Deck 2: Identifying Competitive Advantages

Question 1

When a company is the first to market with a competitive advantage,this is called a first-mover advantage.All of the following companies were first-movers except ____________.

A) FedEx - the online self-service software
B) Apple - iPad
C) Apple - iPod
D) Microsoft - Bing search engine

Answer 1

D
Explanation: First-mover advantage is an advantage that occurs when a company can significantly increase its market share by being first with a competitive advantage. Google was first to market with search-engine technology.

Question 2

With the Five Forces Model,companies should watch the forces in the market.If the forces are strong,competition generally increases,and if the forces are weak,competition typically decreases.

Answer 2

True
Explanation: With the Five Forces Model, companies should watch the forces in the market. If the forces are strong, competition generally increases, and if the forces are weak, competition typically decreases.

Question 3

Mark Peterson identified the Five Forces Model,which analyzes the competitive forces within a business environment.

Answer 3

False
Explanation: Michael Porter created the Porter's Five Forces Model, which analyzes the competitive forces within a business environment.

Question 4

Porter's Five Forces Model outlines the process for a sales strategy.

Question 5

When a company is the first to market with a competitive advantage,it gains a particular benefit known as competitive intelligence.

Question 6

There are many challenges to changing doctors,including transferring medical records and losing the doctor-patient relationship along with the doctor's knowledge of the patient's history.Changing doctors provides a great example of switching costs.

Question 7

A business strategy achieves a specific set of goals,which include __________.

A) developing new products or services and attracting new competition
B) increasing costs and attracting new competition
C) attracting new customers and developing new products or services
D) All of these

Question 8

According to Porter's three generic strategies,Walmart is following a business strategy that focuses on "broad market and low cost."

Question 9

Supplier power is one of Porter's five forces,and it measures the suppliers' ability to influence the prices they charge for supplies (including materials,labor,and services).

Question 10

A leadership plan that achieves a specific set of goals or objectives is a business strategy.

Question 11

Buyer power is the ability of buyers to affect the price they must pay for an item.

Question 12

Value chain analysis views a firm as a series of business processes that each add value to the product or service.

Question 13

Polaroid had a unique competitive advantage for many years until it forgot to observe competitive intelligence.The firm went bankrupt when people began taking digital pictures.Polaroid provides a great example of Porter's threat of new entrants.

Question 14

Porter has identified three generic business strategies,including focused,broad cost leadership,and switching strategy.

Question 15

Product differentiation occurs when a company develops unique differences in its products or services with the intent to influence demand.

Question 16

Which of the following is not a typical way that a company would duplicate a competitive advantage?

A) Acquiring the new technology.
B) Copying the business operations.
C) Hiring away key employees.
D) Carrying large product inventories.

Question 17

The value chain will group a company's activities into two categories: primary value activities and support value activities.

Question 18

Two ways to reduce buyer power are through switching costs and loyalty programs.

Question 19

Tiffany & Company competes in the marketplace by offering high-cost custom jewelry.Tiffany & Company is following a broad market and cost leadership strategy.

Question 20

A standardized set of activities that accomplish a specific task is called a supply chain component.

Question 21

The banking industry has implemented several competitive advantages,including ATMs,online bill-pay services,and electronic statements.Of course,these competitive advantages were quickly duplicated by any competitor that wanted to remain in the banking industry.These are examples of ___________.

A) acquiring new technology products and services
B) hiring new employees
C) reducing expenses
D) gaining invaluable feedback from customers

Question 22

Greg Provenzo owns and runs a Blockbuster video store.Greg is implementing a drive-thru rental process that is the same as you would find at a fast-food restaurant.Customers can pick up and drop off their videos without leaving their cars.Greg's new system has become so popular that Videos Plus,a competitor down the street,is attempting to re-create Greg's video drive-thru rental process.Greg's system is an example of a _________.

A) supply chain power
B) first-mover advantage
C) business processing strategy
D) business intelligence

Question 23

Callie Crystal owns and operates one of the most successful local coffee shops in Denver,called The Edgewater Café.Each time a customer purchases their 100^th cup of coffee at The Edgewater Café,they receive a free pound of coffee of their choice.What is Callie attempting to create with her unique "Free Pound of Coffee" marketing program?

A) Reducing buyer power with a loyalty program.
B) Increasing buyer power with a loyalty program.
C) Decreasing supplier power with a differentiated product.
D) Creating a substitute product.

Question 24

What is a competitive advantage?

A) A feature of a product or service on which customers place a lesser value on than on similar offerings from a new competitor.
B) A brand name customers place a greater value on than the quality of the product or service.
C) A service that customers place a lesser value on than similar offerings from a supplier.
D) A feature of a product or service on which customers place a greater value than on similar offerings from competitors.

Question 25

A __________ advantage features a product or service on which customers place a greater value than they do on similar offerings from competitors.

A) competitive
B) competitor
C) power
D) first-mover

Question 26

Gina Brooks works for Aquarium Retail Services selling high-end saltwater fish and tank supplies.Aquarium Retail Services is the current market leader in Gina's city.Gina has recently been approached by Deep Blue Incorporated with an opportunity to run its corporate nationwide marketing and sales division.Gina decides to jump at the opportunity! Deep Blue is attempting to gain a competitive ________ by stealing its competitor's key employees.

A) power
B) entry barrier
C) advantage
D) loyalty

Question 27

The process of gathering information about the competitive environment,including competitors' plans,activities,and products,to improve a company's ability to succeed is the definition of ___________.

A) feedback
B) information
C) competitive intelligence
D) data

Question 28

The Victory Wireless store in Denver is currently offering a fabulous marketing strategy for potential new iPhone customers.Victory Wireless offers customers who purchase an iPhone with a two-year subscription a free OtterBox phone case,car charger,ear phones,and speakers.In terms of Porter's Five Forces,what is Victory Wireless attempting to achieve with this marketing strategy?

A) Increase buyer power.
B) Increase substitute products.
C) Decrease supplier power.
D) Decrease buyer power.

Question 29

Identifying competitive advantages can be difficult and explains why they are typically _______.

A) temporary
B) satisfactory
C) terminated
D) unsuccessful

Question 30

All of the following are common tools used in industry to analyze and develop competitive advantages,except:

A) Five Forces Model
B) Three generic strategies
C) Competitive analysis model
D) Value chain analysis

Question 31

Paula Logston is the owner and operator of a high-end online custom clothing company.Paula has never heard of Porter's Five Forces Model,and she wants to understand why she should perform an analysis using it.If you were tasked with explaining Porter's Five Forces Model to Paula,what would be the primary reason she would want to use this type of analysis?

A) To help Paula choose a clothing business focus.
B) To help Paula evaluate the attractiveness of the clothing industry.
C) To help Paula evaluate and execute business goals.
D) All of these.

Question 32

Which of the following is a tool a manager can use to analyze competitive intelligence and identify competitive advantages?

A) The three generic strategies
B) The threat of substitute buyer power
C) Differentiated costs
D) Supplier loyalty

Question 33

Michael Porter defined the Five Forces Model and the potential pressures that can hurt sales.Which of the following is not one of the potential pressures that can hurt sales?

A) Suppliers can drive down profits by charging more for supplies.
B) New market entrants can steal potential investment capital.
C) Substitute products can steal customers.
D) All of these.

Question 34

Steve Jobs and Apple created a big advantage in the technology industry with the introduction of the iPod,iPhone,and iPad.What are these all examples of?

A) Competitive advantage
B) Competitive intelligence
C) First-mover advantage
D) All of these

Question 35

Which of the following is a reason why competitive advantages are typically temporary?

A) The competitor hiring your key employees.
B) The competitor seeking ways to duplicate your business operations.
C) The competitor acquiring new technology.
D) All of these.

Question 36

Which of the following is included in Porter's Five Forces Model?

A) Loyalty expenses.
B) Supply chain management.
C) The power of competitors.
D) Systems thinking.

Question 37

Competitive intelligence is the process of gathering information about the competitive environment,including _________.

A) competitors' employees
B) competitors' differentiated processes
C) competitors' plans
D) All of these

Question 38

Kevin Campbell is an incoming freshman at your college.Kevin is frustrated by the cost of books,tuition,and expenses,and he also needs to purchase a rather expensive laptop.In an effort to save money,Kevin begins a Facebook group finding other college students who need to purchase laptops.Soon,Kevin's Facebook group has close to 100,000 students.Kevin decides to collectively approach different computer companies to see if his group qualifies for a special discount.What business strategy is Kevin using to purchase laptops?

A) Collecting business intelligence.
B) Decreasing entry barriers.
C) Purchasing a substitute product.
D) Increasing buyer power.

Question 39

Updating business strategies is a continuous undertaking,as internal and external environments ________.

A) become less competitive
B) rmain stagnant
C) rapidly change
D) become more consistent

Question 40

___________ make customers reluctant to switch to another product or service.

A) Support activities
B) Switching costs
C) Loyalty rewards
D) Value chain activities

Question 41

Imagine you are creating a new product to sell in an up and coming market.Which of the following statements indicates that it would be easy for you,as the new entrant,to compete in this market?

A) The threat of new entrants is high in the up and coming market.
B) The threat of new entrants is low in the up and coming market.
C) The threat of new entrants is impossible to define in the up and coming market.
D) All of these, depending on the time of year.

Question 42

John Cleaver is the CEO of Tech World,which is a retail store that sells computers,monitors,cameras,televisions,and many other electronic products.John and his executive team are meeting to brainstorm new ideas on how to grow the business.One idea is to mimic the product of a competitor that is attempting to sell a new product in a different industry.After performing a Porter's Five Forces analysis,John determines that all of the forces are high in this new industry.What should John do?

A) Explode into the market with an overflow of the product.
B) Contemplate other products to introduce at the same time in this new market.
C) Compare the competitor's prices and offer his product lower in this new market.
D) Not introduce the product. Because all five forces are strong, introducing the product would be a highly risky business strategy.

Question 43

What includes all parties involved,directly or indirectly,in obtaining raw materials or a product?

A) Support chain.
B) Supply chain.
C) System chain.
D) Supply choice.

Question 44

Which of the following offers an example where Porter's five forces are mostly strong and competition is high?

A) A dog walking business.
B) A ski resort.
C) A professional hockey team.
D) All of these.

Question 45

Which of the following offers an example where Porter's five forces are mostly weak and competition is low?

A) An international hotel chain purchasing milk.
B) A coffee shop.
C) A single consumer purchasing milk.
D) A dog walking business.

Question 46

Imagine you are creating a new product to sell in an up and coming market.Which of the following statements indicates that it would be difficult for you to enter this new market?

A) The threat-of-new-entrants is high in the up and coming market.
B) The threat-of-new-entrants is low in the up and coming market.
C) The threat-of-new-entrants is high during the summer months in the up-and-coming market.
D) All of these, depending on the time of year.

Question 47

Which of the following represents a company in a supply chain?

A) Customer and competitor.
B) Supplier and competitor.
C) Knowledge worker and supplier.
D) Supplier and customer.

Question 48

Which one of Porter's five forces is high when it is easy for new competitors to enter a market and low when there are significant entry barriers to joining a market?

A) Threat of new entrants.
B) Threat of substitute products or services.
C) Threat of buyer power.
D) Supply chain competition.

Question 49

Which of the following represents a typical supply chain?

A) Company - Customers - Suppliers.
B) Company - Suppliers - Customers.
C) Suppliers - Company - Customers.
D) Suppliers - Customers - Company.

Question 50

Your boss,Ty Jacob,has asked you to analyze the music industry using Porter's Five Forces Model.Which of the following represents supplier power in the music industry?

A) Established record labels like EMI, Sony, and Universal.
B) Walmart, Target, iTunes.
C) Game systems like Wii and social networks like Facebook.
D) Taylor Swift, Beyonce, The Beatles, and The Rolling Stones.

Question 51

When buyer power is low,supplier power is typically ______.

A) identical
B) high
C) low
D) unstable

Question 52

Amazon.com uses a customer-profiling system whenever a customer visits its website.Using this system,Amazon can offer products tailored to that particular customer's profile and buying pattern.What is Amazon using to achieve this competitive advantage?

A) Rivalry.
B) Buyer power.
C) Product differentiation.
D) Substitute product.

Question 53

If a supplier has high power,what can it do to influence its industry?

A) Charge higher prices.
B) Shift costs to industry participants.
C) Limit quality or services.
D) All of these.

Question 54

Some industries' competition is much more intense than others.Retail grocery stores,such as Kroger,Safeway,and Albertson's in the United States,experience fierce competition and offer similar marketing campaigns to compete.What is this an example of in terms of Porter's Five Forces?

A) Rivalry among new entrants.
B) Rivalry among existing competitors.
C) Threat of substitute products or services.
D) Buyer power.

Question 55

Shawn McGill is on the executive board for ABC Pharmaceuticals.The company produces the number-one-selling cancer-fighting drug on the market.Due to its incredible success,ABC pharmaceuticals has decided to increase the cost of the drug from $8 a pill to $15 a pill.Which force is ABC Pharmaceuticals using to increase its drug price?

A) Supplier power.
B) Buyer power.
C) Threat of false entrants.
D) Business power.

Question 56

What is a feature of a product or service that customers have come to expect and that entering competitors must match if they want to survive?

A) Significant barrier.
B) Entry barrier.
C) Product differentiation.
D) Entry chain.

Question 57

In the center of Porter's Five Forces Model is competition.Which of the following represents the four outer boxes?

A) Buyer power, systems power, threat of false entrants, and threat of substitute products or services
B) Buyer power, systems power, threat of new entrants, and threat of substitute products or services
C) Buyer power, supplier power, threat of new entrants, and threat of substitute products or services
D) Business power, supplier power, threat of new entrants, and threat of powerful services

Question 58

How can a company reduce the threat of substitute products or services?

A) Market the product to fewer than 10 customers.
B) Ignore competitive forces.
C) Offer additional value through wider product distribution.
D) Offer less value, making the product far more generic and similar to the competition.

Question 59

What is one of the most common ways a company can decrease supplier power?

A) Charge lower prices.
B) Charge higher prices.
C) Use MIS to find and create alternative products.
D) Companies cannot affect supplier power.

Question 60

Your boss,Ty Jacob,has asked you to analyze the music industry using Porter's Five Forces Model.Which of the following represents buyer power in the music industry?

A) Established record labels like EMI, Sony, and Universal.
B) Walmart, Target, and iTunes.
C) Independent record labels.
D) Game systems like Wii and social networks like Facebook.

Question 61

According to Porter,companies that wish to dominate broad markets should operate using a ________ strategy.

A) cost leadership with a low cost
B) differentiation with a low cost
C) cost leadership with a high cost
D) all of these

Question 62

Your boss,Tom Repicci,has asked you to analyze the airline industry using Porter's three generic strategies.Which of the following companies are using a focused strategy?

A) Southwest, Horizon, Frontier, and JetBlue.
B) British Airways, Singapore Airlines, and Virgin Atlantic.
C) Sky Taxi, a rent-by-the-hour personal plane service.
D) All of these.

Question 63

Jennifer Bloom is writing a paper and she must determine which of Porter's three generic strategies The Museum Company has implemented.Jennifer finds out that The Museum Company offers specialty products found only in museums around the world to affluent customers.What would Jennifer determine The Museum Company is using as its generic strategy?

A) Broad market, low cost.
B) Narrow market, high cost.
C) Broad market, high cost.
D) Narrow market, low cost.

Question 64

Which of the following offers an example of a company operating in a narrow,focused market operating as the low-cost provider?

A) Walmart.
B) Tiffany & Co.
C) Neiman Marcus.
D) Payless Shoes.

Question 65

Your boss,Kerry Miller,has asked you to analyze the soft drink industry using Porter's Five Forces Model.Which of the following represents buyer power in the soft drink industry?

A) Pepsi requires stores that carry Pepsi products to commit to minimum orders of 1,000 cases.
B) Walmart negotiates a lower cost per bottle from Coke in exchange for premium shelf space in every Walmart store.
C) Zevia Natural Diet Soda begins selling directly over the Internet.
D) Vitamin water, fruit juice, and coffee.

Question 66

Porter identified three generic strategies that a business could follow after identifying a market it wanted to enter.Which of the following is not included as one of Porter's three generic strategies?

A) Broad differentiation.
B) Supplier cost differentiation.
C) Focused strategy.
D) Broad cost leadership.

Question 67

Which of the following demonstrates a company that has implemented a low-cost,broad-market strategy?

A) Neiman Marcus.
B) Payless Shoes.
C) The Sharper Image.
D) Walmart.

Question 68

Your boss,Kerry Miller,has asked you to analyze the soft drink industry using Porter's Five Forces Model.Which of the following represents a substitute product in the soft drink industry?

A) Pepsi requires stores that carry Pepsi products to commit to minimum orders of 1,000 cases.
B) Walmart negotiates a lower cost per bottle from Coke in exchange for premium shelf space in every Walmart store.
C) Zevia Natural Diet Soda begins selling directly over the Internet.
D) Vitamin water, fruit juice, and coffee.

Question 69

Which of the following is similar to focused strategy versus broad strategy?

A) Large market versus leadership.
B) Large market versus uniqueness.
C) Niche market versus large market.
D) Niche market versus generic.

Question 70

When applying Porter's three generic strategies,Tiffany & Co.has a competitive scope and cost strategy that is a __________.

A) broad market, high cost strategy
B) narrow market, low cost strategy
C) narrow market, high cost strategy
D) broad market, low cost strategy

Question 71

Your boss,Kerry Miller,has asked you to analyze the soft drink industry using Porter's Five Forces Model.Which of the following represents rivalry in the soft drink industry?

A) Pepsi requires stores that carry Pepsi products to commit to minimum orders of 1,000 cases.
B) Walmart negotiates a lower cost per bottle from Coke in exchange for premium shelf space in every Walmart store.
C) Zevia Natural Diet Soda begins selling directly over the Internet.
D) Coke and Pepsi submit bids to the owner of a football stadium for the exclusive sale of their products during games.

Question 72

Your boss,Kerry Miller,has asked you to analyze the soft drink industry using Porter's Five Forces Model.Which of the following represents a threat of a new entrant in the soft drink industry?

A) Pepsi requires stores that carry Pepsi products to commit to minimum orders of 1,000 cases.
B) Walmart negotiates a lower cost per bottle from Coke in exchange for premium shelf space in every Walmart store.
C) Zevia Natural Diet Soda begins selling directly over the Internet.
D) Vitamin water, fruit juice, and coffee.

Question 73

According to Porter's value chain analysis,which of the following provides customer support after the sale of goods and services?

A) Inbound logistics.
B) Outbound logistics.
C) Operations.
D) Service.

Question 74

Your boss,Kerry Miller,has asked you to analyze the soft drink industry using Porter's Five Forces Model.Which of the following represents supplier power in the soft drink industry?

A) Pepsi requires stores that carry Pepsi products to commit to minimum orders of 1,000 cases.
B) Walmart negotiates a lower cost per bottle from Coke in exchange for premium shelf space in every Walmart store.
C) Zevia Natural Diet Soda begins selling directly over the Internet.
D) Vitamin water, fruit juice, and coffee.

Question 75

Broad differentiation,broad cost leadership,and _________ are the three generic strategies identified by Porter.

A) narrow market leadership
B) high cost versus low cost
C) focused strategy
D) none of these

Question 76

In the bookstore industry,some of today's businesses compete with different business strategies and cost strategies.Which of the following is using a broad market competitive scope along with a low cost strategy?

A) Amazon.com.
B) Any local independent bookstore that specializes in antique books.
C) Barnes & Noble.
D) Borders Books.

Question 77

According to Porter's three generic strategies for entering a market,if you have a focused strategy what market should you target?

A) A niche market.
B) A broad market.
C) Neither niche or broad markets.
D) Both niche and broad markets.

Question 78

Your boss,Tom Repicci,has asked you to analyze the airline industry using Porter's three generic strategies.Which of the following companies are using a differentiation strategy?

A) Southwest, Horizon, Frontier, and JetBlue.
B) British Airways, Singapore Airlines, and Virgin Atlantic.
C) Sky Taxi, a rent-by-the-hour personal plane service.
D) All of these.

Question 79

If a business is following a focused strategy,then its competitive scope is ________.

A) broad market
B) narrow market
C) broad range of products
D) broad range of services

Question 80

Your boss,Ty Jacob,has asked you to analyze the music industry using Porter's Five Forces Model.Which of the following represents the threat of substitute products or services in the music industry?

A) Established record labels like EMI, Sony, and Universal.
B) Independent record labels.
C) Game systems like Wii and social networks like Facebook.
D) Taylor Swift, Beyonce, The Beatles, and The Rolling Stones.