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Which of the following is an example of competitive parity?
A firm produces wall clocks at the same rate as its competitors
Which of the following statements is true of the social responsibilities of a business?
A firm's ethical responsibilities go beyond its legal responsibilities
For a strategist, which of the following is not an implication of effective strategic management?
A firm's performance is determined by a set of independent factors, which includes firm and industry effects
The management of Five Square Corp. wants to reduce the separation between ownership (by shareholders) and control of the firm (by professional managers). Which of the following practices would best help the company do this?
A. allowing employees to purchase the stock of the company at a discounted rate
The _____ is a model that links strategy analysis, strategy formulation, and strategy implementation, which together helps managers plan and implement a strategy that can improve performance and result in competitive advantage
AFI strategy framework
Which of the following does not explain why activist investors have more power over a firm than individual investors?
Activist investors have more legitimacy than individual investors
_____ are incidents that describe highly improbable but highly impactful events
Black swan events
Which of the following best qualifies as a firm's internal stakeholder?
C. a manager taking care of the firm's operations in a foreign market
Which of the following is step 3 in the five-step process of stakeholder impact analysis?
C. identifying the opportunities and threats the stakeholders present
Which of the following statements accurately describes corporate social responsibility (CSR)?
CSR provides a conceptual model that more completely describes a society's expectations
_____ is best described as a framework that helps firms recognize and address the economic, legal, social, and philanthropic expectations that society has of the business enterprise at a given point in time.
Corporate social responsibility
Silver Screen Cinemas Inc. and Digi Now Inc. are two companies that own and run movie theaters in malls and other commercial areas. While Silver Screen Cinemas Inc. pursues a cost-leadership strategy, Digi Now Inc. adopts a differentiation strategy. Which of the following statements is most likely true of this scenario?
Digi Now and Silver Screen Cinemas will not be direct competitors to each other, and their customer segments will overlap very little
Which of the following is an accurate statement about the relationship between firm effects and industry effects?
Firm effects deal with a manager's actions; industry effects deal with external circumstances
The average cost of production for a bottle of vitamin water in the industry is $4 while its average price is $7. StoreAll Inc. manufactures the same product for $3 per bottle and sells it for $7 per bottle. Which of the following statements is most likely true of StoreAll Inc. in this scenario?
It has a competitive advantage in the industry
Which of the following statements about strategy is not true?
Operational effectiveness and competitive benchmarking should be treated as strategy
Which of the following statements should ideally reflect a firm's strategy for competitive advantage?
Our aim is to create superior customer value while controlling costs
Which of the following scenarios best illustrates a good stakeholder strategy?
PA Corp. distributes only 70 percent of its annual profit after taxes to shareholders, while the remaining is distributed among employees and the local community, and invested for further research
_____ provides a decision tool that enables a firm to act as a good corporate citizen by allowing its managers to recognize, prioritize, and address the needs of different groups of individuals who take personal interest in the firm's performance and survival.
Stakeholder impact analysis
_____ is best described as an integrative management field that combines analysis, formulation, and implementation in the quest for competitive advantage
Strategic management
_____ is best described as a set of goal-directed actions a firm takes to gain and sustain superior performance relative to competitors.
Strategy
Which of the following is an implication of all firms in an industry pursuing a low-cost position through application of competitive benchmarking?
The firms would eventually have no resources to invest in product and process improvements
Which of the following statements accurately describes firm effects?
They attribute firm performance to the actions managers take within a chosen industry
Which of the following statements about a firm's stakeholders is true?
Within stakeholder groups there can be significant variation in the power a stakeholder may exert on a firm
Which of the following scenarios illustrates a firm that has a sustainable competitive advantage?
Zhang Corp. was able to hold its market share of 68 percent in the social networking industry for more than three years
Shortly after the small island of Balamia experienced multiple unexpected high-intensity earthquakes that caused massive destruction, many banks and insurance companies filed for bankruptcy. This left the economy of the country in a poor state. The natural calamity in Balamia best exemplifies
a black swan event
Which of the following is an element of good strategy?
a set of coherent actions to implement the firm's guiding policy
Which of the following is not a stakeholder attribute that managers consider during stakeholder impact analysis?
a stakeholder's liquidity
The U.S. government legitimized claims by thousands of businesses and individuals in the aftermath of the BP oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico, causing the claims to become of great urgency to BP. This best represents the process of
addressing stakeholder concerns
A firm's stakeholder strategy primarily allows the firm to
analyze and manage how various external and internal stakeholders interact to jointly create and trade value
A firm always has a competitive disadvantage when its return on invested capital is
below the industry average
When the strong dictatorial rule in Backenstein unexpectedly collapsed due to the shocking death of the royal family in an explosion, the nation's economy experienced drastic changes. The laws became more restrictive, the country lost many locally produced resources and products, and the distribution of wealth became inequitable. The unexpected event that led to these changes can best be described as a(n) _____ event.
black swan
If SA Pharmaceuticals obtains an 18 percent return on invested capital, which of the following will help determine if it has a competitive advantage over other pharmaceutical companies?
comparing the return to the return on invested capital obtained by other firms in the industry
A firm that achieves superior performance relative to other firms in the same industry or the industry average has a(n)
competitive advantage
The Scoop, Ltd. is a magazine publishing company whose average return on invested capital is approximately 5 percent. Because magazine publishing is a declining industry, the industry average has been negative (-5 percent) for the last few years. In this scenario, The Scoop Ltd. has a
competitive advantage
Underperformance relative to other firms in the same industry or the industry average results in a(n) _____ for a firm.
competitive disadvantage
Rapida Inc. and Click Inc. are two companies that have been manufacturing typewriters for almost 30 years. Due to the reduced demand for typewriters today, both companies' average return on invested capital is approximately -5 percent. The current industry average is 2 percent. In this scenario, Rapida Inc. and Click Inc. most likely have
competitive parity with each other
Within corporate social responsibility, _____ essentially reflects the notion of a business voluntarily giving back to society
corporate citizenship
Which of the following is an example of a firm's external stakeholder?
customers
In the final step of the stakeholder impact analysis, a firm
decides a course of action to address the stakeholders' concerns
In the pyramid of corporate social responsibility, _____ responsibilities are the foundational building block
economic
Industry effects describe the underlying _____ structure of the industry
economic
Paying taxes to local government authorities from the annual revenues generated by a firm represents the firm's _____ responsibilities.
economic
The amount of xylene that can be used in household paint is legally limited to 0.03 percent. Anything beyond this amount is hazardous to health and the environment, and considered a legal offense. Consequently, CW Paints Corp. has vouched to make its products as safe as possible. Therefore, it manufactures xylene-free paints even though this increases its costs and reduces the dividends paid to its shareholders in the long run. Which of the following responsibilities is CW Paints Corp. primarily compromising in this scenario?
economic responsibilities toward its shareholders
Hewlett-Packard was not able to maintain its competitive advantage because it did not
effectively address the challenges of mobile computing
Which of the following is not an example of a black swan event?
election of President Reagan
The board at TriCom Manufacturing Corp. has decided to allocate 20 percent of the company's shares to its workforce, at a discounted price. Apart from being a valued investment, the plan will allow the employees to take personal responsibility for the firm's performance. Which of the following employee incentive schemes does this best illustrate?
employee stock ownership plan
Which of the following is not one of the three interdependent tasks of strategic management?
estimate
Van Dyke's Fashion Inc., a company that manufactures clothing, incurs higher costs because of its refusal to build factories in countries where child labor is prevalent. This reflects Van Dyke's Fashion's _____ responsibility
ethical
In the AFI strategy framework, strategy analysis primarily involves
evaluating the effects of internal resources and core competencies on a firm's potential to gain and sustain a competitive advantage
The interaction between a firm and its diverse internal and external stakeholders is best described as a(n)
exchange relationship
Managers use the AFI strategy framework primarily to
explain and predict differences in firm performance
Organic Food Inc., a multinational company, relies on its media partner Radio Plus to regularly advertise its offers, sales, and new products. Radio Plus is invested in this relationship because it generates most of its revenue from advertising Organic Food's products. In this scenario, Radio Plus is Organic Food Inc.'s
external stakeholder
Sun Inc., a vendor, regularly supplies pallets to Octangle Corp. for its shipping business. Therefore, Sun Inc. is Octangle Corp.'s
external stakeholder
State-level government agencies that check whether firms are meeting statutory safety measures in their production units are considered to be the firms'
external stakeholders.
Stakeholder impact analysis primarily helps a firm
gain a competitive advantage while acting as a good corporate citizen
Stakeholder strategy is an integrative approach to managing a diverse set of stakeholders effectively in order to
gain and sustain competitive advantage
A firm's economic responsibilities are primarily directed toward
gaining and sustaining competitive advantage
The best example of a firm's external stakeholder is a(n)
government agency that regulates the prices of products manufactured by the firm
After a firm has identified its key stakeholders in stakeholder impact analysis, the immediate next step is to
identify stakeholders' interests and claims
The first step in stakeholder impact analysis involves
identifying the stakeholders that currently have, or potentially can have, a material effect on a company
Due to several black swan events in the past, the
implicit trust relationship between the corporate world and society at large has deteriorated
Which of the following strategies does Twitter need to implement to increase its competitive advantage?
increase its user base
Rachel owns a large portion of GM Cube Inc.'s stocks. However, she is not employed by the company. In this scenario, Rachel is the company's
internal stakeholder
Which of the following factors most effectively contributed to the success of Threadless in comparison to other companies with T-shirt designs, including American Eagle, Old Navy, and Urban Outfitters?
its reliance on crowdsourcing
The society and shareholders mandatorily require a firm to perform its _____ responsibilities
legal
The minimum wage in the country of New Morland is $8 an hour. Odion, a restaurant in New Morland's 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 New Morland, which of the following responsibilities is Odion satisfying?
legal responsibilities
The past black swan events in the United States demonstrate that
managerial actions can affect the economic well-being of large numbers of people around the globe
The society and the shareholders just expect, and do not mandatorily require, a firm to
pay its workers more than the minimum living wage
Which of the following is typically an economic responsibility of a firm?
paying adequate returns to the firm's stockholders on the capital invested by them
Which of the following responsibilities results from a society's mere expectations of a business and not because the society and the shareholders mandatorily require the business to demonstrate it?
philanthropic responsibilities
Which of the following is not an example of a software company's external stakeholder?
project managers
A firm is said to gain a competitive advantage when it can
provide products similar to its competitors, but at lower prices
Jake's Taxi Service is a new entrant to the taxi industry. It has achieved success by staking out a unique position in the industry. How did Jake's Taxi Service mostly likely achieve this position?
providing long-distance cab fares at a lower rate than competitors; servicing the same area as competitors
Pink Couture Inc. and Pink Blush Inc. are two companies in the apparel industry. While Pink Couture Inc. focuses on providing unique product features and superior customer service, Pink Blush Inc. focuses on low prices and minimal customer service. Both companies have been able to gain a competitive advantage. This is most likely because the companies have
pursued distinct strategic positions
Which of the following would be considered a weak stakeholder strategy?
putting shareholder interests above the interests of other stakeholders
In stakeholder impact analysis, identifying the opportunities and threats presented by stakeholders is immediately followed by
recognizing the economic, legal, ethical, and philanthropic responsibilities of the firm to its stakeholders.
Which of following practices of a firm satisfies its ethical responsibilities?
selling vaccines at a subsidized price in a less developed country even though this results in reduced shareholder returns
As the legal owners, _____ have the most legitimate claim on a company's profits
shareholders
A core tenet of stakeholder strategy is that a
single-minded focus on shareholders alone exposes a firm to undue risks that can threaten the very survival of the enterprise
If a company wants to gain a competitive advantage in a highly competitive industry, it should ideally
stake out a unique position within the industry
Javier, a retired CEO, invests capital in a start-up company that creates budgeting software. He mentors the entrepreneur and the employees of the company because he wants the company to perform well and survive in the market. Thus, Javier is the start-up company's
stakeholder
BlueStainless Corp. has been able to gain and sustain a competitive advantage due to its strong relationship with its employees, customers, suppliers, and local communities. The company believes in lifetime employment and ensures that its employees grow along with the company. Investors are more than satisfied with the returns on their investments. Also, 3 percent of the company's profit is spent on community development. With initiatives like these, customers feel privileged to associate themselves with BlueStainless products. This scenario best illustrates the implementation of a
stakeholder strategy
Which of the following is an example of a firm's internal stakeholders?
stockholders
FindFor 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 low due to minimal investment in operation and administration. In this scenario, FindFor Inc. has most likely been able to provide superior value and cost control through
strategic positioning
According to AFI strategy framework, in which of the following tasks of strategic management is a firm's vision, mission, and values identified?
strategy analysis
Which of the following stages of the strategic management process involves an evaluation of a firm's external and internal environments?
strategy analysis
In _____, a firm frames a guiding policy to address the competitive challenge
strategy formulation
Which of the following stages in the AFI strategy framework involves designing a business, corporate, and global strategy?
strategy formulation
Through _____, a firm puts its guiding policy into practice by employing a set of coherent actions.
strategy implementation
Which of the following tasks in the AFI strategy framework involves putting the formulated strategy into practice through organizational structure, culture, and controls?
strategy implementation
Which of the following groups is considered to be the primary stakeholder for public-stock companies?
suppliers of capital
Patterson Foods Inc. was the first company to start selling energy bars in its country—a product that gained popularity among diverse groups. Soon, other companies started to sell their own brands of energy bars, thereby giving Patterson Foods ample competition. In response, Patterson Foods decided to limit its variety of energy bars to only four. However, it ensured that these four varieties were low in calories and low in cost. With this innovation, Patterson Foods Inc. consistently outperformed its competitors for ten years. In this scenario, Patterson Foods Inc. maintained a _____ through its innovative strategy.
sustainable competitive advantage
In the United States, which of the following was born out of dissatisfaction with the capitalist system in 2011?
the Occupy movement
Which of the following forces tends to be more important in determining a firm's performance?
the actions of managers within the firm
A company wants to determine how industry effects have affected its profitability. Which of the following elements should the company focus on?
the barriers to entry and exit within the industry
Which of the following was a key driver in the Occupy movement of 2011?
the issue of income disparity
Which of the following forces is most closely related to industry effects within the automobile industry?
the types of products and the services offered within the industry
For a firm that operates in an industry where competition is high, which of the following practices will result in inferior performance?
trying to be everything to everybody by combining different competitive strategies
During strategy implementation, managers primarily focus on deciding the
type of corporate governance that is most effective and ways in which it can put the formulated strategy into practice
In a firm, a strategist's job should be to
understand the complex web of exchange relationships among different stakeholders
