CHAPTER 8 Implementing Strategies: Marketing, Finance/Accounting, R&D and MIS Issues

The Nature of Strategy Implementation

1. Less than 2 percent of formulated strategies are successfully implemented1.

Ans: F Page: 306

2. Being long term in nature, strategy implementation affects top and middle managers but not the
lower-level employees.
Ans: F Page: 306

Marketing Issues
3. An example of a marketing decision is whether or not to limit the share of business done with a
single customer.
Ans: T Page: 306

4. Given that most information on individuals is available online, the extent to which companies
can track individuals’ movements on the Internet is not a marketing issue of great concern to
consumers today.
Ans: F Page: 307

5. Market penetration can be defined as the subdividing of a market into distinct subsets of
customers according to needs and buying habits.
Ans: F Page: 307

6. The marketing mix component factors are product, place, promotion, price and people.
Ans: F Page: 308

7. With market segmentation, a firm can better operate with limited resources.
Ans: T Page: 308

8. The most common bases for segmenting markets are geographic and demographic.
Ans: T Page: 308

9. Segmentation often reveals that large, random fluctuations in demand actually consist of
several small, predictable, and manageable patterns.
Ans: T Page: 308

10. Segmenting industrial markets is generally simpler and easier than segmenting consumer
markets.
Ans: F Page: 308

11. Generally, market segmentation is followed by market diversification strategy.

Ans: F Page: 308

12. The next step after segmenting markets so the firm can target particular customer groups is to
find out what customer groups want and expect.
Ans: T Page: 308

13. In general, the Internet makes market segmentation easier.

Ans: T Page 310

14. Multidimensional scaling involves examining three or more criteria simultaneously in a

product-positioning analysis.
Ans: T Page: 311

15. A firm can usually serve two or more market segments with the same strategy.
Ans: F Page: 311

16. It is okay for firms to create expectations that exceed the service the firm can or will offer if it
will attract customers.
Ans: F Page: 311

Finance/Accounting Issues

17. Return on assets is the most widely used technique for determining whether debt, stock, or a
combination of debt and stock is the best alternative for raising capital to implement strategies.
Ans: F Page: 313

18. Besides net profit from operations and the sale of assets, the two basic sources of funds for
an ongoing enterprise are debt and equity.
Ans: T Page: 313

19. In low earning periods, too much debt in the capital structure of an organization can endanger
stockholders’ returns and jeopardize company survival.
Ans: T Page 313

20. Additional capital is often required for successful strategy implementation.

Ans: T Page: 313

21. An EPS/EBIT chart can be constructed to determine the breakeven point, where one financing
alternative becomes more attractive than another.
Ans: T Page: 313

22. A reason for concern over the dilution of company stock is a possible hostile takeover.
Ans: T Page: 315

23. When additional debt is issued to finance implementation of strategy, ownership and control
of the enterprise are diluted.
Ans: F Page: 315

24. In times of depressed stock prices, stock issuances often prove to be the most suitable
alternative for obtaining capital.
Ans: F Page: 315

25. A projected financial analysis can be used to forecast the impact of various implementation
decisions.
Ans: T Page: 318

26. When performing pro forma financial analyses, the balance sheet should be prepared before
the income statement.
Ans: F Page: 318

27. The percent-of-sales method should be used for computing the cost of goods sold and the
expense items in projected income statements.
Ans: T Page: 319
28. The cash account is used as a plug figure in pro forma balance sheets.
Ans: T Page: 320

29. The Sarbanes-Oxley Act of 2002 has eliminated the problem of firms inflating their financial
projections, so stakeholders need not worry about the financial projections of different
companies.
Ans: F Page: 320

30. A financial budget is a document that details how funds will be obtained and spent for a
specified period of time.
Ans: T Page: 320

31. Limiting an organization’s expenditures is the primary purpose of financial budgets.

Ans: F Page: 320

32. The most common type of financial budget is the capital budget.
Ans: F Page: 321

33. Although cash budgets can be a useful financial tool, publicly held companies are not required
to complete them.
Ans: F Page 321

34. A limitation of financial budgets is that they can hide inefficiencies if based solely on
precedent rather than on periodic evaluation of circumstances and standards.
Ans: T Page: 321

35. All the methods for determining a business’ worth can be grouped into three basic
approaches: what a firm owns, what a firm earns, and what a firm spends.
Ans: F Page: 322

36. A conservative rule of thumb for measuring the value of a firm is to establish a business’
worth to be 10 times the firm’s most current annual profit.
Ans: F Page: 322

37. A recommended approach for determining a firm’s worth is to base the analysis on the selling
price of a similar company.
Ans: T Page: 322

38. To determine the price-earnings ratio, divide the market price of the firm’s annual earnings per
share by the common stock and multiply this number by the firm’s average net income for the
past 10 years.
Ans: F Page: 322

39. It is generally not recommended for companies with less than $10 million in sales to go public.
Ans: T Page: 325

40. In general, there are very little costs associated with going public.
Ans F Page 325

41. Buying off the outstanding shares of your company from the open market to make the
company private is what going public means.
Ans: F Page: 299
Research and Development (R&D) Issues

42. If the rate of market growth and technical progress is fast and there are few barriers to
possible new entrants, then in-house R&D is the preferred solution.
Ans: F Page: 325

43. According to research, the most successful new product companies use a research and
development strategy that ties internal strengths to external opportunities and is linked with
corporate objectives.
Ans: T Page: 325

44. R&D policies can enhance strategy implementation efforts to emphasize product or process
improvements.
Ans: T Page: 325

45. A major effort in R&D may be very risky if technology is changing rapidly and the market is
growing slowly.
Ans: T Page: 326

46. One R&D strategy is to be an innovative imitator of successful products.

Ans: T Page: 326

47. A current trend in R&D management involves the lifting of the veil of secrecy whereby firms,
even major competitors, are joining forces to develop new products.
Ans: T Page 327

Management Information Systems (MIS) Issues

48. The process of strategic management is facilitated immensely in firms that have an
effective information system.
Ans: T Page: 327

49. Increased costs are a disadvantage of a good information system.

Ans: F Page: 327

50. With information technology, in some cases it is possible to do away with the workplace by
allowing employees to work at home or anywhere, anytime.
Ans: T Page: 328

The Nature of Strategy Implementation

51. What percent of strategies formulated are successfully implemented?
a. Less than 10 percent
b. About 30 percent
c. Between 40 to 60 percent
d. Approximately 66 percent
e. More than 80 percent
Ans: a Page: 306

52. What level of management is directly affected by strategy implementation?

a. plant managers
b. sales managers
c. project managers
d. division managers
e. all of these
Ans: e Page: 306

Marketing Issues
53. All of the following are examples of marketing decisions that require policies except:
a. to be a market leader or follower.
b. to advertise online or not.
c. to offer a complete or limited warranty.
d. to use heavy, light, or no TV advertising.
e. to use exclusive dealerships or multiple channels of distribution.
Ans: a Page: 306

54. Which two variables are of central importance to strategy implementation?

a. diversification and budgeting.
b. marketing penetration and competition.
c. competition and collaboration.
d. product development and market development.
e. market segmentation and product positioning.
Ans: e Page: 307

55. Subdividing a market into distinct subsets of customers according to their needs and the way
they buy and use a product or service is:
a. market penetration.
b. product diversification.
c. market segregation.
d. market segmentation.
e. positioning.
Ans: d Page: 307

56. Why is market segmentation an important variable in strategy implementation?

a. all company strategies require increased sales through new markets and products.
b. it allows a firm to operate with limited resources.
c. mass production, mass distribution and mass advertising are not always required.
d. market segmentation decisions directly affect marketing mix variables.
e. all of the above.
Ans: e Page: 307-308

57. Which of the following variables are not directly affected by market segmentation?
a. Product
b. Place
c. Process
d. Promotion
e. Price
Ans: c Page: 308

58. Why is market segmentation an important variable in the strategy-implementation process?

a. company strategies do not require increased sales through new markets and products.
b. it allows a firm to operate with no resources.
c. it directly affects marketing mix variables.
d. it allows a firm to minimize per-unit profits and per-segment sales.
e. all of the above.
Ans: c Page: 308

59. Perhaps the most dramatic new market segmentation strategy is the
a. targeting of regional tastes.
b. focusing on universal product.
c. preference of international over domestic sales.
d. treatment of industrial markets.
e. none of these.
Ans: a Page: 308

60. Matching of which factors would allow factories to produce desirable levels without extra
shifts, overtime or subcontracting?
a. markets and competitors
b. competition and positioning
c. customer behavior and positioning
d. supply and demand
e. segments and demand
Ans: d Page: 308

61. Which variable would be considered part of the product element of the marketing mix?
a. Advertising
b. Packaging
c. Payment terms
d. Inventory levels and location
e. Publicity
Ans: b Page 308

62. Which variable would be considered part of the place element of the marketing mix?
a. Product line
b. Service level
c. Personal selling
d. Sales territory
e. Discounts and allowances
Ans: b Page 308

63. What entails developing schematic representations that reflect how your products or services
compare to competitors’ on dimensions most important to success in the industry?
a. Positioning
b. Segmentation
c. Penetration
d. Diversification
e. Budgeting
Ans: a Page: 311

64. Which of these is not a correct step in product positioning?

a. Select key criteria that effectively differentiate products or services in the industry.
b. Look for a hole or vacant niche
c. Plot major competitors’ products or services in the resultant matrix.
d. Identify areas in the positioning map where the company’s products or services could be most
competitive in the given target market.
e. Develop a marketing plan to position the company’s products and services appropriately.
Ans: b Page: 311
65. Looking for a vacant niche helps a company determine
a. its advertising budget.
b. the size of the marketing department.
c. the best place to position a product.
d. the best place to locate a new facility.
e. its projected R & D expenditures.
Ans: c Page: 311

66. Multidimensional scaling is used to determine

a. the size of a new building.
b. the size of a new department.
c. the amount of high-tech equipment a firm needs.
d. product positioning.
e. market segmentation.
Ans: d Page: 311

67. Which of the following is (are) true about two different market segments?
a. They can usually be served with the same marketing strategy.
b. They usually require different marketing strategies.
c. They are always in different geographic locations.
d. They are usually incompatible.
e. They are most effective when a firm squats between two segments.
Ans: b Page: 311

68. Which of these is not a rule of thumb when using product positioning as a strategy-
implementation tool?
a. “Don’t squat between segments.”
b. “Look for the hole or vacant niche.”
c. “Try to serve more than one segment with the same strategy.”
d. “Don’t position yourself in the middle of the map.”
e. All of these are valid rules of thumb.
Ans: c Page: 311

Finance/Accounting Issues
69. Which of the following is not an example of a decision that may require finance/accounting
policies?
a. To extend the time of accounts receivable
b. To establish a certain percentage discount on accounts within a specified period of time
c. To lease or buy fixed assets
d. To use LIFO, FIFO, or a market-value accounting approach
e. To determine the amount of product diversification
Ans: e Page: 313

70. In the low earnings period, too much ______ in the capital structure of an organization can
endanger stockholders’ return and jeopardize company survival.
a. debt
b. liquid assets
c. equity
d. cash
e. tax
Ans: a Page: 313

71. Which of these obligations generally must be met, regardless of circumstances?

a. Dividends
b. Employee
c. Fixed debt
d. Equity
e. All of these
Ans: c Page: 313

72. What is the most widely used technique for determining the best combination of debt and
stock?
a. Debt-to-stock ratio
b. Earnings per share/earnings before interest and tax analysis
c. Gross profit analysis
d. Capital asset pricing model
e. Present value analysis
Ans: b Page: 313

73. After completing an EPS/EBIT analysis, what conclusions would you make if the debt line is
above the stock line throughout the range of EBIT on the graph?
a. Debt appears to be the best financing alternative.
b. Stock would be the best financing alternative.
c. A combination of debt and stock is probably the best financial alternative.
d. Dividends must be considered before conclusions can be made.
e. The company should be privately owned.
Ans: a Page: 313

74. What becomes a more attractive financing technique when cost of capital is high?
a. stock issuance
b. debt
c. cost cutting
d. borrowing
e. staying privately owned
Ans: a Page: 315

75. What is a drawback of using only equity to raise capital?

a. The cost
b. Fluctuations in the stock market
c. Dilution of the control of the company
d. That it will cause EPS to roller coaster
e. That it doesn’t raise as much capital as debt financing
Ans: c Page: 315

76. A benefit of using projected balance sheets and income statements is that
a. an organization can compute projected financial ratios under various scenarios.
b. money can be put aside to pay future income taxes.
c. insurance needs can be computed.
d. it is useful in analyzing past performance.
e. all of the above.
Ans: a Page: 318

77. Projected financial analysis is an important strategy-implementation technique because

a. it is an exact measurement of financial costs in the future.
b. it is an exact measurement of future company profits.
c. it allows an organization to examine the expected results of various actions and approaches.
d. insurance needs can be computed.
e. none of the above
Ans: c Page: 318

78. What is a central strategy-implementation technique that allows an organization to examine

the expected results of various actions and approaches?
a. EPS/EBIT
b. Financial budgeting
c. TOWS analysis
d. Projected financial statement analysis1
e. External analysis
Ans: d Page: 318

79. The first step in preparing a projected statements is to

a. prepare the projected balance sheet.
b. take an inventory of goods.
c. estimate increases in debt.
d. prepare the projected income statement.
e. calculate the projected net income.
Ans: d Page: 318

80. In preparing projected statements, to project cost of goods sold and the expense items in the
income statement, which of these methods is recommended?
a. Determining the net worth method
b. What a firm earns method
c. Percentage-of-sales method
d. Price-earnings ratio met
e. Outstanding shares method
Ans: c Page: 318-319

81. Which element in the projected income statement cannot be forecasted using the percentage-
of-sales method?
a. Cost of goods sold
b. Selling expense
c. Administrative expense
d. Interest expense
e. All of these items are forecasted using the percentage-of-sales method.
Ans: d Page: 319

82. Retained earnings is obtained by subtracting

a. any dividends from net income.
b. net income from EBIT.
c. taxes from EBIT.
d. interest expense from EBT.
e. EBIT from CGS.
Ans: a Page: 319-320

83. In projected financial statements, what account is used as a plug figure?

a. retained earnings
b. fixed assets
c. cash
d. long-term liabilities
e. stockholders’ equity
Ans: c Page: 320

84. Which of these is the most common type of budgeting time frame?
a. Daily
b. Quarterly
c. Annual
d. Every decade
e. Monthly
Ans: c Page: 320

85. If a firm incurs a loss during a particular year, or if the firm had positive net income but paid
out dividends more than the net income, its retained earnings for that year will most likely be
a. a large positive number.
b. a low positive number.
c. zero.
d. a negative number.
e. Can not be determined from this information.
Ans: d Page: 319-320

86. What is the most common type of financial budget?

a. cash
b. sales
c. profits
d. factory
e. flexible
Ans: a Page: 321

87. Who has mandated that every publicly held company in the United States must issue an
annual cash-flow statement in addition to the usual financial reports?
a. SEC
b. Congress
c. FCC
d. FASB
e. OPEC
Ans: d Page: 321

88. How should financial budgets be thought of?

a. A tool for limiting expenditures.
b. A method for obtaining the most productive and profitable use of an organization’s resources.
c. A method for rationing the profits from the past year.
d. A method for determining who should receive the largest pay raise.
e. A tool for forecasting future profits.
Ans: b Page: 320
89. What is a limitation of using financial budgets?
a. They can be so detailed that they are cumbersome and expensive.
b. They can become a substitute for objectives.
c. They can hide inefficiencies if done only on precedent.
d. They are sometimes used as instruments of tyranny.
e. All of the above.
Ans: e Page: 321

90. Which of the following methods is not accepted for determining a business’ worth?
a. What the firm owns.
b. What the firm earns.
c. What the firm’s return on investment has been.
d. What the firm will bring in the market.
e. All of the above are accepted.
Ans: c Page: 322
91. Which item is/are not included in net worth?
a. Fixed assets
b. Common stock
c. Additional paid-in-capital
d. Retained earnings
e. All of these are included in net worth
Ans: a Page: 322

92. Which method of determining a firm’s net worth divides the market price of the firm’s stock by
the annual earnings per share and multiplies this number by the firm’s average net income for the
past five years?
a. Debt/equity method
b. Current ratio method
c. Price-earnings ratio method
d. Long-term asset method
e. Outstanding shares method

93. What best describes how much a company is worth?

a. An exact science
b. An educated guess
c. Explicit accounting standards
d. Known only to the firm’s accountants
e. Static

94. The Financial Accounting Standard Board (FASB) Rule 142 deals with
a. illegal inflation of financial projections.
b. hacking issues in MIS.
c. goodwill.
d. how firms conduct R & D.
e. improving marketing policies.

95. What is the best definition of goodwill?

a. Premiums paid for acquisition
b. Value attached to the firms reputation
c. Excess of assets over liabilities
d. Value associated with benefits from environmental programs
e. Excess of current assets over liabilities

96. If an initial stock issuance is at or under $1 million, what is the average total cost paid to
lawyers, accountants and underwriters?
a. 1 dollar in 20
b. 1 dollar in 10
c. 25 percent
d. 5 percent
e. 40 percent

Research and Development (R&D) Issues

97. R&D employees and managers perform all of the following tasks except:
a. transferring complex technology.
b. alternating products to particular tastes and specifications.
c. researching resource availability.
d. adapting processes to local markets.
e. adjusting process to local raw materials.

98. Which of the following is not a major approach to R&D?

a. To be a pioneer
b. To be an innovative imitator
c. To be a low-cost producer by mass-producing products similar to but less expensive than products
recently introduced
d. To be a liquidator
e. All of the above are major approaches to R&D.

99. The attitude of U.S. firms toward research and development is best described by which of the
following?
a. The veil of secrecy is being lifted, resulting in more collaboration.
b. Firms are more cutthroat than ever and less cooperative with each other.
c. Firms are less interested in working with universities.
d. Firms are spending less in total research and development expenditures.
e. Firms are less involved with research consortia than ever.

Management Information Systems (MIS) Issues

100. A good information system can allow a firm to
a. gain competitive advantage.
b. reduce costs.
c. increase productivity.
d. increase customers.
e. reduce turnover.

Essay Questions

101. Name five examples of marketing decisions that may require policies.

1) To use exclusive dealerships or multiple channels of distribution

2) To use heavy, light, or no TV advertising;
3) To limit (or not) the share of business done with a single customer;
4) To be a price leader or a price follower;
5) To offer a complete or limited warranty;
6) To reward salespeople based on straight salary, straight commission, or a combination
salary/commission ;
7) To advertise online or not.

102. Although there are many marketing variables that impact the success or failure of strategy-
implementation efforts, two variables are central to the process. What are these variables?
Discuss why they are so important.
Two variables of central importance to strategy implementation are market segmentation and product
positioning. Segmentation is important because it is a key to matching supply and demand, which is one
of the thorniest problems in customer service. Segmentation often reveals that large, random fluctuations
in demand actually consist of several small, predictable and manageable patterns. Product positioning is
important because it is a severe mistake to assume the firm knows what customers want and expect.
Many firms have become successful by filling the gap between what customers and producers see as
good service. What the customer believes is good service is paramount, not what the producer believes
service should be. Positioning entails developing schematic representations that reflect how a firm’s
products or services compare to competitors’ on dimensions most important to success in the industry.

103. What are the marketing-mix component factors? Give some examples of each.
The marketing-mix component factors consist of product, place, promotion and price. Please refer to
Table 8-1 on page 308 for examples of each factor.

104. What are the five steps required for effective product positioning? Give an example of a
product-positioning matrix for an organization of your choice.
There are five steps required for effective product positioning. These five steps are as follows:
(1) select key criteria that effectively differentiate products or services in the industry,
(2) diagram a two-dimensional product-positioning map with specified criteria on each axis,
(3) plot major competitors’ products or services in the resultant four-quadrant matrix,
(4) identify areas in the positioning map where the company’s products or services could be most
competitive in the given target market and look for niches and
(5) develop a marketing plan to position the company’s products or services appropriately.

105. Name five examples of finance/accounting decisions that may require policies.
1) To raise capital with short-term debt, long-term debt, preferred stock, or common stock;
2) To lease or buy fixed assets;
3) To determine an appropriate dividend payout ratio;
4) To use LIFO, FIFO, or a market-value accounting approach;
5) To extend the time of accounts receivable.
6) To establish a certain percentage discount on accounts within a specified period of time;
7) To determine the amount of cash that should be kept on hand.

106. Describe the considerations of EPS/EBIT analysis.

There are four considerations of EPS/EBIT analysis:
1) profit levels may be higher for stock or debt alternatives when EPS levels are lower;
2) flexibility;
3) dilution of ownership can be an overriding concern in closely held corporations in which stock
issuances affect the decision-making power of majority stockholders; and
4) timing in relation to movements of stock prices, interest rates and bond prices becomes important.

107. Explain how to perform a projected financial analysis.

The steps to performing a projected financial analysis are as follows:
(1) prepare the projected income statement before the balance sheet and start by forecasting sales as
accurately as possible;
(2) use the percentage-of-sales method to project CGS and the expense items in the income statement;
(3) calculate the projected net income;
(4) subtract from the net income any dividends to be paid and add the remaining net income to Retained
Earnings;
(5) project the balance sheet items, beginning with retained earnings and then forecasting stockholders’
equity, long-term liabilities, total liabilities, total assets, fixed assets and current assets—in that order;
and
(6) list comments on the projected statements.
108. Identify and describe three approaches for determining a business’ worth.
The three approaches for determining a business’ worth are what a firm owns, what a firm earns and
what a firm will bring in the market. Please see the discussion on page 322 under “Evaluating the Worth
of a Business” for descriptions of each approach.

109. Explain the important issues involved in deciding whether to go public, i.e., a private firm
considering becoming a public firm. Include cost estimates, advantages and disadvantages.

110. Discuss guidelines used to determine whether a firm should conduct R&D internally or
externally.
First, if the rate of technical progress is slow, the rate of market growth is moderate, and there are
significant barriers to possible new entrants, then in-house R&D is the preferred solution. Second, if
technology is changing rapidly, and the market is growing slowly, then a major in-house effort in R&D
may be risky. Third, if technology is changing slowly but the market is growing quickly, there generally is
not enough time for in-house development. Finally, if both technical progress and market growth are fast,
R&D expertise should be obtained through acquisition of a well-established firm in the industry.

111. List and describe the three major R&D approaches for implementing strategies.
The three major R&D approaches for implementing strategies are:
(1) to be the first firm to market new technological products;
(2) to be an innovative imitator of successful products, thus minimizing the risks and costs of start-up;
and
(3) to be a low-cost producer by mass-producing products similar to but less expensive than products
recently introduced.