MID TERM BUSINESS PRINCIPLES Chapter 1

Ricord Books, a publication house, faced huge losses after 2008. The majority of its readers were born during the late 1950s, whose population was rapidly declining. Most modern readers preferred using e-books rather than reading from hard copies. This resulted in a decrease in the sales of Ricord Books. Identify the dimension of the social environment that this scenario exemplifies.

Aging population

Temont Esson, a pharmaceutical company, saw a drastic increase in its sales in 2016 when compared to 2015. A survey showed that the growing percentage of the elderly was directly responsible for improving the company's sales. Identify the dimension of the social environment that this scenario exemplifies.

Aging population

Touca Ness, a fantasy movie franchise, was initially created for children in the early 1960s. However, as the franchise started to gain a cult following, the content of the franchise began to include mature themes in order to maintain popularity among its existing consumers. Identify the dimension of the social environment that this scenario exemplifies.

Aging population

Operth, an automobile company, hires people from various cultural and social backgrounds. This allows the company to enjoy a competitive advantage by developing innovative products that serve a wide customer base. Which of the following dimensions of the social environment does this scenario exemplify?

Diversity

Torino Mex, a men's fashion boutique, is renowned for creating designer clothes for Latino Americans. However, it introduced a new line of designer clothing that especially caters to young Hispanic Americans to widen its customer base. Which of the following dimensions of the social environment is highlighted in this scenario?

Diversity

Raebin Xi, a stock management firm, implemented a new rule that allows its clients to have better clarity and knowledge about the firm's core functions and methods of operation. Identify the dimension of the social environment that this scenario exemplifies.

Ethics

Welterwes, a multinational company, has 15 members in its top management. These executives have to abide by the same company policies as the other employees. However, when it came to light that the executives were not following the appropriate office timings and were abusing their power, the HR department had to pass new policies aimed specifically at the top management. These policies stated that the executives would lose a part of their monthly commission if they failed to abide by the company policies. Identify the dimension of the social environment that this scenario exemplifies.

Ethics

Samuel is struggling to run his start-up in his locality because local trade associations have established strict codes of conduct regarding certification, accreditation, and insurance obligation for businesses. In the context of economic freedom in a business environment, which of the following is adversely affecting Samuel's start-up?

Excessive regulation

Marsa and Hunare are Asian nations. Jorwen, Kellpit, and Denqor are North American nations. These five nations recently signed a multilateral agreement that allows them to carry out business operations with minimal tax implications. This arrangement would allow Jorwen, Kellpit, and Denqor to import goods from Marsa and Hunare, which have low labor costs and high production quality. This agreement among these five nations is most likely possible because of the _____.

General Agreement on Tariffs and Trade

In the context of the history of American business, which of the following statements is true of the production era?

The assembly line became standard across major manufacturing industries.

Restazure, a beauty therapy center, focuses on customer satisfaction and building long-term relationships with customers. The firm ensures that customers are provided with high-quality services, and feedback is collected after every customer visit. It also provides its members with seasonal discounts and points every time they avail any of the center's services. In this context, which dimension of the business environment is affected the most?

The competitive environment

Marina, a garments manufacturing company, signed a contract with Tertch Tex, a textile company, to receive 2 million pounds of yarn at a rate of $2 per pound. However, Tertch Tex hikes up the price to $5 per pound just before the day of delivery. Marina files a lawsuit against Tertch Tex for breaking an enforceable contract and receives $100 million in compensation. In this context, which dimension of the business environment is affected the most?

The economic environment

Barter Bate, a wholesale store chain, was the first in the city to launch an online shopping website. Its website allowed customers to select required products and collect them from the nearest Barter Bate outlet. In this context, which of the following dimensions of the business environment is affected the most?

The technological environment

Judith plans to start a prosthetic company to help physically challenged people avail prosthetics at affordable prices. She researches and develops a cost-effective way of crafting durable prosthetics. In the context of factors of production, the given scenario exemplifies the concept of _____.

entrepreneurship

Melina and Carl want to start an event management company that would provide local artists with a platform to showcase their talent and gain an audience. Melina and Carl are willing to invest their own resources in this project. In the context of factors of production, the given scenario exemplifies the concept of _____.

entrepreneurship

Verti, a North American country, engages in business with Jerg, a South American country. Verti imports agricultural products from Jerg, whereas Jerg outsources its technological operations to workers in Verti. The two nations are able to carry out these business transactions with minimal tax implications. The given scenario most likely exemplifies the concept of _____.

free trade

Richard is a technical analyst at a marketing firm. He is highly regarded by his peers and supervisors who always seek his advice while making important decisions for the company. In this scenario, Richard can be classified as a(n) _____.

human resource

A coal mining company has employed around 250 miners who work 8-hour shifts every day. In the context of factors of production, the miners can be classified as _____.

human resources

Children's Campground is a summer program for school children. It advertises that there is one counselor for every four children and that several other highly-trained professionals are part of its staff. Children's Campground advertisements indicate that the program relies heavily on its _____ factor to provide its services.

human resources

Gormath Inc., a shoe manufacturing company, employs 750 workers to create handcrafted shoes. In the context of factors of production, the employees of Gormath Inc. can be classified as _____.

human resources

Vertivius, a gaming device manufacturer, entered the gaming market only after conducting a thorough survey of the potential customer base. Vertivius waited for five years before introducing its unique product—the first handheld gaming device—in the market. It introduced this product after ensuring that it would be embraced by the customers. In this scenario, Vertivius:

is a leading-edge firm.

Mercy's Apparels, a fabric company, was established post World War II with the aim of catering to the demands of consumers looking for affordable quality clothing. To differentiate itself from its competitors, the company developed a distinctive identity as the producer of budget clothing. In the context of the history of American business, Mercy's Apparels was most likely established during the _____.

marketing era

Pride of Peers is a bakery chain that specializes in preparing homemade confectionaries. The company donates most of its earnings to rehabilitation centers for war victims and keeps just enough to buy raw materials. The primary goal of the company is to contribute to the rehabilitation of war victims. In this scenario, Pride of Peers would most likely be classified as a _____.

nonprofit organization

In the__________, leading-edge firms look beyond each immediate transaction with a customer and aim to build long-term ties.

relationship era

Norman Phone Inc. is a leading cell phone manufacturer who recently launched Omn-1 model. Even before the sales of Omn-1 model could reach its peak, the company launched the next version, Omn-2. Omn-2 overtook the sales of the Omn-1 model and also of its competitors' products. This helped Norman Phone Inc. to maintain its position as a leading-edge cell phone manufacturer. This scenario demonstrates the importance of _____ as a key source of competitive advantage.

speed-to-market