Question 1

Case Scenario 2: B.B. Mangler.
B.B. Mangler is a top U.S. business-to-business distributor of maintenance, repair, and service equipment, components, and supplies such as compressors, motors, signs, lighting and welding equipment, and hand and power tools. Its industry is typically referred to as MRO, which is an acronym for maintenance, repair, and supplies. MRO products are typically small, fairly inexpensive (light bulbs and washers), but often needed on short notice. It states its strategy as having the "capacity to offer an unmatched breadth of lowest total cost MRO solutions to business." Mangler's GoMRO sourcing center for indirect spot buys locates products through its database of 8,000 suppliers and 5 million products. Mangler has 388 physical branches in the U.S., including Puerto Rico (90% of sales), 184 in Canada, and 5 in Mexico. Customers include contractors, service and maintenance shops, manufacturers, hotels, governments, and health care and educational facilities. Mangler also provides materials-management consulting services.
-(Refer to Case Scenario 2) Historically, Mangler appears to have relied on its physical locations for market presence in the U.S. and northern South America. What threats does the Internet pose to its location-based strategy?

Accepted Answer

The answer of Case Scenario 2: B.B. Mangler.
B.B. Mangler is...

Question 2

Case Scenario 1: The Boys and Girls Club.
The Boys and Girls Club (BGC) is a national non-profit organization geared to provide America's youth with the tools and skills they need to become healthy adults, responsible citizens, and effective leaders. By bringing parents, neighbors, educators, and civic leaders together with our youth, BGC believes it can instill these crucial life lessons at an age when they're most needed. The national organization is headquartered in Atlanta, GA, and serves as a service hub for over 3,700 club locations around the U.S. Each local club is directed by a volunteer board of directors and staffed by professional youth development workers (usually including an executive director, a program director, and an arts director) and many volunteers who just enjoy working with young people and want to make a difference in their lives. While affiliated with the national center, each local BGC is locally funded.
-(Refer to Case Scenario 1) How might the BGC respond to threats to their donations at both local and national levels?

Accepted Answer

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Question 3

What are high exit barriers and how do they affect the competition within an industry?

Accepted Answer

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Question 4

Explain why it is important for organizations to analyze and understand the external environment.

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Question 5

Case Scenario 1: The Boys and Girls Club.
The Boys and Girls Club (BGC) is a national non-profit organization geared to provide America's youth with the tools and skills they need to become healthy adults, responsible citizens, and effective leaders. By bringing parents, neighbors, educators, and civic leaders together with our youth, BGC believes it can instill these crucial life lessons at an age when they're most needed. The national organization is headquartered in Atlanta, GA, and serves as a service hub for over 3,700 club locations around the U.S. Each local club is directed by a volunteer board of directors and staffed by professional youth development workers (usually including an executive director, a program director, and an arts director) and many volunteers who just enjoy working with young people and want to make a difference in their lives. While affiliated with the national center, each local BGC is locally funded.
-(Refer to Case Scenario 1) How are the various facets of the general environment (Table 2.1 in Strategic Management) likely to be important for BGC?

Accepted Answer

The answer of Case Scenario 1: The Boys and Girls...

Question 6

What do firms need to know about their competitors? What legal and ethical intelligence gathering techniques can be used to obtain this information?

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Question 7

What is a firm's strategic group? What effect does the strategic group have on the firm?

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Question 8

Which of the following intelligence gathering techniques is most likely to be legal and ethical?

Accepted Answer

Attending trade show presentations given by a competitor's employees is a common and legal way to gather intelligence. Trade shows are open to the public, and companies often send representatives to attend presentations given by their competitors in order to learn more about them. Options A, B, and C are illegal or unethical. Hiring investigators to examine a competitor's trash is illegal, entering a competitor's production plant without authorization is illegal and unethical, and redirecting a competitor's emails to one's own company is both illegal and unethical.

Question 9

Describe the factors that raise the competitive nature of an industry's rivalry.

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Question 10

Case Scenario 2: B.B. Mangler.
B.B. Mangler is a top U.S. business-to-business distributor of maintenance, repair, and service equipment, components, and supplies such as compressors, motors, signs, lighting and welding equipment, and hand and power tools. Its industry is typically referred to as MRO, which is an acronym for maintenance, repair, and supplies. MRO products are typically small, fairly inexpensive (light bulbs and washers), but often needed on short notice. It states its strategy as having the "capacity to offer an unmatched breadth of lowest total cost MRO solutions to business." Mangler's GoMRO sourcing center for indirect spot buys locates products through its database of 8,000 suppliers and 5 million products. Mangler has 388 physical branches in the U.S., including Puerto Rico (90% of sales), 184 in Canada, and 5 in Mexico. Customers include contractors, service and maintenance shops, manufacturers, hotels, governments, and health care and educational facilities. Mangler also provides materials-management consulting services.
-(Refer to Case Scenario 2) What opportunities does the Internet provide to Mangler, both domestically and internationally?

Accepted Answer

The answer of Case Scenario 2: B.B. Mangler.
B.B. Mangler is...

Question 11

Identify the five forces that underlie the five forces model of competition. Explain briefly how they affect industry profit potential.

Accepted Answer

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Question 12

Case Scenario 2: B.B. Mangler.
B.B. Mangler is a top U.S. business-to-business distributor of maintenance, repair, and service equipment, components, and supplies such as compressors, motors, signs, lighting and welding equipment, and hand and power tools. Its industry is typically referred to as MRO, which is an acronym for maintenance, repair, and supplies. MRO products are typically small, fairly inexpensive (light bulbs and washers), but often needed on short notice. It states its strategy as having the "capacity to offer an unmatched breadth of lowest total cost MRO solutions to business." Mangler's GoMRO sourcing center for indirect spot buys locates products through its database of 8,000 suppliers and 5 million products. Mangler has 388 physical branches in the U.S., including Puerto Rico (90% of sales), 184 in Canada, and 5 in Mexico. Customers include contractors, service and maintenance shops, manufacturers, hotels, governments, and health care and educational facilities. Mangler also provides materials-management consulting services.
-(Refer to Case Scenario 2) How should Mangler respond to the threat of new Internet-based entrants?

Accepted Answer

The answer of Case Scenario 2: B.B. Mangler.
B.B. Mangler is...

Question 13

Describe the seven segments of the general environment.

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Question 14

Case Scenario 2: B.B. Mangler.
B.B. Mangler is a top U.S. business-to-business distributor of maintenance, repair, and service equipment, components, and supplies such as compressors, motors, signs, lighting and welding equipment, and hand and power tools. Its industry is typically referred to as MRO, which is an acronym for maintenance, repair, and supplies. MRO products are typically small, fairly inexpensive (light bulbs and washers), but often needed on short notice. It states its strategy as having the "capacity to offer an unmatched breadth of lowest total cost MRO solutions to business." Mangler's GoMRO sourcing center for indirect spot buys locates products through its database of 8,000 suppliers and 5 million products. Mangler has 388 physical branches in the U.S., including Puerto Rico (90% of sales), 184 in Canada, and 5 in Mexico. Customers include contractors, service and maintenance shops, manufacturers, hotels, governments, and health care and educational facilities. Mangler also provides materials-management consulting services.
-(Refer to Case Scenario 2) The use of the Internet by Mangler would enhance its low cost strategy and reduce the barriers of entry to markets in Europe, Asia, and Latin America

Accepted Answer

By using the Internet, Mangler can expand its reach beyond physical branches and potentially reach new markets in Europe, Asia, and Latin America. This would enhance its low cost strategy by reducing barriers to entry and increasing efficiency in procurement and distribution.

Question 15

Which of the following represents a competitive intelligence practice that is both legal and ethical?

Accepted Answer

Attending trade shows and gathering publicly available information is a legal and ethical competitive intelligence practice. Hiring a competitor's employee to share confidential information or selling confidential plans is illegal and unethical. Sharing confidential information with a spouse who is also bidding on a contract is a conflict of interest and unethical.

Question 16

Competitor intelligence could ethically come from all the following EXCEPT

Accepted Answer

Eavesdropping is an unethical way to obtain competitor intelligence. It involves spying on private conversations or intercepting communications without proper authorization or consent. This is a violation of privacy and trust, and could potentially lead to legal consequences. Therefore, it is not a recommended or acceptable method for gathering competitor intelligence. Other options such as court records, financial reports, and trade show discussions are viable sources that can be obtained legally and ethically.

Question 17

Case Scenario 1: The Boys and Girls Club.
The Boys and Girls Club (BGC) is a national non-profit organization geared to provide America's youth with the tools and skills they need to become healthy adults, responsible citizens, and effective leaders. By bringing parents, neighbors, educators, and civic leaders together with our youth, BGC believes it can instill these crucial life lessons at an age when they're most needed. The national organization is headquartered in Atlanta, GA, and serves as a service hub for over 3,700 club locations around the U.S. Each local club is directed by a volunteer board of directors and staffed by professional youth development workers (usually including an executive director, a program director, and an arts director) and many volunteers who just enjoy working with young people and want to make a difference in their lives. While affiliated with the national center, each local BGC is locally funded.
-(Refer to Case Scenario 1) The purpose of the Boys and Girls Club (BGC) is to instill in youth the tools and skills needed to become healthy adults, responsible citizens, and effective leaders. If the BGC were to initiate programs about women's issues, women in the workforce, workforce diversity, and changes in work and career preferences, it would be contributing to an understanding of which segment of the general environment?

Accepted Answer

Programs about women's issues, women in the workforce, workforce diversity, and changes in work and career preferences fall under the sociocultural segment of the general environment. It deals with the values, beliefs, attitudes, and lifestyles of the society, which are constantly changing and evolving. By providing these programs, BGC is catering to the changing sociocultural needs of the youth.

Question 18

Case Scenario 1: The Boys and Girls Club.
The Boys and Girls Club (BGC) is a national non-profit organization geared to provide America's youth with the tools and skills they need to become healthy adults, responsible citizens, and effective leaders. By bringing parents, neighbors, educators, and civic leaders together with our youth, BGC believes it can instill these crucial life lessons at an age when they're most needed. The national organization is headquartered in Atlanta, GA, and serves as a service hub for over 3,700 club locations around the U.S. Each local club is directed by a volunteer board of directors and staffed by professional youth development workers (usually including an executive director, a program director, and an arts director) and many volunteers who just enjoy working with young people and want to make a difference in their lives. While affiliated with the national center, each local BGC is locally funded.
-(Refer to Case Scenario 1) Why would attention focused on victims of natural disasters be a threat to the BGC?

Accepted Answer

The answer of Case Scenario 1: The Boys and Girls...

Question 19

Identify and describe the three major parts of the external environment. What is the purpose of the firm's collecting information about these aspects of its environment?

Accepted Answer

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Question 20

Describe and discuss the four activities of the external environmental analysis process.

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Quiz 2: The External Environment: Opportunities, Threats, Competition, and Competitor Analysis

What are high exit barriers and how do they affect the competition within an industry?

Explain why it is important for organizations to analyze and understand the external environment.

What do firms need to know about their competitors? What legal and ethical intelligence gathering techniques can be used to obtain this information?

What is a firm's strategic group? What effect does the strategic group have on the firm?

Which of the following intelligence gathering techniques is most likely to be legal and ethical?

Describe the factors that raise the competitive nature of an industry's rivalry.

Identify the five forces that underlie the five forces model of competition. Explain briefly how they affect industry profit potential.

Describe the seven segments of the general environment.

Which of the following represents a competitive intelligence practice that is both legal and ethical?

Competitor intelligence could ethically come from all the following EXCEPT

Identify and describe the three major parts of the external environment. What is the purpose of the firm's collecting information about these aspects of its environment?

Describe and discuss the four activities of the external environmental analysis process.