Charting a Company’s Direction: Its Vision, Mission, Objectives, and Strategy – CH 2
Your Results:
The answer for each question is indicated by a  .

 

1    
Which one of the following is not an integral part of the managerial process of crafting and executing strategy?
    A)
Developing a strategic vision, a mission statement and core values.
    B)
Choosing a strategic intent.
    C)
Setting objectives.
    D)
Crafting a strategy
    E)
Monitoring developments, evaluating performance, and initiating ive adjustments.
    

 
2    
A strategic vision for a company
    A)
involves how fast to pursue the chosen strategy and reach the targeted levels of performance.
    B)
consists of thinking through what it will take to make the chosen strategy work as planned.
    C)
provides a panoramic view of “where we are going” and a convincing rationale for why this makes good business sense for the company
    D)
spells out how the company is going to get from where it is now to where it wants to go and when it is expected to arrive.
    E)
concerns management’s view of how to transition the company’s business model from where it is now to where it needs to be.
    

 
3 IN   
Which of the following statements about a company’s values is false?
    A)
Company values are the beliefs, traits, and behavioral norms that management has determined should guide the pursuit of its vision and mission
    B)
In companies with long-standing values that are deeply entrenched in the corporate culture, senior managers are careful to craft a vision, mission, and strategy that match established values, and they reiterate how the value-based behavioral norms contribute to the company’s business success. If the company changes to a different vision or strategy, executives take care to explain how and why the core values continue to be relevant.
    C)
A company’s core values can relate to such things as fair treatment, integrity, ethical behavior, innovativeness, teamwork, top-notch quality, superior customer service, social responsibility, and community citizenship.
    D)
At values-driven companies, executives “walk the talk” and company personnel are held accountable for embodying the stated values in their behavior.
    E)
At all but a few companies, the stated values are mostly window-dressing and serve mainly to embellish the company’s public image.
    

 
4 IN   
Most boards of directors have a compensation committee, composed entirely of ________________________, to develop a salary and incentive compensation plan that rewards senior executives for boosting the company’s _______________ performance and growing the economic value of the enterprise on behalf of shareholders.
    A)
outside directors; long-term
    B)
shareholders; stock
    C)
inside directors; short-term
    D)
outside directors; quantitative
    E)
Independent experts; overall
    

 
5    
Which of the following represents the best example of a well-stated strategic objective (as opposed to a well-stated financial objective)?
    A)
Achieve revenue growth of 10% annually
    B)
Increase market share from 17% to 22% and achieve the lowest overall costs of any producer in the industry, both within three years
    C)
Invest more money in R&D to enable the company to offer customers the widest selection of products in the industry
    D)
Achieve a AA bond rating within 2 years and an annual cash flow of $500 million
    E)
Pay more attention to reducing costs by half of the current level over the next few years
    

 
6    
Which of the following statements about objectives is false?
    A)
A company’s managers are well-advised to give the achievement of financial objectives a much higher priority than the achievement of strategic objectives.
    B)
The managerial purpose of setting objectives is to convert the vision and mission into specific performance targets.
    C)
A “balanced scorecard” for measuring company performance views financial performance measures as lagging indicators that reflect the results of past decisions and organizational activities and views strategic performance measures as leading indicators of a company’s future financial performance
    D)
Objectives serve as yardsticks for tracking a company’s performance and progress, and (3) they motivate employees to expend greater effort and perform at a high level.
    E)
The best ways to promote outstanding company performance is for managers to deliberately set performance targets high enough to stretch an organization to perform at its full potential and deliver the best possible results
    

 
7 IN   
A balanced scorecard for measuring company performance
    A)
entails balancing the pursuit of good bottom-line profit against the pursuit of non-profit objectives (although achieving profitability targets is nearly always given greater emphasis).
    B)
involves putting equal emphasis on the achievement of financial objectives, strategic objectives, and social responsibility objectives.
    C)
entails setting both financial and strategic objectives and putting balanced emphasis on their achievement.
    D)
helps prevent the pursuit of strategic objectives from dominating the pursuit of financial objectives.
    E)
is necessary in order to prevent the drive for achieving financial objectives from weakening the attention paid to social responsibility, community citizenship, and other worthy goals.
    

 
8    
The task of crafting a strategy is
    A)
the function and responsibility of a few high-level executives.
    B)
more of a collaborative group effort that involves all managers and sometimes key employees striving to arrive at a consensus on what the overall best strategy should be.
    C)
the function and responsibility of a company’s strategic planning staff.
    D)
is a collaborative team effort in which every manager has a role for the area he or she heads; it is rarely something that only high-level managers do.
    E)
first and foremost the function and responsibility of a company’s board of directors.
    

 
9 IN   
The strategy-making hierarchy in a single business company consists of
    A)
business strategy, divisional strategies, and departmental strategies.
    B)
business strategy, functional-area strategies, and operating strategies.
    C)
business strategy and operating strategy.
    D)
managerial strategy, business strategy, and divisional strategies.
    E)
corporate strategy, divisional strategies, and departmental strategies (whereas in a diversified company it consists of corporate strategy, divisional strategy and operating strategy).
    

 
10 IN   
Which one of the following is not among the chief duties/responsibilities of a company’s board of directors insofar as the strategy-making, strategy-executing process is concerned?
    A)
Direct senior executives as to what the company’s long-term direction, objectives, business model, and strategy should be and, further, closely supervise senior executives in their efforts to implement and execute the strategy
    B)
Oversee the company’s financial accounting and financial reporting practices.
    C)
Evaluating the caliber of the CEO’s strategy-making/strategy-executing skills and of other senior executives, since the board must elect a successor when the incumbent CEO steps down, either going with an insider or deciding that an outsider is needed
    D)
Critically appraise the company’s direction, strategy, and business approaches
    E)
Institute a compensation plan for top executives that rewards them for actions and results that serve shareholder interests.
    

 

Even though it labelled as a research essay, DO NOT USE QUOTES. use your own  words and thougths. use dates and facts to support your opinion.

 

In your research of television programs from the 1950’s and 1960’s, you will also be required to write an essay about how African Americans were portrayed in shows that were broadcast during this era.

• Describe how television helped to shape the image of Black America during the 1950’s and 1960’s. Discuss racial stereotyping.
• Research Roots from the 1970’s. How was Roots different from these earlier television shows (Good Times, Sanford & Son, etc.) in terms of the depiction of African American popular culture? Give examples.

This paper should be 1 page, in APA style, utilizing the college’s library resources. One scholarly article as a minimum should be included in your essay.

 

rubric

Analysis of how television helped to shape the image of Black America during the 1950’s and 1960’s.	50
Defines the shift in how African Americans were represented in American television over the last half century.	35
Demonstrates knowledge of civil rights issues in American history. Be sure to use specific examples such as the Amos and Andy television show from 1951-1953. be sure to comment on the typical role for  black actors in the 50s and 60s. the second half of the question to be answered in the essay concerns the Cosby show in the 80s and the mini series roots in 1977.	15
Total	100%

 

1.  The career that I decided to make this report about this week is Corporate Financing. The reason I choose this career is because it seems very interesting and intriguing. Working in corporate finance means you would assist a company finding money to run the business, to make sure the business grows, make purchase, and plan for what the future hold financially and take care of managing any money in hand.

A person wanting to be involved in a career like Corporate Finance  will have to obtain certain skills, like problem solving, communication, management skills, and also technology savvy; these are just a few of the skills required to be successful in corporate finance. The minimum requirement to work in this field is usually a bachelor’s degree; some might even require a master’s degree. The starting salaries in corporate finance with bachelors can range between $35,000 to $50,000, which to me is not much considering all that they do for a business.   If a person has a Master of Business Administration (MBA) degree a starting salary in Corporate Finance can range from $55,000 to $80,000.

Corporate Finance is a very interesting career. I was shocked to discover that with bachelors a person can only make $35,000, don’t get me wrong that is not bad at all but, from what I learned from research about this report they do a lot for a company, they care of all the finances which is what keeps a company up and running.

 

2. Financial analysts provide guidance to businesses and individuals making investment decisions.  Some of their job functions include studying economic and business trends, evaluating current and historical financial data, examining companies’ financial statements to determine their value, and writing reports that explain their analyses. They can work in banking, pension funds, mutual funds, securities firms, insurance companies, and other businesses. 

Those looking to work as a financial analyst would need to earn as a minimum a bachelor’s degree in fields such as accounting, economics, finance, statistics, or mathematics. For advanced positions, employers often require a master’s degree in business administration or a master’s degree in finance. Many in the field also become certified financial analysts and employers often sponsor certification and licensing programs.

The median salary for a financial analyst is around $78,000 per year.  There are opportunities for upward mobility and higher pay associated with being a financial analyst. However, the job can be highly stressful as many analysts work approximately 50-70 hours per week. Much of their days are filled with telephone calls and meetings while their research is usually done after office hours.

 

Reference:

Financial Analyst – Career Rankings and Salary.  Retrieved on September 26, 2016 from http://money.usnews.com/careers/best-jobs/financial-analyst

 

 Write 400–600 Words That Respond To The Following Questions With Your Thoughts, Ideas, And Comments. Be Substantive And Clear, And Use Examples To Reinforce Your >

The Director of Operations for your company has been trying to introduce logistics and supply chain management principles to your management team without much success. She has excitedly called you into her office to discuss a seminar she attended last week. During the seminar, she participated in a distribution simulation, referred to as “The Beer Game” (see supporting materials below). She commented that the simulation gave her a complete understanding of what the supply chain is, the dynamics of a supply chain, and how it operates. She also found several articles that explain logistics and supply chain management very well. She requested that you conduct research to provide her with talking points that cover the fundamentals of logistics and the supply chain. She asked that you include the following in your talking points: 

·  Provide an overview of a supply chain, including the elements that make up a supply chain.

·  What are the “flows” within a supply chain, and why are they important?

·  What are supply chain coordination and supply chain disruption, and how are these manifested in a supply chain?

Supporting Materials for “The Beer Game”

·  Video: MASHLM usi. (2014, March 14). The beer game – MASHLM [Video file]. Retrieved from https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qxpgM8paegQ

·  Article: Sterman, J. D. (1992). Teaching takes off: Flight simulators for management education: “The beer game.” Retrieved fromhttp://web.mit.edu/jsterman/www/SDG/beergame.html

Crafting and executing strategy-Thompson , Strickland, Gamble, Peterae,Janes & Sutton- CH7

 

1    
Which one of the following is not a factor that makes an alliance “strategic” as opposed to just a convenient business arrangement?
    A)
The alliance involves joint contribution of resources and is mutually beneficial.
    B)
The alliance helps block a competitive threat or open up new market opportunities.
    C)
The alliance helps mitigate a significant risk to a company’s business.
    D)
The alliance helps build, enhance, or sustain a core competence or competitive advantage.
    E)
The alliance is critical to the company’s achievement of an important objective.
    

 
2    
Companies are motivated to enter into strategic alliances or cooperative arrangements
    A)
to expedite the development of promising new technologies or products.
    B)
to bring together the personnel and expertise needed to create desirable new skill sets and capabilities to improve supply chain efficiency, and/or gain economies of scale in production and/or marketing.
    C)
to acquire or improve market access through joint marketing agreements.
    D)
to help win the race against rivals for global market leadership or to seize opportunities on the frontiers of advancing technology and build the resource strengths and business capabilities to compete successfully in the industries and product markets of the future
    E)
All of these.
    

 
3    
The best strategic alliances
    A)
aim at teaming up with world-class suppliers or else companies with world-class know-how in product innovation.
    B)
are those whose purpose is helping a company master a new technology.
    C)
are those formed to enable the partners to be consistent first movers or fast followers.
    D)
are highly selective, focusing on particular value chain activities and on obtaining a particular competitive benefit.
    E)
aim at insulating the partners against the impacts of the five competitive forces and industry driving forces.
    

 
4    
Mergers and acquisitions are a much used strategy because they are an effective means of
    A)
revamping a company’s value chain.
    B)
facilitating the employment of both offensive and defensive strategies.
    C)
creating a more cost-efficient operation, expanding a company’s geographic coverage, and extending a company’s business into new product categories.
    D)
gaining quick access to new technologies or other resources and competitive capabilities and trying to invent a new industry and lead the convergence of industries whose boundaries are being blurred by changing technologies and new market opportunities.
    E)
gaining quick access to new technologies or other resources and competitive capabilities and; plus creating a more cost-efficient operation, expanding a company’s geographic coverage, and extending a company’s business into new product categories.
    

 
5    
Which one of the following statements about merger and acquisition strategies is true?
    A)
Merger and acquisition strategies are nearly always a superior strategic alternative to forming alliances or partnerships with these same companies.
    B)
Merger and acquisition strategies tend to be far more successful that forming strategic alliances and cooperative partnerships with other companies.
    C)
Merger and acquisition strategies often do not produce the hoped-for outcomes—examples of mergers/acquisitions where the results have been disappointing include the merger of AOL and Time Warner, the merger of Daimler Benz and Chrysler, Hewlett-Packard’s acquisition of Compaq Computer, Ford’s acquisition of Jaguar, and Best Buy’s acquisition of Musicland.
    D)
Mergers and acquisition strategies are a very high-risk strategy because of the financial drain of using the company’s cash resources to accomplish the merger or acquisition.
    E)
Merger and acquisition strategies are one of the best ways for helping a company strengthen its brand image.
    

 
6    
Which of the following is typically the strategic impetus for forward vertical integration?
    A)
To charge lower retail prices and thereby attract a bigger, more loyal clientele of customers
    B)
To make it easier to expand the company’s product line
    C)
To gain better access to end users and better market visibility
    D)
To achieve greater control over advertising and in-store retail merchandising
    

 
7    
Which of the following is not a strategic disadvantage of vertical integration?
    A)
It greatly reduces the opportunity for capturing maximum scale economies and achieving the lowest possible operating costs.
    B)
Vertical integration poses all kinds of capacity-matching problems.
    C)
It boosts a firm’s capital investment in the industry and thus increases business risk if the industry becomes unattractive later.
    D)
Integrating forward or backward can entail taking on the performance of value chain activities that require radically different skills and business capabilities than the firm possesses.
    E)
Vertical integration backward into parts and components manufacture can impair a company’s operating flexibility when it comes to changing out the use of certain parts and components (it is easier to change out parts and components made by outside suppliers than those made in-house).
    

 
8    
Which of the following is not an advantage of outsourcing the performance of certain value chain activities to outsiders?
    A)
Being able to reduce distribution costs by eliminating the use of wholesale distributors and retail dealers and, instead, selling direct to end-users at the company’s Web site.
    B)
Allowing a company to concentrate on its core business, leverage its key resources, and do even better what it already does best
    C)
Improving the company’s ability to innovate by allying with “world-class” suppliers who have cutting edge intellectual capital and are first-to-market with next-generation parts and components
    D)
Being able to speedily and efficiently assemble diverse kinds of competitively valuable expertise
    E)
Obtaining higher quality and/or cheaper components or services
    

 
9    
A blue ocean type of offensive strategy
    A)
is a pre-emptive strike type of price-cutting offensive used by a market leader to steal customers away from higher-priced rivals.
    B)
is based on discovering or inventing new industry segments that create altogether new demand, thereby positioning the firm in uncontested market space offering superior opportunities for profitability and growth.
    C)
involves deliberately attacking those market segments where a key rival makes big profits.
    D)
involves using innovative advertising and deep price discounts to grab sales and market share from complacent or distracted rivals.
    E)
employs highly creative, never-used-before strategic moves to attack the competitive weaknesses of rivals.
    

 
10    
In which of the following situations is being first to initiate a particular move not likely to result in a positive payoff?
    A)
When pioneering helps build up a firm’s image and reputation with buyers
    B)
When first-time buyers remain strongly loyal to a pioneering firm in making repeat purchases
    C)
When late movers can copy a successful pioneer’s moves quickly and at lower cost
    D)
When moving first can constitute a preemptive strike, making imitation extra hard or unlikely
    E)
When moving first can result in a cost advantage over rivals