quiz 1

A company's strategy evolves over time as a consequence of: Select one: 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. All of these.

Not D

Which of the following is NOT one of the basic reasons that a company's strategy evolves over time? Select one: a. The need on the part of company managers to initiate fresh strategic actions that boost employee commitment and create a results-oriented culture. b. The proactive efforts of company managers to fine-tune and improve one or more pieces of the strategy. c. An ongoing need to abandon those strategy features that are no longer working well. d. The need to respond to the actions and competitive moves of rival firms. e. The need to keep strategy in step with changing market conditions and changing customer needs and expectations.

a. The need on the part of company managers to initiate fresh strategic actions that boost employee commitment and create a results-oriented culture.

Every strategy needs: Select one: 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. a distinctive element that attracts customers and produces a competitive edge.

Changing circumstances and ongoing managerial efforts to improve the strategy: Select one: a. account for why a company's 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. All of these.

a. account for why a company's strategy evolves over time.

A company's strategy consists of the action plan management is taking to: Select one: a. grow the business, stake out a market position, attract and please customers, compete successfully, conduct operations, and achieve performance objectives. b. compete against rivals and establish a sustainable competitive advantage. c. make its product offering more distinctive and appealing to buyers. d. develop a more appealing business model than rivals. e. identify its strategic vision, its strategic objectives, and its strategic intent.

a. grow the business, stake out a market position, attract and please customers, compete successfully, conduct operations, and achieve performance objectives.

A company achieves a competitive advantage when: Select one: a. it provides buyers with superior value compared to rival sellers or offers the same value at a lower cost. b. it has a profitable business model. c. it is able to maximize shareholder wealth. d. it is consistently able to achieve both its strategic and financial objectives. e. its strategy and its business model are well-matched and in sync.

a. it provides buyers with superior value compared to rival sellers or offers the same value at a lower cost.

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: Select one: a. strategy. b. mission statement. c. strategic intent. d. business model. e. strategic vision.

a. strategy.

Excellent execution of an excellent strategy is: Select one: 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 winning business model. e. the best test of whether a company enjoys sustainable competitive advantage. 1-1

a. the best test of managerial excellence and the best recipe for making a company a standout performer.

One of the frequently used successful and dependable strategic approaches is: Select one: a. to come up with a distinctive element that builds strong customer loyalty and yields a winning competitive edge. b. to aggressively pursue all of the growth opportunities the company can identify. c. to develop a product/service with more innovative performance features than what rivals are offering and to provide customers with better after-the-sale service. d. to come up with a business model that enables a company to earn bigger profits per unit sold than rivals. e. to charge a lower price than rivals and thereby win sales and market share away from rivals.

a. to come up with a distinctive element that builds strong customer loyalty and yields a winning competitive edge.

A company's business model: Select one: a. zeros in on the customer value proposition and its related profit formula. b. is management's storyline for how the strategy will result in achieving the targeted strategic objectives. c. details the ethical and socially responsible nature of the company's strategy. d. explains how it intends to achieve high profit margins. e. sets forth the actions and approaches that it will employ to achieve market leadership.

a. zeros in on the customer value proposition and its related profit formula.

Which of the following is NOT one of the managerial considerations in determining how to compete successfully? Select one: a. How can a company attract, keep, and please customers? b. How can the company modify its entire product line to emphasize their internal service attributes? c. How should the company respond to changing economic and market conditions? d. How should the company be competitive against rivals? e. How should the company position itself in the marketplace?

b. How can the company modify its entire product line to emphasize their internal service attributes?

A winning strategy must pass which three tests? Select one: 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 Advantage 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. The Fit Test, the Competitive Advantage Test, and the Performance Test.

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: Select one: 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. best describes what is meant by a company's business model.

Crafting and executing strategy are top-priority managerial tasks because: Select one: a. they are necessary ingredients of a sound business model. b. good strategy coupled with good strategy execution are the most telling signs of good management and greatly raises the chances that a company will be a standout performer in the marketplace. c. the management skills of top executives are sharpened as they work their way through the strategy-making, strategy-executing process. d. doing these tasks helps executives develop an appropriate strategic vision, strategic intent, and a set of strategic objectives. e. of the contribution they make to maximizing value for shareholders.

b. good strategy coupled with good strategy execution are the most telling signs of good management and greatly raises the chances that a company will be a standout performer in the marketplace.

A company's realized strategy evolves from one version to the next due to: Select one: 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. 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.

Which of the following is NOT a primary focus of a company's strategy? Select one: a. How to attract and please customers. b. How best to respond to changing economic and market conditions. c. How to achieve above-average gains in the company's stock price and thereby meet or beat shareholder expectations. d. How to compete successfully. e. How to grow the business.

c. How to achieve above-average gains in the company's stock price and thereby meet or beat shareholder expectations.

Which of the following is NOT a frequently used strategic approach to setting a company apart from rivals and achieving a sustainable competitive advantage? Select one: 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 such differentiating features as higher quality, wider product selection, added performance, better service, more attractive styling, technological superiority, or unusually good value for the money. c. Striving to be more profitable than rivals and aiming for a competitive edge based on bigger profit margins. 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 an advantage based on offering more value for the money.

c. Striving to be more profitable than rivals and aiming for a competitive edge based on bigger profit margins.

Adapting to new conditions and constantly evaluating what is working and what needs to be improved are normal parts of the strategy-making process which result in: Select one: a. a profitability-driven strategy. b. a broad market entry strategy. c. an evolving strategy. d. unlimited revenue generation. e. None of these.

c. an evolving strategy.

Crafting a deliberate strategy involves developing strategy elements that: Select one: 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 and then fine-tuning it 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. doing everything possible (in the way of price, quality, service, warranties, advertising, and so on) to make sure the company's product/service is very clearly differentiated from the product/service offerings of rivals. e. All of these accurately characterize the managerial process of crafting a company's strategy.

c. consist of a blend of proactive new planned initiatives plus ongoing strategy elements continued from prior periods.

A company's strategy and its quest for competitive advantage are tightly connected because: Select one: 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. 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.

A winning strategy is one that: Select one: 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. fits the company's internal and external situation, builds sustainable competitive advantage, and improves company performance.

The most telling signs of a well-managed company are: Select one: 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. good strategy-making combined with good strategy execution.

A creative distinctive strategy that sets a company apart from rivals and that gives it a sustainable competitive advantage: Select one: a. is a reliable indicator that the company has a profitable business model. b. is every company's strategic vision. c. is a company's most reliable ticket to above-average profitability and a competitive advantage, despite the best efforts of competitors to match or surpass this advantage. 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. is a company's most reliable ticket to above-average profitability and a competitive advantage, despite the best efforts of competitors to match or surpass this advantage.

Crafting and executing strategy are top-priority managerial tasks because: Select one: 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. 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.

A company's strategies stand a better chance of succeeding when: Select one: 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. it is predicated on competitive moves aimed at appealing to buyers in ways that set the company apart from rivals.

A company's strategy concerns: Select one: a. the market focus and plans for offering a more appealing product than rivals. b. how it plans to make money in its chosen business. c. management's action plan for outperforming competitors and achieving superior profitability. d. the long-term direction that management believes the company should pursue. e. whether it is employing an aggressive offense to gain market share or a conservative defense to protect its market position.

c. management's action plan for outperforming competitors and achieving superior profitability.

Which of the following statements about a company's strategy is true? Select one: 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. A company's strategy is typically a blend of proactive and reactive strategy elements.

Which of the following is a frequently used strategic approach to setting a company apart from rivals and achieving a sustainable competitive advantage? Select one: a. Striving to be the industry's low-cost provider, thereby aiming for a product-based competitive advantage. b. Outcompeting rivals on the basis of such differentiating features as same quality, narrower product selection, or same value for the money. c. Developing a best-cost provider strategy that gives the company competitive capabilities so that rivals can easily imitate with capabilities of their own to even the playing field. d. Focusing on a narrow market niche and winning a competitive edge by doing a better job than rivals of serving the special needs and tastes of buyers comprising the niche. e. All of these.

d. Focusing on a narrow market niche and winning a competitive edge by doing a better job than rivals of serving the special needs and tastes of buyers comprising the niche.

Which of the following questions tests the merits of the firm's strategy and distinguishes it as a winning strategy? Select one: 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. Is the strategy helping the company achieve a sustainable competitive advantage and is it resulting in better company performance?

It is normal for a company's strategy to end up being: Select one: 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. a blend of proactive actions to improve the company's competitiveness and financial performance, and adaptive reactions to unanticipated developments and fresh market conditions.

Good strategy combined with good strategy execution: Select one: a. offers a surefire guarantee for avoiding periods of weak financial performance. b. are the two best signs that a company is a true industry leader. c. are more important management functions than forming a strategic vision and setting objectives. d. are the most telling signs of good management. e. signal that a company has a superior business model.

d. are the most telling signs of good management.

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. achieving products analogous with competitors so as to be competitive in the same markets. c. pursing similar personalized customer service or quality dimensions as rivals. d. confining their operations to local or regional markets or developing product superiority or even concentrating on a narrow product lineup. e. None of these.

d. confining their operations to local or regional markets or developing product superiority or even concentrating on a narrow product lineup

The objectives of a well-crafted strategy require management to strive to: Select one: 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. develop lasting success that can support growth and secure the company's future over the long term.

What separates a powerful strategy from a run-of-the-mill or ineffective one is: Select one: 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 moves, 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. management's ability to forge a series of moves, both in the marketplace and internally, that sets the company apart from rivals, and produces sustainable competitive advantage.

In crafting a company's strategy: Select one: a. management's biggest challenge is how closely to mimic the strategies of successful companies in the industry. b. managers have comparatively little freedom in choosing the "hows" of strategy. c. managers are wise not to decide on concrete courses of action in order to preserve maximum strategic flexibility. d. managers need to come up with a sustainable competitive advantage that draws in customers and produces a competitive edge over rivals. e. managers are well-advised to be risk-averse and develop a "conservative" strategy-"dare-to-be-different" strategies rarely are successful.

d. managers need to come up with a sustainable competitive advantage that draws in customers and produces a competitive edge over rivals.

The customer value proposition lays out the company's approach to: Select one: 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 buyer wants and needs at a price customers will consider a good value. e. None of these.

d. satisfying buyer wants and needs at a price customers will consider a good value.

A company's business model: Select one: a. sets forth management's game plan for maximizing profits for shareholders. b. details exactly how management's strategy will result in the achievement of the company's strategic intent. c. explains how it will achieve high profit margins while at the same time charging relatively low prices to customers. d. 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. sets forth management's long-term action plan for achieving market leadership.

d. 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.

The difference between a company's strategy and a company's business model is that: Select one: 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 the business purpose or mission. d. strategy relates broadly to a company's competitive moves and business approaches while its business model relates to whether the revenues and costs flowing from the strategy demonstrate that the business is viable from the standpoint of being able to generate revenues sufficient to cover costs and realize a profit. e. a company's strategy is concerned with how to please customers while its business model is concerned with how to please shareholders.

d. strategy relates broadly to a company's competitive moves and business approaches while its business model relates to whether the revenues and costs flowing from the strategy demonstrate that the business is viable from the standpoint of being able to generate revenues sufficient to cover costs and realize a profit.

A company's strategy is a "work in progress" and evolves over time because of: Select one: a. the importance of developing a fresh strategic plan every year (which also has the benefit of keeping 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. the ongoing need of company managers to react and respond to changing market and competitive conditions.

In the course of crafting a strategy, it is common for management to: Select one: a. abandon certain strategy elements that have grown stale or become obsolete. b. modify 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. modify the current strategy in response to the fresh strategic maneuvers of rival firms. d. take proactive actions to improve this or that piece of the strategy. e. All of these.

e. All of these.

Managers must be prepared to modify their strategy in response to: Select one: a. changing circumstances that affect performance and their 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. All of these.

e. All of these.

Winning a sustainable competitive edge over competitors generally hinges on which of the following? Select one: a. Having a distinctive competitive product offering. b. Building competitively valuable expertise and capabilities not readily matched, and offering a distinctive product offering. 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. All of these.

e. All of these.

Which one of the following questions can be used to distinguish a winning strategy from a mediocre or losing strategy? Select one: 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. How well does the strategy fit the company's situation?

The heart and soul of a company's strategy-making effort: Select one: a. is figuring out how to become the industry's low-cost provider. b. is figuring out how to maximize the profits and shareholder value. c. concerns how to improve the efficiency of its business model. d. deals with how management plans to maximize profits while simultaneously operating in a socially responsible manner that keeps the company's prices as low as possible. e. involves coming up with moves and actions that produce a durable competitive edge over rivals.

e. involves coming up with moves and actions that produce a durable competitive edge over rivals.

The pattern of actions and business approaches that would NOT define a company's strategy include: Select one: a. actions to strengthen market standing and competitiveness by acquiring or merging. with other companies. b. actions to strengthen competitiveness via strategic coalitions and partnerships. c. actions to upgrade competitively important resources and capabilities. d. actions to gain sales and market share with lower prices despite increased costs. e. actions to strengthen the bargaining position of suppliers and distributors with rivals.

not A

Strategy is about competing differently than rivals, thus strategy success is about: Select one: a. the sources of sustained advantages and superior profitability. b. those emergent, unplanned, reactive, and adaptive strategies 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. All of these.

not B

Which of the following is NOT something a company's strategy is concerned with? Select one: a. Management's choices about how to attract and please customers. b. Management's choices about how quickly and closely to copy the strategies being used by successful rival companies. c. Management's choices about how to grow the business. d. Management's choices about how to compete successfully. e. Management's action plan for conducting operations and improving the company's financial and market performance.

not B

A company's strategy is most accurately defined as: Select one: a. management's approaches to building revenues, controlling costs and generating an attractive profit. b. the choices management has made regarding what financial plan to pursue. c. management's concept of "who we are, what we do, and where we are headed." d. the business model that a company's board of directors has approved for outcompeting rivals and making the company profitable. e. management's commitment to provide direction and guidance, in terms of not only what the company should do but also what it should not do.

not D

A company's business model: Select one: a. concerns the actions and business approaches that will be used to grow the business, conduct operations, please customers, and compete successfully. 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.

not E

Which one of the following does NOT account for WHY a company's strategy evolves from one version to another? Select one: 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 this or that aspect of the strategy.

not E