Exam 6: Organizational Strategy

Brenden Corp. has five strategic business units (SBUs)-telecommunication, trucking, electronics, energy, and oil exploration. The telecommunication unit has slowed down in terms of growth and is now dominated mainly by a few large companies. Brenden Corp. has a low market share in the industry and does not generate enough revenue to even cover its costs. In the context of the BCG matrix, which of the following categories of SBUs best describes the telecommunication unit?

Smarty Tots manufactures children's clothing and prices them at twice the price of other children's clothing brands. The clothes sell exceptionally well because customers believe that its clothes are made of non-irritant and non-allergenic fabric. Smarty Tots's competitors do not have access to this type of fabric and cannot produce the same quality of clothing. The special fabric used in the clothing gives Smarty Tots _____.

Which of the following is one of the five industry forces identified by Harvard professor Michael Porter?

SweetCream is an ice cream manufacturer. It sells Guilt-Free, a zero-calorie ice cream, which competes with FlavorBell's MooSweet, a low-calorie ice cream. FlavorBell reduces MooSweet's prices to match Guilt-Free's prices. Identify the strategic move that is most likely being implemented by FlavorBell in this scenario.

A strategic group is a task force within a company that analyzes the company's own weaknesses to determine how competitors could exploit them for competitive advantage.

Arboral Inc., an auto manufacturing company, has been extremely successful in its home country. In an attempt to increase its profitability, it has opened up new manufacturing plants and showrooms in three more countries. Which of the following grand strategies was used by Arboral in this scenario?

PeoplePapers, a greeting cards manufacturing company, has retail stores in most parts of the country. It hires its employees from the best universities around the world and uses the best equipment in its manufacturing processes. In this scenario, the organization's processes, its employees, and its equipment are examples of its_____.

JDB Cars has launched a new range of premium cars in Lakamba. The citizens of Lakamba are extremely wealthy and often spend a lot of their earnings on premium cars and houses. In this scenario, the company is most likely using a(n) _____.

Which of the following is the first step of a strategy-making process?

Organizations can achieve a competitive advantage by using their resources to:

In the context of the BCG matrix, which of the following businesses would be classified as a star?

Renee Farm grows genetically modified fruits and vegetables by using nutrient enriched soil and chemically enhanced fertilizers. Its products are extremely popular among health conscious individuals who believe that natural fruits and vegetables do not have adequate amount of nutrients. Renee Farm's products are popular even though their market is very niche. In the context of industry-level strategy, Renee Farm is most likely using a(n) _____.

Ziff Corp. was a leading electronics firm for about three decades. As new competitors entered the industry, Ziff Corp's market share dropped. The managers at Ziff Corp. refuse to change any of their strategies, as they believe that their existing strategies will get them back to becoming the market leaders as they did in the past. This scenario is an example of _____.

Hankson Corp. has five strategic business units (SBUs)-information technology, insurance, publishing, fine arts, and tourism. It invests the majority of its funds in the information technology unit as the unit has a large market share and generates large amounts of its profits in a fast-growing market. In the context of the BCG matrix, which of the following categories of SBUs best describes the information technology unit?

According to the Boston Consulting Group (BCG) matrix, _____ are companies that have a small share of a fast-growing market.

A(n) _____ is a countermove, prompted by a rival's attack, that is designed to defend or improve a company's market share or profit.

Limeria Inc., an industrial paint manufacturing company, has been incurring losses. In an attempt to stop this, it removed synthetic distempers from its product list and concentrated on enamel paints, a less capital-intensive business. Which of the following grand strategies was used by Limeria in this scenario?

Klivinich is a manufacturer of oral hygiene products. In addition to manufacturing and selling oral hygiene products, Klivinich also focuses on educating its customers on oral hygiene and dental problems. All its employees are trained to answer questions and help customers with oral hygiene and dental problems. This has helped Klivinich _____.

Growth, stability, and retrenchment are all types of portfolio strategies that companies use to decide which businesses they should be in.

Unlike a long-lasting competitive advantage, a sustainable competitive advantage is one where: