CSUF MGMT 449 - Jennifer Chandler - Module 1 Exam Review

You have been asked to defend why your strategic analysis of StitchFix solely consists of an assessment of the threats and opportunities in the company's external environment but not an evaluation of its internal resources and competitive position. How would you respond?

A SWOT analysis is indeed incomplete because managers need to draw on the results of both external industry analysis and the evaluations of the company's internal situation.

You have been asked to analyze the Value Net of the craft brewing and distilling industries in your state, and you have observed close relationships between those artisanal industries and local hospitality businesses (such as restaurants and lodging facilities) in the region under study. Those local hospitality businesses can be said to be

Complementors

Patagonia, a multinational sports apparel company, is planning to launch its extreme weather gear product line in Nepal and the Kingdom of Bhutan; both are considered to be emerging markets. What would you advise Patagonia to omit from consideration in crafting a strategy to enhance future profits in these two emerging markets?

Create a sales plan that aims to enhance initial sales and market penetration with low prices based on high operational costs.

If you were tasked with identifying the strategic issues and problems that merit front-burner managerial attention at SunPower, you would most likely BEGIN by

Drawing up a "worry list" of issues and problems that SunPower management need to address to improve the company's position and prospects

You are advising Hoffmann-LaRoche, which has set up Roche Partnering to manage more than 190 alliances in the healthcare industry. What is the greatest risk that might cause those alliances to be unstable or break apart?

One or more of the 190 partners in Roche Partnering could gain access to another company's proprietary knowledge base, technologies, or trade secrets.

Which of SunPower's numerous benchmarking efforts did NOT improve its competitive position in the U.S. solar power industry?

They helped SunPower to develop a more complex matrix company structure, turnaround its noncore assets, and focus on the low-cost, large-scale utility solar market instead of pursuing diversification into residential and commercial solar.

Suppliers with strong bargaining power can erode industry profitability by adopting all of the following, except

accounting for a large fraction of the total costs of the industry's products.

TOMS Shoes' company values are

an integral part of this company's DNA; its executives seek to ingrain designated core values into corporate culture.

You are the owner of the Voracious Vegetarian, a single-business healthy fast-food restaurant. Your strategy-making hierarchy would most likely consist of

business strategy, functional strategies, and operating strategies

What best-cost provider strategy would you be most unlikely to recommend for a small-sized company entering a highly segmented market, each segment with a complex set of needs and spending power?

evolving the capabilities to simultaneously deliver lower cost and higher-quality/differentiated features

You have been asked to evaluate Kampus Kombucha's mission statement, "to heal and refresh everyone we touch." You would most likely observe that Kampus Kombucha's mission statement

is vague, fairly uninformative, and blurs the essence of this company's business activities

Late-mover advantages (or first-mover disadvantages) are not likely to arise when

opportunities exist for a blue-ocean strategy to invent a new industry or distinctive market segment that creates altogether new demand

Apple's strategic approach to setting the company apart from rivals, building strong customer loyalty, and winning a competitive advantage includes

outcompeting rivals on the basic of differentiating features, such as higher quality, wider product selection, added performance, value-added services, more attractive styling, and technological superiority.

Southwest Airlines' low-cost advantage results primarily from its ability to

outdo its rivals in performing value chain actinides cost efficiently

Hilton Hotels has diversified its lodging brands by adding Curio Collection, Tapestry Collection, and Canopy by Hilton, properties that offer stylish, distinctive decors and personalized services that appeal to young professionals seeking distinctive lodging alternatives. Managers can enhance the differentiation of these new brands based on all of the following value drivers except

seeking out low-quality inputs

You are considering starting a business to provide high-quality bookkeeping services targeted to restaurants and other food service providers in your region. Which factors would you evaluate to determine whether or not the food service industry offers good prospects for attractive profits?

the industry growth potential, whether competition appears destined to become stronger or weaker how the industry's driving forces might affect overall industry profitability, the company's competitive position relative to rivals, and the company's proficiency in performing industry key success factors.

As the owner of a local housecleaning business that is trying to achieve a sustainable competitive advantage, you most likely would not

utilize copycat product offerings or similar maneuvers as rivals to stake out the same market position.