Chapter 4 Quiz
Which statement below is FALSE?
***A. Companies should pay dividends regardless of changes in their revenue.*** B. Dividends are sometimes paid out even if the funds could be better reinvested in the business, and/or even if the firm has to obtain outside sources of capital to pay for the dividends. C. The benefits of paying dividends to investors must be balanced against the benefits of internally retaining funds, and there is no set formula on how to balance this trade-off. D. Companies today are aggressively boosting their dividends paid to shareholders. E. Dividends are sometimes paid out even when the firm has incurred a negative annual net income.
In developing an IFE Matrix, what is an important guideline?
Include factors that are actionable, quantitative, comparative, and divisional (AQCD) to the extent possible.
Lorsch found that executives in successful companies are emotionally committed to the firm's culture, but he concluded that culture can inhibit strategic management in the following way:
Managers frequently miss the significance of changing external conditions because they are blinded by strongly held beliefs.
The basic activities that comprise marketing include the following:
Marketing research and target market analysis
In developing an IFE Matrix, when can both internal and external factors be included?
Never
______ is the process by which a person determines whether to attempt a task, works out the most effective way of reaching desired objectives, and prepares to overcome unexpected difficulties with adequate resources.
Planning
In developing an IFE Matrix, do not allow more than 30 percent of the key factors to be financial ratios. Why?
Since financial ratios are generally the result of many factors, knowing what particular strategies should be considered based on financial ratios is difficult.
According to James Van Horne, the basic activities of finance/accounting consist of three decisions. What are the three?
The investment decision, the financing decision, and the dividend decision
To the extent possible, internal strength/weakness factors should meet the four AQCD criteria. Two of these criteria are _____.
actionable and comparative
Empirical indicators, or characteristics of resources that enable a firm to implement strategies, include ______.
not easily substitutable
Target recently joined Best Buy in offering to match online prices of rival retailers. Both companies are seeking to combat ______ by shoppers who check out products in their stores but buy them on rival's websites.
showrooming
In 2018, global data analytics software is expected to reach ______ billion, a ______ percent increase from 2012.
$21.7; 64
Human resource (HR) management includes activities such as:
Disciplining, promoting, transferring, and demoting
What are the four basic activities that comprise management?
Planning, organizing, leading, and controlling NOT CORRECT?
In an IFE Matrix, the weights of all factors included must add up to ______.
1.0
Spending on digital advertising recently surpassed television advertising and is expected to reach nearly ______ billion dollars in 2020.
380
In an IFE Matrix, how much more important is a weight of 0.16 than a weight of 0.07?
90% NOT CORRECT
Which of the following statements is TRUE?
A. If a firm possesses many highly-weighted weaknesses, this is likely the result of effective strategies, so higher ratings in general are warranted for strengths. B. If a firm possesses many highly-weighted weaknesses, this is likely the result of effective strategies, so higher ratings in general are warranted for both strengths and weaknesses. ***C. If a firm possesses many highly-weighted strengths, this is likely the result of effective strategies, so higher ratings in general are warranted for strengths.*** D. If a firm possesses many highly-weighted strengths, this is likely the result of effective strategies, so higher ratings in general are warranted for strengths and weaknesses. E. If a firm possesses many highly-weighted weaknesses, this is likely the result of effective strategies, so higher ratings in general are warranted for weaknesses.
Which statement below is FALSE?
A. In an IFE Matrix, the number of factors has no effect on the range of total weighted scores because the weights always add up to 1.0. B. When a key internal factor is both a strength and a weakness, the factor may be included twice in the IFE Matrix with a weight and rating assigned to each statement. ***C. Always sequence factors in an IFE Matrix from highest to lowest weight.*** D. The average IFE Matrix score is 2.0. E. IFE ratings are company-based whereas weights are industry-based
Which of the following statements is FALSE?
A. The resource-based view (RBV) approach to competitive advantage contends that internal resources are more important for a firm than external factors in achieving and sustaining competitive advantage. B. In contrast to the Industrial Organization (I/O) theory presented in the previous chapter, proponents of the RBV view/theory contend that organizational performance is primarily determined by internal resources. C. Resource-based view theory asserts that resources are actually what helps a firm exploit opportunities and neutralize threats. D. Empirical research by Neffke reveals that more than any other variable in the firm's value chain, it is the nature of a firm's human capital that impacts that firm's choice of diversification targets. Specifically, firms select acquisition targets that offer opportunities to leverage existing human resources. ***E. The resource-based view (RBV) approach to competitive advantage contends that internal resources are equally important for a firm as external factors in achieving and sustaining competitive advantage.***
Which of the following statements is TRUE?
A. When assigning weights and ratings in developing an IFE Matrix, focus on a narrow industry perspective for strengths and a broad industry perspective for weaknesses. B. When assigning weights and ratings in developing an IFE Matrix, focus on all competitors in the industry. C. When assigning weights and ratings in developing an IFE Matrix, focus on the top three competitors in the industry. ***D. When assigning weights and ratings in developing an IFE Matrix, focus on a narrow industry perspective.*** E. When assigning weights and ratings in developing and IFE Matrix, focus on a broad industry perspective.
Aspects of organizational culture listed in Table 4-4 include all but which of the following?
Analyze interest rate trends
Limitations of financial ratio analysis include all but which one of the following statements?
Financial ratios are estimates of financial condition.
The extent to which a manufacturing plant's output reaches its potential output is called ______, a key strategic variable.
capacity utilization
Strengths that cannot be easily matched or imitated by competitors are called ______.
distinctive competencies