MGMT 478 Practice Exam #2 Flashcards
1) Josie wants to invest in the stock market but is afraid of losing more money than what she invests. Josie need not worry because of
A) limited liability for investors.
B) transferability of investor ownership.
C) legal personality.
D) separation of legal ownership and management control
limited liability for investors
2) Which of the following statements is true of shareholders in a public stock company?
A) They directly supervise and coordinate the manufacture of products and delivery of services.
B) They are granted a charter of incorporation by the state and legally own company stock.
C) They are the centerpiece of corporate governance.
D) They are appointed by a board of directors to oversee the company’s management.
They are granted a charter of incorporation by the state and legally own company stock.
3) Joaquin owns shares in a company called Maxapro Inc. The company’s financial performance has been declining over the past few months, and the value of its stock has been decreasing. Joaquin wants to proactively cut his losses and therefore sells his shares. Miriam, a trading enthusiast, buys shares in Maxapro Inc. because she believes that the share prices cannot go anywhere but up. Which of the following characteristics of a public stock company does this scenario best exemplify?
A) separation of legal ownership and management control
B) legal personality
C) limited liability for investors
D) transferability of investor ownership
transferability of investor ownership
4) Ari is a firm believer in Milton Friedman’s view of a firm’s social obligations. With which of the following statements is Ari most likely to agree?
A) Businesses can use their resources to create profit as long as they do so within the rules of the game.
B) Firms must go beyond their economic responsibility and act in socially responsible ways.
C) Firms should define value creation broadly in terms of environmental impact.
D) Businesses should engage in open and free competition without deception or fraud, only as long as their competitors do so.
Businesses can use their resources to create profit as long as they do so within the rules of the game.
5) In the CSV framework, value creation is
A) determined using a balanced scorecard.
B) an afterthought to citizenship and philanthropy.
C) focused on both economic benefits and societal benefits.
D) secondary to maintaining a competitive advantage.
focused on both economic benefits and societal benefits
6) Under the________ framework, producer surplus is important in the quest for competitive advantage because this is the profit that a firm captures when producing and selling a good or service.
A) economic value creation
B) accounting profitability
C) shareholder value creation
D) PESTEL
economic value creation
7) Under the________ framework, the question “How do we create value?” is relevant when trying to improve innovation and organizational learning.
A) triple-bottom-line
B) economic value creation
C) balanced scorecard
D) operational effectiveness
balanced scorecard
8) A wearable technology company has priced one of its wristwatches at $210. Most of its competitors sell similar watches at $180. Selling at any price less than $150 would result in a loss for the company. However, the absolute maximum a customer is willing to pay for it is $170. In this scenario, what is the reservation price of the wristwatch?
A) $150
B) $180
C) $170
D) $210
$170
9) Which of the following is an advantage of a triple-bottom-line approach?
A) The approach takes an integrative and holistic view in assessing a company’s performance.
B) The approach does not rely on an external view of a firm to assess its performance.
C) The approach is more of a quantitative performance metric rather than a mere conceptual framework.
D) The framework can help managers assess a firm’s competitive advantage without taking into account the firm’s performance along noneconomic dimensions.
A) The approach takes an integrative and holistic view in assessing a company’s performance.
10) Which of the following is an advantage of the balanced scorecard?
A) It is a tool for both strategic formulation and strategic implementation.
B) It allows managers to translate a firm’s vision into measurable operational goals.
C) The balanced scorecard is independent of the skills of the managers responsible for its implementation.
D) Its implementation is a one-time effort and does not require continuous tracking of metrics or updating of strategic objectives.
B) It allows managers to translate a firm’s vision into measurable operational goals.
11) The broad question that business-level strategy answers is________ the firm will compete.
A) when
B) where
C) who
D) how
How
12) Customer service and________ are two of the value drivers that managers can utilize when trying to improve a firm’s differentiation strategic position.
A) product uniqueness
B) experience curve
C) cost of input factors
D) economies of scale
A) product uniqueness
13) One of the reasons that big box retailers like Home Depot are able to achieve economies of scale is that
A) they have both broad and narrow economies of scope.
B) they maximize their scale efficiencies by stocking more inventory and handling it more efficiently.
C) they are able to take advantage of market size and spread investment losses over many locations.
D) they have been able to protect themselves from the threat of buyer power by increasing input prices.
B) they maximize their scale efficiencies by stocking more inventory and handling it more efficiently.
14) One of the risks of pursuing a blue ocean strategy is that a firm can find itself
A) losing sight of its mission and vision.
B) competing with only a differentiation strategy.
C) stuck in the middle without a clear strategic position.
D) ineffective when competing on an international scale.
C) stuck in the middle without a clear strategic position.
15) The goal of a strategic position is to create the largest gap possible between the________ that a firm creates through its offerings and the________ required to create these offerings.
A) value; cost
B) marketing; innovation process
C) market share; defensive strategy
D) gap; ROIC
A) value; cost
16) Evaluate the following statement: Strategic leaders should always try to pursue a blue ocean strategy because it is the most complex, coveted, and most desirable strategy that exists.
A) I agree; firms should always pursue a blue ocean strategy because the benefits outweigh the cost.
B) I agree; firms should pursue a blue ocean strategy because it’s harder for competitors to replicate.
C) I disagree; firms should never pursue a blue ocean strategy because it’s much too complex.
D) I disagree; firms should only pursue this strategy if they are able to reconcile the tradeoffs of each generic strategy.
D) I disagree; firms should only pursue this strategy if they are able to reconcile the tradeoffs of each generic strategy.
17) When a firm makes choices between a cost or value position to achieve competitive advantage, it is primarily involved in
A) collective bargaining.
B) strategic tradeoffs.
C) arbitration.
D) mediation.
B) strategic tradeoffs.
18) Skin Science Inc. produces a line of skincare products that it sells at higher prices than its competitors. The company has a large and loyal customer base due to its unique formulations, high-quality ingredients, and superior customer service. Which of the following generic business strategies has Skin Science adopted in this scenario?
A) cost-leadership
B) differentiation
C) market penetration
D) product diversification
B) differentiation
19) University Home Goods is a home furnishings company that caters to college students and other highly price-conscious customers. Through its simple designs, acceptable quality levels, and minimal customer service, the company has been able to sell its merchandise at the lowest prices in the industry. Which of the following generic business strategies is University Home Goods applying?
A) cost-leadership
B) differentiation
C) niche marketing
D) product diversification
A) cost-leadership
20) What does it mean for a firm to have an 80 percent learning curve?
A) Every time the cumulative output increases by 80 percent, the cost per unit will decline by 20 percent.
B) Every time the cumulative output is doubled, the cost per unit will decline by 80 percent.
C) Every time the cumulative output goes up by 20 percent, the cost per unit will decline by 80 percent.
D) Every time the cumulative output is doubled, the cost per unit will decline by 20 percent.
D) Every time the cumulative output is doubled, the cost per unit will decline by 20 percent.
21) The concept of a(n)________ attempts to capture both learning effects and process improvements at firms.
A) managerial grid
B) growth matrix
C) experience curve
D) diminishing utility curve
C) experience curve
22) Open Window, a brand well known for producing vinyl and aluminum window blinds, introduced a new range of faux-wood shutters and vertical blinds a few years ago. Because most of its products could be produced using the same resources and technology, the company’s cost structure lowered, while its product portfolio widened. In this scenario, which of the following value and cost drivers is Open Window applying?
A) mass customization
B) economies of scope
C) learning-curve effect
D) network effect
B) economies of scope
23) A value curve indicates a lack of effectiveness in a firm’s strategic profile when it
A) stays level.
B) zig zags.
C) trends downward.
D) trends upward.
B) zig zags.
24) Trader Joe’s successfully used a blue ocean strategy by offering lower-cost food than Whole Foods for the same market of patrons. By doing this, Trader Joe’s was able to
A) gain a market share and make up the loss in margin through increased sales.
B) create higher value creation and thus generate greater profit margins.
C) gain a market share and make up the loss in margin through increased pricing.
D) create higher value creation and thus generate greater sales.
A) gain a market share and make up the loss in margin through increased sales.
25) Hector, owner of Hector’s Trucking, wants to figure out if his business should diversify its range of services to gain an advantage over competitors. Business consultants have advised Hector to focus on the key question of where to compete. He would therefore be considering which of the following?
A) his functional strategy
B) his transaction costs strategy
C) his corporate strategy
D) his external transaction costs strategy
C) his corporate strategy
26) Siobhan’s firm focuses only on design, marketing, and retailing, and it outsources all its other value chain activities. This firm has
A) a high degree of vertical integration.
B) fully integrated all aspects of its value chain.
C) a low degree of vertical integration.
D) achieved economies of scale.
C) a low degree of vertical integration.
27) Many financial service firms, IT firms, and health-care companies are among the most active when it comes to________, which occurs when value chain activities are taken care of outside the home country of the firm.
A) strategic outsourcing
B) procurement
C) offshore outsourcing
D) diversification
C) offshore outsourcing
28) Jermaine’s Choppers sells Chandler Dogies, a special type of motorcycle. The business generates roughly 80 percent of its revenues from selling these motorcycles and about 20 percent on motorcycle repair and service. Jermaine’s Choppers would be classified as a________ firm.
A) single business
B) dominant business
C) related diversification
D) unrelated diversification
B) dominant business
29) Sanjay, owner of WashTubs, a washing machine company, is looking for an alternative to vertical integration. He decides to manufacture some of his own machine parts while keeping a few key suppliers in his industry value chain. This is known as
A) a balanced scorecard.
B) forward vertical integration.
C) strategic offshoring.
D) taper integration.
D) taper integration.
30) Projecta is a publicly traded company and a highly diversified firm. But Projecta’s most recent stock price is valued less than the sum of all its individual business units. Projecta is most likely experiencing a
A) diversification discount.
B) diversification premium.
C) two for one split.
D) shareholder rights plan.
A) diversification discount.