quiz questions

Tuan works in operations for a cloud-based software company. One of the company's products has been found to have numerous bugs: errors in coding that prevent users from achieving their desired outcomes. For example, when users try to create bulleted lists, the software defaults to numbered lists. Tuan's team is highly-trained in quality management, and they have committed to reducing these bugs to no more than 3.4 per million opportunities. This means that for every one million times that users access the software, only 3.4 errors should occur. This ambitious goal is part of the _________ philosophy.

Six Sigma

Noam works for Beach Supplies, Inc., one of the largest distributors of beach umbrellas, towels, boogie boards, and swimwear. One of the most important segmentation variables for Beach Supplies, Inc. is a customers' proximity to oceans and large lakes in warm climates, so Noam pays careful attention to this when researching his target market. Which variable does this describe?

geographic

José's Pool and Hot Tub Supply Co. serves the entire United States through its standardized offerings that include pool and hot tub delivery and installation, service, and accessories. José has found that clients in warmer climates have very different needs than clients in colder climates. For example, he sells more pool installations and services to clients in Florida, Georgia, and South Carolina and more hot tub installations and services to clients in Wisconsin, Maine, and upstate New York. Because of this, he should consider organizing his teams based on ________.

geography

Sarita is the head of sales for a packaged foods company. He works closely with retailers to ensure that they have access to selling tools as part of the company's push-pull marketing strategy. These tools, like updated product images and descriptions, pricing information, and merchandising advice are all available via a private network connected to the company's private employee network. The retailers only have access to designated sections of the network, which is password protected. Sarita shares this network, also known as ________, with his retail customers.

extranet

Deja is an HR consultant. She was hired by a firm to figure out what characteristics and qualifications its top security personnel possess. Deja spends time interviewing its current directors of security and extensively reviews their backgrounds and performance on the job. Based on this information, she recommends that the company requires prior law enforcement or military experience for anyone who wants to hold the position of director of security. What is Deja working on?

job specifications

Nomi is an artist who sells greeting cards and art prints using her own designs. She is concerned about paper waste in the environment, so she has committed to only making new cards or prints based on confirmed orders. When she attends craft fairs, she will bring one version of each design to display, and then she takes orders for those items. Nomi is practicing _______.

just-in-time (JIT) production

Evgeniy started working at PetSmart's headquarters after graduation. As part of her job, she is responsible for uncovering the wants and needs of its customers. Based on her research, she recommends which products and services each PetSmart location should offer to ensure that its customers are satisfied. At the end of each year, she surveys customers to see how well each product and service was received. What is Evgeniy attempting to provide?

utility

Sebastian is a blacksmith. He specializes in making decorative metal railings and grates for homeowners who want to add a bit of flair to their exterior. Sometimes he takes on commercial projects for local businesses that want to add a decorative element to their spaces. He is often approached about offering exhibitions and workshops to people who are interested in learning more about the craft as a hobby, but he has not had time to offer those products. What kind of product does Sebastian offer?

a pure good

Nusrat is a freelance accountant. She invites all of her new clients to an intake meeting to discuss their tax preparation needs. During these meetings, she explains her billing policy and will also offer additional products, like audit assistance, budgeting, and bookkeeping for an additional cost. Based on the information provided, what kind of product does Nusrat offer?

a pure service

The Idaho Health Insurance Corporation once relied on rooms of large servers that would back up the company's entire network's data at the end of each day. These servers were costly to maintain: they had to hire employees who could monitor and maintain the servers, pay for repairs and replacement parts, and pay for insurance. What's worse, they had to constantly update the software associated with the servers or risk viruses or other security failures. The company has decided to move its network to the cloud because it will provide _________ without the need to invest in new equipment, software, or personnel.

access to a vast array of computing resources

David works in marketing analytics. They collect large data samples that can be extremely slow to load and access. They are investigating cloud computing as a place to store these data samples. In the past, their company had concerns over the security of this kind of data if it were to be uploaded to the cloud, but they have been able to ease their worries with new research that shows it can be even more secure than using local networks. David is most interested in the cloud because it would provide ________.

access to faster processing speeds

The online videogame Fortnite has partnered with different brands, celebrities, and entertainment properties to add excitement across its game offerings. For example, users can change their avatar to a popular character from movies, like Kylo Ren from Star Wars, or even a musician like Marshmello. These crossovers are an example of _______________.

advergaming

Humphry works as a human resources (HR) assistant for a large software company. His company is committed to creating a diverse and equitable work environment, so they have instituted policies to increase their number of hires from underrepresented groups. To help achieve his company's goal, Humphry has arranged for recruiters to attend job fairs at historically Black colleges and universities (HBCUs) and in other areas known to have large populations of Black and Indigenous people of color. These policies are a result of _________.

affirmative action

Agus works for a marketing intelligence firm that was hired to help gather data about dental hygiene habits in France. The client, a high-end dental hygiene product manufacturer, wants to understand how French shoppers would respond to an upscale toothpaste product that comes in novel flavors like lavender, bergamot, and lemon. Agus designed a series of in-home studies to see how people living in France buy, use, and think about toothpaste. Agus is attempting to understand _______________.

consumer behavior

Haitao works at General Mills on the Lucky Charms brand. She read research that suggested that shoppers respond positively to products that show up in unexpected places in stores. So, to help boost sales, she has designed a special display that will sit on the shelving at the end of the aisle, known as an "endcap." This kind of display is a kind of ________________.

consumer promotion

In 2017, a series of malware attacks overwhelmed the country of Ukraine, shutting down banks, public transportation, and many companies that operated in the country. Some companies that had Ukrainian offices suffered attacks throughout their entire global networks. One such company was Reckitt Benckiser, which has offices all over the world. The company had not planned for such a widespread shutdown of its systems, so it had to scramble to find a way to get its business back up and running without risking further attacks. Reckitt Benckiser did not have a(n) ____________ to deal with malware attacks.

contingency plan

Helga is a programmer for an educational software company. She works on a project team that is responsible for updating the suite of products that her company sells to high schools. Each year, the company launches a newer version of each product that corrects any small errors found in the previous version and adds new features based on its customers' feedback. Helga is working on _______________.

continuous innovation

Nicholas was just promoted to manager at the Chili's franchise where he works. One of his new responsibilities is monitoring customer satisfaction throughout the day, which is largely a result of how friendly the servers are and how quickly the kitchen can turn around orders. Whenever he notices that a server is providing suboptimal service or the kitchen has slowed down, he will provide some sort of intervention to help turn things around. This part of Nicholas' management position is called _____________.

controlling

Ida works in product development at Merrill. One of her favorite new products is a running shoe made with a new synthetic fiber that promises 10x better "breathability." The fiber can be dyed almost any color, so her team has come up with 5 different designs using on-trend color palettes. The shoe also comes with a Bluetooth sensor that can connect to the wearer's smartphone. The sensor tracks speed, strike, and stride length. Refer to Scenario 12.1. When Ida presents the shoe to her leadership, she talks about how the shoe satisfies the customers' need to protect their feet against the elements while running. This is the ________________.

core benefit

Genevieve works in hospital administration. She is evaluating their hip replacement procedures to determine the typical timeline from when a patient first seeks treatment to when they are considered fully recovered. Her goal is to reduce the overall timeline to help increase patient satisfaction and their ability to perform more surgeries. This is the typical timing she uncovered: Based on this timeline, "patient enters physical therapy" is the ____________ of the procedure.

critical path

The Tech Computer Company sells laptops, desktop computers, monitors, and servers that satisfy a variety of needs. Its employees are organized into teams that work on projects that will serve either individual consumers, universities, or businesses. The company has determined that each of these segments has vastly different needs, so it makes sense to have an entire team dedicated to each. Each team has its own marketing, product development, finance, operations, and sales staff. The Tech Computer Company has organized its departments based on ___________.

customer

Hieu works in finance in Atlanta. He frequently uses the Uber app when he needs a ride home from work instead of using the lower-cost public transportation that's available. He prefers to use Uber because he is able to leave when he wants and can avoid large crowds. When he uses Uber, he knows he is guaranteed a seat, whereas on a bus or train, he may have to stand. Hieu is willing to pay more for transportation because he values the ________________ that Uber provides.

customer benefits

Lucas is responsible for tracking customer activity for his financial management firm. He makes note of all correspondence between the financial managers and their clients, how the customers respond, how often they log into their online accounts, and what actions clients take through the online portal. Lucas analyzes this information so that the company can see what products and services clients find most worthwhile. Lucas is responsible for ______________ at his company.

customer relationship management

Hyphen Industries is a large legal firm that employs hundreds of attorneys who specialize in corporate law. Until the year 2015, the company had a large mailroom where ten full-time staff members were responsible for sorting and delivering paper mail three times each day. At that time, the mail often contained important documents, including contracts and correspondence that were vital to the company's ability to perform its duties. Over the years, as email became the dominant form of communication, these important mail items declined. In response, the company phased out all but one full-time mailroom position to comply with _________.

lean production

Square is an e-commerce platform for small businesses that offers a variety of cloud-based services, such as point of sale, website design, and marketing tools. Although Square does have traditional customer service, the company encourages its users to visit the "Seller Community" where its customers can post to forums about different topics and answer each other's questions. Square also offers a "Live Help, When You Need It," which is an AI tool that helps direct customers to the right kind of support. This is an example of how Square leverages ________ technology to deliver customer service.

discussion channel and chat room

Classic Mortgages updated its website to include new interactive tools that its customers can use to learn more about its products. Refer to Scenario 16.1. Another tool that Classic Mortgages added to its site is an instant messaging feature. Customers can talk to a customer service rep online in real time to get answers to questions about the website and its products. This is an example of _________.

discussion channels and chat rooms

Rosalia works in marketing for Kepa Toys. She knows that her company wants to grow its educational toy sales by 10% over the next year. Refer to Scenario 14.2. She works with her manager to develop a plan on how they can support that goal over the next few months. Rosalia suggests that instead of spending time working on line extensions for its stuffed toy portfolio, she redirected her efforts towards a line extension for its STEAM (science, technology, engineering, art, and math) toy portfolio. Rosalia and her manager are working on the company's ____________.

tactical plan

Starbucks believes that workers deserve more than just a living wage. In addition to offering its retail baristas competitive pay, Starbucks also offers free shift meals, full benefits like healthcare and dental coverage, and opportunities for professional development, including full tuition coverage for bachelor's degrees earned from its partner university, Arizona State University. By helping its baristas feel secure in a job that will invest in their long-term success, Starbucks believes it can retain top talent. Starbucks most likely ascribes to which theory of motivation?

maslows hierarchy of needs theory

Apple offers many options for consumers who want to express themselves through their product choices: evolving iPhone colors, skins for MacBook laptops, and now, the ability to apply your name or other tagline to Apple AirPods. Thanks to innovative laser-printing technology, Apple can print and ship these individualized AirPod products almost as quickly as it can prepare and ship any other product on its website. This is an example of ____________.

mass customization

Yoko works for a company that manages transportation on a contract basis. Its newest client produces crystal drinkware, vases, platters, and other decorative items. These products are extremely fragile, and Yoko's company has been contracted to make sure that the products arrive at its retail partners on time and intact. Yoko spends a lot of time determining the best way to move these products without damaging them. Yoko's company manages _______.

physical distribution

HealthyYOU Vending specializes in vending machines stocked with snacks that are minimally processed and low on artificial ingredients. The company advises its franchisees to place the vending machines in locations where quick and convenient health foods are hard to source. What kind of utility does HealthYOU Vending provide?

place utility

Martine is a manager at a magazine publishing company. His team works on a trade magazine for grocery retailers. Part of his job entails setting goals for his team and then making decisions about how to allocate resources to achieve those goals. One goal he has set is to maintain current subscription to the physical magazine and grow online readership by 10%. This is the __________ function of management.

planning

Renée works at a candy factory. She is in charge of measuring and reporting the output for each area of the factory. Different areas include the hard candy line, the soft and chewy candy line, and the liquid sweets bottling line. She also measures and reports performance for the logistics team, HR, and marketing. Each area has its own performance metrics that they try to meet by the end of the year. Renée can help them understand how they are tracking towards these metrics, which are also known as ____________.

strategic goals

In the late 1990s, PepsiCo sponsored the "Pepsi Challenge," an interactive study on taste preferences. Pepsi set up booths in popular spaces, like shopping malls, and encouraged shoppers to stop and complete a blind taste test of one Pepsi product and one Coke product. Testers would then vote on which sample they preferred without knowing which was which. Pepsi was attempting to prove that in a blind taste test, consumers preferred the taste of Pepsi over Coke. This is an example of _____________.

survey research

Chandra buys mostly organic food to prepare at home, but every now and then, she enjoys going to Taco Bell for a quick bite. She knows that Taco Bell is probably not using organic ingredients or taking much time to carefully prepare the food. In fact, the food usually looks "thrown together." Because this meets her expectation of Taco Bell, she is satisfied with her experiences there. What is meeting Chandra's expectations?

taco bell's quality level

Pramila works in logistics for Subway. She finds the most appropriate forms of transportation at the lowest cost for the various supplies that must arrive at each Subway franchise. Refer to Scenario 13.1. For example, she manages shipments of fresh vegetables, like the shredded lettuce and sliced tomatoes that the stores use on its sandwiches. These items need to arrive quickly and frequently because they need to be replenished often. Pramila recommends delivery by ___________.

truck

Woody owns Mac's Tasty Snacks, a candy and snack-food distribution company. He buys different products like potato chips, pretzels, chocolate bars, and chewing gum, and then he delivers those products to gas stations and convenience stores in the area where he operates. While making his deliveries, he checks the shelves and removes damaged and expired products, refills the shelves with fresh products, and ensures that all signage and pricing are correct. Woody also speaks to the store managers about new items that they may be interested in carrying. Woody owns a(n)__________ business.

truck jobber

Deepak works for a fast-food company that has a robust social media presence. His manager asked him to create a social media campaign in response to a competitor's ad. This campaign was meant to help consumers understand how Deepak's company is superior to their competitors. Deepak's social media campaign is a(n) __________.

type of promotion

Tusharika is an experienced statistician. She has worked on a number of big projects that required sophisticated statistical analyses for both the government and for private companies. Despite her deep knowledge of these methods, Tusharika spends a lot of time working to make her results easy for her clients to grasp. Most of her clients appreciate when she uses plain language to explain her results and recommendations since they do not have the same background and experience that she does. Tusharika is working to make the information ________.

understandable

Tina works in marketing at Nabisco. She recently got to accompany customers on their grocery shopping trips as part of research known as "shop-alongs." She noticed that, regardless of the product class, half of the customers were more concerned with product prices than the product ingredients. A small number of customers carefully inspected product labels and prices before putting products in their carts. Regardless of their main goal, all of the customers in the study were looking for what they considered the best product for their needs. What concept was Tina observing?

value

Try It On! Inc. is a subscription box service that allows customers to try out clothing and accessories from small brands. The company was started by Anne and Mohan, long-time friends who wanted to find a way to bring national exposure to indie designers. At first, they worked with a lot of outside agencies to design and print their subscription boxes and marketing materials. As the company grew, Anne and Mohan decided to hire a team of full-time designers and bring the printing process in-house. This is a strategic move known as _______.

vertical integration

Mona is the CEO for a mobile phone company. She encourages everyone in the company to suggest improvements in how they operate, and she offers a monetary incentive for anyone who makes a suggestion that the company goes on to implement. Mona believes that giving everyone a role in making the company an efficient and productive place is the best way to ensure the highest quality products and services for its customers. Mona is using ____________ to improve the quality of her company.

total quality management (TQM)

Costco is a warehouse store where shoppers can find everyday essentials and a constantly rotating assortment of "treasures," like bulk packages of dog treats, patio furniture, or oversized Star Wars-themed pillows. One way that Costco induces shoppers to buy new items is to offer samples: shoppers can taste new foods, try on lotions, or play with phones and TVs before they buy them. This is known as __________, and it increases the odds that shoppers will eventually purchase that new item.

trialability

Tre works as a stock analyst for a large, competitive financial services firm. He sometimes works long hours and even over the weekend just to keep up. He also tends to eat quick, unhealthy meals from the vending machines at work because he doesn't have time to pack a healthy lunch or go out to get something more substantial. Human resources (HR) used to offer free passes to a local gym and discounts on a meal delivery service as an employee benefit, but they had to cut those services during the recent financial recession to avoid layoffs. What HR management challenge does this describe?

work-life balance

Classic Mortgages updated its website to include new interactive tools that its customers can use to learn more about its products. Refer to Scenario 16.1. One of these tools is a mortgage loan calculator. Customers can put in different loan amounts and interest rates to see their estimated monthly mortgage payments. This is an example of ___________.

web 2.0

Munni is a product manager at Dell. In preparation for the beginning of the company's fiscal year, she prepares a document that outlines her department's objectives for the year. This coming year, she has identified four distinct objectives related to products that are geared toward consumers who work from home. This document describes her department's __________.

marketing plan

Heather is a beekeeper. She harvests honey and honeycomb from her beehives and then packages it for sale. She has enough honey and honeycomb products to fill an entire storeroom, but she doesn't have the time to open her own storefront. She sells these products to a local grocery store that she believes will help her reach her target market. The grocery store acts as the _________ in the relationship.

retailer

Samia works for Georgia Pacific. She manages a portfolio of industrial paper products, like paper towels, toilet paper, and napkins. Her biggest clients are places like universities and large office buildings. Samia works on a portfolio of _________.

business products

Ahmed's Café just updated its website to include an online ordering feature. Customers can either order ahead to avoid having to wait in line at the café or they can have the food delivered. Ahmed's website also has information about the café, including the café's hours of operation, job postings, and seasonal specialties. Ahmed's Café is a ________ website.

business-to-consumer (B2C) e-commerce

Sabine manages a team of emergency medical technicians (EMTs). Because of the nature of their work, Sabine cannot provide a clear expectation on the exact type of work they will perform on a daily basis. Refer to Scenario 14.4. Despite the unpredictability of the job, Sabine reminds her team at the beginning of each shift that their goal is assemble and head toward calls within five minutes of dispatch. Another goal is to maintain safety protocols while on each call to ensure that patients arrive at the hospital in no worse condition than they found them, and that all members of the team stay injury-free. Which part of the controlling function is Sabine performing?

Establishing clear performance standards

Thanh owns a bulk goods and refill store where shoppers can bring their own reusable containers to help reduce the use of single-use plastics. Despite Thanh's commitment to sustainability, some of the wholesalers that she orders from will send products in plastic packaging. To comply with current standards, she keeps track of all of the materials that she receives and then creates a plan for how to reuse those materials or find a way to recycle them. She makes note of any wholesaler who sends too many nonrecyclable materials and then commits to finding a more sustainable option. She publishes her efforts on her store's blog. Thanh is attempting to comply with __________.

ISO 14000

Sean manages a cold-storage warehouse for frozen foods. Before employees can come inside the building, they must pass through a shoe sanitizing station and then change into clean coveralls in the locker room. They must also wear safety helmets and goggles before entering the warehouse floor. Inside the warehouse, employees stack pallets of desserts like ice cream, popsicles, and frozen yogurt. Sean is responsible for ensuring that these desserts stay frozen and safe from exposure to pathogens. What is Sean protecting?

The inventory

Emilie started her own picture-framing business. She has been up and running for over a year, and she wants to figure out how her business is doing well and how it can improve. She also wants to get a feel for how she compares to the competition, namely, the framing services offered by big box stores like Michael's and Hobby Lobby. Emilie should work on ____________.

a SWOT analysis

Hiroshi works in IT for a large bank. Recently, his company's systems were breached, and an anonymous user was able to access information about its high-net-worth clients. Hiroshi discovered this breach and immediately went to work securing the system. Hiroshi's company had fallen victim to ________.

a hacker

As Hongyan prepares her company for the expected baby boomer retirements, she spends a lot of time interviewing various employees. She is trying to identify the specific tasks that they perform on a daily basis and how those tasks contribute to the overall success of the company. She also interviews their managers to confirm that those tasks are specific to the job title rather than to the people holding those positions. What is Hongyan working on?

a job analysis

Lyudmila received an email that looked like it was from the Apple billing department. The email was confirming her recent purchase of a brand-new iPhone, but Lyudmila had not purchased a phone. She worried that someone had purchased a phone using her information, so she decided to click on the link to see the invoice and tracking information. The link brought her to a login page where she was prompted to enter her Apple account username and password. The website didn't look like the normal Apple website, and she noticed that the URL was a little strange, so she decided not to enter her information. This website was likely ________.

a pharming scam

Lalita received an urgent email from her boss Daphne asking her to run to the store to purchase gift cards for a "customer." Lalita thought it was a strange request, but she went out and bought the gift cards just as the email requested. Once she had the cards, she replied to the email letting Daphne know that she had completed the task. Daphne then requested that Lalita call the customer and provide them with the codes on the back of the gift cards, which Lalita did. Later that day, Daphne came into the office. When Lalita mentioned that she had called the customer, Daphne had no idea what she was referring to. Lalita was likely the victim of ______.

a phishing scam

The wholesaling website, Faire, specializes in connecting small producers with small businesses. The company invites qualified producers, usually artisans who do not sell to large retailers, to list its products on the site for free; those producers only pay commission to Faire once a sale is made. Faire does not purchase or interact with the inventory of any of the producers on its website because it acts as a(n) _________.

agent/broker

In the early 2000s, Hollister is a popular clothing store targeted toward teenagers and young adults. The store sells trendy casual clothing like low-rise jeans, tank tops, logoed T-shirts, and hoodies. It also sells accessories and signature fragrances. When shoppers visit a Hollister store, they can expect to see beachy California-inspired décor, hear bass-heavy indie rock, and smell the most popular Hollister fragrance, which store associates are directed to spray onto the clothing. All of these efforts by the store contributed to the brand's ________.

ambience

Henrietta is studying how to become an electrician. Once she finishes her classwork, she will shadow a working electrician until she is well versed enough to be considered a fully-credentialed electrician. At that point, she will be able to work on her own. This kind of training is known as _________.

an apprenticeship

Ned works in human resources (HR) for a security agency. Before job applicants can move onto the interview phase that all potential hires go through, they must first submit to a background check. Ned is responsible for sending applicants the form that they must sign giving the company their consent to run a background check. For Ned, obtaining an applicant's signature is ________ the background check.

an immediate predeccesor of

Chanello's Pizzeria is a restaurant franchise that operates in five different states. Whenever a franchisee hires a new employee, they are required to show them a series of interactive videos produced by corporate headquarters that talk about the company culture, development opportunities, and worker expectations. These videos serve as ________.

an orientation

Ida works in product development at Merrill. One of her favorite new products is a running shoe made with a new synthetic fiber that promises 10x better "breathability." The fiber can be dyed almost any color, so her team has come up with five different designs using on-trend color palettes. The shoe also comes with a Bluetooth sensor that can connect to the wearer's smartphone. The sensor tracks speed, strike, and stride length. Refer to Scenario 12.1. When Ida presents the shoe to her leadership, she describes the colorful fiber and Bluetooth sensor as the ________________.

augmented product

Eunice is the CEO of a waste management company. She believes that the nature of the business requires straightforward leadership. She needs her team to follow the same set of directives to ensure a consistent experience for the company's customers. Sometimes, her direct reports offer new ideas on how to improve operations, but Eunice believes that the company will be most efficient if they continue to deliver a consistent service. Eunice is demonstrating __________ leadership.

autocratic

Starship Technologies is a company that manufactures self-driving delivery robots that are being used across college and business campuses and in big cities around the globe. These robots can deliver items within a four-mile radius and are equipped to hold food, beverages, and other compact items. Once the robot arrives at its delivery location, only the phone of the person who ordered the delivery will unlock the robot's compartment, thus the items remain secured. These robots are a prime example of the use of _________.

automation

Nabil conducts orientation training for all new hires at his company. He spends a lot of time going over the specifics of the company's medical plan options, paid leave, and optional pet insurance. Nabil is helping the new hires understand their ___________.

benefits

Mira works in procurement for Random Acts Book Group. Although she is concerned about the environmental impact of the paper supply industry, she is responsible for ordering many paper-based components on behalf of her employer. Because her company has outlined parameters for sourcing, Mira's personal preferences do not factor into how she makes decisions at work. This is an example of ____________.

business buyer behavior

Petra is the director of human resources at a large airport. Millions of travelers pass through the airport each year, which means that accidents are bound to happen: the most common accidents are falls, travelers running into each other (person-on-person collisions), and feet getting run over by luggage. Petra has been trying to find a way to prevent these accidents, so she decides to consult a new system that organizes data in way that will help her find correlations between various environmental factors. For example, the system found that falls are 80% more likely to occur right after the floors have been mopped. Petra is most likely using a(n) _________.

business intelligence system

Alicia is the manager of a high-end spa called Cedar Stone Escapes. The spa offers various services that include massage, skincare, and meditation sessions. It also offers the use of its sauna and pool. Sometimes, the demand for the use of the sauna and pool is higher than what it can comfortably accommodate. Because of this, the spa started requiring reservations for use of those facilities. This way, Alicia can guarantee that the spa is properly staffed to provide the high levels of service that its customers expect. Alicia is attempting to control the ________ the spa.

capacity of

Petco is a nationwide retail chain that sells dog, cat, fish, reptile, and small mammal supplies like food, treats, crates, litter boxes, toys, and grooming accessories. Rather than focus on selling one brand, like Purina, it strives to have the best selection of small pet supplies that would convince shoppers that they were the "go-to" for their pets' needs. These stores could best be described as ________.

category killers

Yen is a manager for a shipping company. He schedules tractor-trailers to pick up entire truckloads of merchandise from manufacturing facilities and then deliver small parts of that load to different stores. Yen's company is not employed by either the manufacturer or the stores—it is independent and can provide deliveries for any number of products at its discretion. Yen's company is a ________.

channel intermediary

Aicha works in IT for a nonprofit. She ensures that her colleagues have access to the programs and files they need to do their jobs. The company now stores all of their shared files online using a popular files storage system. They also use internet-based software whenever possible to cut down on the amount of file storage they need. Whenever the company hires someone new, Aicha provides them with training and login credentials so that they can access the company's shared files and online software programs. Aicha helps her colleagues with ________.

cloud computing

Jessalyn managed the launch of a new high-end pumpkin-spice-flavored soda. During initial market testing, a consumer expressed disappointment that the soda did not taste like other pumpkin-spice flavored beverages that were already on the market. Jessalyn was glad to have this feedback early on so she could work with her colleagues to adjust the product before they launched it nationwide. In this instance, Jessalyn identified ______________.

cognitive dissonance

Christiane received a job offer, and she is in negotiations with HR. They offered her generous pay but only one week of paid vacation. She would prefer a slightly lower pay in exchange for more paid vacation days. Christian is negotiating her _____________.

compensation

Kramer just started working in human resources (HR) for a large shipping company. Sometimes his friends tease him because they think that HR professionals are too serious and do not know how to have fun. Kramer doesn't let this bother him because he studied business, and he knows that HR plays a much more important role in the company. For example, he has to know what companies might potentially poach their top talent, including other shipping companies. He studies these companies in depth so that he can make strong recommendations on how they win at attracting and retaining top talent. Kramer understands the need for HR professionals to understand the company's __________.

competition

Kristina is a knitwear designer for a trendy clothing brand. She presents all of her ideas for the upcoming season as sketches that can be easily modified based on feedback from her team. Once the designs have been finalized, she uses a software program to create an electronic version of the design. This software program is connected to the company's knitting machines, and once she is ready, she can send the design through for production. Kristina is using ____________.

computer-aided design/computer-aided manufacturing (CAD/CAM)

Ajay works for an order fulfillment facility for an online retailer. He has been tasked with optimizing the fulfillment process to decrease the time between orders and when those orders leave the facility. To help in his analysis, Ajay uses a type of software that allows him to model different process scenarios. By using the software, he can make small changes and test whether those changes would be likely to decrease or increase fulfillment time. Ajay is using __________.

computer-aided engineering (CAE)

3D-printing technology is being leveraged in a number of industries to make everything from toys to auto parts. These printers deposit materials, like melted plastics, into the patterns and shapes indicated by an electronic blueprint. This kind of technology is an example of ________.

computer-aided manufacturing (CAM)

Thu publishes analyses on consumer behavior for the automobile industry. Her favorite thing to study, when it comes to automobile purchases, is the correlation between car color and reference groups. For example, consumers who aspire to be a top Mary Kay seller are more likely to buy a pink car than those who are not. This is an example of a ______________ influence.

social

Mahesh is a marketing analyst for Maven's Department Store. He uses the data that the company gathers from sales transactions and elements of the business environment to run statistical analyses that help him identify patterns in how certain people shop. For example, he found that loyalty card holders are more likely to shop on the first day of an advertised sale when it's raining, and they will typically spend 1.3x what non-loyalty members will spend on those days. His analysis also revealed that higher sales in their shoe department are correlated with primary school holidays. Mahesh finds this information through ________.

data mining

Ryan is the director of hiring at a large university. He has asked his team to rethink their traditional recruiting methods in an attempt to hire more people of color. This has opened up an entirely new set of potential recruits where they would only attend certain job fairs and recruiting events in the past, they now attend fairs across the country and have found amazing candidates that they would have otherwise overlooked. This is an example of how prioritizing diversity can give a company access to _________.

deeper talent pools

Jenny is starting a flower delivery service, and she wants to make sure she sets her prices in a way that captures a large enough market while also helping her to cover all of her costs. Her costs include things like rent and utilities for the warehouse where she stores her flowers and supplies, the cost of the flowers she buys from local farmers, and the wages she pays to herself and her employees. Refer to Scenario 13.2. One more exercise that Jenny wants to complete before setting her prices is to do a survey in her community to see what prices they would be willing to pay for her services. This will provide her a level of assurance that her prices won't be considered too high, but it could create additional challenges in the form of cutting costs to accommodate those prices. In this case, Jenny is considering ____________.

demand-based pricing

Lihong is the CFO at an investment bank. He organizes a series of town-hall-style meetings with his department during the strategic planning process so that he can solicit feedback from his employees on his proposed goals for the year. He likes to hear about what's working well and what could be improved. He believes this feedback is an invaluable tool in creating buy-in on the goals that he eventually sets. Lihong is demonstrating _________ leadership.

democratic

Bloomingdale's is a luxury retailer that prides itself on high levels of service. It sells designer clothing, expensive cosmetics, and high-end housewares to shoppers who want a curated experience. It offers personal shopping, stylist services, tailoring, and even a coat-check for shoppers. Bloomingdale's can best be described as a(n) _______.

department store

St. Mary's Hospital is a nonprofit medical institution that employs over 300 doctors, nurses, technicians, support staff, and administrators. Refer to Scenario 14.3. The leadership team at St. Mary's is comprised of highly experienced medical and non-medical professionals. The nurse administrator has experience as a nurse and is responsible for all of the nurses who work there. The chief medical officer, a medical doctor, is in charge of all of the physicians. The senior vice president of marketing and the senior vice president of HR do not have medical backgrounds, but they are experienced in their fields of expertise. Dividing each function into a reporting structure like this is known as _____________.

departmentalization

Linda works in human resources (HR) for Apple. One of her favorite tasks is meeting one-on-one with employees to talk through their goals at the company. She refers them to different training opportunities and helps them connect with mentors and networking groups in the company. Linda is working on _________.

developing careers

Apple's iPhone introduced a totally new way of thinking about communication and access to information. Before smartphones, people in need of a taxi would need to make a phone call; now they can access an application on their phones and schedule a ride without ever having to speak to a person. The same is true for ordering food and groceries. Apple's iPhone is a prime example of ______________.

discontinuous innovation

Gerald started making ice cream in his garage to sell at a local farmer's market. His unique flavor combinations, like strawberry basil and rosemary lemon, attracted curious and bold shoppers. Soon, demand for his ice cream was so large, that local grocery stores asked to carry his products. He worked closely with the Small Business Development Center (SBDC) in his town to develop a plan for how to grow his operations to accommodate these new orders. First, he would rent space in a commercial kitchen. Next, he would hire staff to help mix the ingredients and package the final product. Lastly, he purchased a freezer truck to transport the ice cream to the various stores. To pay for these new expenses, he increased his prices slightly. Gerald's decisions constituted his ________.

distribution strategy

Cheyenne attended a career fair at her school and met recruiters from a large healthcare company. During her chat with one of the recruiters, she mentioned that she grew up on an American Indian reservation and had experience working on public health initiatives there. The recruiter was excited to hear that she had already done this kind of work—most of the students she spoke with didn't have that kind of real-world exposure to on-the-job training. This is an example of the __________ that come with hiring with a focus on diversity.

diverse skills and experience

The Black Lives Matter movement inspired many companies to publish commitments to raising awareness of systemic racism. These commitments often came with a promise to hire more employees from underrepresented groups, with priority given to Black and Indigenous people of color. These companies are attempting to support ___________.

diversity in the workforce

Wholesale Craft Books Easy is an online platform where retailers can purchase craft books and kits at wholesale prices. Gail is the mastermind behind the site. She works closely with publishers to identify books that fit best for her target market and then commits to a minimum order of each title. Rather than deal with shipping, Gail spends her time developing relationships with her customers and marketing the books. When customers place an order, Gail submits that order to each publisher, and then the publisher ships the product directly to the customer. Gail is a _________.

drop shipper

Milla is a manager at a five-star restaurant. Her goal is to ensure that customers receive the highest-quality meals in a relaxing and enjoyable environment so that they are happy to pay the high menu prices. Diners must make reservations in advance so that Milla can arrange for any special requests, like having a bottle of chilled champagne waiting by the table. She can also work with the chef if guests have any dietary restrictions. These are examples of how Milla promotes _________ at her restaurant.

effective operations

Lixin manages a discount store called The Dollar and Dime Shop. Although he sells items that cost more than a dollar, many of the products in his store are deeply discounted. In fact, his store is known for its low prices, which is what keeps shoppers coming back over and over again. Lixin is using _____________.

everyday-low pricing (EDLP)

Herbert works as an auto repair technician. He has worked for the same company for two years, and he believes that his performance has exceeded his manager's expectations: he always arrives on time, stays on task while working on a repair, and strives to provide good customer service. One of his coworkers, who has only been with the company for three months, was recently promoted to the role of senior technician, which comes with a pay raise. Herbert is extremely frustrated that this coworker was promoted before him. He is considering leaving the company because he doesn't think he will be compensated based on the amount of work he puts into the job. Herbert's behavior can best be described by which theory of motivation?

expectancy theory

Ted works in one of Anheuser-Busch's bottling factories. He was hired to supervise employees who run the machinery on the bottling floor. Refer to Scenario 14.1. He sets goals for his employees and then holds frequent check-ins with them to ensure they are on track to meet those goals. He also helps troubleshoot issues with the machinery, manages scheduling, and helps employees with their professional development. Based on this description, Ted is a _________ at his company.

first -line manager

Narayan cares for his mother. He was able to find a caretaker to help while he works, but she can't get to his house until 10 a.m. on Tuesdays. Narayan worked out an arrangement with his manager to work in the office from 11 a.m. to 7 p.m. on those days. This kind of arrangement is known as _________.

flextime

Andrew is the CEO of an educational research company. As he started to build his team, his goal was to hire people who were the best and brightest in their field so that he could rely on their expertise. He considers his most important role to be that of a facilitator: he is there to ensure that his team has all of the resources they need to accomplish the organization's mission and goals, but he is not prescriptive in how they accomplish that work. Andrew is demonstrating _________ leadership.

free-rein

Mariama manages the book publishing department at Specialty Books, Inc. She has worked in publishing for 20 years, and she stays on top of book trends and industry research, so she feels confident in the kind of content that her team should focus on producing throughout the year. Despite her expertise, she loves hearing new ideas from her team. They often surprise her with new insights that lead to profitable decisions. Because of this, she continues to give her team a lot of leeway in how they do their jobs. She is moving towards a(n) __________ style of leadership.

free-rein

Direct Supply is the largest wholesale supplier of senior living products and services in the United States. It offers a full catalog of supplies including accessible furniture, bath fixtures, and physical therapy equipment. It also offers interior design and marketing services for retirement communities and senior care facilities, and it has an entire department focused on supporting innovation that improves the lives of aging populations around the world. The Direct Supply sales team offers personalized service and recommendations to its customers. Direct Supply is a _________.

full-service merchant wholesaler

McDonald's and other quick-service restaurants have started using touchscreen ordering kiosks in their stores. These are meant to make the ordering process easier and more efficient. One way the kiosks accomplish this is by reducing the number of mistakes that occur when customers say their order and then an employee transcribes that order in the register. By having the customer select items based on images and descriptions, there should be fewer miscommunications. These touch-screen kiosks are an example of service _____________.

functionality

Abdoulaye works for an eyewear company called Specz. He oversees the manufacturing division of the organization and works hand-in-hand with the logistics team. Refer to Scenario 17.1. Abdoulaye's company is launching a new line of sunglasses. To ensure that they can make these new items, he has to reassess the company's current assembly line, meet with the team that designed the new product to figure out the best way to package the products for shipping, and talk through demand projections with the sales team. The company's new product can best be described as a type of ___________.

good

Priyanka works as a buyer for Target. She evaluates products for the household cleaning aisle, and she sees a lot of interesting marketing tactics used on product labels. Refer to Scenario 11.2. One new product that caught Priyanka's eye is a loofah sponge. The recycled paper label explains that loofah sponges are made from luffa gourds, which are in the cucumber family. These sponges are natural and will biodegrade, even in a backyard compost pile, and they work just as well as synthetic sponges. Priyanka believes this is a good example of __________.

green marketing

Siobhan's work laptop died, and she had to visit the IT department to request a new one. While she was there, she noticed that they had large monitors available, so she requested one of those as well. She uses this _________ to accomplish daily tasks at work.

hardware

Publix is a southeastern grocery chain that is well-known for its "BOGO" (buy-one-get-one) deals. Some savvy shoppers will wait to buy a certain item until it's on BOGO in order to save money, but most shoppers will grocery shop as usual: buying everything on their list whether it's on BOGO or not. For these shoppers, seeing an item with a deal may incentivize them to buy more of that item than usual. In either case, this is an example of _______________.

high/low pricing

Theirry manages the digital marketing for a restaurant. He works on the search engine optimization for the restaurant's website, ensures that the restaurant is listed correctly in various online directories, and occasionally, he will purchase digital ads to advertise special events. Theirry is working on a type of ______________.

integrated marketing communication

Rustam is part of the marketing and communications team at IBM. He works with colleagues in content development, media buying, social media and digital marketing, and external communications. The company's key messages should remain consistent despite the fact that members of the marketing team focus on different communication channels. Rustam is responsible for mapping out the key messaging plan for the year to help the team stay on track. Rustam is responsible for managing the company's ___________________.

integrated marketing communications

Florencia is a professional photographer. She specializes in product photography and has worked for a number of popular brands. She recently noticed that some of her photos were appearing on the social media accounts of brands and influencers she had never heard of. It appeared that these accounts were illegally downloading her images and repurposing them as their own without her permission. Florence is a victim of _______.

intellectual property theft

Rabia works in operations for a large bakery. She is in charge of making sure its products are stored properly so that they stay fresh from the moment they are done being baked to the moment they hit retailers' shelves. Whenever a retailer reports that it received stale or moldy products, Rabia is the one who investigates what went wrong. Rabia works in ______________.

inventory control

Alexey works as a recruiter for Allstate. He has been asked to review its hiring process for senior analysts. He starts by asking managers about the educational backgrounds and experiences of their most successful analysts. He uses this information to start building a list of qualifications that he will use as a screener when looking for new hires. What is Alexey working on?

job specifications

Nushi is a packaging engineer for a company that makes salty snacks. When he first started working for the company, different snacks were placed in unique bag sizes to ensure that each 8-ounce bag had a certain amount of air cushioning (known as headspace). For example, tortilla chips were placed in slightly larger bags than potato chips, which were in larger bags than pretzels, even though they all contained 8 ounces of product. Nushi recommended that the company start using the same bag size for all 8-ounce snacks to help standardize sizes and reduce the potential for waste. The company could then order more of each standard bag size and then use them as needed rather than having to forecast the demand for multiple bag sizes. Before officially making the change, Nushi worked with his marketing colleagues to ensure a change in bag size would be acceptable to their consumers. Nushi is practicing ____________.

lean production

St. Mary's Hospital is a nonprofit medical institution that employs more than 300 doctors, nurses, technicians, support staff, and administrators. Refer to Scenario 14.3. Each front-line employee reports to a manager, and then that manager reports to another manager. For example, Shah is a nurse in the pediatric unit. He reports to the nurse manager on his floor. The nurse manager reports to the senior nurse administrator, who is part of the leadership team at the hospital. The nurse administrator reports to the CEO of the hospital. St. Mary's is a __________ organization.

line

"Black Friday" is the Friday after the Thanksgiving holiday in the United States and is so-called because of the steep and numerous deals that retailers offer in an attempt to draw large, sometimes unruly crowds of shoppers. These retailers will often set the price of a few items below cost. Their hope is to draw the crowds in by advertising the biggest deals and then encourage them to buy more products at regular or less-discounted prices while they are there. This tactic relies on __________________.

loss-leader pricing

Priyanka works as a buyer for Target. She evaluates products for the household cleaning aisle, and she sees a lot of interesting marketing tactics used on product labels. Refer to Scenario 11.2. Another product that Priyanka recently evaluated is a disinfectant that is sold as a reusable glass bottle with tablets that must be combined with water to activate. She likes that the label encourages shoppers to reuse the bottle, but she is concerned with the absolute price point of the product, which is 1.5x higher than premixed disinfectants that come in single-use plastic bottles. She knows from research that in tough economic times, __________ win(s) out over the desire to support socially responsible products.

low prices

Serhei works in the archives of an art museum. His department has been scanning and organizing information for each individual piece of art that the museum has in its collection, which has taken years to accomplish. The amount of information that they are storing has required massive amounts of computer storage, which is costly. While Serhei and his team are happy with their current software programs, he has proposed that they move their documents to the cloud, which would help the museum ___________ .

lower costs and provide excess capacity

Valentina sells her high-end clothing line in a brick-and-mortar boutique in Charleston, South Carolina and also online. She has a number of customers who are actively engaged with her brand. These customers are extremely profitable for Valentina: they are the first to shop her new collections and are excited to recommend her products to their friends and family. What phenomenon is Valentina observing with these customers?

loyalty

Kiki was recruited as a sales rep right out of college. She has had excellent performance reviews in her first two years on the job. Her manager was especially impressed with the initiative she took to improve the company's sales report dashboard. Refer to Scenario 15.2. Kiki attended the company's quarterly "all-employee meeting" where leadership presented plans for the coming year. The director of operations laid out a plan to move the company's manufacturing facility to Mexico by the year 2026. Kiki is concerned that the company's willingness to move certain job functions overseas means that her job could one day be moved as well. What human resources (HR) challenge is Kiki concerned about?

managing outsourcing

Elton is the CEO of Steaks R' Us, a chain of quick service restaurants. During the recession, he approved massive layoffs to help reserve cash to keep the restaurant afloat. This meant that frontline workers were forced to work double shifts and manage chaotic environments with less support. They did not receive any kind of bonuses or hazard pay for their extra work. This left many of his employees feeling overwhelmed and taken for granted. When the company's annual report was released, they learned that Elton had not only been awarded a merit increase, but he also received a yearly bonus that bumped his total compensation up to $5M, more than 200x the average frontline workers' pay. What human resources (HR) challenge does Elton's situation present?

managing the wage gap

Edwin is a manager at Keurig Dr Pepper on the Diet Dr Pepper brand. Each year, his market research colleagues present a thorough analysis of its customers. Refer to Scenario 11.1. Before Edwin can confirm the next year's strategy, he uses this research to ensure that the customers are being divided properly based on shared characteristics. Edwin's colleagues are helping him with _______________.

market segmentation

Sabine manages a team of emergency medical technicians (EMTs). Because of the nature of their work, Sabine cannot provide a clear expectation on the exact type of work they will perform on a daily basis. Refer to Scenario 14.4. After each call, Sabine meets with her team to debrief on how things went. First, they look at the team's response time and whether they were able to assemble and leave for the call within five minutes of dispatch. Second, they rate the condition of the patient when they arrived on scene and then again when the patient was delivered to the hospital. Which part of the controlling function is Sabine performing?

measuring actual performance

Mondelez International owns the Oreo brand. The cookie brand is so popular that the company can sell its products in various types of stores: supercenters like Walmart and Target, convenience stores like 7-Eleven, and even vending machines. This could be described as a type of _______________.

multichannel retailing

Beach Body is a fitness and wellness company that sells exercise programming, accessories, and nutritional supplements. It recruits "coaches" who are then tasked with recruiting customers. Coaches aim to groom their customers to eventually buy into the Beach Body business model and become coaches themselves. This business model could be described as a type of _________.

multilevel marketing (MLM)

Church & Dwight is an American home, health, pet, and personal care products manufacturer. The company is most well-known for its products like Arm & Hammer, Oxi Clean, and Orajel, though it also manufactures a host of industrial products. Refer to Scenario 12.2. Arm & Hammer, Oxi Clean, and Orajel are all examples of _______________.

national brands

Wendy is planning inventory for her flower shop, and before she discontinues carnation bouquets, she wants to test whether new merchandising will help increase sales for that product. She moves the location of the bouquets from the back of the store to the entryway and then counts the number of people who at least consider buying them. After a month, she moves the bouquets back to their original location and then repeats her count. After that second month, she compares the results. This is an example of ___________.

observation research

Walmart leads the way in every day-low pricing by offering a large assortment of products on discount for long periods of time. One tactic they use that reinforces shoppers that they are indeed getting the lowest price is to end each price with .49 or .97 instead of using round numbers. This psychological trick is known as ____________.

odd pricing

Laoshi works for Computer Help 4 U, Inc. The company provides repair, refurbishing services, and troubleshooting for computer hardware and software programs for individuals. When the company was founded, it only served local customers and could send technicians out to peoples' homes to help them with their computer issues. Laoshi helped the company expand across the United States and then internationally. With such a large and geographically diverse customer base, it could no longer afford to staff enough technicians to visit every customer's home. Laoshi completed a cost analysis of moving its call center operations to Mexico, which ended up saving the company hundreds of thousands of dollars each year. The company owns and manages the new center and trains its staff just as it did in the United States. This move is a strategic decision known as _________.

offshoring

Punam has been tasked with analyzing her company's risk as a number of key leaders and workers retire. Punam has interviewed these workers to find out how much they contribute to the company and how readily someone could take their place. She reports that the main risks are in continuity, loss of institutional knowledge, and company culture. She proposes that they start a mentorship program where these employees will work with the next generation of employees to ensure they avoid these risks. Punam is working to address the challenges posed by ___________.

older workers

Abdoulaye works for an eyewear company called Specz. He oversees the manufacturing division of the organization and works hand-in-hand with the logistics team. Refer to Scenario 17.1. Another thing that Abdoulaye is working on is how to reduce the cost of fulfilling customer orders. Specz sells direct-to-consumer, so most shipments only include one or two pairs of glasses. Each time an order is received, a shipping associate has to locate each individual item by walking through the warehouse. Different styles are placed in large bins throughout the warehouse, and the bins are organized alphabetically based on the name of that particular style. Abdoulaye believes they can speed up the fulfillment process by putting the products in smaller bins that are closer to each shipping associate so that they don't have to walk as far. What is Abdoulaye working on?

operational efficiency

Rosalia works in marketing for Kepa Toys. She knows that her company wants to grow its educational toy sales by 10% over the next year. Refer to Scenario 14.2. Rosalia also creates a list of the activities she will need to accomplish each day to help her stay on track to achieve her department's goals. These tasks include holding a weekly check-in meeting with the R&D team to check on the progress of the line extension. She also schedules time to work on sales support materials, plan market research for the new toy, and develop packaging with the creative development team. Rosalia is making a(n) _____________.

operational plan

Savitri just got a job at a pharmaceutical company. He will be working with various departments, including shipping and receiving, order processing and invoicing, and production. His job will be to evaluate current procedures and make recommendations for continuous improvements. He will also be part of a leadership training program that will help him develop his strategic planning skills in these same areas. Savitri works in ____________.

operations management

Xiang is an account manager for Etsy, an e-commerce website that connects sellers specializing in handmade items, craft supplies, and vintage items with buyers all over the world. Xiang works with sellers who generate more than $100K in yearly revenues: she connects these sellers with resources and support to incentivize them to stay on the site rather than moving to their own websites. What kind of utility does Etsy provide?

ownership utility

Halyna works for a software company. She meets with potential customers to help them understand the benefits of using her company's software. Once they become customers, she continues to meet with them to ensure that they are happy with their new software and to see if they would be interested in any upgrades. Halyna is using ___________ to provide value for both her customers and her company.

personal selling

Umar manages a retail bakery that offers in-person dining and online ordering for takeout. Online orders are collected through a simple online form, which is tied to the bakery's Gmail account. This account has to be refreshed to see if any new orders have come in throughout the day. When the bakery is busy, Umar sometimes forgets to refresh the account and check for new orders. Umar has decided to assign one staff member to monitor online orders. He added the Gmail account to an old smartphone and turned on notifications so that new emails would pop up on the home screen. The staff member assigned to online orders will have to keep the phone in front of them throughout their shift so that they will see the notifications. Umar is using __________ to improve the ordering process at the bakery.

poka-yokes

Ken is taking notes during a marketing leadership meeting for Joann Fabrics. Leadership is discussing how Joann is moving further away from its key competitor, Michael's, because it does not offer a large selection of finished home goods. They believe that Joann Fabrics is staying true to its mission, "to inspire the creative spirit in each of us - our customers and ourselves," while the competition is focusing more on offering finished items that don't require any creativity. Ken notes this and plans to update the marketing team's documents to reflect this change in how shoppers may perceive Joann's when comparing them to Michael's. Ken is most likely updating the company's ________________.

positioning statement

Lila works on the marketing team for Waddington, a small liberal arts college. She surveyed current students to see what other universities they had considered before deciding to attend Waddington. Her research showed that the two most important factors for students when deciding where to attend college were cost and class offerings. Lila used this information to create a map that showed how Wadding compared to the competition. She will use this information to create a(n) _____________, which articulates how prospective students should think about Waddington when they are evaluating them versus other universities.

positioning statement

Jersey Mike's Subs is a quick-service restaurant that specializes in customizable sub sandwiches. When customers come in, they queue in the center of the sandwich prep workspace, which is protected by a glass sneeze guard. Once the customer places their order, a crew member will start to assemble the sandwich. If the customer orders a hot sub, the crew member passes the sandwich to their right to enter the oven. If the customer orders a cold sub, the crew member passes the sandwich to their left for toppings. Once a hot sandwich comes out of the oven, it also goes left for toppings. Completed sandwiches are sliced in half or quarters, wrapped in parchment paper, and then placed in a logoed paper bag. This is a description of Jersey Mike's ________.

process

Jess wants to open a pizza restaurant in his town. There are already three established pizza restaurants and two national pizza chains in town, but Jess believes that he can offer value to his customers through a highly curated menu using farm-to-table ingredients in a fine dining environment. This is distinct from the kind of pizza that the other restaurants offer. While customers will sometimes prefer a quick, cheap pizza, Jess' restaurant will cater toward those who are craving a higher-end pizza experience. Which concept is Jess attempting to leverage?

product differentiation

When Crocs' unique line of work-oriented clog shoes were first introduced in the early 2000s, only the most adventurous dared wear them in public, which meant that sales were low. Soon, though, consumers of all ages were seeing the benefits of a low-cost, waterproof, comfortable shoe with a style that defied traditional fashion norms. Sales of Crocs skyrocketed in 2007, and soon, the company was so successful that it struggled to keep up with demand. As trends evolved, the demand for Crocs declined, and the company nearly filed for bankruptcy in 2008. The ___________ of Crocs was an extreme example of what happens with novel products.

product life-cycle

Church & Dwight is an American home, health, pet, and personal care products manufacturer. The company is most well-known for its products like Arm & Hammer, Oxi Clean, and Orajel, though it also manufactures a host of industrial products. Refer to Scenario 12.2. This is a description of Church & Dwight's _________.

product mix

The James Bond movies are known for featuring high-performance luxury vehicles, like Aston Martin, and for emphasizing the main character's love of martinis that are "shaken, not stirred." This is why viewers may have been confused to see James Bond driving a Ford and ordering a Heineken in Skyfall. Ford and Heineken paid for this ____________, which ensured that their brands were prominent in the film.

product placement

Jenny is starting a flower delivery service, and she wants to make sure she sets her prices in a way that captures a large enough market while also helping her to cover all of her costs. Her costs include things like rent and utilities for the warehouse where she stores her flowers and supplies, the cost of the flowers she buys from local farmers, and the wages she pays to herself and her employees. Refer to Scenario 13.2. Jenny will offer different services at different prices. One thing she wants to determine is the amount she can earn on each service after accounting for their total cost. Jenny is establishing the ___________ for each product.

profit margin

Samara is an event marketer for Comic Con, an international comic book convention that celebrates different kinds of fandom and pop culture. One of the most important segmentation variables for event attendees is their passion for the specific books, movies, and television shows that the conventions feature. The most loyal attendees tend to think about their fandom as a lifestyle. Which variable does this describe?

psychographic

Karina is a buyer for Aerie, a clothing brand that is popular among teenagers in the United States. She does a lot of market research to uncover the attitudes of her target market concerning branded clothing. At times, teenagers avoid wearing visible brands, which is important to know when designing clothes. This is an example of ___________ influence.

psychological

Ester works in marketing for a hardware store. Her manager has set a goal for the team to increase word-of-mouth recommendations by 10% in the next year. Ester knows that word-of-mouth marketing, a form of _________, is impossible to directly control, but she believes she can come up with some tactics that will encourage current shoppers to recommend their store to friends.

publicity

Saoirse runs a coffee roastery that serves small coffee shops in the Seattle area. She takes great pride in her process, which includes inspecting all of the beans before roasting and then personally taste testing every batch. She chooses beans from different farms in South America and Asia and creates special blends each month, focusing on the best-tasting batches. While Saoirse's customers may receive a different product each month, she promises to provide a high level of _________ that differentiates her products from the large commercial roasteries that focus on delivering the exact same product each time.

quality

Tamela is the director of human resources (HR) at a large IT services firm. She provides the CEO of her company with an annual report that includes the results of an employee survey that her team sends out. The report outlines a few key metrics: employee churn (or how many people left the company), employee satisfaction with compensation and benefits, and profit per employee. Tamela hopes that this report will demonstrate how important her team's work is. What is Tamela attempting to do?

quantify human resources impact

Jacques buys most of his clothing at a department store. He noticed that when he asks a store associate about finding an item in his size or in a particular color, they check the inventory in their computer before looking in storage. This is because inventory is automatically "checked in" to the store through special microchips that are embedded in the shipping containers. This means that associates can see the full list of available inventory even before the items have been put on display. This information is made possible through ________ technology.

radio frequency identification (RFID)

Amy owns a knitting supply store in a mid-size city. Recently, a second knitting store opened, so Amy decided to review her website to ensure it would appear at the top of Google's search results when people searched for "knitting supplies" in her city. Amy is leveraging ________ technology to better compete with the other store.

search engine optimization

Salah is a brand manager for Nine Lives cat food. He submits a weekly report on sales and consumption to his manager. He is glad that his company purchases reports from Nielsen, a sales information aggregating company, which he references in his weekly reports. Nielsen provides information on daily, weekly, and monthly consumer spending for many different products. This information is an example of _____________.

secondary data

Wenjun is putting together a SWOT analysis for his department at Avianca Airlines. For his analysis on the current business environment, he references industry reports and information he gleans from reputable publications like The Washington Post. Wenjun is using _______________.

secondary data

Jouri works for Playtika, an Israeli digital entertainment company that owns popular online and app-based games, like Best Fiends. She is responsible for maintaining the integrity of the company's supply chain by preventing hacks, viruses, and other online nuisances from impeding game play or exploiting user data. Jouri works in _____________ as part of Playtika's supply chain management team.

security

Pramila works in logistics for Subway. She finds the most appropriate forms of transportation at the lowest cost for the various supplies that must be delivered to headquarters or to each Subway franchise. Refer to Scenario 13.1. The paper wrappers that Subway uses are sourced from overseas. The printing on the wraps rarely changes, and Pramila has a lot of data on the demand for these items throughout the year. Even if the company orders too much of this packaging, it can still expect to use them over time because they don't go bad quickly. Based on these factors, Pramila recommends they use _____ to bring these labels from overseas.

ships

Big Bowl is a Japanese-style ramen restaurant that allows diners to build their own bowls using a set list of broths, proteins, and assorted add-ons. When diners enter the restaurant, there are arrows that point them to a table with menus and order forms, and then more arrows that direct them where to submit their order forms. Finally, a third set of arrows shows them to a waiting area. There are helpful tips posted in each area. For example, above the ordering station, there is a sample order form with a list of the top-selling combinations. This is meant to help first-time diners who may not know where to start. The arrows and tips are part of the restaurant's ________.

signs, symbols, artifacts

Gamertopia designs and manufactures gaming systems that are extremely popular among the gaming community. Each new release is highly anticipated, and excited shoppers will wait in long lines before stores even open on launch days. Gamertopia's latest release cost $599 and sold out within a few hours. As demand eased over the next few years, the company eventually dropped the price to $399. Early adopters, like the gamers who waited in line on launch day, will gladly pay the higher prices to be able to have first dibs on new products, which is why some companies intentionally use _______ during initial product releases.

skimming pricing

Prakash is an interior designer specializing in commercial design. He is working on the design for a new office building and is preparing to meet with the client. He uses AutoCad, a computer program that allows him to create 3D renderings of his designs so that his clients have an accurate depiction of the proposed final product. Prakash relies on AutoCad, a type of _____________, to ensure efficient interactions with clients.

software

Carl works in marketing for an import business. He manages the company's promotional emails and newsletters. The company collects email addresses through its website, usually by offering a special discount for anyone who signs up for the newsletter. Many of the people who sign up will use the promotional code they receive and then unsubscribe from the newsletter. Carl's company uses an outdated email newsletter program, so Carl has to manually go in and remove emails after someone unsubscribes. He does not always do this right away, so people who unsubscribe may continue to receive email for months. Carl may be unintentionally sending these customers _____________.

spam

Lululemon Athletica is a Canadian company that specializes in athletic apparel for men and women. The company offers a wide variety of clothing and accessories for yoga, running, and cross-training but is most well-known for its yoga pants. Lululemon could best be described as a ____________.

specialty store

Brinda is the senior vice president (SVP) of human resources (HR) at a real estate development firm. She led a task force during the company's annual planning meeting to address one of the company's priorities to implement a more purposeful commitment to diversity and inclusion. Because this is just one of a few different priorities for the year, Brinda must understand how this commitment fits with other projects and the company's revenue and profit goals. This is an example of why HR professionals need to understand their company's ____________.

strategic goals

Ngoc is a manager at a resort that caters to families with young children. The staff have been trained to provide top-tier customer service while also ensuring that young children remain safe and abide by the resort's rules. Ngoc received some complaints that one of her employees was allowing children to ignore the rules about running in the pool area. Employees are evaluated on their overall performance based on a number of factors, including customer feedback, both good and bad. Ngoc schedules a meeting with this particular employee to talk about the recent feedback in the hopes that she will not receive any more complaints. Which part of the controlling process is Ngoc performing?

taking corrective action

The leadership team at PupLove, Inc. a company that makes monthly subscription boxes for pet lovers has just approved a capital project to build a fulfillment center. To ensure the success of this project, they will need an experienced project manager. Refer to Scenario 15.1. The company works with human resources (HR) to put together a job description for the ideal candidate and determine the appropriate pay scale and benefits package. They also assist in the interview process by vetting candidates. This is part of the _________ function of HR management.

talent recruitment

Edwin is a manager at Keurig Dr Pepper on the Diet Dr Pepper brand. Each year, his market research colleagues present a thorough analysis of its customers. Refer to Scenario 11.1. Once he feels confident about how the customers are grouped, Edwin combs through the market research to confirm which group is most likely to purchase Diet Dr Pepper. This is how Edwin establishes the brand's __________.

target market

Ted works in one of Anheuser-Busch's bottling factories. He was hired to supervise employees who run the machinery on the bottling floor. Refer to Scenario 14.1. Ted started at Anheuser-Busch working on one of the bottling lines. He learned a lot about the machinery when he was in that role, which he was able to use when he moved into a supervisory role. If he did not have a deep understanding of how the machines worked, he wouldn't be able to help his employees when they had questions or when they needed to troubleshoot issues with the machinery. This is an example of the _______ that are important for every good manager.

technical skills

Paulina was fired from her job as a paralegal. She was told it was because of her performance on the job, but she suspects that her country of origin may have been a factor. Paulina believes that her employer may have violated the tenets of _________ when they fired her.

the Civil Rights Act of 1964

Seyyed owns a small accounting firm. He has 18 employees, which means that he is required to follow legislation that prohibits discrimination in areas such as hiring and compensation. This is a requirement that is enforced by _________.

the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC)

Lei Lei is running an orientation session for the new hires at the hospital where she works in human resources (HR). She spends time walking them through the private network that they will need to access to see internal documents and communications. She explains that this network is only accessible to hospital employees, and they must use their employee credentials to access it. Lei Lei is referring to __________.

the company intranet

Leslie is a PR manager for a cosmetics company. She worked with her team to develop a systematic way of responding to negative reviews for their products on e-commerce platforms like Amazon. The negative reviews are a risk to the company's reputation, but Leslie respects the consumers' right to freely express their opinion on different products. The major shift in power from the producer to the consumer is a hallmark of ____________.

the digital boom

A number of educational, healthcare, government, and industry partners are working together to improve technology. They are all using a new network that has speed and capacity that is far superior to what everyday consumers can access using the internet. This new network is known as _________.

the internet2 (I2)

Felix works in sales at Nike. He is responsible for selling to "category killers": stores like Dick's Sporting Goods and BSN Sports. At the yearly Nike sales meeting, management reminds the sales team that their primary goal is to satisfy customers' needs through the best product assortment and service. This business philosophy, known as ___________, is what drives most of the company's decisions.

the marketing concept

Kseniya is a manager for a customer service center. She believes that her employees are mostly self-motivated. In fact, many of them will approach her for advice on how to advance their careers—and they aren't afraid to take on more work or responsibility to achieve their professional goals. Kseniya does her best to motivate these employees by offering rewards like pizza parties when they meet their monthly goals and opportunities for promotion for employees who get the highest performance reviews. Which theory of motivation does Kseniya most likely ascribe to?

theory Y

Dr. Deaton owns his dental practice. He worries that the younger workers that he hires will goof off at work, so he has a strict code of conduct that includes the rule that everyone refer to him as "Dr. Deaton," even in casual conversation. To ensure that employees arrive on time, he has threatened to dock the pay of any employee who shows up to work even one minute late. He believes that his strict rules will create an efficient and respectful work environment. Dr. Deaton most likely ascribes to which theory of motivation?

theory x

Joss is a data analyst for a political think tank. His manager has asked that he prepare a report on any new trends that he has identified based on data from the latest election cycle that could be helpful as they prepare for the next election. Because they have a deadline for when they need this data, Joss must ensure that the information he presents is _________.

timely

Joon-ho owns his own retail gift shop. He has been digitizing his processes, including invoicing, ordering, and inventory management. He has been shopping around for different programs that will help him stay efficient and organized, and most software programs are too complicated and targeted toward large companies with hundreds of thousands of dollars to spare. Joon-ho has also looked at cloud computing as an option because it would allow him ________.

to have access to cloud-based apps

Shigeru references the employee database to find the sales personnel with the best numbers for each quarter. The company uses this information to hand out awards during its quarterly town hall meetings. The company believes that this kind of recognition improves employee morale. Why is Shigeru using the employee database?

to identify top performers

Renu is a managing director at a financial education nonprofit. She works with other managing directors to set the overall direction of the company. Renu helps set the fundraising goals for the year and determines how many employees her company will need to hire to accomplish those goals. She is also part of the approval process for capital projects. Based on this description, Renu is a ____________ at her company.

top-level manager

Kiki was recruited as a sales rep right out of college. She has had excellent performance reviews in her first two years on the job. Her manager was especially impressed with the initiative she took to improve the company's sales report dashboard. Refer to Scenario 15.2. After hearing so much praise, Kiki is frustrated to learn that she is still not eligible for promotion. She believes that promotion should be based on her results, not the number of years she has been at the company, but the company has a strict policy about not promoting anyone before they have completed three full years of service. This is an example of the challenges presented by ____________.

younger workers