256) A situation analysis refers to
A) taking stock of where the firm or product has been recently, where it is now, and where it is
headed in terms of the organization’s marketing plans and the external forces and trends affecting
it.
B) an appraisal of an organization’s cash flow and financial ratios to access its health and the
potential for new investment.
C) the process of continually acquiring information on events occurring outside the organization
to identify and interpret potential trends.
D) a technique that managers use to quantify performance measures and growth targets to
analyze its clients’ strategic business units as though they were separate investments.
E) the process where a firm searches for growth opportunities from among current and new
markets as well as current and new products.
257) A situation analysis requires a firm to consider the external forces and trends that affect it.
Some of these may be favorable to the organization while others may be unfavorable. Which of
the following is an example of an external force?
A) The firm buys its own fleet of trucks, so it no longer needs to hire a trucking company for
distribution.
B) A hiring freeze is put into place. Although no one is fired, no one can be hired.
C) A goal is set to close the gap between production costs and profits.
D) A city government bans cigarette smoking inside all restaurants and bars in the city limits.
E) Shareholders are rewarded with a sizable dividend check.