How does the business model for cloud computing differ from the traditional business model used by companies such as Microsoft? What are the implications of this new business model for Microsoft’s future financial performance?
> What is the relationship among organizational structure, control, and culture? Give some examples of when and under what conditions a mismatch among these components might arise.
> You are a manager for a major music record label. Last year, music sales declined by 10%, primarily because of very high piracy rates for CDs. Your boss has asked you to develop a strategy for reducing piracy rates. What would you suggest that the compan
> You are working for a small company that has developed an operating system for PCs that is faster and more stable than Microsoft’s Windows operating system. What strategies might the company pursue to unseat Windows and establish its own operating system
> You work for a small company that has the leading position in an embryonic market. Your boss believes that the company’s future is ensured because it has a 60% share of the market, the lowest cost structure in the industry, and the most reliable and high
> Why are standards so important in high-tech industries? What are the competitive implications of this?
> Google licenses its Android OS to phone manufacturers for free. Why would it do this?
> What do we mean by strategy? How is a business model different from a strategy?
> Apple and Google are pursuing different strategies— Apple sells the device and the OS as a bundle (the iPhone), whereas Google does not make devices and licenses its Android OS phones to other device makers. Both companies are gaining share. What does th
> Why did Apple place such emphasis on the applications that run on the iPhone? What is it trying to achieve by heavily promoting applications? Why did other companies rush to copy Apple’s strategies?
> What are the key problems in maintaining a competitive advantage in embryonic and growth industry environments? What are the dangers associated with being the leader in an industry?
> Why are industries fragmented? What are the primary ways in which companies can turn a fragmented industry into a consolidated industry?
> What kinds of strategies might: (a) A small pizza place operating in a crowded college market, and (b) A detergent manufacturer seeking to unveil new products in an established market use to strengthen their business models?
> What kind of structure, controls, and culture would you be likely to find in (a) A small manufacturing company, (b) A chain store, (c) A high-tech company, and (d) A Big Four accounting firm?
> Discuss how companies can use: (a) Product differentiation, and (b) Capacity control to manage rivalry and increase an industry’s profitability.
> What investment strategies should be made by: (a) Differentiators in a strong competitive position, and (b) Differentiators in a weak competitive position, while managing a company’s growth through the life cycle?
> How has competition changed the strategies behind the InterContinental Hotels Group’s business model over time?
> Why did Holiday Inn’s business model and strategies change over time?
> When would a company decide to change from a functional to a multidivisional structure?
> What is the value creation frontier? How does each of the four generic business models allow a company to reach this frontier?
> Why does each generic business model require a different set of business-level strategies? Give examples of pairs of companies in: (a) The computer industry; (b) The electronics industry; and (c) The fast-food industry that pursue different types of b
> What are some of the reasons companies lose control over their business models, and thus their competitive advantage, over time?
> Why is strategic-group analysis important for superior competitive positioning?
> What strategies does a company need to develop to become a broad differentiator? In what ways does this provide the company with a competitive advantage over cost leaders? Over differentiators?
> How can companies pursuing cost leadership and differentiation lose their place on the value frontier? In what ways can companies regain their competitive advantage?
> For each of the structures discussed in the chapter, outline the most suitable control systems.
> In what ways is Southwest trying to improve its competitive advantage in 2011?
> How are the four generic building blocks of competitive advantage related to each other?
> From what perspective might innovation be called “the single most important building block” of competitive advantage?
> What are the problems associated with implementing a strategy of related diversification through acquisitions?
> Over time, will the adoption of Six Sigma quality improvement processes give a company a competitive advantage, or will it be required only to achieve parity with competitors?
> What role can top management play in helping a company achieve superior efficiency, quality, innovation, and responsiveness to customers?
> What are the primary implications of the material discussed in this chapter for strategy formulation?
> Which is more important in explaining the success and failure of companies: strategizing or luck?
> Why is it important to understand the drivers of profitability, as measured by the return on invested capital?
> It is possible for a company to be the lowest-cost producer in its industry and simultaneously have an output that is the most valued by customers. Discuss this statement.
> When is a company’s competitive advantage most likely to endure over time?
> When would a company choose a matrix structure? What are the problems associated with managing this structure, and why might a product- team structure be preferable?
> How important are efficiency, quality, customer responsiveness, and innovation to McDonald’s competitive position?
> Why did McDonald’s start to lose its competitive advantage in the 2000s? What did it do to halt the erosion in its competitive position? What does this teach you about the sustainability of competitive advantage?
> How would you design a structure and control system to encourage entrepreneurship in a large, established corporation?
> Is McDonald’s pursuing a low cost strategy, or a differentiation strategy?
> Does McDonald’s have any distinctive competencies? If so, how do they impact the business?
> Discuss the Competitive Forces model with reference to what you know about the U.S. beer industry (see the Opening case). What does the model tell you about the level of competition in this industry?
> Under what environmental conditions are price wars most likely to occur in an industry? What are the implications of price wars for a company? How should a company try to deal with the threat of a price war?
> Assess the impact of macro environmental factors on the likely level of enrollment at your university over the next decade. What are the implications of these factors for the job security and salary level of your professors?
> Identify a growth industry, a mature industry, and a declining industry. For each industry, identify the following: (1) The number and size distribution of companies, (2) The nature of barriers to entry, (3) The height of barriers to entry, and (4) T
> Using the information contained in the case, conduct a five-forces analysis of the U.S. Steel industry. What conclusion can you draw from this?
> Do you think there are any strategic groups in the U.S. Steel industry? What might they be? How might the nature of competition vary from group to group?
> Why did he make these changes? Did they improve its performance? Search the Internet to find out what has happened to Liz Claiborne since these changes were made.
> What prompts a company to change from a global standardization to a transnational strategy, and what new implementation problems arise as it does so?
> Why is maximizing ROIC consistent with maximizing returns to stockholders?
> The following selected data were taken from the financial statements of Vidahill Inc. for December 31, 20Y7, 20Y6, and 20Y5: The 20Y7 net income was $411,000, and the 20Y6 net income was $462,500. No dividends on common stock were declared between 20Y5
> Three major segments of the transportation industry are motor carriers such as YRC Worldwide, railroads such as Union Pacific, and transportation logistics services such as C.H. Robinson Worldwide, Inc. Recent financial statement information for these th
> Recent balance sheet information for two companies in the food industry, Mondelez International, Inc. and The Hershey Company, is as follows (in thousands): a. Determine the ratio of liabilities to stockholders’ equity for both compan
> Hasbro, Inc. and Mattel, Inc. are the two largest toy companies in North America. Condensed liabilities and stockholders’ equity from a recent balance sheet are shown for each company as follows (in thousands): The income from operati
> Briefly explain the difference between liquidity, solvency, and profitability analysis.
> The following data were taken from the financial statements of Hunter Inc. for December 31 of two recent years: The income before income tax was $480,000 and $420,000 for the current and previous years, respectively. a. Determine the ratio of liabiliti
> The dividend yield of Suburban Propane was 10.2% in a recent year, and the dividend yield of Google was 0% in the same year. What might explain the difference between these ratios?
> a. How does the return on total assets differ from the return on stockholders’ equity? b. Which ratio is normally higher? Why?
> What do the following data, taken from a comparative balance sheet, indicate about the company’s ability to borrow additional long-term debt in the current year as compared to the preceding year? Current Year Preceding Year $1,260,
> Forte Inc. produces and sells theater set designs and costumes. The company began operations on January 1, Year 1. The following transactions relate to securities acquired by Forte Inc., which has a fiscal year ending on December 31: Year 1 Jan. 22. Purc
> In teams, select a public company that interests you. Obtain the company’s most recent annual report on Form 10-K. The Form 10-K is a company’s annually required filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). It includes the company’s financia
> Rodgers Industries Inc. completed its fiscal year on December 31. Near the end of the fiscal year, the company’s Internal Audit Department determined that an important internal control procedure had not been functioning properly. The head of Internal Aud
> a. Why is a high inventory turnover considered to be a positive indicator? b. Is it possible to have a high inventory turnover and a high number of days’ sales in inventory? Why?
> Marriott International, Inc., and Hyatt Hotels Corporation are two major owners and managers of lodging and resort properties in the United States. Abstracted income statement information for the two companies is as follows for a recent year (in millions
> Deere & Company manufactures and distributes farm and construction machinery that it sells around the world. In addition to its manufacturing operations, Deere’s credit division loans money to customers to finance the purchase of th
> The condensed income statements through income from operations for Amazon.com, Inc., Best Buy, Inc., and Wal-Mart Stores, Inc. for a recent fiscal year follow (in millions): 1. Prepare comparative common-sized income statements for each company. Round
> QT, Inc. and Elppa Computers, Inc. compete with each other in the personal computer market. QT assembles computers to customer orders, building and delivering a computer within four days of a customer entering an order online. Elppa, on the other hand, b
> The president of Freeman Industries Inc. made the following statement in the annual report to shareholders: “The founding family and majority shareholders of the company do not believe in using debt to finance future growth. The founding family learned f
> The financial statements for Nike, Inc., are presented in Appendix D at the end of the text. Use the following additional information (in thousands): Accounts receivable at May 31, 2014 ……………………. $ 3,117 Inventories at May 31, 2014 ………………………………….. 4,142
> International Financial Reporting Standard No. 16 provides companies the option of valuing property, plant, and equipment at either historical cost or fair value. If fair value is selected, then the property, plant, and equipment must be revalued periodi
> For 20Y2, Macklin Inc. reported a significant increase in net income. At the end of the year, John Mayer, the president, is presented with the following condensed comparative income statement: Instructions 1. Prepare a comparative income statement with
> Crosby Company has provided the following comparative information: You have been asked to evaluate the historical performance of the company over the last five years. Selected industry ratios have remained relatively steady at the following levels for
> The comparative financial statements of Stargel Inc. are as follows. The market price of Stargel common stock was $119.70 on December 31, 20Y2. Instructions Determine the following measures for 20Y2, rounding to one decimal place including percentages
> Data pertaining to the current position of Lucroy Industries Inc. follow: Cash ……………………â
> Lucas Hunter, president of Simmons Industries Inc., believes that reporting operating cash flow per share on the income statement would be a useful addition to the company’s just completed financial statements. The following discussion took place between
> For 20Y2, Fielder Industries Inc. initiated a sales promotion campaign that included the expenditure of an additional $40,000 for advertising. At the end of the year, Leif Grando, the president, is presented with the following condensed comparative incom
> The following data are taken from the financial statements of Sigmon Inc. Terms of all sales are 2/10, n/45. a. For 20Y2 and 20Y3, determine (1) The accounts receivable turnover and (2) The number of days’ sales in receivables. Round
> The following data were extracted from the income statement of Keever Inc.: a. Determine for each year (1) The inventory turnover and (2) The number of days’ sales in inventory. Round to the nearest dollar and one decimal place. b. Wh
> The bond indenture for the 10-year, 9% debenture bonds issued January 2, 20Y5, required working capital of $100,000, a current ratio of 1.5, and a quick ratio of 1.0 at the end of each calendar year until the bonds mature. At December 31, 20Y6, the three
> PepsiCo, Inc., the parent company of Frito-Lay snack foods and Pepsi beverages, had the following current assets and current liabilities at the end of two recent years: a. Determine the (1) Current ratio and (2) Quick ratio for both years. Round to one
> The following data were taken from the balance sheet of Nilo Company at the end of two recent fiscal years: a. Determine for each year (1) The working capital, (2) The current ratio, and (3) The quick ratio. Round ratios to one decimal place. b. What c
> Income statement data for Winthrop Company for two recent years ended December 31 are as follows: a. Prepare a comparative income statement with horizontal analysis, indicating the increase (decrease) for the current year when compared with the previou
> On July 16, 20Y1, Wyatt Corp. purchased 40 acres of land for $350,000. The land has been held for a future plant site until the current date, December 31, 20Y9. On December 18, 20Y9, TexoPete Inc. purchased 40 acres of land for $2,000,000 to be used for
> Balance sheet data for Alvarez Company on December 31, the end of two recent fiscal years, follow: Prepare a comparative balance sheet for both years, stating each asset as a percent of total assets and each liability and stockholders’
> Revenue and expense data for the current calendar year for Tannenhill Company and for the electronics industry are as follows. Tannenhill’s data are expressed in dollars. The electronics industry averages are expressed in percentages.
> The following comparative income statement (in thousands of dollars) for two recent fiscal years was adapted from the annual report of Speedway Motorsports, Inc., owner and operator of several major motor speedways, such as the Atlanta, Texas, and Las Ve
> This activity will require two teams to retrieve cash flow statement information from the Internet. One team is to obtain the most recent year’s statement of cash flows for Johnson & Johnson; the other team, the most recent year’s statement of cash flows
> Revenue and expense data for Innovation Quarter Inc. for two recent years are as follows: a. Prepare an income statement in comparative form, stating each item for both years as a percent of sales. Round to the nearest whole percentage. b. Comment on t
> Xavier Stores Company and Lestrade Stores Inc. are large retail department stores. Both companies offer credit to their customers through their own credit card operations. Information from the financial statements for both companies for two recent years
> Explain whether Colston Company correctly reported the following items in the financial statements: a. In a recent year, the company discovered a clerical error in the prior year’s accounting records. As a result, the reported net income for the previous
> Apex Inc. reports the following for a recent year: Income from continuing operations before income tax ……………… $1,000,000 Loss from discontinued operations …………………………………………… $240,000* Weighted average number of shares outstanding …………………………….. 20,000 Appl
> The net income reported on the income statement of Cutler Co. was $4,000,000. There were 500,000 shares of $10 par common stock and 100,000 shares of $2 preferred stock outstanding throughout the current year. The income statement included a gain on disc
> The table that follows shows the stock price, earnings per share, and dividends per share for three companies for a recent year: a. Determine the price-earnings ratio and dividend yield for the three companies. Round ratios and percentages to one decim
> The following information was taken from the financial statements of Tolbert Inc. for December 31 of the current fiscal year: Common stock, $20 par (no change during the year) ………………… $10,000,000 Preferred $4 stock, $40 par (no change during the year) ……
> The balance sheet for Garcon Inc. at the end of the current fiscal year indicated the following: Bonds payable, 8% ……………………………………… $5,000,000 Preferred $4 stock, $50 par …………………………… 2,500,000 Common stock, $10 par …………………………………. 5,000,000 Income before
> Berkshire Hathaway, the investment holding company of Warren Buffett, reports its “less than 20% ownership” investments according to generally accepted accounting principles. However, it also provides additional disclosures that it terms “look-through” e
> The following data were taken from the financial statements of Gates Inc. for the current fiscal year. Assuming that total assets were $7,000,000 at the beginning of the current fiscal year, determine the following: (a) Ratio of fixed assets to long-te
> Ralph Lauren Corporation sells apparel through company-owned retail stores. Recent financial information for Ralph Lauren follows (in thousands): Assume that the apparel industry average return on total assets is 8.0% and the average return on stockhol
> Dillip Lachgar is the president and majority shareholder of Argon Inc., a small retail chain store. Recently, Dillip submitted a loan application for Argon Inc. to Compound Bank. It called for a $600,000, 9%, 10-year loan to help finance the construction
