Chapter 6

Mergers and acquisitions are often driven by such strategic objectives as: A. expanding a company's geographic coverage or extending its business into new product categories. B. reducing the number of industry key success factors. C. reducing the number of strategic groups in the industry. D. facilitating a company's shift from a low-cost leadership strategy to a focused low-cost strategy. E. lengthening a company's value chain and thereby putting it in a better position to deliver superior value to buyers.

a

For backward vertical integration into the business of suppliers to be a viable and profitable strategy, a company: A. must first be a proficient manufacturer. B. must be able to achieve the same scale economies as outside suppliers and match or beat suppliers' production efficiency with no drop-off in quality. C. must have excess production capacity so that it has an ample in-house ability to undertake additional production activities. D. needs to have a wide product line, so it can supply parts and components for many products. E. should have a distinctive competence in production process technology and at least a core competence in manufacturing R&D.

b

Merger and acquisition strategies: A. are nearly always superior alternatives to forming alliances or partnerships with these same companies. B. may offer considerable cost-saving opportunities and can also be beneficial in helping a company try to invent a new industry. C. are a particularly effective way of pursuing a blue-ocean strategy and an outsourcing strategy. D. seldom are superior alternatives to forming alliances with these same companies because of the financial drain of using the company's cash resources to accomplish the merger or acquisition. E. are one of the best ways for helping a company strongly differentiate its product offering and use a differentiation strategy to strengthen its market position.

b

Outsourcing strategies can offer such advantages as: A. increasing a company's ability to strongly differentiate its product and be successful with either a broad differentiation strategy or a focused differentiation strategy. B. obtaining higher quality and/or cheaper components or services, improving a company's ability to innovate, and reducing its risk exposure. C. speeding a company's entry into foreign markets. D. permitting greater use of strategic alliances and collaborative partnerships. E. giving a firm more direct control over the costs of value chain activities.

b

The difference between a merger and an acquisition is that: A. a merger involves one company purchasing the assets of another company with cash, whereas an acquisition involves a company acquiring another company by buying all of the shares of its common stock. B a merger is the combining of two or more companies into a single corporate entity, whereas an acquisition involves one company (the acquirer) purchasing and absorbing the operations of another company (the acquired). C. in a merger, the companies retain their original names, whereas in an acquisition the name of the company being acquired is changed to be the name of the acquiring company D. a merger is a combination of three or more companies, whereas an acquisition is a pooling of interests of just two companies. E. a merger involves two or more companies deciding to adopt the same strategy, whereas an acquisition involves one company taking over the strategy-making function of another company.

b

The two big drivers of outsourcing are: A. an increased ability to cut R&D expenses and an increased ability to avoid the problems of strategic alliances. B. that outsiders can often perform certain activities better or more cheaply, and outsourcing allows a firm to focus its entire energies on those activities that are at the center of its expertise (its core competencies). C. a desire to reduce the company's investment in fixed assets and the need to narrow the scope of the company's in-house competencies and competitive capabilities. D. the ability to avoid capital investments that accompany vertical integration and a desire to reduce the company's risk exposure to changing technology and/or changing buyer preferences. E. that a smaller in-house workforce and a low investment in intellectual capital will produce cost savings.

b

A good example of vertical integration is a: A. global public accounting firm acquiring a small local or regional public accounting firm. B. large supermarket chain getting into convenience food stores. C. crude oil refiner purchasing a firm engaged in drilling and exploring for oil. D. hospital opening up a nursing home for the aged. E. railroad company acquiring a trucking company specializing in long-haul freight.

c

Backward vertical integration can produce a: A. full integration when activities remain the domain of key suppliers. B. tapered integration if the firm consolidates all activities in-house. C. differentiation-based competitive advantage when activities enhance the performance of the final product. D. focused differentiation strategy when the market is broad and the product is a commodity. E. lower degree of flexibility in accommodating shifting buyer preferences.

c

Which of the following is typically the strategic impetus for forward vertical integration? A. Being able to control the wholesale/retail portion of the industry value chain B. Experiencing fewer disruptions in the delivery of the company's products to end users C. Gaining better access to end users and better market visibility D. Broadening the company's product line E. Allowing the firm access to greater economies of scale

c

The strategic impetus for forward vertical integration is to: A. gain better access to end users and better market visibility. B. achieve the same scale economies as wholesale distributors and/or retail dealers. C. control price at the retail level. D. bypass distributors and dealers and sell direct to consumers at the company's website. E. build a core competence in mass merchandising.

a

A blue-ocean strategy: A. is an offensive strike employed by a market leader that is directed at pilfering customers away from unsuspecting rivals to boost profitability. B. involves an unexpected (out-of- the-blue) preemptive strike to secure an advantageous position in a fast-growing market segment. C. works best when a company is the industry's low-cost leader. D. involves abandoning efforts to beat out competitors in existing markets and instead invent a new industry or new market segment that renders existing competitors largely irrelevant and allows a company to create and capture altogether new demand. E. involves the use of highly creative, never-used-before strategic moves to attack the competitive weaknesses of rivals.

d

A vertical integration strategy can expand the firm's range of activities: A. backward into sources of supply and/or forward toward end users. B. backward into other industry business-lines and/or forward to suppliers of raw materials. C. to enable the supply chain the opportunity for expansion. D. to complement the industry's horizontal value chain line of profitability. E. to establish full integration by participating in a tapered integration (without the outsourced and in-house activities).

a

The best reason for investing company resources in vertical integration (either forward or backward) is to: A. expand into foreign markets and/or control more of the industry value chain. B. broaden the firm's product line and/or avoid the need for outsourcing. C. gain a first-mover advantage over rivals in revamping the industry value chain. D. add materially to a company's technological capabilities, strengthen the company's competitive position, and/or boost its profitability. E. achieve product differentiation and/or lengthen the company's value chain to include more activities performed in-house and thereby gain a greater ability to reduce internal operating costs.

d

Which of the following is NOT a potential advantage of backward vertical integration? A. Reduced vulnerability to powerful suppliers (who may be inclined to raise prices at every opportunity) B. Reduced risks of disruptions in obtaining crucial components or support services C. Reduced costs D. Reduced business risk because of controlling a bigger portion of the overall industry value chain E. Increase in a company's differentiation capabilities and perhaps achieving a differentiation-based competitive advantage

d

Which of the following is NOT a typical strategic objective or benefit that drives mergers and acquisitions? A. To gain quick access to new technologies or other resources and capabilities B. To create a more cost-efficient operation out of the combined companies C. To expand a company's geographic coverage D. To facilitate a company's shift from a broad differentiation strategy to a focused differentiation strategy E. To extend a company's business into new product categories

d

Which of the following is NOT one of the benefits of outsourcing value chain activities presently performed in-house? A. Streamlines company operations in ways that improve organizational flexibility and cuts the time it takes to get new products into the marketplace B. Allows a company to concentrate on its core business, leverage its key resources, and do even better what it already does best C. Helps the company assemble diverse kinds of expertise speedily and efficiently D. Enables a company to gain better access to end users and better market visibility E. Improves a company's ability to innovate

d

An outsourcing strategy: A. is nearly always a more attractive strategic option than merger and acquisition strategies. B. carries the substantial risk of raising a company's costs. C. carries the substantial risk of making a company overly dependent on its suppliers. D. increases a company's risk exposure to changing technology and/or changing buyer preferences. E. involves farming out certain value chain activities presently performed in-house to outside vendors.

e

The difference between a merger and an acquisition relates to: A. strategy and competitive advantage. B. the presence of available resources and competitive capabilities. C. whether the end result is related to horizontal or vertical scope. D. creating a more cost-efficient operation out of the combined companies. E. the details of ownership, management control, and the financial arrangements.

e

Which of the following is NOT an example of a company that uses blue-ocean market strategy? A. eBay's online auction industry B. NetJets' fractional jet ownership C. Drybar's hair blowouts D. Cirque de Soleil's live entertainment E. Walmart's logistics and distribution

e