Entrepreneurship and Effective Small Business Management, 11e, Global Edition
(Scarborough)
Chapter 4 Strategic Management and the Entrepreneur
1) The strategic management process:
A) is especially difficult for the small business because of its limited resources.
B) divides mass markets into smaller, less homogeneous units.
C) provides the small business owner with the tools for managing the uncontrollable elements in
the external business environment.
D) helps a small business develop the game plan that guides it in creating its mission, vision,
goals, and objectives.
2) The primary output of the strategic management process should be:
A) a matching of its strengths and weaknesses to the opportunities and threats in the
environment.
B) an enticement to outside investors and lenders to put money into the business.
C) a complete explanation of the company’s product or service.
D) a description of the company’s competitive situation.
3) A small business’s “aggregation of factors that sets it apart from its competitors” is its:
A) strategic plan.
B) competitive advantage.
C) vision.
D) competitive strategy.
4) The strategic planning process for small businesses is:
A) market-focused.
B) the same as it is for a large company.
C) generally done by top management with little or no participation by employees.
D) product-focused and similar to that for large companies.
5) How is the strategic planning process for small companies different from that for large
companies?
A) The planning horizon should cover at least five years into the future.
B) The process should begin with setting objectives and conclude with competitive analysis.
C) The process should be informal and not overly structured—“a shirtsleeve approach.”
D) It should be conducted by top management and provided to lower management.
6) ________ focuses everyone’s attention and efforts on the same target market. It is an
expression of what the owner believes in.
A) The mission statement
B) The company vision
C) The strategic plan
D) The operational plan
7) Which of the following is true about successful entrepreneurs and their vision?
A) It is created independently of their market or their customers.
B) It includes their understanding of the competition and their key market segments.
C) They are able to communicate it and their enthusiasm for it to all those around them.
D) They create it in cooperation with their employees.
8) Answering the question “What business am I in?” defines the company’s:
A) mission.
B) assessment of its own strengths and weaknesses.
C) external opportunities and threats.
D) goals and objectives.
9) Which of the following best expresses the relationship of a company vision to its mission?
A) The company vision comes from the company mission.
B) The mission statement is the written expression of the company vision.
C) The company mission statement is the verbal expression of the written vision.
D) There is no relationship between the two.
10) A mission statement should answer which of the following questions?
A) What are the needs and wants of the target customers?
B) How will we finance our growth and expansion?
C) Who are our competitors?
D) How much money will we make?
11) Once the vision and mission are established, the entrepreneur needs to:
A) select the target market.
B) conduct market research.
C) choose a competitive strategy.
D) assess the firm’s strengths and weaknesses.
12) ________ are positive internal factors that contribute towards accomplishing the company’s
objectives.
A) Strengths
B) Weaknesses
C) Opportunities
D) Threats
13) ________ are negative internal factors that inhibit the accomplishment of a firm’s objectives.
A) Strengths
B) Weaknesses
C) Opportunities
D) Threats
14) When the small business owner assesses her company’s strengths and weaknesses, she is
dealing with the ________ business environment.
A) macro
B) external
C) competitive
D) internal
15) ________ are negative external forces that inhibit the firm’s ability to achieve its objectives.
A) Strengths
B) Weaknesses
C) Opportunities
D) Threats
16) Corey notices a “backlash” against health food among people who eat out. He decides to
open a restaurant that stresses “good home cooking,” heavy with gravies, breads, oils, etc. Corey
has identified and is trying to capitalize on a(n) ________ in the market environment.
A) strength
B) weakness
C) threat
D) opportunity
17) Every business is characterized by a set of controllable variables called ________ that
determines the relative success (or lack of it) of market participants.
A) distinctive competencies
B) key success factors
C) opportunities and threats
D) competitive edge
18) These are products of the interaction of various forces, trends, and events that are outside the
control of the small business.
A) Distinctive competencies
B) key success factors
C) Opportunities and threats
D) Strengths and weaknesses
19) A small firm’s ability to identify and manipulate the ________ in its business determines its
ability to compete effectively.
A) key success factors
B) corporate vision and mission
C) opportunities and threats
D) market environment
20) ________ are relationships between a controllable variable—plant size, quality, packaging—
and a critical factor influencing the firm’s ability to compete in the marketplace.
A) Core competencies
B) Competitive advantages
C) Key success factors
D) Goals and objectives
21) A small business owner would conduct a competitive analysis in order to:
A) influence customers’ perceptions of the company and products’ image.
B) avoid surprises from existing competitors and to identify potential new competitors.
C) divide the market into smaller, homogeneous units.
D) scan the environment for weaknesses and strengths on which to capitalize.
22) Joan is seeking to answer a series of questions such as: How do competitor’s cost structures
compare to ours, what new competitors are entering the industry, what do our customers say
about competitors, etc. By asking these questions, Joan is:
A) conducting a SWOT analysis.
B) identifying her company’s key success factors.
C) formulating strategic options for her company.
D) performing a competitive analysis.
23) Purchasing rival companies’ products, taking them apart, and analyzing them is:
A) industrial espionage.
B) illegal due to federal regulation.
C) benchmarking.
D) cataloguing.
24) The information-gathering process in competitive analysis:
A) is an expensive process that only established small companies can afford.
B) can be relatively inexpensive and easy for the small business owner to conduct.
C) is closely regulated by various federal laws.
D) is a process that requires expert help but is relatively inexpensive.
25) A competitive profile matrix:
A) identifies a firm’s core competencies.
B) permits the small business owner to divide a mass market into smaller, more manageable
segments.
C) compares the firm’s and its competitors’ key success factors.
D) creates a road map of action for the entrepreneur in order to fulfill his/her company’s mission,
goals, and objectives.
26) ________ are the broad, long-range attributes the small business seeks to accomplish;
________ are the specific, measurable milestones the company wants to achieve.
A) Goals; objectives
B) Goals; strategies
C) Objectives; goals
D) Strategies; goals
27) ________ are specific measurable targets to be accomplished in a defined time period.
A) Core competencies
B) Objectives
C) Goals
D) Key success factors
28) The small firm’s “master plan” is its:
A) objectives.
B) goals.
C) competitive edge.
D) strategy.
29) The focal point of a firm’s strategy is:
A) the firm’s goals and objectives.
B) the firm’s key success factors.
C) the customer.
D) the firm’s strengths and weaknesses.
30) Small firms pursuing a cost leadership strategy have an advantage in reaching customers
whose primary purchase criterion is:
A) quality.
B) constant innovation.
C) price.
D) customer service.
31) Cost leadership has several inherent dangers such as:
A) choosing to distinguish the product that does not boost its performance.
B) an overfocus on the physical characteristics of the product.
C) the identified niche is not large enough to be profitable.
D) an overfocus on costs to the elimination of other strategies.
32) A small company following a ________ strategy seeks to build customer loyalty by
positioning its goods and services in a unique fashion.
A) differentiation
B) cost leadership
C) focus
D) niche
33) A differentiation strategy:
A) seeks to find and defend an identifiable market niche.
B) is built on a company’s distinctive competence.
C) must create the perception of value in the customer’s eyes through the lowest possible price.
D) focuses solely on making the physical characteristics of the product as unique as possible.
34) Tyson Foods’ practice of adding value to its chicken products by deboning, skinning, bite-
sizing, or pre-cooking them is an example of a:
A) cost leadership strategy.
B) differentiation strategy.
C) focus strategy.
D) concentration strategy.
35) Which of the following is a danger in choosing a differentiation strategy?
A) Charging a price so high that the company prices itself out of the market
B) Choosing a basis for price leadership that is essentially unimportant to the customer
C) Choosing a market that is not large enough to be profitable
D) An overfocus on overhead costs
36) Rather than attempting to serve the total market, the small firm pursuing a ________ strategy
specializes in serving a specific target segment.
A) cost leadership
B) differentiation
C) focus
D) head-to-head
37) A ________ strategy tends to be ideally suited to the small business.
A) differentiation
B) focus
C) cost leadership
D) product quality
38) The principle behind a ________ strategy is to select one or more market segments, identify
customers’ special needs, and approach them with a good or service designed to excel in meeting
these needs.
A) cost-leadership
B) differentiation
C) focus
D) concentration
39) An effective strategic plan does which of the following?
A) Identifies a complete set of success factors—financial, operating, and marketing, that yield a
competitive advantage for the company
B) Focuses on one generic strategy to the exclusion of all other strategies
C) Always seeks a high profile in the specific markets chosen
D) Is always cost based
40) The most successful strategic plans make the ________ focal.
A) competitive analysis
B) customer
C) product
D) control process
41) Small bookstores have a giant killer of a competitive advantage in their:
A) lower costs.
B) better locations.
C) customer service.
D) large selection.
42) When translating strategic plans into action plans, the small business owner should:
A) not delegate authority or responsibility at this point.
B) not assign priorities to the action plans, but manage the process from the conceptual level.
C) not adjust or change the plan but commit to implementing as it stands.
D) remember that no strategic plan is complete until it’s put into action.
43) A small business owner needs to remember that when it comes to employee involvement in
the strategic planning process:
A) involvement is a prerequisite for the achievement of total employee commitment.
B) his/her employees look to him/her for leadership and do not want to be involved.
C) the delegation of authority is not as important as communicating a clear vision.
D) employees do not need to be involved in the strategic process but do need to be involved in
the operational process.
44) The final step of the strategic planning process is:
A) establishing accurate controls.
B) translating the strategic plan into operational plans.
C) evaluating the competitive environment.
D) choosing a marketing strategy to pursue.
45) The ________ is (are) a set of measures unique to the company that gives managers a quick
and comprehensive view of how the business is doing and includes both financial and
operational factors.
A) core competencies
B) key success factors
C) balanced scorecard
D) action plan
46) It is important for the small business owner to remember that the strategic planning process
is:
A) an ongoing process that must be repeated.
B) a top management process completed only once every two years.
C) a process which involves all the employees once every five years.
D) one that should produce a detailed, elaborate plan for running the business over the next 3–5
years.
47) In the creation of the balanced scorecard, the entrepreneur needs to:
A) assess competitor’s strengths and weaknesses and set measures against them.
B) establish goals for each critical factor of company performance.
C) think about the resource requirements necessary to implement the action plans.
D) do all of these.
48) Intellectual capital of a company is comprised of which components?
49) Small businesses have a natural advantage over large competitors when it comes to
developing a strategy for competitive advantage because small businesses have all these except:
A) fewer product lines.
B) better-defined customer base.
C) access to more capital.
D) specific geographic market area.
50) A company may have a powerful competitive advantage, but it is wasted unless:
A) the owner has communicated that advantage to workers.
B) the customers are recommending the company to their friends.
C) the workers communicate it to customers and potential customers.
D) All of the above
51) ________ is not a primary goal of a competitive intelligence program.
A) Avoiding surprises from existing competitors’ new strategies and tactics
B) Identifying potential new competitors
C) Improving reaction time to competitors’ actions
D) All these are primary goals of a competitive intelligence program.
52) The final step in creating a knowledge management program is:
A) to organize the essential knowledge and disseminate it throughout the company to those who
need it.
B) to take an inventory of the special knowledge a company possesses that gives it a competitive
advantage.
C) to continue to add to the knowledge base the company has assembled.
D) to create company goals and objectives.
53) Which strategy recognizes that not all markets are homogeneous?
A) Focus
B) Differentiation
C) Cost Leadership
D) Price sensitive
54) A strategic plan should not:
A) be relatively small.
B) begin with extensive objective setting.
C) encourage participation by employees.
D) be informal and not structured.
55) Strategic management is a process that involves:
A) developing a vendor list.
B) developing a vision and mission statement.
C) developing goals and objectives.
D) Both B and C
56) Competitive advantage is:
A) to be easily duplicated by competitors.
B) to have a super idea.
C) the aggregation of factors that sets the small business apart from its competitors and gives it a
unique position in the market.
D) None of the above