's business model is the game plan for accomplishing its corporate responsibility goals. D. strategy relates broadly to a company's competitive moves and business approaches while its business model relates to whether the revenues flowing from the strategy are sufficient to cover costs and realize a profit. E. a company's strategy is solely concerned with how to please customers while its business model is solely concerned with how to please shareholders.
D
The objectives of a well-crafted strategy require management to strive to: A. match rival businesses' products and quality dimensions in the marketplace. B. build profits for short-term success. C. realign the market to provoke change in rival companies. D. develop lasting success that can support growth and secure the company's future over the long term. E. re-create their business models regularly.
D
The pattern of actions and business approaches that would NOT define a company's strategy include actions to: A. strengthen market standing and competitiveness by acquiring or merging with other companies. B. strengthen competitiveness via strategic coalitions and partnerships. C. upgrade competitively important resources and capabilities. D. gain sales and market share with lower prices despite increased costs. E. strengthen the firm's bargaining position with suppliers and distributors.
D
To improve performance, there are many different avenues for outcompeting rivals such as: A. realizing a higher cost structure and lower operating profit margins than rivals in order to drive sales growth. B. creating products analogous with competitors so as to be competitive in the same markets. C. pursuing similar personalized customer service or quality dimensions as rivals. D. confining operations to local or regional markets or developing product superiority or concentrating on a narrow product lineup. E. strengthening competitiveness by restricting strategic alliances and collaborative partnerships when compared to rivals.
D
What separates a powerful strategy from a run-of-the-mill or ineffective one is: A. the ability of the strategy to keep the company profitable. B. the proven ability of the strategy to generate maximum profits. C. the speed with which it helps the company achieve its strategic vision. D. management's ability to forge a series of actions, both in the marketplace and internally, that sets the company apart from rivals, and produces sustainable competitive advantage. E. whether it allows the company to maximize shareholder value in the shortest possible time.
D
Which of the following questions tests the merits of the firm's strategy and distinguishes it as a winning strategy? A. Is the company's strategy ethical and socially responsible and does it put enough emphasis on good product quality and good customer service? B. Is the company putting too little emphasis on growth and profitability and too much emphasis on behaving in an ethical and socially responsible manner? C. Is the strategy resulting in the development of additional competitive capabilities? D. Is the strategy helping the company achieve a sustainable competitive advantage and is it resulting in better company performance? E. Does the strategy strike a good balance between maximizing shareholder wealth and maximizing customer satisfaction?
D
Which of the following statements about a company's strategy is true? A. A company's strategy is mostly hidden to outside view and is deliberately kept under wraps by top-level managers (so as to catch rival companies by surprise when the strategy is launched). B. A company's strategy is typically planned well in advance and usually deviates little from the planned set of actions and business approaches because of the risks of making on-the-spot changes. C. A company's strategy generally changes very little over time unless a newly appointed CEO decides to take the company in a new direction with a new strategy. D. A company's strategy is typically a blend of proactive and reactive strategy elements. E. A company's strategy is developed mostly on the fly because of the constant efforts of managers to come up with fresh moves to keep the company's product offering clearly different and set apart from the product offerings of rival companies.
D
Why is it important to craft a business model? A. Because it sets forth management's game plan for maximizing profits for shareholders B. Because it details exactly how management's strategy will result in the achievement of the company's strategic intent C. Because it is a part of an operating model that focuses on delivering excellence and creating value for external shareholders and internal labor force D. Because it sets forth the key components of the enterprise's business approach, indicates how revenues will be generated, and makes a case for why the strategy can deliver value to customers in a profitable manner E. Because it sets forth management's long-term action plan to match the business standards set by formidable rivals
D
A company's strategy represents a managerial commitment to an integrated array of considered choices about how to compete. This includes the choice about how to capitalize on attractive opportunities to grow the business. Why is opportunity recognition a vital component of the company's strategy?
Doing a good job of managing inherently requires good strategic thinking and good management of the strategy-making, strategy-executing process. How well a company performs is directly attributable to the caliber of its strategy and the proficiency with which the strategy is executed. The central thrust of a company's strategy is undertaking moves to build and strengthen the company's long-term competitive position and financial performance by competing differently from rivals and gaining a sustainable competitive advantage over them. Recognizing opportunities allows value creation that would eventually bestow competitive advantage to a strategy. A strategy stands a better chance of succeeding when it is predicated on actions, business approaches, and competitive moves aimed at (1) appealing to buyers in ways that set a company apart from its rivals and (2) staking out a market position that is not crowded with strong competitors.
A computer chip manufacturing giant decides to outsource its operations to a new geographical location with cheaper labor amidst ongoing labor strikes in a few of its existing locations (due to proposed job cuts). This draws criticism in its new market and affects its current market position and productivity. Which of the following would be an appropriate reactive (emergent) strategy while moving forward? A. Hiring and training new talent to begin operations in the emerging market B. Acquiring a local computer chip marketing and distribution specialist firm in the new location C. Cancelling the idea of outsourcing and retaining the existing the workforce to run operations D. Shifting the existing workforce to the new geographical location and paying them according to new standards E. Cancelling the job cuts till the market situation and entry operations stabilize
E
In the course of crafting a strategy, which of the following is NOT a common management function? A. Abandoning certain strategy elements that have grown stale or become obsolete B. Modifying the current strategy when market and competitive conditions take an unexpected turn or some aspects of the company's strategy hit a stone wall C. Modifying the current strategy in response to the fresh strategic maneuvers of rival firms D. Taking proactive actions to improve this or that piece of the strategy E. Sharing the strategy with the public to gain additional customer and shareholder support
E
Managers must be prepared to modify their strategy in response to all of the following EXCEPT: A. changing circumstances that affect performance and the desire to improve the current strategy. B. competitor moves in the market and shifting needs of buyers. C. stagnating market and restrictive industrial opportunities. D. mounting evidence that the strategy is less effective. E. public pronouncements from rivals about monthly profit margins.
E
The heart and soul of a company's strategy-making effort is determining how to: A. become the industry's low-cost provider. B. maximize profits and shareholder value. C. improve the efficiency of its business model. D. maximize profits while simultaneously operating in a socially responsible manner that keeps the company's prices as low as possible. E. come up with moves and actions that produce a durable competitive edge over rivals.
E
Troopline Inc., an online laptop retailer, sells laptops of similar range and features as other online laptop retailers. Which of the value propositions would NOT benefit the company? A. Providing free delivery of purchased laptops B. Allowing customers to pay through gift coupons C. Updating the site with better high-resolution pictures of laptops D. Providing mobile friendly version of the site and compatible apps for mobile users E. Establishing a comparison feature tab that allows customers to compare offerings from other online retailers
E
Which of the following companies would have the LEAST bargaining power with its suppliers? A. A company that is involved in mass production of goods to cater its expanding customer base B. A company that actively caters to a broad price-sensitive customer base C. A company that generates high quality product components from easily available raw materials for a broad customer base D. A company whose products are highly popular and easily available across most supermarkets E. A company that offers high-cost specialized products that could be used only by customers of a certain age group
E
Which of the following is NOT a frequently used strategic approach to set a company apart from rivals and achieve a sustainable competitive advantage? A. Striving to be the industry's low-cost provider B. Outcompeting rivals on the basis of differentiating features that will appeal to a broad spectrum of buyers C. Developing a best-cost provider strategy that gives customers more value for the money D. Focusing on a narrow market niche and serving buyers' special needs and tastes E. Striving to be the industry's high-price provider
E
Which of the following is NOT typically a trigger to an evolving strategy? A. The need to keep strategy in step with changing circumstances, market conditions, and changing customer needs and expectations B. The proactive efforts of company managers to fine-tune and improve one or more pieces of the strategy C. The need to abandon some strategy features that are no longer working well D. The need to respond to the newly initiated actions and competitive moves of rival firms E. The need to respond to short-term swings in the stock market
E
Which of the following questions can be used to distinguish a winning strategy from a mediocre or losing strategy? A. How good is the company's business model? B. Is the company a technology leader? C. Does the company have low prices in comparison to rivals? D. Is the company putting too little emphasis on behaving in an ethical and socially responsible manner? E. How well does the strategy fit the company's situation?
E
Winning a sustainable competitive edge over competitors does NOT hinge on which of the following? A. Having a distinctive competitive product offering B. Building competitively valuable expertise and capabilities not readily matched, and offering distinctive products C. Building experience, know-how, and specialized capabilities that have been perfected over a long period of time D. Having "hard-to-beat" capabilities and impressive product innovation E. Building products and distributing them at low prices to a broad customer base irrespective of manufacturing cost.
E
A pen manufacturer sells high-quality pens at a very low price but provides pen-specific low-cost refills at a relatively higher price. Explain this business model.
High-quality pens at a very low price is a customer value proposition and low-cost refills at a relatively higher price is the profit formula. The two elements of a company's business model are (1) its customer value proposition and (2) its profit formula. The customer value proposition lays out the company's approach to satisfying buyer wants and needs at a price customers will consider a good value. The profit formula describes the company's approach to determining a cost structure that will allow for acceptable profits, given the pricing tied to its customer value proposition.
An electronic chip manufacturer has a quarterly release of its products. What can you say about its strategy?
Industry environments characterized by high-velocity change require companies to repeatedly adapt their strategies. For example, companies in industries with rapid-fire advances in technology like medical equipment, electronics, and wireless devices often find it essential to adjust key elements of their strategies several times a year, sometimes even finding it necessary to "reinvent" their approach to providing value to their customers.
A new entrant in a market dominated by established players introduces itself with copycat products of another competitor. Would this strategy work in the long term for the firm? Justify your answer.
Mimicking the strategies of successful industry rivals—with either copycat product offerings or maneuvers to stake out the same market position—rarely works. Rather, every company's strategy needs to have some distinctive element that draws in customers and produces a competitive edge. Strategy, at its essence, is about competing differently—doing what rival firms don't do or what rival firms can't do.
Why is sustainable competitive advantage so important to a winning business strategy?
Strategies that fail to achieve a durable competitive advantage over rivals are unlikely to produce superior performance for more than a brief period of time. Winning strategies enable a company to achieve a competitive advantage over key rivals that is long-lasting. The bigger and more durable the competitive advantage, the more powerful it is.
A company with strong competition in a saturated market decides to wipe out all its products and introduce a fresh line of products in reaction to its falling shares during recession. Would this type of a reactive strategy revive its position? Why or why not?
Strategy, at its essence, is about competing differently—doing what rival firms don't do or what rival firms can't do. This does not mean that the key elements of a company's strategy have to be 100 percent different, but rather that they must differ in at least some important respects. Refreshing its products completely during recession might affect the company' position financially; also there is no guarantee that with lower purchase capacities during recession customers would comfortably buy an all new product line.
An automobile company with an established brand name uses a unique assembly line method to reduce the final packaging and fitting procedures cost. It then sells the cars to all customers at a reduced price. Which of the five generic strategies automobile company using?
The automobile company has employed a best-cost provider strategy giving customers more value for the money by satisfying their expectations on key quality features, performance, and/or service attributes while beating their price expectations. This approach is a hybrid strategy that blends elements of low-cost provider and differentiation strategies; the aim is to have lower costs than rivals while simultaneously offering better differentiating attributes.
What is the connection between a company's strategy and its quest for sustainable competitive advantage?
The central features of a strategy are the actions and moves in the marketplace that managers are taking to gain a competitive advantage over rivals. There are many routes to competitive advantage, but they all involve either giving buyers what they perceive as superior value compared to the offerings of rival sellers or giving buyers the same value as others at a lower cost to the firm. Superior value can mean a good product at a lower price, a superior product that is worth paying more for, or a best-value offering that represents an attractive combination of price, features, quality, service, and other attributes.
An established company in a market decides to donate a part of its profits to a children's charity to improve its market image. Soon after it launched a website that offers new clothes, accessories, and books that could be donated to various children's charities by interested parties. The company gained positive publicity and its sales went up. What would you say about this strategy?
The company has adopted a proactive strategy and used its existing market position to create a new market opportunity. This planned initiative improved the company's financial performance and secured a competitive edge.
A beauty products giant that manufactures quality makeup products observes a lot of its hits by college students on its makeup tutorials. It opens another sub-brand that provides low-priced makeup services to college partygoers. Which of the five generic strategies has the company used?
The company has used a focused low-cost strategy—concentrating on a narrow buyer segment (or market niche) and outcompeting rivals by having lower costs and thus being able to serve niche members at a lower price. Private-label manufacturers of food, health and beauty products, and nutritional supplements use their low-cost advantage to offer supermarket buyers lower prices than those demanded by producers of branded products.
A data storage company realizes that its facilities are used most by financial institutions. It capitalizes on the opportunity and starts storing specific financial information only and is now one of the most sought-after financial databases. What strategy has the company employed?
The company has used an emergent strategy in response to unexpected shifts in customer requirements and newly appearing market opportunities. Inevitably, there will be occasions when market and competitive conditions take an unexpected turn that calls for some kind of strategic reaction. Hence, a portion of a company's strategy is always developed on the fly.
A dining facility with multiple branches caters to newlywed couples only. The ambience, special live music arrangements for each couple, and privacy of the dining sections have become a rage among newlyweds. Which of the five generic strategies has the company used?
The dining facility has used a focus differentiation strategy to gain a competitive advantage over dining facilities that cater to all. It concentrates on a narrow buyer segment and outcompetes rivals by offering buyers customized attributes that meet customers' specialized needs and tastes better than rivals' products.
Why is a company's strategy partly proactive and partly reactive?
The evolving nature of a company's strategy means that the typical company strategy is a blend of (1) proactive, planned initiatives to improve the company's financial performance and secure a competitive edge and (2) reactive responses to unanticipated developments and fresh market conditions. A company's strategy in totality (its realized strategy) thus tends to be a combination of proactive and reactive elements, with certain strategy elements being abandoned because they have become obsolete or ineffective.
Identify and briefly describe the four most frequently used strategic approaches to achieving a sustainable competitive advantage. Provide examples.
The four most frequently used strategic approaches are: a. A low-cost provider strategy: It aims at achieving a cost-based advantage over rivals. Wal-Mart and Southwest Airlines have earned strong market positions because of the low-cost advantages they have achieved over their rivals. Such strategies produce a durable competitive edge. b. A broad differentiation strategy: It aims to differentiate the company's product or service from that of rivals in ways that will appeal to a broad spectrum of buyers. Successful adopters of differentiation strategies include Apple (innovative products) and Johnson & Johnson in baby products. c. A focused differentiation strategy: It concentrates on a narrow buyer segment and outcompetes rivals by offering buyers customized attributes that meet their specialized needs and tastes better than rivals' products. Lululemon, for example, specializes in high-quality yoga clothing and the like, attracting a devoted set of buyers in the process. d. A focused low-cost strategy: It concentrates on a narrow buyer segment (or market niche) and outcompetes rivals by having lower costs and thus being able to serve niche members at a lower price. Private-label manufacturers of food, health and beauty products, and nutritional supplements use their low-cost advantage to offer supermarket buyers lower prices than those demanded by producers of branded products.
A well-establisher retail house offers lower-priced commodities to powerful buyers at widespread locations and has loyal suppliers that supply mass goods to the retailer. With fewer ways to achieve differentiation in the market, most other rivals offer similar products but lack sufficient funding to compete against the retail house. Which strategy has the house employed? Explain your answer.
The house aims to achieve a cost-based advantage over rivals. Wal-Mart and Southwest Airlines have earned strong market positions because of the low-cost advantages they have achieved over their rivals. Low-cost provider strategies can produce a durable competitive edge when rivals find it hard to match the low-cost leader's approach to driving costs out of the business
A laptop manufacturing company acquires a microprocessors manufacturing company to gain a strong market position. Which of the five generic strategies has the laptop manufacturer used to gain competitive advantage?
The laptop manufacturing company has employed an integration strategy to gain more market share and also to manufacture products at a lower cost. It has employed a low-cost provider strategy that allows it to achieve a cost-based advantage over rivals. Wal-Mart and Southwest Airlines have earned strong market positions because of the low-cost advantages they have achieved over their rivals. Low-cost provider strategies can produce a durable competitive edge when rivals find it hard to match the low-cost leader's approach to driving costs out of the business.
How can one tell a winning strategy from a strategy that is mediocre or a loser?
The mark of a winning strategy is strong company performance. Two kinds of performance indicators tell the most about the caliber of a company's strategy: (1) competitive strength and market standing and (2) profitability and financial strength. Above-average financial performance or gains in market share, competitive position, or profitability are signs of a winning strategy.
An established organization is fast losing its market share to companies that offer similar products and are upgrading their capabilities to produce better products. List a few general actions and approaches that would help the organization revive its position.
The organization might employ various approaches to revive its positions: Actions to strengthen market standing and competitiveness by acquiring or merging with other companies, Actions to strengthen competitiveness via strategic alliances and collaborative partnerships, Actions to upgrade, build, or acquire competitively important resources and capabilities, Actions to gain sales and market share via more performance features, more appealing design, better quality or customer service, wider product selection, or other such actions, etc.
A pizza maker manufactures thin-crust pizzas and offers free soft drinks with a pack of four pan pizzas. What can you say about its Value-Price-Cost Framework?
Thin crust pizzas allow the pizza maker to cut down on dough costs, that is its profit formula and free soft drinks with a larger pack is both a profit formula and a value proposition for customers. The two elements of a company's business model are (1) its customer value proposition and (2) its profit formula. The customer value proposition lays out the company's approach to satisfying buyer wants and needs at a price customers will consider a good value. The profit formula describes the company's approach to determining a cost structure that will allow for acceptable profits, given the pricing tied to its customer value proposition.
Powerful execution of a powerful strategy is a proven recipe for winning in the marketplace. True or false? Explain your answer.
This is true. Crafting and executing strategy are thus core management functions. Among all the things managers do, nothing affects a company's ultimate success or failure more fundamentally than how well its management team charts the company's direction, develops competitively effective strategic moves and business approaches, and pursues what needs to be done internally to produce good day-in, day-out strategy execution and operating excellence. Indeed, good strategy and good strategy execution are the most telling signs of good management.
Good strategy + good strategy execution = good management. True or false? Justify and explain your answer.
This is true. Good strategy and good strategy execution are the most telling signs of good management. The rationale for using the twin standards of good strategy making and good strategy execution to determine whether a company is well managed is therefore compelling: The better conceived a company's strategy and the more competently it is executed, the more likely the company will be a standout performer in the marketplace. In stark contrast, a company that lacks clear-cut direction, has a flawed strategy, or can't execute its strategy competently is a company whose financial performance is probably suffering, whose business is at long-term risk, and whose management is sorely lacking.
What factors determine whether a strategy can be called a winning strategy?
To determine a winning strategy a company needs to ensure the strategy is well matched to industry and competitive conditions, a company's best market opportunities, and other pertinent aspects of the business environment in which the company operates; it should enable a company to achieve a competitive advantage over key rivals that is long-lasting; finally, The mark of a winning strategy is strong company performance. Two kinds of performance indicators tell the most about the caliber of a company's strategy: (1) competitive strength and market standing and (2) profitability and financial strength.
A fashion magazine plans to cuts down on its fashion-related content and provides the space for high-priced advertisements, but fails to convince giant fashion brands to advertise in the magazine. What do we understand from this failure?
Utilizing space for advertisements was a great strategy to earn profits but poor planning and execution of this strategy led to its failure. Good strategy and good strategy execution are the most telling signs of good management. The rationale for using the twin standards of good strategy-making and good strategy-execution to determine whether a company is well managed is therefore compelling: The better conceived a company's strategy and the more competently it is executed, the more likely the company will be a standout performer in the marketplace.
Should a company's strategy be tightly connected to its quest for competitive advantage? Why or why not? What difference does it make whether a company has a sustainable competitive advantage or not?
Yes, a company's strategy should be tightly connected to its quest for competitive advantage because a strategy is deemed successful when it achieves a durable competitive edge over rivals to gain profits for long period of time along with building a string customer base and steady market position. Delivering superior value or delivering value more efficiently—whatever form it takes—nearly always requires performing value chain activities differently than rivals do and building competencies and resource capabilities that are not readily matched.
Briefly define each of the following terms. a. Sustainable competitive advantage b. Deliberate strategy c. Emergent strategy d. Realized strategy e. Abandoned strategy
a. A company achieves a competitive advantage when it provides buyers with superior value compared to rival sellers or offers the same value at a lower cost to the firm. The advantage is sustainable if it persists despite the best efforts of competitors to match or surpass this advantage. b. Deliberate strategy consists of proactive strategy elements that are both planned and realized as planned and ongoing strategy elements continued from prior periods. c. Emergent strategy consists of reactive strategy elements that emerge as changing conditions warrant. A portion of a company's strategy is always developed on the fly, coming as a response to fresh strategic maneuvers on the part of rival firms, unexpected shifts in customer requirements, fast-changing technological developments, newly appearing market opportunities, a changing political or economic climate, or other unanticipated happenings in the surrounding environment. These adaptive strategy adjustments make up the firm's emergent strategy d. A company's realized strategy tends to be a combination of proactive and reactive elements, with certain strategy elements being abandoned because they have become obsolete or ineffective. e. Abandoned strategies are planned strategy elements that may not work out and are abandoned in consequence.
