Exam 16: Strategic Elements of Competitive Advantage

"Active competition for demanding customers in the home market keeps companies under pressure to constantly innovate." This statement is consistent with Michael Porter's thesis regarding the competitive advantage of nations.

An approach to competitive advantage that exploits weaknesses in competitors' narrow-focus strategies is called a ________ strategy.

According to Richard D'Aveni's model of "hypercompetition," successful companies are the ones that find sustainable competitive advantages.

Germany's Mittelstand companies have been extremely successful pursuing ________.

The Komatsu-Caterpillar saga is just one example of how more than the pursuit of generic strategies can shape global competitive battles.

The digital revolution rendered Sony's core competencies in analog audio technology obsolete.

Key suppliers, key customers, and key consumers are all elements of a flagship company's partner network.

According to the hypercompetition model of competitive advantage, which of the following allows the firm to create an entirely new product or market?

Analyzed in terms of Porter's five forces model, Wal-Mart's ability to dictate terms to the music industry is one indication of the retail giant's supplier power.

Which of the following is not one of the four arenas in which dynamic strategic interactions are played out in hypercompetitive industries?

The rivalry between Dell, Hewlett-Packard, Gateway, Compaq, and Apple forces all the players to undertake all of the following except:

In the global watch industry, the success of the Swatch brand resulted in a manufacturing renaissance for Switzerland.In the strategic framework known as hypercompetition, Swatch's success is an example of interactions in which arena?

Mitsubishi Heavy Industries Ltd.and other Japanese companies manufacture airplanes under license to U.S.firms and also work as subcontractors for aircraft parts and systems.This type of effort is known as:

Wal-Mart refuses to stock CDs bearing parental advisory stickers for explicit lyrics or violent imagery.Recording artists who want their recordings available at Wal-Mart have the option of altering lyrics and song titles or deleting offending tracks.Likewise, artists are sometimes asked to change album cover art if Wal-Mart deems it offensive.Considering the elements of the five forces model this is an example of:

Analyzed in terms of Porter's five forces model, online music file sharing services represent a threat to the music industry in the form of a substitute product.

Caterpillar's attention was focused elsewhere when Komatsu made its first international entry into the Eastern European Market.Based on the strategic intent framework, this is an example of:

Sony's PlayStation 3 (PS3)has a powerful chip that provides new levels of realism; PS3 also contains a Blu-Ray DVD player.However, the less complex, less expensive Nintendo Wii has been outselling Sony's game system by a margin of 3-to-1.Based on D'Aveni's model this is reflective of:

Maytag has been called "the Rolls-Royce of washers and dryers," and it can be said that it has achieved a competitive advantage by means of differentiation.

The flagship model is evident in the strategies of all but one of the following businesses.

In the strategic intent model of competitive advantage, Canon's successful entry into the photocopier market is an example of changing the rules of engagement.