Question 1

What does a successful strategy execution require?

Accepted Answer

A) Little consensus building is required,despite the magnitude of the proposed changes,because employees know the benefits to be gained from the planning process. 
B) A team effort is required,with all managers having strategy executing responsibility in their areas of authority and all employees should be active participants in the strategy execution process. 
C) Additional investments in capital projects are necessary,rather than adding to a company's talent base and building intellectual capital. 
D) Choices need to be made among broad or narrow low-cost and differentiation strategies to compete against one's rivals is a requirement. 
E) Incremental changes to current operating practices should be implemented to ensure existing resource capabilities are not impacted too severely. 
A) Little consensus building is required,despite the magnitude of the proposed changes,because employees know the benefits to be gained from the planning process. 
B) A team effort is required,with all managers having strategy executing responsibility in their areas of authority and all employees should be active participants in the strategy execution process. 
C) Additional investments in capital projects are necessary,rather than adding to a company's talent base and building intellectual capital. 
D) Choices need to be made among broad or narrow low-cost and differentiation strategies to compete against one's rivals is a requirement. 
E) Incremental changes to current operating practices should be implemented to ensure existing resource capabilities are not impacted too severely.

Question 2

Which one of the following is not a benefit of prescribing policies and operating procedures to aid management's task of implementing strategy?

Accepted Answer

A) Doing so helps to enforce consistency in how particular activities are performed. 
B) There may be tendencies for some people to resist change-most people refrain from violating company policy or going against recommended practices and procedures without first gaining clearance or having strong justification. 
C) This promotes the creation of a can-do work climate that facilitates good strategy execution. 
D) Doing so helps to build employee commitment to adopting best practices and using the tools of TQM and Six Sigma. 
E) It provides top-down guidance to operating managers,supervisory personnel,and employees regarding how to alter past practice and how things need to be done now. 
A) Doing so helps to enforce consistency in how particular activities are performed. 
B) There may be tendencies for some people to resist change-most people refrain from violating company policy or going against recommended practices and procedures without first gaining clearance or having strong justification. 
C) This promotes the creation of a can-do work climate that facilitates good strategy execution. 
D) Doing so helps to build employee commitment to adopting best practices and using the tools of TQM and Six Sigma. 
E) It provides top-down guidance to operating managers,supervisory personnel,and employees regarding how to alter past practice and how things need to be done now.

Question 3

If management is to match a company's organization structure to its strategy in an effective way,then it is essential

Accepted Answer

A) that company personnel be empowered to make both strategic decisions and operating decisions. 
B) for strategy-critical value-chain activities to be the main building blocks on the organization chart. 
C) that value chain activities be deliberately organized so as to produce maximum strategic fit. 
D) to define the jobs of company personnel in terms of the functions to be performed rather than in terms of the results to be achieved. 
E) for the company to be organized around cross-functional teams rather than around functional specialties and functional departments. 
A) that company personnel be empowered to make both strategic decisions and operating decisions. 
B) for strategy-critical value-chain activities to be the main building blocks on the organization chart. 
C) that value chain activities be deliberately organized so as to produce maximum strategic fit. 
D) to define the jobs of company personnel in terms of the functions to be performed rather than in terms of the results to be achieved. 
E) for the company to be organized around cross-functional teams rather than around functional specialties and functional departments.

Question 4

Which of the following managerial actions and initiatives are not considered to be part of the strategy execution process?

Accepted Answer

A) Building an organization with the capabilities,people,and structure needed for execution 
B) Instituting policies and procedures that facilitate rather than impede effective strategy execution 
C) Allocating ample resources to required activities 
D) Tying rewards directly to the achievement of performance objectives 
E) Deciding which core competencies and value chain activities to leave as is and which ones to overhaul and improve 
A) Building an organization with the capabilities,people,and structure needed for execution 
B) Instituting policies and procedures that facilitate rather than impede effective strategy execution 
C) Allocating ample resources to required activities 
D) Tying rewards directly to the achievement of performance objectives 
E) Deciding which core competencies and value chain activities to leave as is and which ones to overhaul and improve

Question 5

Which of the following organizations makes use of Six Sigma programs to improve quality and strategy execution?

Accepted Answer

A) La Tagliata Boutiques offers a different range of products at different outlets across London. 
B) LG Electronics reengineers its value chain activities by creating cross-functional teams. 
C) Memphis & Company applies advanced statistical methods to identify and remove the causes of defects. 
D) Milwaukee Hospital improves the accuracy of administering the proper drug doses to patients. 
E) Amtrak replaces its train repair facility in Beech Grove,Indiana,with mobile repair vans to cut operational costs by 40 percent. 
A) La Tagliata Boutiques offers a different range of products at different outlets across London. 
B) LG Electronics reengineers its value chain activities by creating cross-functional teams. 
C) Memphis & Company applies advanced statistical methods to identify and remove the causes of defects. 
D) Milwaukee Hospital improves the accuracy of administering the proper drug doses to patients. 
E) Amtrak replaces its train repair facility in Beech Grove,Indiana,with mobile repair vans to cut operational costs by 40 percent.

Question 6

The use of incentives and rewards is the single most powerful tool at management's disposal to win strong employee commitment to carrying out the strategic plan.True or false? Explain.

Accepted Answer

A) True 
 B)False

Question 7

Symbolic culture-changing actions include all of the following except

Accepted Answer

A) ceremonial events to celebrate actions that exemplify the performance culture. 
B) frugality if a low-cost strategy is being executed. 
C) ensuring all management actions are "walking the talk." 
D) revising policies and procedures in ways that will help drive cultural change. 
E) those actions top executives take to lead by example. 
A) ceremonial events to celebrate actions that exemplify the performance culture. 
B) frugality if a low-cost strategy is being executed. 
C) ensuring all management actions are "walking the talk." 
D) revising policies and procedures in ways that will help drive cultural change. 
E) those actions top executives take to lead by example.

Question 8

A useful guideline in designing strategy-facilitating policies and operating procedures is

Accepted Answer

A) to prescribe enough policies to give organizational members clear direction in implementing strategy and to place desirable boundaries on their actions,then empower them to act within these boundaries however they think makes sense. 
B) that strictly enforced policies work better than loosely enforced policies. 
C) that more policies and procedures work better than fewer policies and procedures and that strict enforcement always beats lax enforcement. 
D) to let individuals act in an empowered and self-directed way,subject only to the constraint that their actions and behavior be ethical and in step with the corporate culture. 
E) to prescribe enough policies and procedures that little is left to chance in performing value chain activities;employees should have no leeway to do things in a manner that deviates from the company's best practices standard. 
A) to prescribe enough policies to give organizational members clear direction in implementing strategy and to place desirable boundaries on their actions,then empower them to act within these boundaries however they think makes sense. 
B) that strictly enforced policies work better than loosely enforced policies. 
C) that more policies and procedures work better than fewer policies and procedures and that strict enforcement always beats lax enforcement. 
D) to let individuals act in an empowered and self-directed way,subject only to the constraint that their actions and behavior be ethical and in step with the corporate culture. 
E) to prescribe enough policies and procedures that little is left to chance in performing value chain activities;employees should have no leeway to do things in a manner that deviates from the company's best practices standard.

Question 9

A well-designed reward system

Accepted Answer

A) is focused on what to achieve to be rewarded as opposed to what to do and is management's most powerful tool for gaining employee commitment to superior strategy execution. 
B) should be free of elements that induce stress,anxiety,tension,pressure to perform,and job insecurity. 
C) puts the primary emphasis on denying rewards to those who fail to perform tasks in the prescribed fashion. 
D) emphasizes weeding out employees who are consistently low performers. 
E) strives for a 50-50 balance between positive and negative rewards and a 50-50 balance between monetary and nonmonetary rewards. 
A) is focused on what to achieve to be rewarded as opposed to what to do and is management's most powerful tool for gaining employee commitment to superior strategy execution. 
B) should be free of elements that induce stress,anxiety,tension,pressure to perform,and job insecurity. 
C) puts the primary emphasis on denying rewards to those who fail to perform tasks in the prescribed fashion. 
D) emphasizes weeding out employees who are consistently low performers. 
E) strives for a 50-50 balance between positive and negative rewards and a 50-50 balance between monetary and nonmonetary rewards.

Question 10

Which of the following does not describe an unhealthy company culture?

Accepted Answer

A) Politicized 
B) Unethical and greed driven 
C) Insular and inwardly focused 
D) Change resistant 
E) Hyperadaptive 
A) Politicized 
B) Unethical and greed driven 
C) Insular and inwardly focused 
D) Change resistant 
E) Hyperadaptive

Question 11

Briefly identify three traits that are symptomatic of unhealthy corporate cultures.

Accepted Answer

Five particularly unhealthy cultural tra

Question 12

Leading the strategy execution process does not require

Accepted Answer

A) delegating authority to middle- and lower-level managers and creating a sense of empowerment among employees to move the implementation process forward. 
B) spending time with,listening to,and encouraging people in the organization to act on their own initiative. 
C) gathering information firsthand and gauging the progress being made. 
D) blocking input from field managers,relying upon secondhand reports regarding how well operations are going,and challenging the extent and direction of the company's progress. 
E) holding periodic ceremonies to honor people who excel in displaying the company values and ethical principles. 
A) delegating authority to middle- and lower-level managers and creating a sense of empowerment among employees to move the implementation process forward. 
B) spending time with,listening to,and encouraging people in the organization to act on their own initiative. 
C) gathering information firsthand and gauging the progress being made. 
D) blocking input from field managers,relying upon secondhand reports regarding how well operations are going,and challenging the extent and direction of the company's progress. 
E) holding periodic ceremonies to honor people who excel in displaying the company values and ethical principles.

Question 13

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 type of policy is this?

Accepted Answer

A) Tying rewards and incentives directly to the achievement of strategic and financial targets 
B) Corporate evolution to a centralized,principal,or critical-path organizational structure 
C) Adopting best practices and business processes to drive continuous improvement in strategy execution activities 
D) Exercising the internal leadership needed to propel strategy implementation forward 
E) Continuously improving the resources and organizational capabilities required for successful strategy execution 
A) Tying rewards and incentives directly to the achievement of strategic and financial targets 
B) Corporate evolution to a centralized,principal,or critical-path organizational structure 
C) Adopting best practices and business processes to drive continuous improvement in strategy execution activities 
D) Exercising the internal leadership needed to propel strategy implementation forward 
E) Continuously improving the resources and organizational capabilities required for successful strategy execution

Question 14

Strategy execution

Accepted Answer

A) consists of choosing among broad or narrow low-cost and differentiation strategies to compete against one's rivals. 
B) involves selecting a capable management team. 
C) requires revamping the value chain in order to maximize operating efficiency. 
D) requires deciding which core competencies and value chain activities to leave as is and which ones to overhaul and improve. 
E) depends on management's ability to direct organizational change. 
A) consists of choosing among broad or narrow low-cost and differentiation strategies to compete against one's rivals. 
B) involves selecting a capable management team. 
C) requires revamping the value chain in order to maximize operating efficiency. 
D) requires deciding which core competencies and value chain activities to leave as is and which ones to overhaul and improve. 
E) depends on management's ability to direct organizational change.

Question 15

Identify four tactics that are common among companies dedicated to staffing jobs with the best people they can find.

Accepted Answer

Tactics common among companies dedicated

Question 16

How do well-conceived policies and procedures aid the task of implementing and executing strategy? Explain how well-conceived policies and procedures facilitate organizational change and good strategy execution.

Accepted Answer

Well-conceived policies and procedures a

Question 17

Which one of the following statements about recruiting and retaining capable employees is true?

Accepted Answer

A) The quality of an organization's people is always an essential ingredient of successful strategy execution-knowledgeable,engaged employees are a company's best source of creative ideas for the nuts-and-bolts operating improvements that lead to operating excellence. 
B) Recruiting and retaining capable employees is an essential element of developing a distinctive competence. 
C) Recruiting and retaining capable employees is closely tied to developing strong information capital capabilities. 
D) It is very difficult for a company to competently execute its strategy and achieve operating excellence without a cadre of young managerial talent committed to staying with the company for at least a decade. 
E) In many industries,adding to a company's talent base and building intellectual capital are more important than having a good situational fit between the company's strategy and its external environment. 
A) The quality of an organization's people is always an essential ingredient of successful strategy execution-knowledgeable,engaged employees are a company's best source of creative ideas for the nuts-and-bolts operating improvements that lead to operating excellence. 
B) Recruiting and retaining capable employees is an essential element of developing a distinctive competence. 
C) Recruiting and retaining capable employees is closely tied to developing strong information capital capabilities. 
D) It is very difficult for a company to competently execute its strategy and achieve operating excellence without a cadre of young managerial talent committed to staying with the company for at least a decade. 
E) In many industries,adding to a company's talent base and building intellectual capital are more important than having a good situational fit between the company's strategy and its external environment.

Question 18

Which of the following is not characteristic of a compensation and reward system designed to help drive successful strategy execution?

Accepted Answer

A) tying incentives to performance outcomes directly linked to good strategy execution and financial performance 
B) keeping the time between achieving the target performance outcome and the payment of the reward as short as possible 
C) making sure the performance targets that each individual or team is expected to achieve involve outcomes that the individual or team can personally affect 
D) generous rewards for people who turn in outstanding performances 
E) a reward system that involves 50 percent nonmonetary rewards and a work environment that avoids placing pressure on managers and employees to perform at high levels 
A) tying incentives to performance outcomes directly linked to good strategy execution and financial performance 
B) keeping the time between achieving the target performance outcome and the payment of the reward as short as possible 
C) making sure the performance targets that each individual or team is expected to achieve involve outcomes that the individual or team can personally affect 
D) generous rewards for people who turn in outstanding performances 
E) a reward system that involves 50 percent nonmonetary rewards and a work environment that avoids placing pressure on managers and employees to perform at high levels

Question 19

The organizing challenge of a decentralized structure that stresses employee empowerment is

Accepted Answer

A) how to keep empowered employees from making lots of stupid decisions. 
B) establishing a collegial,collaborative culture so that decisions can be made by gaining a quick consensus on what to do and when to do it. 
C) how to avoid demotivating employees (because empowered employees are expected to take responsibility for their actions and decisions). 
D) how to exercise adequate control over the actions and decisions of empowered employees so that the business is not put at risk while trying to capture the benefits of empowerment. 
E) how to convince lower-level managers and employees that they are empowered. 
A) how to keep empowered employees from making lots of stupid decisions. 
B) establishing a collegial,collaborative culture so that decisions can be made by gaining a quick consensus on what to do and when to do it. 
C) how to avoid demotivating employees (because empowered employees are expected to take responsibility for their actions and decisions). 
D) how to exercise adequate control over the actions and decisions of empowered employees so that the business is not put at risk while trying to capture the benefits of empowerment. 
E) how to convince lower-level managers and employees that they are empowered.

Question 20

Why are technology companies,software companies,social media companies,and Internet-based companies often cited by industry observers and practitioners as good illustrations of organizations with adaptive cultures?

Accepted Answer

Technology companies typically operate i

What does a successful strategy execution require?

Which one of the following is not a benefit of prescribing policies and operating procedures to aid management's task of implementing strategy?

If management is to match a company's organization structure to its strategy in an effective way,then it is essential

Which of the following managerial actions and initiatives are not considered to be part of the strategy execution process?

Which of the following organizations makes use of Six Sigma programs to improve quality and strategy execution?

The use of incentives and rewards is the single most powerful tool at management's disposal to win strong employee commitment to carrying out the strategic plan.True or false? Explain.

Symbolic culture-changing actions include all of the following except

A useful guideline in designing strategy-facilitating policies and operating procedures is

A well-designed reward system

Which of the following does not describe an unhealthy company culture?

Briefly identify three traits that are symptomatic of unhealthy corporate cultures.

Leading the strategy execution process does not require

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 type of policy is this?

Strategy execution

Identify four tactics that are common among companies dedicated to staffing jobs with the best people they can find.

How do well-conceived policies and procedures aid the task of implementing and executing strategy? Explain how well-conceived policies and procedures facilitate organizational change and good strategy execution.

Which one of the following statements about recruiting and retaining capable employees is true?

Which of the following is not characteristic of a compensation and reward system designed to help drive successful strategy execution?

The organizing challenge of a decentralized structure that stresses employee empowerment is

Why are technology companies,software companies,social media companies,and Internet-based companies often cited by industry observers and practitioners as good illustrations of organizations with adaptive cultures?

Strategy,business Models,and Competitive Advantage

Strategy Formulation,execution,and Governance

Evaluating a Companys External Environment

Evaluating a Companys Resources, capabilities, and Competitiveness

The Five Generic Competitive Strategies

Strengthening a Companys Competitive Position: Strategic Moves, timing, and Scope of Operations

Strategies for Competing in International Markets

Corporate Strategy: Diversification and the Multibusiness Company

Ethics, corporate Social Responsibility, environmental Sustainability, and Strategy

Filters

Exam 10: Superior Strategy Executionanother Path to Competitive Advantage

What does a successful strategy execution require?

Which one of the following is not a benefit of prescribing policies and operating procedures to aid management's task of implementing strategy?

If management is to match a company's organization structure to its strategy in an effective way,then it is essential

Which of the following managerial actions and initiatives are not considered to be part of the strategy execution process?

Which of the following organizations makes use of Six Sigma programs to improve quality and strategy execution?

The use of incentives and rewards is the single most powerful tool at management's disposal to win strong employee commitment to carrying out the strategic plan.True or false? Explain.

Symbolic culture-changing actions include all of the following except

A useful guideline in designing strategy-facilitating policies and operating procedures is

A well-designed reward system

Which of the following does not describe an unhealthy company culture?

Briefly identify three traits that are symptomatic of unhealthy corporate cultures.

Leading the strategy execution process does not require

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 type of policy is this?

Strategy execution

Identify four tactics that are common among companies dedicated to staffing jobs with the best people they can find.

How do well-conceived policies and procedures aid the task of implementing and executing strategy? Explain how well-conceived policies and procedures facilitate organizational change and good strategy execution.

Which one of the following statements about recruiting and retaining capable employees is true?

Which of the following is not characteristic of a compensation and reward system designed to help drive successful strategy execution?

The organizing challenge of a decentralized structure that stresses employee empowerment is

Why are technology companies,software companies,social media companies,and Internet-based companies often cited by industry observers and practitioners as good illustrations of organizations with adaptive cultures?

Strategy,business Models,and Competitive Advantage

Strategy Formulation,execution,and Governance

Evaluating a Companys External Environment

Evaluating a Companys Resources, capabilities, and Competitiveness

The Five Generic Competitive Strategies

Strengthening a Companys Competitive Position: Strategic Moves, timing, and Scope of Operations

Strategies for Competing in International Markets

Corporate Strategy: Diversification and the Multibusiness Company

Ethics, corporate Social Responsibility, environmental Sustainability, and Strategy

Filters