Deck 11: International Strategy and Organization

Question 1

Scenario: Beanstalk International
Beanstalk International is a rapidly growing company with well-established subsidiaries in several nations. The company wants to follow a strategy of adapting its products and marketing activities in each national market to suit local preferences. This strategy aims at creating value for its customers.
Which of the following should managers at Beanstalk conduct to identify and distinguish between the primary and support activities in the organization?

A) fundamental analysis
B) structural analysis
C) value chain analysis
D) technical analysis

Answer 1

C

Question 2

What strategy involves adapting products and their marketing strategies to national markets to suite local preferences?

A) Global strategy
B) Stability strategy
C) Multinational strategy
D) Low cost leadership

Answer 2

C

Question 3

Companies often establish largely independent,self-contained units in each of its national markets to implement a ________ strategy.

A) retrenchment
B) global
C) multinational
D) blue ocean

Answer 3

C

Question 4

The main benefit of a multidomestic strategy is that it ________.

A) exploits scale economies in product development and marketing
B) is cost-saving due to product and marketing standardization
C) takes advantage of location economies
D) responds quickly and effectively to emerging buyer preferences

Question 5

Which term refers to the major objectives that a firm wants to accomplish through pursuing a specific course of action?

A) tactics
B) value chains
C) strategic goals
D) control frameworks

Question 6

A ________ is a course of actions taken by managers to help a company meet its objectives.

A) mission statement
B) vision
C) strategy
D) core competency

Question 7

________ is the process of identifying and selecting an organization's objectives and deciding how the organization will achieve those objectives.

A) Stratification
B) Planning
C) Economic transition
D) Value chain analysis

Question 8

Strategy is the set of planned actions that managers take to help a company meet its objectives.

Question 9

Which of the following is the first stage of the strategy-formulation process?

A) identification of value-creating activities
B) formulation of strategies
C) identification of company mission and goals
D) identification of core competency

Question 10

Which of the following statements is true of objectives?

A) Objectives of individual business units in a company tend to be stated in the most general terms.
B) Objectives become more precise at the level of individual departments.
C) Objectives at the highest level in an organization tend to be more specific.
D) Objectives at the highest level in an organization are more concrete as they contain numerical targets.

Question 11

Technology development along with business infrastructure,human resource management and procurement are examples of a support activities in the value chain of an organization.

Question 12

All parties ranging from suppliers and employers to consumers who are affected by a company's activities are called its stakeholders.

Question 13

Adapting products and their marketing strategies in each of the national markets of a company to suit local preferences is called a ________ strategy.

A) multinational
B) blue ocean
C) global
D) retrenchment

Question 14

Objectives of individual business units in an organization exclusively contain numerical targets of performance.

Question 15

Objectives at the highest level in a company are always stated in the most specific terms.

Question 16

Which of the following clarifies the organization's purpose,values,and direction?

A) code of ethics
B) SWOT analysis
C) strategic plan
D) mission statement

Question 17

Core competencies are the special ability of a company that competitors find extremely difficult or impossible to equal.

Question 18

Which of the following statements is true of the environmental forces that affect strategy formulation?

A) Socialist economic systems normally levy light taxes on business profits.
B) Countries that excessively spend on R&D tend to have lower levels of prosperity.
C) Approval of the host government is almost always necessary for making direct investments.
D) Free-market economies tend to levy high taxes on business profits.

Question 19

Core competencies are developed by organizations over long periods of time.

Question 20

Which of the following strategies is appropriate for companies in industries where buyer preferences do not converge across national borders?

A) retrenchment strategy
B) global strategy
C) multidomestic strategy
D) mass customization strategy

Question 21

A ________ strategy can create cost savings due to product and marketing standardization.

A) retrenchment
B) multidomestic
C) blue ocean
D) global

Question 22

Which of the following is a special ability of a company that competitors find extremely difficult to equal?

A) comparative advantage
B) absolute advantage
C) core competency
D) economy of scale

Question 23

Support activities such as,business infrastructure,human resource management,technology development,and procurement (sourcing)provides the inputs and infrastructure required by the primary activities,in value-chain analysis.

Question 24

Which of the following is considered as a support activity in an organization?

A) inbound logistics
B) human resource management
C) procurement
D) customer service

Question 25

A strategy designed to reduce the scale or scope of a corporation's business is called a ________ strategy.

A) growth
B) differentiation
C) retrenchment
D) stability

Question 26

A strategy of adapting products and their marketing strategies in each national market to suit local preferences is referred to as a ________ strategy.

A) global
B) retrenchment
C) multinational
D) blue ocean

Question 27

Companies that produce entire inventories of products or components in one or very few optimal locations are most likely to follow a ________ strategy.

A) retrenchment
B) global
C) blue ocean
D) multinational

Question 28

A retrenchment strategy is designed to ________.

A) encourage growth through joint ventures
B) reduce the scale or scope of a corporation's operations
C) focus exclusively on internally generated growth
D) guard against organizational change

Question 29

________ is the process of dividing a company's activities into primary and support activities and identifying those that create value for customers.

A) Fundamental analysis
B) Technical analysis
C) Structural analysis
D) Value-chain analysis

Question 30

Companies that typically design promotional campaigns and advertising strategies at their headquarters are most likely to follow a ________ strategy.

A) retrenchment
B) global
C) blue ocean
D) multidomestic

Question 31

Differentiate between primary and support activities that create value for a company's customers.How can managers determine whether an activity enhances customer value?

Question 32

Which of the following is considered as a primary activity in an organization?

A) infrastructure
B) after-sales support and service
C) procurement
D) human resource management

Question 33

According to value-chain analysis,marketing and sales are considered as ________.

A) tertiary activities
B) primary activities
C) support activities
D) core competencies

Question 34

Explain the differences between a mission statement and a business-level strategy.

Question 35

Global products are most commonly seen in industries where there is ________.

A) little convergence of buyer preference across national borders
B) low pressure to contain costs
C) high demand for customized products
D) significant price competition

Question 36

Marketing and sales are examples of a support activities in the value chain of an organization.

Question 37

Organic growth refers to an organization's corporate strategy that relies on growth ________.

A) through mergers and acquisitions
B) based on strategic alliances
C) generated internally
D) achieved from joint ventures

Question 38

The scope of a corporation's operations refers to the size of its operations.

Question 39

The main benefit of a multinational strategy is that it allows companies to ________.

A) closely monitor buyer preferences in each local market
B) save costs due to product and marketing standardization
C) customize its products and services
D) respond effectively to emerging buyer preferences
E) A and D

Question 40

A ________ strategy typically increases the cost structure for international companies and forces them to charge higher prices to recover such costs.

A) retrenchment
B) global
C) multidomestic
D) blue ocean

Question 41

Scenario: Beanstalk International
Beanstalk International is a rapidly growing company with well-established subsidiaries in several nations. The company wants to follow a strategy of adapting its products and marketing activities in each national market to suit local preferences. This strategy aims at creating value for its customers.
The strategy that Beanstalk would most likely want to follow is called a ________ strategy.

A) multinational
B) retrenchment
C) global
D) stability

Question 42

Decreasing levels of customer loyalty to an organization's products is a major disadvantage of the ________ strategy.

A) blue ocean
B) stability
C) low-cost leadership
D) growth

Question 43

Scenario: Beanstalk International
Beanstalk International is a rapidly growing company with well-established subsidiaries in several nations. The company wants to follow a strategy of adapting its products and marketing activities in each national market to suit local preferences. This strategy aims at creating value for its customers.
Which of the following is a primary activity that creates value for Beanstalk's customers?

A) firm infrastructure
B) procurement
C) human resource management
D) inbound logistics

Question 44

Free-market economies tend to levy high taxes on business profits whereas socialist economic systems normally levy lighter taxes.

Question 45

Which of the following is a characteristic based on which products are typically differentiated?

A) brand loyalty
B) brand equity
C) product design
D) product cost

Question 46

Which of the following strategies is designed to increase the scale or scope of a corporation's operations?

A) stability strategy
B) growth strategy
C) retrenchment strategy
D) differentiation strategy

Question 47

A(n)________ strategy deals with the primary and supports activities in an organization that create value for customers.

A) business-level
B) department-level
C) corporate-level
D) international

Question 48

What strategy is used when Noritake compares the ceramic tableware it makes (www.noritake.com)from common tableware by emphasizing its superior quality?

A) differentiation strategy
B) stability strategy
C) mass customization strategy
D) retrenchment strategy

Question 49

A ________ strategy is one in which a company designs its products to be perceived by buyers as unique throughout its industry.

A) differentiation
B) stability
C) low-cost leadership
D) retrenchment

Question 50

Which of the following strategies is used when Ryanair engages in aggressive cost cutting in order to be Europe's leading low-cost airline?

A) differentiation strategy
B) focus strategy
C) low-cost leadership strategy
D) retrenchment strategy

Question 51

A company that is selling unprofitable business units is most likely following a ________ strategy.

A) growth
B) retrenchment
C) stability
D) combined

Question 52

Scenario: TeleToys Inc.
TeleToys Inc., a U.S.-based company, recently opened eighteen new toy stores in Brazil, acquired a women's clothing company in Canada, and closed its men's clothing line in Australia. The company has a structure that organizes its global operations into geographic regions.
TeleToys recently opened eighteen new toy stores in Brazil.This move can best be described as a ________ strategy.

A) growth
B) stability
C) retrenchment
D) differentiation

Question 53

A ________ strategy often means designing products and promotions aimed at consumers who are either dissatisfied with existing choices or who want something distinctive.

A) global
B) stability
C) low-cost leadership
D) focus

Question 54

A global strategy entails having a separate strategy for each nation in which a company markets its products.

Question 55

Scenario: TeleToys Inc.
TeleToys Inc., a U.S.-based company, recently opened eighteen new toy stores in Brazil, acquired a women's clothing company in Canada, and closed its men's clothing line in Australia. The company has a structure that organizes its global operations into geographic regions.
The closing of TeleToys' Australian men's clothing line can best be described as a(n)________ strategy.

A) organic growth
B) stability
C) retrenchment
D) global

Question 56

A business-level strategy in which a company exploits economies of scale is called a ________.

A) differentiation strategy
B) stability strategy
C) low-cost leadership strategy
D) retrenchment strategy

Question 57

A company that is closing factories with unused capacity and laying-off workers is most likely following a ________ strategy.

A) growth
B) retrenchment
C) stability
D) combined

Question 58

Scenario: Beanstalk International
Beanstalk International is a rapidly growing company with well-established subsidiaries in several nations. The company wants to follow a strategy of adapting its products and marketing activities in each national market to suit local preferences. This strategy aims at creating value for its customers.
Which of the following is a support activity that creates value for Beanstalk's customers?

A) production
B) marketing and sales
C) customer service
D) technology development

Question 59

A ________ strategy is one in which a company emphasizes on serving the needs of a narrowly defined market segment by being the low-cost leader,differentiating its product,or both.

A) global
B) focus
C) stability
D) retrenchment

Question 60

A multinational strategy should allow a company to charge higher prices and/or gain market share.

Question 61

A joint venture is an example of a growth strategy of an organization.

Question 62

Briefly describe the three generic business-level strategies,providing an example of each.

Question 63

Corporations that reduce the scale of their operations by laying off managers and salespeople in national markets that are not generating adequate sales revenue are using a stability strategy.

Question 64

A growth strategy is designed to reduce the scale or scope of a corporation's operations.

Question 65

A global strategy does not allow a company to modify its products except for the most superficial features.

Question 66

Companies that pursue the low-cost leadership position also try to contain administrative costs and the costs of activities,including marketing,advertising,and distribution.

Question 67

Stability is designed to ________.

A) guard against organizational change
B) increase the scale or scope of a corporation's operations
C) support the stability strategies of an organization
D) support the retrenchment strategies of an organization

Question 68

Companies involved in more than one line of business must first formulate a ________ strategy.

A) business-level
B) department-level
C) corporate-level
D) global-level

Question 69

Briefly describe the strategy formulation process of international organizations.

Question 70

A multinational strategy is best suited to industries in which price competitiveness is a key success factor.

Question 71

What strategy involves a company working on serving the needs of a narrowly defined market segment?

A) differentiation strategy
B) focus strategy
C) stability strategy
D) retrenchment strategy

Question 72

A differentiation strategy is often implemented when a company wants to exploit economies of scale to have the lowest cost structure.

Question 73

The main benefit of a multinational strategy is that it allows companies to monitor buyer preferences closely in each local market.

Question 74

A low-cost leadership strategy typically requires a company to have a large market share.

Question 75

Explain how a global strategy complements a corporate growth strategy.

Question 76

Explain the different ways in which products can be differentiated,providing an example of each.

Question 77

A focus strategy works best with mass-marketed products aimed at price-sensitive buyers.

Question 78

The purpose of a combination strategy is to mix growth,retrenchment,and stability strategies across a corporation's business units.

Question 79

Decentralized decision making concentrates decision making at a high organizational level in one location,such as at headquarters.

Question 80

The way in which a company divides its activities among separate units and coordinates activities among those units is referred to as ________.

A) organizational structure
B) organizational network analysis
C) organizational diagnostics
D) organizational climate