Question 1

Describe the seven segments of the general environment.

Accepted Answer

The answer of Describe the seven segments of the general...

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

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

Question 3

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

The use of the Internet would allow Mangler to expand its reach beyond its physical locations and access new markets, reducing the barriers of entry to those markets. This would align with their strategy of offering lowest total cost MRO solutions to businesses.

Question 4

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

Accepted Answer

The answer of What is a firm's strategic group? What...

Question 5

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

Accepted Answer

Attending a trade show and gathering information about a competitor's products and marketing strategies is a legal and ethical practice of competitive intelligence. However, options A, C, and D involve unethical and/or illegal practices, such as exploiting confidential information and trade secrets, using insider information, and engaging in espionage.

Question 6

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

The answer of Identify and describe the three major parts...

Question 7

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

Accepted Answer

The answer of Describe and discuss the four activities of...

Question 8

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 9

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

Accepted Answer

The answer of Describe the factors that raise the competitive...

Question 10

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 method of intelligence gathering. This technique is considered ethical and does not involve any illegal or unauthorized access to a competitor's information.

Question 11

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

Accepted Answer

The answer of Explain why it is important for organizations...

Question 12

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

Accepted Answer

The answer of What do firms need to know about...

Question 13

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 14

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

Accepted Answer

The answer of Identify the five forces that underlie the...

Question 15

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?
a) Demographic
b) Sociocultural
c) Economic
d) Technological

Accepted Answer

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

Question 16

Competitor intelligence could ethically come from all the following EXCEPT

Accepted Answer

Eavesdropping is not an ethical way to gather competitor intelligence as it involves illegally listening in on private conversations without the knowledge or consent of the parties involved. The other options, such as court records, financial reports, and trade show discussions, can be used to gather competitor intelligence in an ethical manner.

Question 17

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 18

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 19

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 20

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

Accepted Answer

The answer of What are high exit barriers and how...

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

Describe the seven segments of the general environment.

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

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

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.

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

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

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?

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

Competitor intelligence could ethically come from all the following EXCEPT

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