Question 1

Which of the following is NOT a characteristic of a highly centralized organizational structure?

Accepted Answer

A)  Top-level managers retain decision authority for most strategic and operating activities. 
B)  Strict control and enforcement of detailed procedures backed by rigorous managerial accountability is the most reliable way to keep the daily execution of strategy on track. 
C)  Tight control from the top is a more effective means for coordinating company actions and makes it easy to fix accountability when things do not go well. 
D)  One of the basic tenets is that most company personnel have neither the time nor the inclination to direct and properly control the work they are performing and,further,they lack the knowledge and judgment to make wise decisions about how best to do their work. 
E)  The decision about where to draw the divisional lines depends foremost on the nature of the relatedness and the strategy-critical building blocks,in terms of which businesses have key value chain activities in common. 
A)  Top-level managers retain decision authority for most strategic and operating activities. 
B)  Strict control and enforcement of detailed procedures backed by rigorous managerial accountability is the most reliable way to keep the daily execution of strategy on track. 
C)  Tight control from the top is a more effective means for coordinating company actions and makes it easy to fix accountability when things do not go well. 
D)  One of the basic tenets is that most company personnel have neither the time nor the inclination to direct and properly control the work they are performing and,further,they lack the knowledge and judgment to make wise decisions about how best to do their work. 
E)  The decision about where to draw the divisional lines depends foremost on the nature of the relatedness and the strategy-critical building blocks,in terms of which businesses have key value chain activities in common. E

Question 2

The rationale for making strategy-critical value chain activities the primary building blocks in a company's organizational scheme is based on the:

Accepted Answer

A)  much shorter time it takes to build core competencies and competitive capabilities. 
B)  benefit such an organizational scheme has in reducing costs. 
C)  benefit such an organizational scheme has in improving the productivity of geographically scattered organizational units. 
D)  thesis that if activities crucial to strategic success are to have the resources,decision-making influence,and organizational impact,they have to be centerpieces in the organizational scheme. 
E)  benefit such an organizational scheme has in making the empowerment of employees more effective. 
A)  much shorter time it takes to build core competencies and competitive capabilities. 
B)  benefit such an organizational scheme has in reducing costs. 
C)  benefit such an organizational scheme has in improving the productivity of geographically scattered organizational units. 
D)  thesis that if activities crucial to strategic success are to have the resources,decision-making influence,and organizational impact,they have to be centerpieces in the organizational scheme. 
E)  benefit such an organizational scheme has in making the empowerment of employees more effective. D

Question 3

Which of the following is an advantage of a decentralized organizational structure?

Accepted Answer

A)  Reducing the layers of management and encouraging lower-level managers and rank-and-file employees to exercise initiative and act responsibly 
B)  Making it easy to fix accountability when company performance targets are not met 
C)  Generating higher productivity on the part of the workforce and a greater ability to become an industry low-cost leader 
D)  Enhancing cross-unit coordination and the capture of strategic fits 
E)  Establishing the emergence of a collegial,collaborative culture where teamwork is a core value and decisions are made on the basis of consensus 
A)  Reducing the layers of management and encouraging lower-level managers and rank-and-file employees to exercise initiative and act responsibly 
B)  Making it easy to fix accountability when company performance targets are not met 
C)  Generating higher productivity on the part of the workforce and a greater ability to become an industry low-cost leader 
D)  Enhancing cross-unit coordination and the capture of strategic fits 
E)  Establishing the emergence of a collegial,collaborative culture where teamwork is a core value and decisions are made on the basis of consensus A

Question 4

Which of the following is NOT part of a senior executive's agenda in big organizations with geographically scattered operating units?

Accepted Answer

A)  Communicating the case for change 
B)  Directing resources to the right places 
C)  Building consensus for how to proceed 
D)  Establishing deadlines and measures of progress 
E)  Orchestrating the action steps and implementation sequence 
A)  Communicating the case for change 
B)  Directing resources to the right places 
C)  Building consensus for how to proceed 
D)  Establishing deadlines and measures of progress 
E)  Orchestrating the action steps and implementation sequence

Question 5

Which of the following is part of strategy-supportive resources and capabilities?

Accepted Answer

A)  Recruiting and retaining talented employees 
B)  Instituting organizational arrangements 
C)  Establishing lines of authority 
D)  Creating reporting relationships 
E)  Deciding how much authority to delegate 
A)  Recruiting and retaining talented employees 
B)  Instituting organizational arrangements 
C)  Establishing lines of authority 
D)  Creating reporting relationships 
E)  Deciding how much authority to delegate

Question 6

Which of the following is a disadvantage of a centralized organizational structure?

Accepted Answer

A)  Lengthening response times and discouraging lower-level managers and rank-and-file employees from exercising initiative 
B)  Losing top-level management control 
C)  Putting too much decision-making authority in the hands of lower-level company personnel 
D)  Making it hard to fix accountability when things do not go well and putting the organization at risk when bad decisions are made 
E)  Impeding cross-unit coordination and the capture of strategic fits 
A)  Lengthening response times and discouraging lower-level managers and rank-and-file employees from exercising initiative 
B)  Losing top-level management control 
C)  Putting too much decision-making authority in the hands of lower-level company personnel 
D)  Making it hard to fix accountability when things do not go well and putting the organization at risk when bad decisions are made 
E)  Impeding cross-unit coordination and the capture of strategic fits

Question 7

When strategies fail,it is often because of:

Accepted Answer

A)  poor execution of the strategy. 
B)  shortfalls exposed with the strategic management design process. 
C)  inadequate support for the management team responsible for the planning process. 
D)  secondary operating practices that hinder the required changes. 
E)  lack of sufficient information about operating systems. 
A)  poor execution of the strategy. 
B)  shortfalls exposed with the strategic management design process. 
C)  inadequate support for the management team responsible for the planning process. 
D)  secondary operating practices that hinder the required changes. 
E)  lack of sufficient information about operating systems.

Question 8

What are the advantages of outsourcing non-critical and sometimes even critical value chain activities?

Accepted Answer

Aside from the fact that an outsider,bec

Question 9

Which of the following is NOT accurate as concerns a company's competencies and capabilities?

Accepted Answer

A)  Competencies and capabilities that grow stale can impair competitiveness unless they are refreshed,modified,or even phased out and replaced in response to ongoing market changes and shifts in company strategy. 
B)  Core competencies have to be tweaked and adjusted to keep them fresh and responsive to changing customer needs and market conditions. 
C)  The imperatives of keeping capabilities in step with ongoing strategy and market changes make it appropriate to view a company as a bundle of evolving competencies and capabilities. 
D)  Even after core competencies and competitive capabilities are in place and functioning,company managers can't relax.They still have to wrestle with when and how to recalibrate existing competencies and capabilities and when and how to develop new ones. 
E)  When a company succeeds in hiring talented employees and training them properly,competencies and capabilities tend to develop quickly and,once put in place,can last for a decade or more. 
A)  Competencies and capabilities that grow stale can impair competitiveness unless they are refreshed,modified,or even phased out and replaced in response to ongoing market changes and shifts in company strategy. 
B)  Core competencies have to be tweaked and adjusted to keep them fresh and responsive to changing customer needs and market conditions. 
C)  The imperatives of keeping capabilities in step with ongoing strategy and market changes make it appropriate to view a company as a bundle of evolving competencies and capabilities. 
D)  Even after core competencies and competitive capabilities are in place and functioning,company managers can't relax.They still have to wrestle with when and how to recalibrate existing competencies and capabilities and when and how to develop new ones. 
E)  When a company succeeds in hiring talented employees and training them properly,competencies and capabilities tend to develop quickly and,once put in place,can last for a decade or more.

Question 10

The paramount aim in building a management team should be to:

Accepted Answer

A)  select people who are committed to decentralizing decision making and empowering employees. 
B)  assemble a critical mass of talented managers who can function as agents of change,work well together as a team,and produce organizational results that are dramatically better than what one or two star managers acting individually can achieve. 
C)  choose managers experienced in controlling costs and flattening the organization structure. 
D)  select people who have similar management styles,leadership approaches,business philosophies,and personalities. 
E)  choose managers who believe in having a strong corporate culture and deeply ingrained core values. 
A)  select people who are committed to decentralizing decision making and empowering employees. 
B)  assemble a critical mass of talented managers who can function as agents of change,work well together as a team,and produce organizational results that are dramatically better than what one or two star managers acting individually can achieve. 
C)  choose managers experienced in controlling costs and flattening the organization structure. 
D)  select people who have similar management styles,leadership approaches,business philosophies,and personalities. 
E)  choose managers who believe in having a strong corporate culture and deeply ingrained core values.

Question 11

A dynamic capability is the:

Accepted Answer

A)  ongoing capacity to modify existing resources and capabilities to create new ones. 
B)  improvement evaluation process for eliminating waste in the firm. 
C)  functional and operating resources management process. 
D)  ongoing capability to understand and establish a rival commitment to resource alignment. 
E)  most compelling product or service a firm . 
A)  ongoing capacity to modify existing resources and capabilities to create new ones. 
B)  improvement evaluation process for eliminating waste in the firm. 
C)  functional and operating resources management process. 
D)  ongoing capability to understand and establish a rival commitment to resource alignment. 
E)  most compelling product or service a firm .

Question 12

Larger firms with more complex organizational structures are:

Accepted Answer

A)  less decentralized in their decision making than smaller firms. 
B)  more decentralized in their decision making than smaller firms. 
C)  less decentralized in their decision making than larger firms with simpler structures. 
D)  more centralized in their decision making than smaller firms. 
E)  not decentralized due to their operating size. 
A)  less decentralized in their decision making than smaller firms. 
B)  more decentralized in their decision making than smaller firms. 
C)  less decentralized in their decision making than larger firms with simpler structures. 
D)  more centralized in their decision making than smaller firms. 
E)  not decentralized due to their operating size.

Question 13

Core competencies and competitive capabilities are usually:

Accepted Answer

A)  lodged in the narrow skills and specialized work efforts of a single department,as opposed to the combined expertise and capabilities of specialists scattered across several departments. 
B)  observed to stem from collaborative efforts with strategic allies. 
C)  bundles of skills and know-how that most often grow out of the collaborative efforts of cross-functional work groups and departments performing complementary activities at different locations in a firm's value chain. 
D)  found to result in competitive advantage when they involve highly specific technologies and are grounded in a company's own deep technical expertise. 
E)  built rapidly,usually in conjunction with important product innovations. 
A)  lodged in the narrow skills and specialized work efforts of a single department,as opposed to the combined expertise and capabilities of specialists scattered across several departments. 
B)  observed to stem from collaborative efforts with strategic allies. 
C)  bundles of skills and know-how that most often grow out of the collaborative efforts of cross-functional work groups and departments performing complementary activities at different locations in a firm's value chain. 
D)  found to result in competitive advantage when they involve highly specific technologies and are grounded in a company's own deep technical expertise. 
E)  built rapidly,usually in conjunction with important product innovations.

Question 14

The three components of building a capable organization are:

Accepted Answer

A)  making periodic changes in the firm's internal organization to keep people from getting into a comfortable rut,instituting a decentralized approach to decision making,and developing the appropriate competencies and capabilities. 
B)  hiring a capable top management team,empowering employees,and establishing a strategy-supportive corporate culture. 
C)  putting a centralized decision-making structure in place,determining who should have responsibility for each value chain activity,and aligning the corporate culture with key policies,procedures,and operating practices. 
D)  staffing the organization,acquiring,developing,and strengthening key resources and competitive capabilities,and structuring the organization and work effort. 
E)  optimizing the number of core competencies and competitive capabilities,making sure that all managers and employees are empowered,and maximizing internal operating efficiency. 
A)  making periodic changes in the firm's internal organization to keep people from getting into a comfortable rut,instituting a decentralized approach to decision making,and developing the appropriate competencies and capabilities. 
B)  hiring a capable top management team,empowering employees,and establishing a strategy-supportive corporate culture. 
C)  putting a centralized decision-making structure in place,determining who should have responsibility for each value chain activity,and aligning the corporate culture with key policies,procedures,and operating practices. 
D)  staffing the organization,acquiring,developing,and strengthening key resources and competitive capabilities,and structuring the organization and work effort. 
E)  optimizing the number of core competencies and competitive capabilities,making sure that all managers and employees are empowered,and maximizing internal operating efficiency.

Question 15

General Electric has an up-or-out policy,where key personnel in underperforming units are pressured to boost performance to acceptable levels and keep it there or risk being replaced.What is this an example of?

Accepted Answer

A)  Staffing the organization with managers and employees capable of executing the strategy well 
B)  Developing the resources and organizational capabilities required for successful strategy execution 
C)  Tying rewards and incentives directly to the achievement of strategic and financial targets 
D)  Adopting best practices and business processes to drive continuous improvement in strategy execution activities 
E)  Exercising the internal leadership needed to propel strategy implementation forward 
A)  Staffing the organization with managers and employees capable of executing the strategy well 
B)  Developing the resources and organizational capabilities required for successful strategy execution 
C)  Tying rewards and incentives directly to the achievement of strategic and financial targets 
D)  Adopting best practices and business processes to drive continuous improvement in strategy execution activities 
E)  Exercising the internal leadership needed to propel strategy implementation forward

Question 16

Identify and briefly discuss the three facets of building an organization capable of proficient strategy execution.

Accepted Answer

Three types of organization-building act

Question 17

Which of the following is NOT a characteristic of a network structure?

Accepted Answer

A)  It ensures that the right partners are included and the activities are coordinated. 
B)  It encourages a more effective collaboration and cooperation among partners. 
C)  It includes a hand-picked,integrated network of suppliers. 
D)  It is an arrangement of independent organizations involved in a common undertaking. 
E)  It established that no one firm has a central control over the others. 
A)  It ensures that the right partners are included and the activities are coordinated. 
B)  It encourages a more effective collaboration and cooperation among partners. 
C)  It includes a hand-picked,integrated network of suppliers. 
D)  It is an arrangement of independent organizations involved in a common undertaking. 
E)  It established that no one firm has a central control over the others.

Question 18

Which of the following is NOT true of implementing a strategy?

Accepted Answer

A)  It is critical to ensure strategy-supportive resources and capabilities are in place. 
B)  The level of personnel competence is irrelevant to proficient strategy execution. 
C)  It is important to assemble a strong management team. 
D)  Strengthening the firm's core competencies is a top priority. 
E)  A poorly structured organization can lead to higher bureaucratic costs. 
A)  It is critical to ensure strategy-supportive resources and capabilities are in place. 
B)  The level of personnel competence is irrelevant to proficient strategy execution. 
C)  It is important to assemble a strong management team. 
D)  Strengthening the firm's core competencies is a top priority. 
E)  A poorly structured organization can lead to higher bureaucratic costs.

Question 19

The managerial approach to implementing and executing a strategy should always:

Accepted Answer

A)  be customized to fit the particulars of a company's situation. 
B)  involve only minor changes to the existing strategy. 
C)  require radical strategy changes for successful execution. 
D)  rely on the active support of frontline employees. 
E)  focus on market conditions and the company's resources and capabilities. 
A)  be customized to fit the particulars of a company's situation. 
B)  involve only minor changes to the existing strategy. 
C)  require radical strategy changes for successful execution. 
D)  rely on the active support of frontline employees. 
E)  focus on market conditions and the company's resources and capabilities.

Question 20

Building an organization capable of good strategy execution entails:

Accepted Answer

A)  staffing the organization,acquiring,developing,and strengthening key resources and competitive capabilities,and structuring the organization and work effort. 
B)  decentralizing authority for performing strategy-critical value chain activities,establishing at least two distinctive competencies,and hiring talented employees. 
C)  investing heavily in employee training,using an empowered organization design and organization structure in order to maximize labor productivity,and employing effective incentive compensation systems. 
D)  centralizing authority in the hands of a chief strategy implementer so as to create the leadership authority for driving implementation forward at a rapid pace. 
E)  empowering employees,maximizing internal operating efficiency,and optimizing core competencies. 
A)  staffing the organization,acquiring,developing,and strengthening key resources and competitive capabilities,and structuring the organization and work effort. 
B)  decentralizing authority for performing strategy-critical value chain activities,establishing at least two distinctive competencies,and hiring talented employees. 
C)  investing heavily in employee training,using an empowered organization design and organization structure in order to maximize labor productivity,and employing effective incentive compensation systems. 
D)  centralizing authority in the hands of a chief strategy implementer so as to create the leadership authority for driving implementation forward at a rapid pace. 
E)  empowering employees,maximizing internal operating efficiency,and optimizing core competencies.

Which of the following is NOT a characteristic of a highly centralized organizational structure?

The rationale for making strategy-critical value chain activities the primary building blocks in a company's organizational scheme is based on the:

Which of the following is an advantage of a decentralized organizational structure?

Which of the following is NOT part of a senior executive's agenda in big organizations with geographically scattered operating units?

Which of the following is part of strategy-supportive resources and capabilities?

Which of the following is a disadvantage of a centralized organizational structure?

When strategies fail,it is often because of:

What are the advantages of outsourcing non-critical and sometimes even critical value chain activities?

Which of the following is NOT accurate as concerns a company's competencies and capabilities?

The paramount aim in building a management team should be to:

A dynamic capability is the:

Larger firms with more complex organizational structures are:

Core competencies and competitive capabilities are usually:

The three components of building a capable organization are:

General Electric has an up-or-out policy,where key personnel in underperforming units are pressured to boost performance to acceptable levels and keep it there or risk being replaced.What is this an example of?

Identify and briefly discuss the three facets of building an organization capable of proficient strategy execution.

Which of the following is NOT a characteristic of a network structure?

Which of the following is NOT true of implementing a strategy?

The managerial approach to implementing and executing a strategy should always:

Building an organization capable of good strategy execution entails:

What Is Strategy and Why Is It Important

Charting a Companys Direction: Its Vision, Mission, Objectives, Andstrategy

Evaluating a Companys External Environment

Evaluating a Companys Resources, Capabilities, and Competitiveness

The Five Generic Competitive Strategies

Strengthening a Companys Competitive Position

Strategies for Competing in International Markets

Corporate Strategy

Ethics, Corporate Social Responsibility, Environmental-Sustainability, and Strategy

Managing Internal Operations

Corporate Culture and Leadership

Filters

Exam 10: Building an Organization Capable of Good Strategy Execution

Which of the following is NOT a characteristic of a highly centralized organizational structure?

The rationale for making strategy-critical value chain activities the primary building blocks in a company's organizational scheme is based on the:

Which of the following is an advantage of a decentralized organizational structure?

Which of the following is NOT part of a senior executive's agenda in big organizations with geographically scattered operating units?

Which of the following is part of strategy-supportive resources and capabilities?

Which of the following is a disadvantage of a centralized organizational structure?

When strategies fail,it is often because of:

What are the advantages of outsourcing non-critical and sometimes even critical value chain activities?

Which of the following is NOT accurate as concerns a company's competencies and capabilities?

The paramount aim in building a management team should be to:

A dynamic capability is the:

Larger firms with more complex organizational structures are:

Core competencies and competitive capabilities are usually:

The three components of building a capable organization are:

General Electric has an up-or-out policy,where key personnel in underperforming units are pressured to boost performance to acceptable levels and keep it there or risk being replaced.What is this an example of?

Identify and briefly discuss the three facets of building an organization capable of proficient strategy execution.

Which of the following is NOT a characteristic of a network structure?

Which of the following is NOT true of implementing a strategy?

The managerial approach to implementing and executing a strategy should always:

Building an organization capable of good strategy execution entails:

What Is Strategy and Why Is It Important

Charting a Companys Direction: Its Vision, Mission, Objectives, Andstrategy

Evaluating a Companys External Environment

Evaluating a Companys Resources, Capabilities, and Competitiveness

The Five Generic Competitive Strategies

Strengthening a Companys Competitive Position

Strategies for Competing in International Markets

Corporate Strategy

Ethics, Corporate Social Responsibility, Environmental-Sustainability, and Strategy

Managing Internal Operations

Corporate Culture and Leadership

Filters