MIS Quiz 2

The value chain model: a) highlights specific activities in the business where competitive strategies can best be applied b) categorizes five related advantages for adding value to a firm's products or services c) sees the supply chain as the primary activity for adding value d) enables more effective product differentiation e) categorizes four basic strategies a firm can use to enhance its value chain

a) highlights specific activities in the business where competitive strategies can best be applied

The divergent viewpoints about how resources, rewards, and punishments should be distributed, and the struggles resulting from these differences are known as organizational: a) culture b) routines c) politics d) environments e) structure

c) politics

Which of the following would a company employ to measure and compare its business processes to similar processes of other companies within their industry? a) Best practices b) Secondary activities c) Strategic systems analysis d) Benchmarking e) Value chain analysis

d) Benchmarking

Which model is used to describe the interaction of external forces that affect an organization's strategy and ability to compete? a) Competitive advantage model b) Demand control model c) Agency costs model d) Competitive forces model e) Network economics model

d) Competitive forces model

Which of the following best illustrates the use of information systems to focus on market niche? a) a clothes manufacturer expanding its offerings to new styles b) a bookseller selling an e-book reader that reads only the bookseller's books c) a restaurant chain analyzing local sales figures to determine which menu items to serve d) a department store creating specialized products for preferred customers e) a car manufacturer's Web site that lets you customize the features on the car you are purchasing

d) a department store creating specialized products for preferred customers

Along with capital, ________ is the primary production input that the organization uses to create products and services. a) feedback b) politics c) structure d) labour e) culture

d) labour

Firms use a ________ strategy to provide a specialized product or service for a narrow target market better than competitors. a) product differentiation b) mass customization c) low-cost leadership d) market niche e) process efficiency

d) market niche

________ is a competitive strategy for creating brand loyalty by developing new and unique products and services that are not easily duplicated by competitors. a) strengthening customer intimacy b) strengthening supplier intimacy c) low-cost leadership d) product differentiation e) focusing on market niche

d) product differentiation

The expenses incurred by a customer or company in lost time and resources when changing from one supplier or system to a competing supplier or system are known as: a) retention costs b) differentiation costs c) preservation costs d) switching costs e) variation costs

d) switching costs

According to agency theory, the firm is viewed as a(n): a) task force organization that must respond to rapidly changing environments b) unified, profit-maximizing entity c) entrepreneurial structure d) entrepreneurial endeavour e) "nexus of contracts" among self-interested individuals

e) "nexus of contracts" among self-interested individuals

All of the following are competitive forces in Porter's model except: a) external environment b) customers c) suppliers d) substitute products e) new market entrants

a) external environment

The four major competitive strategies are: a) low-cost leadership, product differentiation, focus on market niche, and customer and supplier intimacy b) customers, suppliers, new market entrants, and substitute products c) new market entrants, substitute products and services, customers, and suppliers d) low-cost leadership, substitute products and services, customers; and suppliers e) low-cost leadership, new market entrants, product differentiation, and focus on market niche

a) low-cost leadership, product differentiation, focus on market niche, and customer and supplier intimacy

According to the ________ definition of organizations, an organization is seen as a means by which capital and labor are transformed by the organization into outputs to the environment. a) microeconomics b) behavioral c) psychological d) sociotechnical e) macroeconomic

a) microeconomics

Walmart's continuous replenishment system allows it to do all of the following except: a) provide mass customization b) better meet customer demands c) transmit orders to restock directly to its suppliers d) keep costs low e) fine-tune merchandise availability

a) provide mass customization

All of the following are IT-enabled products and services providing competitive advantage except: a) Apple's iPod and iTunes b) Nike's use of celebrities to market their products c) Amazon's one-click shopping d) Ping's golf club customization e) PayPal's online person-to-person payment system

b) Nike's use of celebrities to market their products

The ability to offer individually tailored products or services using the same production resources as bulk production is known as: a) micro-marketing b) mass customization c) mass marketing d) micro customization e) niche customization

b) mass customization

Which of the following tools would you use to evaluate and choose a collaboration tool for your organization? a) virtual meeting system b) the time/space collaboration and social tool matrix c) IBM Notes d) cloud collaboration e) the collaboration matrix

b) the time/space collaboration and social tool matrix

Which of the following statements about disruptive technologies is not true? a) disruptive technologies may be substitute products that perform better than other products currently being produced b) disruptive technologies may put entire industries out of business c) disruptive technologies radically change the business landscape and environment d) disruptive technologies may sometimes simply extend the marketplace e) firms that invent disruptive technologies as first movers always become market leaders

e) firms that invent disruptive technologies as first movers always become market leaders

All of the following are reasons for the increased business focus on collaboration and teamwork, except for: a) growth of "interaction" jobs b) the need for creating innovative products and services c) the need to reduce communication costs d) greater global presence e) the need for more efficient work hierarchies

e) the need for more efficient work hierarchies

When a firm buys on the marketplace what it cannot make itself, the costs incurred are referred to as: a) agency costs b) procurement c) switching costs d) network costs e) transaction costs

e) transaction costs