Deck 5: Analyzing Global Industries and Competitors

Question 1

Political, economic, societal and technological drivers of industry change affect corporate supply chains and global demand patterns

Answer 1

True

Question 2

Regional demand analysis helps companies classify individual country markets with different market size and growth patterns

Answer 2

True

Question 3

The United Nations Trade Data Yearbook (volume 2) enables US exporters to locate markets for products manufactured in the US

Answer 3

False

Question 4

Political, economic, societal and technological drivers of industry change affect corporate supply chains but do not impact global demand patterns

Question 5

Drivers of industry change on a worldwide scale include sector financial benchmarks and key success factors

Question 6

Generally, political, economic, societal and technological factors drive industry change on a worldwide basis

Question 7

The United Nations Trade Data Yearbook (volume 2) allows firms to locate major markets that import their type of product

Question 8

Worldwide production analyses help analysts locate which countries have distinctive expertise in manufacturing in specific industries

Question 9

Global political trends include United Nations' efforts to improve worldwide infrastructures as well as country trends towards democratic institutions

Question 10

Worldwide industry demand should be evaluated at global, regional and national market levels

Question 11

The US's National Trade Data Base gives export but not import statistics

Question 12

Where other firms manufacture their products means little to companies seeking to build new production facilities in foreign markets

Question 13

US export statistics can be found using the US Department of Commerce's national trade data base

Question 14

The US's National Trade Data Base allows firms to find out the countries from which the US imports specific types of products

Question 15

Political and economic trends should be monitored at global, regional and national levels

Question 16

National export statistics show what country markets can be serviced from a particular national location

Question 17

Export market analysis is a useful demand analysis technique only for small and medium-sized companies

Question 18

Analyses of global industry demand are of little use for international companies planning their manufacturing capacity decisions

Question 19

Worldwide industry structures are unaffected by mega-mergers

Question 20

Political, economic, societal and technological drivers of industry change affect global demand patterns but not corporate supply chains

Question 21

Financial benchmarks are used to assess company performance against industry standards but have few or no applications internally as firms evaluate individual business and product lines

Question 22

National economic growth rates affect country-level sales goals for companies and manufacturing capacity decisions

Question 23

For most industries, global economic growth does not directly affect worldwide industry demand

Question 24

The corporate internet (intranet) has made information more accessible in firms but has had few if any effects on organizational structures or decision processes

Question 25

A major aim of global competitor analyses is to gain sufficient insights into rival strategies to enable them to outwit, outmaneuver and outperform them in the world marketplace

Question 26

The internet has been influential in diffusing knowledge through world markets at a rapid pace

Question 27

As countries industrialize, their societies change to emphasize new trends in education, healthcare and create demand for many new products

Question 28

Technological developments have had few effects on country demographics and population trends

Question 29

The diffusion of modern popular culture through the internet and international media has been welcomed in all societies

Question 30

Excessive inflation rates at the country level have little effect on government policies or corporate cost structures

Question 31

Key success factors are the strategic expertise, competencies, resources and competitive capabilities that firms must possess to survive and prosper in their industry environments

Question 32

Technological developments have had few effects on religion

Question 33

Financial benchmarks are important external and internal indicators of industry attractiveness and competitiveness

Question 34

International companies have few opportunities to help countries upgrade their national infrastructures and amenities for citizens

Question 35

The internet has given companies better access to customers and customers better access to companies

Question 36

Technological developments have influenced country demographics through advances in medical technologies and aging populations

Question 37

Within specific industries, many firms often share the same or similar key success factors for building competitive success in world markets

Question 38

A key economic trend to monitor at the country level is national inflation rates because of its affects on cost structures, governmental policies and exchange rates

Question 39

Internet supply chain connections have made corporate ownership of suppliers and distributors more necessary

Question 40

Internet technologies have had few effects on global capital and financial markets

Question 41

International firms realize that small and medium-sized markets often just need the right economic conditions and the right marketing strategies to grow

Question 42

External assessments of competitor operations includes total, regional sales breakdowns, demand analyses, supply chain breakdowns, and evaluations of strategic initiatives

Question 43

Mapping out of a market rival's purchasing habits, manufacturing placements and distribution activities is an analysis of its supply chain functions

Question 44

Avoiding head-to-head competition with large global competitors is a viable strategy for smaller rivals

Question 45

Acquisitions, joint ventures, or global alliances are ways that smaller firms can compete with larger market rivals

Question 46

To be a market leader in a key product area or technology is an example of a company's strategic intent

Question 47

Most international firms prefer large and medium sized growth markets

Question 48

Small markets are usually poor markets for large international firms

Question 49

Looking at competitors' core competencies can yield key insights into what rivals perceive they do better than others in the industry

Question 50

Finding out that rival Colgate-Palmolive plans to emphasize and put resources into emerging markets is an example of a strategic initiative analysis

Question 51

Looking at competitors' strategic intents can yield key insights into their long-term competitive aspirations

Question 52

Looking at competitors' strategic intents can yield key insights into what rivals perceive they do better than others in the industry

Question 53

Challenging a market leader requires careful analyses of its regional and national market weaknesses and/or a review of their under-performing businesses and product lines

Question 54

Italian auto manufacturer Maserati's expertise in auto performance and styling is an example of that firm's strategic intent

Question 55

Most large global firms are equally strong in all regions and product lines

Question 56

Mapping out of a market rival's purchasing habits, manufacturing placements and distribution activities is an analysis of its global demand function

Question 57

Large international firms never need to acquire local firms, pursue joint ventures or global alliances to procure insider advantages

Question 58

The assessment of a rival's total, regional sales and market shares is an analysis of their supply chain strategy

Question 59

German auto manufacturer Porsche's expertise in auto performance and styling is an example of that firm's core competencies

Question 60

Studying rivals' corporate missions gives firms few insights into competitor corporate priorities in terms of their products, markets, technologies or corporate cultures

Question 61

The analysis of competitor supply chains makes firms become more efficient but rarely makes them into better competitors

Question 62

Market selection strategies tend to be based on which of the following criteria:

A) Market size
B) Market growth
C) What competitors are doing
D) The market's political and economic circumstances
E) All of the above

Question 63

A US exporter sells to a broad range of foreign markets but feels that there are major import markets that US-based companies do not yet service. The exporter should check out which of the following data sources:

A) The national trade data base
B) The global yellow pages
C) The United Nations Trade Data Yearbook volume 2
D) Its national industry association statistics

Question 64

Analyses of industries on a worldwide scale include all of the following except:

A) Market demand evaluations from worldwide, regional and national market perspectives
B) Drivers of industry change
C) Industry structure, the major players in global markets
D) Financial benchmarks to assess market prospects
E) All are components of worldwide industry analysis

Question 65

A company has determined that its primary rival has superior sources of supply and is more adept at serving customer needs through some innovative distribution channels. The company should analyze that competitor's:

A) Total, regional, national sales and market shares
B) Management priorities in a strategic initiative analysis
C) Supply chain strategies
D) None of the above

Question 66

Which of the following are political drivers of global industry change:

A) WTO and IMF efforts to improve worldwide infrastructures, free trade and payment mechanisms
B) Fluctuations in global economic growth
C) Efforts to expand national education delivery systems
D) Corporate integration of global supply chains

Question 67

Privatization and deregulation trends in the water treatment industry has resulted in a few European and North American companies taking over many smaller water treatment companies around the world. These takeovers are affecting:

A) Global demand for water treatment services
B) The water treatment industry structure
C) The supply chain for water treatment services
D) None of the above

Question 68

A US company is trying to locate which country to source a particular product from. The firm should use which of the following data sources:

A) The national trade data base
B) Its national industry association statistics
C) The global yellow pages
D) All of the above

Question 69

A company finds that worldwide industry sales fluctuate by over 20 percent on a year-by-year basis, but that Latin America and Asia show steady growth, and that Brazil, Japan and China have shown spectacular growth over the past two years. These findings have resulted from a(n):

A) Global supply chain analysis
B) Worldwide industry demand analysis
C) Global industry analysis
D) An analysis of worldwide industry structure

Question 70

The objective of global competitor analyses is to:

A) Outwit rivals by detecting marketplace changes more quickly than rivals
B) Outmaneuver rivals by being the first to introduce new products and technologies
C) Outperform rivals in terms of market share, customer satisfaction levels and corporate reputation
D) All of the above

Question 71

A company learns that a primary competitor is putting major resources into selected markets in Eastern Europe and Africa and building portfolios of international and local brands in these areas. The firm has just performed which type of competitive analysis:

A) Total, regional, national sales and market shares
B) A strategic initiative analysis
C) Supply chain strategies
D) None of the above

Question 72

When the UN's International Telecommunications Union pushes to establish global industry standards for the telecommunications sector, the industry would view this move as what type of industry change driver:

A) Technological driver
B) Societal driver
C) Economic driver
D) Political driver

Question 73

A US manufacturer of high tech equipment only produces in the home market and exports to service foreign market needs. The appropriate method of evaluating worldwide demand for its products sold from the US would be:

A) An analysis of its global supply chain
B) Industry statistics on worldwide consumption
C) Analyses using the US's national trade database
D) All of the above

Question 74

It has resulted in closer coordination between suppliers, manufacturers, distributors and customers and made asset ownership less necessary in the production of products; it has also increased data and information accessibility within corporations. It is:

A) The internet
B) Global media
C) Global competition
D) Free trade

Question 75

As nations industrialize, country priorities change and companies respond by emphasizing recycling, environmental issues, concern for local communities, and start to provide more services and amenities for citizens (autos, travel, conveniences). The driver responsible for these types of changes is:

A) Technological
B) Political
C) Economic
D) Societal

Question 76

As developing nations industrialize, demand is created for educational materials, healthcare facilities and equipment, and labor-saving products and services. The driver responsible for changes in these sectors is:

A) Societal
B) Political
C) Economic
D) Technological

Question 77

The impact of technological advances such as the internet and international media have had definite effects on all of the following except:

A) Popular culture
B) Education
C) Country demographics
D) Religion
E) All of the above

Question 78

A rival to auto producer Ferrari has determined that Ferrari's reputation is based on combining very high performance with the ultimate in body styling and appearance. This describes Ferrari's:

A) Core competencies
B) Strategic intent
C) Corporate mission
D) All of the above

Question 79

In performing a competitor analysis, a company learns that this rival's aim is to dominate a particular technology and become the industry leader in its field. This would be the rival's:

A) Core competencies
B) Strategic intent
C) Corporate mission
D) All of the above