M2A2 Quiz 4 Ch4-6

Which of the following statements is true of accounting data?

Accounting data are historical data and thus backward-looking.

When performing internal analysis of firms, how would you answer the question, "why do companies exist?"

Companies exist because they create value for customers in ways that customers are unable to replicate on their own.

Bestie Toys faces stiff competition from FunGadgets Inc., a rival firm with which Bestie Toys has achieved differentiation parity. Both firms have invested in state-of-the art production facilities and have similar learning curves of 85 percent. Assuming neither firm can reduce the cost of its input factors, how can Bestie Toys achieve a competitive advantage as a cost-leader?

Have a cumulative output that is greater than FunGadgets Inc.'s.

Tindel Inc. competes on cost with Nirvana Sites in the web design industry. Both firms operate on a 90 percent learning curve, and neither firm is capable of increasing its cumulative output any further. How might Tindel Inc. achieve a cost-leadership position while maintaining customer satisfaction?

by incorporating new programming techniques to take advantage of experience-curve effects

Susan is trying to determine if her company has a competitive advantage. She must be able to accomplish two critical tasks before she can substantiate this claim. First, she must assess the performance of her company accurately; second, she must

compare and benchmark her firm's performance to other competitors in her same industry.

The value a consumer attaches to a product or service is captured in the

consumer's maximum willingness to pay for it.

A resource-based view of a firm provides a model that systematically aids in identifying

core competencies.

Tim's ToothCream has been the leader of dental care products for about 40 years. However, this company relied too long on its competency of reducing cavities without refining or upgrading other aspects of its product. As a result, other personal hygiene companies that began to offer toothpastes with natural whitening agents gained a competitive advantage over Tim's ToothCream. This case is an example of

core rigidity.

Leading guitar string producer Highly Strung Inc. has enjoyed a competitive advantage based on its proprietary coating that gives its strings a clearer sound and longer lifespan than uncoated strings. One of Highly Strung's competitors, however, has recently developed a similar coating using less expensive ingredients, which allows it to charge a lower price than Highly Strung for similar-quality strings. Highly Strung's competitive advantage is in danger due to

direct imitation and substitution.

The question that business-level strategy answers is ________ the firm will compete.

how

Core competencies are derived from the combination of

key strategic resources and a firm's capabilities.

Which of the following sources of differential appeal is least effective in helping a firm sustain its advantage?

observable product features

Chips & Motherboards Inc., a leading hard drive manufacturer, recently filed for bankruptcy. While most of Chips & Motherboards Inc.'s competitors were shifting away from physical data storage devices toward online cloud storage services, Chips & Motherboards Inc. invested most of its retained earnings in the effort to improve its hard drives. Once the hard-drive market drastically declined, Chips & Motherboards Inc. was unable to capitalize on the new technology. Which of the following does this scenario best illustrate?

path dependence

During market testing, Rembrandt Cosmetics realized that the cosmetics industry was dominated by multiple, well-established brands. These brands mostly sold their products in exclusive outlets and departmental stores. Rembrandt Cosmetics management realized that a new entrant would require a different business model to be successful. Thus, Rembrandt Cosmetics started selling its products through direct marketing. In this scenario, Rembrandt Cosmetics accomplished substitution primarily through

strategic equivalence.

When a firm makes choices between a cost or value position to achieve competitive advantage, it is primarily involved in

strategic tradeoffs.

A value curve indicates a lack of effectiveness in a firm's strategic profile when it

zig-zags.

When a firm manufactures 2,000-3,000 units of a product, it incurs an average cost of $10 per unit. When it manufactures 3,000-4,000 units of the same product, the average cost per unit reduces to $7. However, manufacturing beyond 4,000 units will raise the average cost per unit to $9. Which of the following is the firm's minimum efficient scale?

3,000-4,000 units

Benny's Closet Inc. is an apparel company that caters to highly price-conscious customers. Through its simple apparel designs, acceptable quality levels, and minimal customer service, the company has been able to sell its merchandise at the lowest prices in the industry. Which of the following generic business strategies is Benny's Closet applying?

cost-leadership

AcerWare Inc. manufactures external hard disks for $32 per unit, and the maximum price customers are willing to pay is $47 per unit. Data Driver Inc. is a competitor of AcerWare Inc. that produces external hard disks for $37 per unit, and customers are willing to pay a maximum price of $50 per unit. What does this imply?

AcerWare creates a greater economic value than Data Driver.

Cartzy Inc., Cartific Inc., and Clustercart Inc., are three consumer-product retailing companies. Their products consist primarily of day-to-day items that are easy to imitate and sell. All three companies use the same resources and capabilities in the production and distribution of their products. Judging from the market conditions described in this scenario, which of the following statements is true?

Any advantage that one firm has will be short-lived.