Given the diversification approach that Disney uses, what are some things they can do to deal further with the trend toward cord-cutting and competition from large streaming and content producers such as Netflix, Amazon, and other content producers?
> List four significant differences between a file-processing system and a DBMS.
> Show that there are schedules that are possible under the two-phase locking protocol but not possible under the timestamp protocol, and vice versa.
> When a transaction is rolled-back under timestamp ordering, it is assigned a new timestamp. Why can it not simply keep its old timestamp?
> Using the functional dependencies of Exercise 7.6, compute B+.
> What benefit does strict two-phase locking provide? What disadvantages result?
> For each of the following isolation levels, give an example of a schedule that respects the specified level of isolation but is not serialize able: a. Read uncommitted b. Read committed c. Repeatable read
> Explain why the read-committed isolation level ensures that schedules are cascade-free.
> Why do database systems support concurrent execution of transactions, de- spite the extra effort needed to ensure that concurrent execution does not cause any problems?
> What is a recoverable schedule? Why is recoverability of schedules desirable? Are there any circumstances under which it would be desirable to allow non- recoverable schedules? Explain your answer.
> Give an example of a serialize able schedule with two transactions such that the order in which the transactions commit is different from the serialization order.
> Consider the following two transactions: Let the consistency requirement be A = 0 ∨ B = 0, with A = B = 0 as the initial values. a. Show that every serial execution involving these two transactions pre- serves the consistency of t
> Explain the distinction between the terms serial schedule and serialize able schedule.
> Write the following queries in relational algebra, using the university schema. a. Find the ID and name of each instructor in the Physics department. b. Find the ID and name of each instructor in a department located in the building “Watson”. c. Find the
> During its execution, a transaction passes through several states, until it finally commits or aborts. List all possible sequences of states through which a trans- action may pass. Explain why each state transition may occur.
> Use Armstrong’s axioms to prove the soundness of the decomposition rule.
> List four applications you have used that most likely employed a database system to store persistent data.
> What is international entrepreneurship? Why is it important?
> What motives might encourage managers to over diversify their firm?
> What incentives and resources encourage diversification?
> This Mini-Case includes descriptions of recent Am Ex innovations. Do you anticipate that most of these innovations resulted from autonomous strategic behavior or from induced strategic behavior? Why?
> What actions do you believe Amax should take to establish an entrepreneurial mind-set among employees throughout the company?
> Use material from Chapter 4 to identify the business-level strategy Am Ex uses. What dimensions do you believe Am Ex should emphasize to use the strategy you identified successfully across time?
> This Mini-Case suggests that a lack of continuous innovation contributed to American Express’s (Am Ex) poor performance in 2014. Assuming this is true, what factors might prevent a firm the size and scope of Am Ex from being able to innovate continuously
> Using information in this Mini-Case as well as additional materials available to you via searches, how do you evaluate Tim Cook as a CEO? Is he an effective strategic leader or not? Use examples from the chapter’s discussion of “Key Strategic Leadership
> Given their different leadership styles, describe the differences you see in Apple’s culture under Tim Cook’s leadership compared to the culture in Apple when Steve Jobs was CEO.
> Tim Cook came from Apple’s internal managerial labor market to succeed Steve Jobs. In your view, was using the internal managerial labor market the best approach to follow when replacing Jobs? Use materials in the chapter regarding the internal and exter
> What makes a CEO’s job so complex? Use the challenge Tim Cook faces as Steve Jobs’ successor to provide examples that support your answer.
> What additional organizational structure and/or process adjustments will Sony need to make to realize its revised strategic objectives?
> What are the two ways to obtain financial economies when using an unrelated diversification strategy?
> Do you think that Sony has the right organization structure to foster the necessary integration among its electronic and entertainment content businesses that its revamped strategy seems to entail?
> To implement a corporate strategy, a firm needs to have a strong set of capabilities to “parent” the set of business units that the firm has established or acquired. Given Sony’s history and organization structure, what would you argue are Sony’s stronge
> What would you recommend to improve the governance systems in Japan, Germany, and China, respectively, given the governance devices described in Chapter 10?
> How do sovereign wealth funds affect governance of firms in home and foreign countries?
> What particular governance devices are helping or hindering good governance in these countries that are changing their governance systems?
> Why are many countries adopting “western” governance systems similar to those found in the United States and the United Kingdom that are more shareholder friendly?
> Should cost minimization or opportunity maximization be the primary goal of a cooperative strategy? Can both be achieved simultaneously? Why or why not?
> What costs are incurred in developing strategic alliances? How can these costs be managed?
> What role does competition from rivals play in the eventual success of cooperative strategies? Please explain.
> What are some of the major complexities encountered in developing cooperative strategies such as strategic alliances and joint ventures?
> How do firms create value when using a related diversification strategy?
> How can companies handle corrupt practices in foreign countries? Can they find ways to compete there without engaging in these practices? Please explain.
> Given the process described for gaining sponsorships (e.g., through sports marketing agencies), should Nike and other major companies realize that bribes and other corrupt practices were taking place?
> What international strategy is being used by the major companies holding these sponsorships? Please explain.
> What are the benefits to companies such as Nike and Coca-Cola acting as sponsors of soccer organizations in foreign countries?
> How does the FIFA scandal represent a form of political risk for companies operating in foreign countries?
> What would you suggest the firm do to improve its restructuring plan and ultimately its poor performance?
> The new CEO, Jan Jewish, has undertaken a restructuring strategy. Why do you think the market reacted negatively to this plan?
> Given that there have been performance difficulties of this “merger of equals,” which of the “Problems in Achieving Acquisition Success” do you believe have most likely affected this deal?
> Of the “Reasons for Acquisitions” discussed in the chapter, which reasons are the primary drivers of Lafarge-Holism’s merger strategy?
> What are three reasons firms choose to diversify their operations?
> What are synergies and economies of scope and how do they work at Disney to lower its overall costs?
> How does the corporate office create a parental advantage, which is difficult to duplicate by its more focused competitors?
> What corporate diversification strategy is being pursued by Disney? What evidence do you have that supports your position?
> In a competitive rivalry sense, explain the actions (strategic and/or tactical) you believe Walmart and Costco will take to respond to Aldi’s intentions to have 2,500 U.S. stores by 2020.
> Using concepts and actions explained in this chapter, decide if Aldi is more likely to respond to any strategic actions Amazon might initiate through Whole Foods or if Amazon through Whole Foods is more likely to respond to any strategic action Aldi take
> As explained in this chapter’s Opening Case, Amazon purchased Whole Foods. How will this transaction affect Aldi as it seeks to expand its presence in the United States? What competitive actions might Aldi take in response to Amazon’s purchase of Whole F
> Using materials in the case and items to which you gain access through a search, describe how Aldi is creating competitive rivalry in the retail grocers’ industry.
> What are the most serious competitive challenges you anticipate Hein Celestial will face over the next ten years? How should the firm respond to these challenges?
> In years to come, should Hein try to grow primarily organically, through collaborative strategies such as joint ventures and strategic alliances, or through mergers and acquisitions? Explain your answer.
> On what environmental trends did Hein Celestial base its business-level strategy? What environmental trends could have a negative effect on this firm’s strategy in the future? Why?
> What are the different levels of diversification firms can pursue by using different corporate-level strategies?
> We note in the Mini-Case that Hein Celestial is implementing the differentiation strategy. Provide some examples of the competitive dimensions on which this firm focuses while implementing its differentiation strategy.
> What actions would you recommend the management of super dry take to resolve its problems and turn around the performance of the firm?
> What value does super dry create for its customers?
> Will the actions that super dry is taking solve its problems? Why or why not?
> Does Super dry have one or more capabilities that are valuable, rare, costly to imitate, and no substitutable? If so, what are they? If not, on which criteria do they fall short?
> What influences from the external environment over the next several years do you think might affect super dry’s ability to compete?
> Is Jet.com a potential concern for Amazon? Why or why not?
> What are Amazon’s major strengths? Does it have any weaknesses? Please explain.
> How formidable a competitor is Google for Amazon? Please explain.
> Can any firm beat Amazon in the marketplace? If not, why not? If so, how can they best do so?
> What is corporate-level strategy and why is it important?
> As Starbucks’s new chief executive officer and strategic leader, what key challenges does Kevin Johnson and his firm face?
> Starbucks’s mission is “To inspire and nurture the human spirit—one person, one cup and one neighborhood at a time.” What actions do you recommend the firm take to reach this mission?
> Identify three or four capabilities you believe Starbucks possesses. Of these, are any a core competence? If so, explain your reasoning.
> What competitive advantage or competitive advantages do you believe Starbucks seeks to establish? What are the main challenges the firm faces as it tries to maintain the advantage or advantages you identified?
> What are the specific risks associated with using each business-level strategy?
> How can firms use each of the business-level strategies to position themselves favorably relative to the five forces of competition?
> What are the differences among the cost leadership, differentiation, focused cost leadership, focused differentiation, and integrated cost leadership/differentiation business-level strategies?
> What is a business model and how do business models differ from business-level strategies?
> What is the relationship between a firm’s customers and its business-level strategy in terms of who, what, and how? Why is this relationship important?
> What are strategic competitiveness, strategy, competitive advantage, above-average returns, and the strategic management process?
> What is a business-level strategy?
> Assume that the Jake, Sacha, and Brianne partnership of A & R Problem 11-1 is a limited partnership. Jake and Sacha are general partners and Brianne is a limited partner. How much of the remaining $45,000 liability should be paid by each partner? Data f
> At the last meeting of the executive committee of Kearins Ltd., the controller was severely criticized by both the president and vice-president of production about the recognition of periodic depreciation. The president was unhappy with the fact that wha
> Rhondda McNabb always asks her adviser in-depth questions before acquiring a company’s shares. Rhondda is currently considering investing in Simpson Scientific Corp. Simpson’s annual report contains the following summa
> Both Dragon Corp. and Kent Inc. design, produce, market, and sell sports footwear. Key comparative figures (in thousands of dollars) from recent financial statements for these two organizations follow: Required 1. Calculate common-size percentages for th
> Wild Rafting Adventures Inc. began the month of May with $200,000 of current assets, a 2 to 1 current ratio, and a 1 to 1 quick (acid-test) ratio. During the month, the following transactions were completed (assume a perpetual inventory system): Required
> Hope Bicycle Recycle Corporation. Balance Sheet December 31, 2020 Required: Complete the balance sheet for Hope Bicycle Recycle Corporation. Round amounts to the nearest $100.
> The following items include the 2020 and 2019 balance sheet information and the 2020 income statement of the Clear Water Corporation. Additional information about the company’s 2020 transactions is presented after the financial statemen
> Swiss Farm Inc.’s 2020 statement of cash flows appeared as follows: Swiss Farm Inc.’s balance sheet information is as follows: An examination of the company’s statements and accounts showed: a. All ac
> The data below refer to Money Ltd. for the year ended December 31, 2020. Required: For each item, identify both the dollar amount and its classification—that is, whether it would appear as a positive or a negative adjustment to profit in the calculation
> Jacobson Manufacturing Corporation earned $84,000 in profit during 2020. Machinery was sold for $116,000 and a $24,000 loss on the sale was recorded. Machinery purchases totalled $330,000 including a July purchase for which an $80,000 promissory note was
> Vidéotron Ltée completed the following transactions involving printing equipment. Machine 6690 was purchased for cash on May 1, 2020, at an installed cost of $72,900. Its useful life was estimated to be four years with an $8,100 trade-in value. Straight-
> On January 1, 2020, Holiday Resorts Ltd. purchased 30% of Chapman Ltd.’s outstanding common shares. The balance in Holiday Ltd.’s Investment in Associate—Chapman Ltd. account was $500,000 as of Decemb
> Sustainable Seafood Inc. processes and markets frozen seafood products. Continental Pipelines Limited is in the oil and gas industry in Canada and abroad. Both companies are being considered as potential investment opportunities by the executive team of
> Silver Bullet Slide Company calculated the ratios shown below for 2020 and 2019: Required 1. Identify whether the change in the ratios from 2019 to 2020 is favourable (F) or unfavourable (U). 2. Assess whether the 2020 ratios are favourable or unfavourab
> Eco Play Ltd., with its head office in Vancouver, manufactures enviro-friendly, safe playground equipment for elementary schools. Its 2020 balance sheet and income statement follow. Assume that the share capital is all common and that the weighted averag
> On December 31, 2020, Warner Publishing Inc. showed the following Required Part 1: Calculate book value per common share and preferred share at December 31, 2020, assuming no dividends were declared for the years ended December 31, 2019, or 2020, and tha
> The 2020 four-year comparative financial statements of Digital Shelf Space Corp. follow: Required 1. Calculate the following for 2020 and 2019 and identify whether the ratios compare favourably (F) or unfavourably (U) from 2019 to 2020: (a) quick ratio,
