Shan HuaMIS 44285Dr. Alan SmithMarch 20, 2015Chapter 8 (1) What are three activities or capabilities a firm should possess to support a low-cost leadership strategy? Give an example of a company that has done this? There are three activities and capabilities a firm should possess to support and sustain a low-cost leadership strategy:A. Implementation of effective cost control, maintaining low cost advantage at effective and efficient way; B. Continuous research and development on low cost in order to succeed in the long run; C. Benchmark with other low-cost competitors to see their position in the industry and adjust the strategy accordingly. Southwest Airlines is a good example of good using this. It keeps its operations simple and is highly efficient at execution.(2)What are three activities or capacities a firm should possess to support a differentiation-based strategy? Can you give an example of a company that has done that? Three activities or capacities a firm possesses to support a differentiation-based strategy includes:A. Strong coordination among functions in R&D, product development, and marketing; B. Providing incentive to attract highly skilled and knowledgeable workers to work in R&D department; C. Maintain good relationship with key customers. Apple has done those to support its differentiation strategy.(3) What are three ways a firm can incorporate the advantage of speed in its business? Give an example of a company that has done this?Three ways a firm could incorporate the advantage of speed in its business include: A. Focus on activities that improve customer satisfaction; B. Enhance the responsibility and skills of personnel that is responsible for maintaining customer relations; C. Empower customer service personnel. Dell is a good example of speed and availableness of customer service.

Chapter Nine1. How does strategic analysis at the corporate level differ from strategic analysis at the business unit level? How are they related? Strategic analysis at the enterprise level is more than the analysis of complex business unit level. The business unit managers to establish plans and strategies for his or her specific department or business unit, company-level managers must create a policy to guide the company include, involve and affect many business units / departments. The corporate level managers examine and choose which businesses to own and which ones to divest and forego. They consider each business managers plans to support the company business and then determine how to allocate resources among each business2. When would multi business companies find the portfolio approach to strategic analysis and choice useful?Combined method is useful for a variety of operating companies seeking to chart a strategic course and its growth potential is determined by evaluating how to allocate resources and other factors, market share, industry attractiveness, business strength, core competencies, and each business unit strategic environment by its business portfolio.3. What are three types of opportunities for sharing that from a sound basis for diversification or vertical integration? Opportunities for sharing are usually found in market-related operating-related, and management activities. 4. Describe three types of opportunities through which a corporate parent could add value beyond the sum of its separate business. All multi-service businesses tend to destroy value. Enterprise level, especially senior managers inevitably destroy some value. Destroy value drivers (so-called information filters) trends related to business managers to filter the information to business management in order to show them the most advantageous business. Parents avoid destroying value; companies must be more self-discipline, which means that companies avoid intervention unless they have a specific reason to believe that their impact will be positive, or to avoid the expansion of their investment portfolio into a new business, unless they were convinced that they could increase value. So, a good business strategy should recognize the value of the damage and the tendency has been designed to reduce their impact maximize value creation. Value creation occurs mainly in the business of parents saw an opportunity to improve performance and have the skills, resources, and other features to help businesses seize the opportunity. This means that parents improve business performance and value of personal contact between the businesses and create value through the implementation of changes in the composition of the portfolio company development activities. Value creation conditions are very important because they are forced to consider the parent company primarily through strategic value-added business opportunities, but also help the parent company will focus its efforts on building a special ability or skill, the opportunity to adapt to specific business goals.5. What does patching refer to? Describe and illustrate two rules that might guide managers to build value in their business. Pitcher process is corporate executives often "re-map" of their rapidly changing business and market opportunities - Add, split, transfer, withdraw, or a combination of bulk business. Priority rules to help managers rank has been accepted opportunities. Intel's production capacity allocation rules: allocation is based on the gross margin products. Border rules which concern the opportunity to pursue outside, which is pale. Cisco's early acquisition of rules: the acquisition must be no more than 75 employees, of which 75% are engineers.