Chapter 9: International Competitive Strategy Flashcards
a plan that guides the way firms make choices about developing and deploying scarce resources to achieve their international objectives.
International strategy
An international strategy must be _______ throughout the company to be a success.
consistent
ability of a company to achieve and maintain a unique and valuable competitive position both within a nation and globally, generating higher rates of profit than its competitors; must have a value proposition for consumers for them to buy your product instead of competitors.
competitive advantage
To achieve a competitive advantage, a company must develop competencies that (4 things):
- Create value for which customers are willing to pay
- Are rare.
- Are difficult to imitate or substitute for.
- Allow the firm to be organized to fully exploit the competitive potential of these competencies.
the process by which an organization determines where it is going in the future, how it will get there, and how it will assess whether and to what extent it has achieved its goals.
Strategic planning
the strategic planning process starts with a _______ and a ________.
mission; vision
What is one big part of strategic planning for a company?
SWOT Analysis
What two parts of the SWOT Analysis are things that are external (a company can’t control), and the two things that are internal (a company can control)?
- External: Opportunities and threats
- Internal: Strengths and weaknesses
_________ _________ provides a way to identify opportunities and threats, and gives decision makers a common understanding of business, strategy, assumptions, and direction.
strategic planning
What are the 7 Steps in the Process of Global Strategic Planning?
- Analyze the company’s external environment.
- Analyze the company’s internal environment.
- Define the company’s business and mission.
- Set corporate objectives.
- Quantify goals (important bc unless your goals are quantifiable, measurable, and consistent, then they are worthless).
- Formulate strategies.
- Make tactical plans.
Step 1 of Strategic Planning: Analyze Domestic, International, and Foreign Environments (External Environments):
Managers must know what the _______ ______ ______ are and where they appear to be going, and to develop and implement appropriate responses to any changes in key environmental forces.
present force values
(have to know what’s going on nationally and internationally and take advantages of opportunities first, or else competition will)
What 3 trends are more critical to strategy than in the past, but few businesses act on it?
- Environmental
- Social
- Business
What are the 3 things that are a part of the internal (controllable) environment for a business?
- Employees
- Technology
- Quality
the set of interlinked activities that add value to the final product or service.
value chain
______ ______ ________ assesses where and to what extent value is added to the final product or service.
- Who are the company’s target customers?
- What value does the company want to deliver to these customers?
- How will this customer value be created?
Value chain analysis
T or F: Knowledge is a controllable corporate resource, is a huge asset, and is worth a lot.
True
(countries around the world (especially developing nations) are eager to have that managerial/technical knowledge.)
T or F: Knowledge can make a huge difference in getting a contract signed.
True
(ex: when you invest in a country, you’re not just selling them the products, but you are also transferring knowledge to those countries; helping them to get better managerially that other competitors are not; sets you apart from competitors who are also trying to penetrate a market with products at same price, product, quality → give that market an added value (knowledge))
the practice organizations use for identifying, creating, acquiring, developing, dispersing, and exploiting competitively valuable knowledge.
knowledge management
_______ knowledge is difficult for an individual to express clearly in words, pictures, or formulas and is therefore difficult to transmit to others.
Tacit
_______ knowledge is easy to communicate to others via words, pictures, formulas, or other means.
Explicit
The mission statement of a company is more about the (present/future). The vision statement of a company is more about the (present/future)
- present
- future
defines the organization’s purpose and scope.
mission statement
(ex: google → to organize the world’s information and make it universally accessible and useful.)
describes the desired future position if the organization can acquire the necessary competencies and successfully implement its strategy.
vision statement
a clear, concise description of the fundamental values, beliefs, and priorities expected of the organization’s members, reflecting how they are to behave with each other and with the company’s customers, suppliers, and other members of the global community.
values statement
(ex: Kiva → “we envision a world where all people hold the power to create opportunity for themselves and others.”)
Step 4 of Strategic Planning: Set Corporate Objectives…
Objectives direct the firm’s _____ ___ ______, maintain it within the boundaries of the stated ______, and ensure its continuing _______.
- course of action
- mission
- existence
In today’s environment, companies’ objectives will change/be modified because we live in an environment that is increasingly uncertain and very risky. The difference between those who make it vs those who don’t is those who are able to ______ quickly and be _______. So, it’s not all about setting the objectives, you need to be able to ______ them when necessary. Company has to be ______.
adapt; flexible; change; flexible
T or F: While quantifying objectives is preferred, companies frequently do not have these.
True
Organizations often have (quantifiable/non-quantifiable) or _______ goals.
non-quantifiable; directional
Objectives tend to become more quantifiable as they get to the _________ level.
operational
Objectives of a company should be what 3 things?
- Measurable
- Have a time interval
- Consistent with the overall nature of the organization
action plans that help organizations reach their objectives.
competitive strategies (ex: (ex: are you going to focus on lower costs, penetrating new markets, etc.)
T or F: Sometimes companies will sacrifice one thing for something else, like sacrificing profit for penetrating new markets. Sometimes, they will willingly do this to drive competitors out of the area.
True
(Have to be careful with this strategy ^ because if you sell below costs, that may be illegal and considered dumping.)