EXAM 1 - MNGT 4199

Amanda is a management consultant for a soda manufacturer that wants to expand into health drinks such as green tea and after-workout drinks. Based on what you have read, which of these is sensible advice for Amanda to offer her client?

"Carefully consider the entry choices over time before making a decision."

During an interview for a CEO position, Jennifer's potential employers ask her, "If you get this job, will you focus more on industry effects or firm effects?" What should her answer be?

"Firm effects. I will be able to have the most impact on those."

Which of the following statements is true of the social responsibilities of a business?

A firm's ethical responsibilities go beyond its legal responsibilities.

Which of the following terms describes the guiding policy to address the competitive challenge, and uses corporate- and business-level strategy?

Formulation

Steve manages product design and development at a toy company. The junior managers who report to him tell him that new complementors for the firm's products are available. What should Steve's reaction be?

He needs to find out if his company as well as other companies can provide the complements.

The average cost of production for a bottle of vitamin water in the industry is $5 while its average price is $8. Facuet H20 Inc. manufactures the same product for $3 per bottle and sells it for $8 per bottle. Which of the following statements is most likely true of Facuet H20 Inc. in this scenario?

It has a competitive advantage in the industry.

Jill is interested in the concept of strategy and decides to create her own. As a result, Jill says that her strategy is to focus on growth and marketing to achieve competitive advantage. How would you evaluate Jill's statement?

Jill should reevaluate her statement because it fails to meet the principles of what a strategy should be.

Better Capsules is a highly successful vitamin manufacturer. At the close of its most recent fiscal year, the company's balance sheet showed cash holdings of $110 million. Which of the following actions will provide the most benefit for stakeholders?

Reinvest profits into expanding the company and creating more jobs.

________ is best described as an integrative management field that combines analysis, formulation, and implementation in the quest for competitive advantage.

Strategic management

Hank runs a company that manufactures satellites for commercial and government use. It has few rivals. At the moment, the power of buyers, the power of suppliers, and the threat of substitutes are all low. Based on this information, what can Hank conclude?

The company is likely to be very profitable as long as the threat to entry is low.

Siham is a chef who owns three moderately successful restaurants with innovative menus. Based on what you have read, which of these approaches could help her improve her profits?

Use her existing knowledge, equipment, and staff to launch a catering business.

The government of Pentsu has mandated that the standard minimum wage in the country be increased to $8,000 per year. Which of the following factors in a firm's general environment does this mandate best indicate?

legal factors

The minimum wage in the country of Hanns is $8 an hour. Delish, a restaurant in Hanns' capital city, pays its servers $8 per hour. However, the management of the restaurant feels that this amount is excessive for workers whose only job is to clear tables. By continuing to adhere to the rules set by the government of Hanns, which of the following responsibilities is Delish satisfying?

legal responsibilities

All Signal Inc., a telephone service provider, has a large user base mainly because phone calls and messages between all All Signal users are free. When a person switches to an All Signals network, his or her entire network of family and friends is likely to switch to the same network to receive the benefit of free calls and messages. In addition, an existing user who gets a new user to register with All Signal Inc. is given a free wireless connection. This has helped to keep competition away from All Signal. In this scenario, which of the following factors is acting as an entry barrier for All Signal Inc.?

network effects

Nye Studios is a large production company that controls a major portion of the television industry's market share along with two other firms. Despite its competitiveness with the two other firms, it is influenced by their actions and often has to consider their strategic actions before acting on its own. In this scenario, Nye Studios is most likely functioning in a(n) ________ industry.

oligopolistic

Yellow Ride Service is a new entrant to the taxi industry. It has achieved success by staking out a unique position in the industry. How did Yellow Ride Service mostly likely achieve this position?

providing long-distance cab fares at a lower rate than competitors; servicing the same area as competitors

BuyNow Inc. is an e-commerce retail firm that sells a variety of merchandise online. Through services like cash on delivery, easy return, and online tracking, the company has created more customer value than its competitors (brick-and-mortar businesses) at the same price. Also, the company's costs are substantially lower than its competitors because of minimal investments in operation and administration. In this scenario, BuyNow Inc. has most likely been able to provide superior value and cost control through

strategic positioning.

Bright Lighting was the first company to start selling LED light bulbs in its country—a product that gained popularity among diverse groups. Soon, other companies started to sell their own brands of LED bulbs, thereby giving Bright Lighting ample competition. In response, Bright Lighting decided to limit its LED light bulbs to outdoor models. However, it ensured that these models were the longest-lasting and lowest-priced on the market. With this innovation, Bright Lighting consistently outperformed its competitors for ten years. In this scenario, Bright Lighting maintained a ________ through its innovative strategy.

sustainable competitive advantage

We Ensure Inc., an insurance firm, replaced its existing project management software with new software from another supplier. Since the new software has different features and abilities, We Ensure has had to spend $10,000 on training its employees to use it. In this scenario, $10,000 represents We Ensure's

switching cost.

The internet service provider industry in the country of Wakanda is an industry characterized by the presence of strong network effects, high brand loyalty, high economies of scale, and proprietary technology among incumbent firms. Thus, in the internet service provider industry, the

threat of new entrants is most likely low.