Strategic Planning Chapter #1

16. 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

47. 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

50. 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.

B

9. 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

21. 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

26. 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

C

32. 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

36. 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

35. 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

37. 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

5. 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

29. 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

13. 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

40. 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

46. 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

2. 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

28. 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

3. 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

31. 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

39. 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

4. 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

41. 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

42. 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

43. 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

48. 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

7. 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

8. 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

1. 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

10. 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

19. 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

B

24. 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

30. 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

38. 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

44. 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

45. 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

11. 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

15. 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

17. 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

12. 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

14. 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

18. 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

25. 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

D

27. 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

34. 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

49. 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

6. 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

20. 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

22. 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

23. 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

33. 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