Question: How is the cellular/modular structure different

> Is there a conflict between agency theory and the concept of organizational stakeholders?

> Why are strategic decisions different from other kinds of decisions?

> What is a learning organization? Is this approach to strategic management better than the more traditional top-down approach in which strategic planning is primarily done by top management?

> How does strategic management typically evolve in a company?

> Explain how our understanding of the three generic strategic approaches available to companies can be used to direct the efforts of all employees at those companies.

> Why has strategic management become so important in business?

> What are the pros and cons of management’s using the experience curve to determine strategy?

> In what ways can a corporation’s structure and culture be internal strengths or weaknesses?

> How can value-chain analysis help identify a company’s strengths and weaknesses?

> What is the relevance of the resource-based view of the firm to strategic management in a global environment?

> The effects of climate change on companies can be grouped into six categories of risk. Use any two of these to explain the impact upon the resort hotel industry.

> Compare and contrast trend extrapolation with the writing of scenarios as forecasting techniques.

> How can a decision maker identify strategic factors in a corporation’s external international environment?

> Is Pepsi Cola a substitute for Coca Cola?

> How would you determine the level of competitive intensity in an industry?

> Reconcile the strategic decision-making process depicted in Fig. 1.5 with the strategic management model depicted in Fig. 1.2. Figure 1.5: Figure 1.2: FIGURE 1-5 3(a) 3(b) Strategic Decision- Making Process Scan and Assess Extemal Environment: An

> Discuss how a development in a corporation’s natural and societal environments can affect the corporation through its task environment.

> Given that people rarely use a company’s code of ethics to guide their decision making, what good are the codes?

> Are people living in a relationship-based governance system likely to be unethical in business dealings?

> Does a company have to act selflessly to be considered socially responsible? For example, when building a new plant, a corporation voluntarily invested in additional equipment that enabled it to reduce its pollution emissions beyond any current laws. Kno

> What is your opinion of Apple having a code of conduct for its suppliers? What would Milton Friedman say? Contrast his view with that of Archie Carroll’s.

> What is the relationship between corporate governance and social responsibility?

> How does STEEP analysis aid in the development of the strategy in a company?

> Should all CEOs be transformational leaders? Would you like to work for a transformational leader?

> What would be the impact if the only insider on a corporation’s board were the CEO?

> Should a CEO be allowed to serve on another company’s board of directors? Why or why not?

> What information is needed for the proper formulation of strategy? Why?

> Who should and should not serve on a board of directors? What about environmentalists or union leaders?

> When does a corporation need a board of directors?

> When is the planning mode of strategic decision making superior to the entrepreneurial and adaptive modes?

> How can you learn what date a case took place?

> When is inflation an important issue in conducting case analysis? Why bother?

> When should you gather information outside a case? What should you look for?

> What are common-size financial statements? What is their value to case analysis? How are they calculated?

> How does a company ensure that its code of ethics is integrated into the daily decision-making process of the company and is not just a symbolic trophy or plaque hanging on the wall?

> Why should one begin a case analysis with a financial analysis? When are other approaches appropriate?

> Is the evaluation and control process appropriate for a corporation that emphasizes creativity? Are control and creativity compatible? Explain. (This is an open question.)

> Does every business firm have business strategies?

> What issues affect your faith in a transfer price as a substitute for a market price in measuring a profit center’s performance?

> How does EVA improve our knowledge of performance over ROI, ROE, or EPS?

> What are some examples of behavior controls? Output controls? Input controls?

> Is Figure 12.1 a realistic model of the evaluation and control process? Figure 12.1: FIGURE 12–1 Evaluation and 三 Control Process 2 3 4 Does perfor- 5 No Determine what to Establish Take corrective action. Measure predetermined standards. mance mat

> Why is an understanding of national cultures important in strategic management?

> How can corporate culture be changed?

> What are some ways to implement a retrenchment strategy without creating a lot of resentment and conflict with labor unions?

> When should someone from outside a company be hired to manage the company or one of its business units?

> How has moral relativism led to criminal activities by some employees in companies?

> What skills should a person have for managing a business unit following a differentiation strategy? Why? What should a company do if no one is available internally and the company has a policy of promotion from within?

> What is meant by a hierarchy of strategy?

> Is reengineering just another management fad, or does it offer something of lasting value?

> How can a corporation keep from sliding into the decline stage of the organizational life cycle?

> How should an owner–manager prepare a company for its movement from Stage I to Stage II?

> How should a corporation attempt to achieve synergy among functions and business units?

> How does the issue of transfer pricing impact the results of an MNC?

> How can an expat program be improved to the benefit of the organization?

> What are the stages of international development?

> What is the relationship of policies to strategies?

> What are the issues that suggest the need for oversight of a particular company’s management team?

> Describe the triple bottom line.

> When should a corporation or business unit consider outsourcing a function or an activity?

> How does mass customization support a business unit’s competitive strategy?

> Do you believe that penetration pricing or skim pricing will be better at raising a company’s or a business unit’s operating profit in the long run?

> Are functional strategies interdependent, or can they be formulated independently of other functions?

> How is corporate parenting different from portfolio analysis? How is it alike? Is it a useful concept in a global industry?

> Is stability really a strategy or just a term for no strategy?

> What are the tradeoffs between an internal and an external growth strategy? Which approach is best as an international entry strategy?

> How does horizontal growth differ from vertical growth as a corporate strategy? From concentric diversification?

> Why are many strategic alliances temporary?

> How can a company achieve a sustainable competitive advantage when its industry becomes hypercompetitive?

> What are the pros and cons of using the strategic audit as a framework for case analysis?

> What are the roles and responsibilities of an effective and active board of directors?

> What does a business have to consider when trying to follow a cost leadership strategy and a differentiation strategy simultaneously? Can you name a company doing this?

> What industry forces might cause a propitious niche to appear or disappear?

> How might a firm’s management decide whether it should continue to invest in current known technology or in new, but untested, technology? What factors might encourage or discourage such a shift?

> What are the five crucial steps to follow in basic financial analysis?

> What ratios would you use to begin your analysis of a case?

> What are the best methods for evaluating the top management team?

> Explain why ROI might not be the best measure of firm performance?

> What are the unique impacts on a company that must staff in international settings?

> What are the critical issues that a company must consider when trying to match its staffing to its strategy?

> Why are goal displacement and short-run orientation likely side effects of the monitoring of performance? What can a corporation do to avoid them?

> What issues would you consider to be the most important for a company that is considering the use of a functional structure?

> Organizational strategy can be divided roughly into two categories: a) formulation and b) implementation. Although there is legitimate crossover between the two, how would you characterize the issues involved in each effort?

> How do timing tactics impact the strategy implementation efforts of a company?

> What are the advantages of using a strategic alliance when operating in a new country?

> What are the nine means by which a company can enter a new international market?

> How are corporate scenarios used in the development of an effective strategy?

> How can an operations strategy be used to understand and exploit a particular product offering?

> Evaluate the types of retrenchment strategies that might be used by companies in stagnant industries.

> List the means available to a company for horizontal growth and explain why a company might pursue one over another.

> What is the value of portfolio analysis? Its dangers?

> Must a corporation have a common thread running through its many activities in order to be successful? Why or why not?

> How does transaction cost economics apply to vertical growth? To concentric versus conglomerate diversification?

> How can a company overcome the limitations of being in a fragmented industry?

> Why should information systems be included in the analysis of a corporation’s strengths and weaknesses?

> What kind of internal factors help managers determine whether a firm should emphasize the production and sales of a large number of low-priced products or a small number of high-priced products?

> What recommendations would you make to improve the effectiveness of today’s boards of directors?

> Is benchmarking just another fad or is it really useful for all firms? Why?

> Why bother with shareholder value or a stakeholder scorecard? Isn’t it simpler to evaluate a corporation and its SBUs just by using standard measures such as ROI or earnings per share?

> How can MBO help improve the implementation of strategy?