Strategic Management and Business Strategy
Chap 2 1. Compare and contrast the characteristics of the operational, managerial, and executive levels of an organization. Interactions with customers * Functional managers * Monitor and control operational-level activities * The president, CEO, vice presidents, board of directors
2. Compare and contrast automating and learning
Automating: Doing Things Faster
Organizational Learning: Doing Things Better
Supporting Strategy: Doing Things Smarter
3. Discuss the five primary competitive forces that analyze the competition within an industry.
4. Describe five general types of organizational strategy.
5. Describe competitive advantage and list six sources.
Best-made product
Superior customer service
Lower costs than rivals
Proprietary manufacturing technology
Shorter development/test lead times
Well-known brand name
More value for the money 6. Describe the global business strategy, its strength, its weakness, and how it affects the flow of control information
Centralized organization with standardized offerings across markets
Strengths: standardized product offerings allow achieving economies of scale
Weakness: inability to react to local market conditions
Appropriate use: homogeneous markets
7. Describe the home replication business strategy, its strength, its weakness, and how it affects the flow of control information
* International business as an extension of home business * Strengths: focus on core competencies in home market * Weakness: inability to react to local market conditions * Appropriate use: homogeneous markets
8. Describe the multidomestic business strategy, its strength, its weakness, and how it affects the flow of control information
Federation of associated business units; decentralized
Strengths: ability to quickly react to local conditions
Weakness: differing product offerings limit economies of scale, and limited inter-unit communication
2. Compare and contrast automating and learning
Automating: Doing Things Faster
Organizational Learning: Doing Things Better
Supporting Strategy: Doing Things Smarter
3. Discuss the five primary competitive forces that analyze the competition within an industry.
4. Describe five general types of organizational strategy.
5. Describe competitive advantage and list six sources.
Best-made product
Superior customer service
Lower costs than rivals
Proprietary manufacturing technology
Shorter development/test lead times
Well-known brand name
More value for the money 6. Describe the global business strategy, its strength, its weakness, and how it affects the flow of control information
Centralized organization with standardized offerings across markets
Strengths: standardized product offerings allow achieving economies of scale
Weakness: inability to react to local market conditions
Appropriate use: homogeneous markets
7. Describe the home replication business strategy, its strength, its weakness, and how it affects the flow of control information
* International business as an extension of home business * Strengths: focus on core competencies in home market * Weakness: inability to react to local market conditions * Appropriate use: homogeneous markets
8. Describe the multidomestic business strategy, its strength, its weakness, and how it affects the flow of control information
Federation of associated business units; decentralized
Strengths: ability to quickly react to local conditions
Weakness: differing product offerings limit economies of scale, and limited inter-unit communication