- Description
BUS 475 Wk 4 – Practice: Strategy Implementation
Required information
Skip to question
Platform Strategy
In the digital age, platforms are business model innovations that use technology (such as the internet, cloud computing, etc.) to connect organizations, resources, information, and people in an interactive ecosystem where value-generating transactions can be created and exchanged. This activity is important because it highlights how some platform business models have achieved competitive advantage.
The goal of this exercise is to identify the advantages of platform business models.
Read again the definition of the platform business model in the overview. Then complete each statement with the term that correctly defines each platform strategy advantage. Note: Not all terms are used.
Required information
Skip to question
Platform Strategy
In the digital age, platforms are business model innovations that use technology (such as the internet, cloud computing, etc.) to connect organizations, resources, information, and people in an interactive ecosystem where value-generating transactions can be created and exchanged. This activity is important because it highlights how some platform business models have achieved competitive advantage.
The goal of this exercise is to identify the advantages of platform business models.
Read again the definition of the platform business model in the overview. Then complete each statement with the term that correctly defines each platform strategy advantage. Note: Not all terms are used.
Required information
Skip to question
Corporate Diversification and Firm Performance
This exercise is important because it covers the concept of corporate diversification. The goal of this exercise is to identify when corporate diversification creates a competitive advantage and when it does not. You should be familiar with the corporate diversification and firm performance section of the text prior to completing the following questions.
The relationship between the type of diversification and overall firm performance
Multiple Choice
takes on the shape of an inverted U so related diversification has the best performance.
takes on the shape of a U where modest diversification has the worst performance.
is positive, meaning that more diversification always leads to higher firm performance.
is negative, meaning that more diversification always leads to lower firm performance.
The selling of Busch Entertainment, a theme park unit that owns SeaWorld, by Belgium-based AB InBev after the acquisition of Anheuser-Busch by InBev to ensure a focus on AB InBev’s core business, is an example of
Multiple Choice
franchising.
taper integration.
a diversification premium.
a principal–agent problem.
restructuring.
Which section of the project management plan describes how to monitor project progress and handle changes?
Multiple Choice
- management objectives
- project controls
- risk management
- technical processes
Required information
Skip to question
Types of Innovation
This exercise addresses the strategic implications of innovation for a firm’s competitive advantage, as well as the impact of innovation on markets and industry life cycles overall.
This goal of this exercise is to recognize the four types of innovation, based on the following product descriptions:
Canon Copier – While Xerox had been the dominant supplier for copiers worldwide, Canon redesigned the copier, so it didn’t require professional service and the user could maintain the machine.
Ford Model T – Ford’s introduction of the Model T exemplifies targeting new markets with the use of new technology.
Gillette Fusion Razor – Gillette sustains its competitive advantage by continually improving its blades. The company initially developer razors with one blade; it now has razors with six blades.
Coursera MOOCs – Coursera created havoc among traditional university methods by offering massive open online courses.
Match each company to the type of innovation for which it is known.
- Radical
- Disruptive
- Architectural
- Incremental
Match each of the options above to the items below.
Suppose that a company has successfully used architectural innovation to reconfigure a product and is now the market leader. In order to improve its product offering, extend the time that it can extract profits from its products, and maintain high entry barriers for new rivals, it will most likely engage in __________ innovation next.
Multiple Choice
- radical
- architectural
- incremental
- disruptive
GE is disrupting itself by using reverse innovation to create low-cost health care diagnostic products in emerging markets (refer to Strategy Highlight 7.2 in the text). All of the following are true about this strategy except
Multiple Choice
GE is creating a new industry.
GE converted internal inventions into market innovations.
GE is disrupting itself in order to stay innovative.
GE used emerging markets to invade from the “bottom up.”
GE is utilizing reverse innovation in order to protect itself from rivals.
All of the following are strategies an established firm can adopt in order to protect itself from disruptive innovation by rivals except
Multiple Choice
stay nimble and change more quickly.
disrupt itself and reverse innovate.
protect the low-end market segment by creating its own low-cost innovations.
listen to more than just current customers.
rely primarily on architectural innovation to frequently offer “reconfigured” products.
The ultimate goal of ____ is to create a realistic project timeline that provides a basis for monitoring project progress for the time dimension of the project.
Multiple Choice
- defining activities
- sequencing activities
- developing the schedule
- estimating activity duration