________ is a business strategy whereby firms attempt to gain a competitive advantage by increasing the perceived value of their products or services relative to the perceived value of other firms' products or services.
Product differentiation
Related diversification
Cost leadership
Best-cost provider
By increasing the perceived value of a firm's products or services, a firm will be able to
charge a lower price than it would otherwise be able to do.
charge a higher price than it would otherwise be able to do.
sell its products at lower prices than firms pursuing a cost-leadership strategy.
gain significantly more market share than firms pursuing a cost-leadership strategy.
While firms often alter the ________ of their products or services in order to implement a product-differentiation strategy, the existence of product differentiation, in the end, is always a matter of ________.
customer perceptions; objective properties
objective properties; price
customer perceptions; price
objective properties; customer perception
If an individual is considering purchasing a Toyota Camry or a Ferrari and decides that it is worth paying the extra money for the prestige that is associated with the Ferrari, the additional money the customer is willing to pay for the prestige is known as a(n)
altruistic price.
hedonic price.
fair market value.
margin price.
The most obvious way that firms can try to differentiate their products is by
making the product more complex.
introducing the product at the right time.
customizing the product for a particular segment.
altering the features of the products they sell.
Which of the following bases of product differentiation attempts to create the perception that a firm's products or services are unusually valuable by focusing directly on the attributes of the products or services a firm sells?
Product complexity
Product customization
Consumer marketing
Reputation
The ability of companies that produce complex software packages to tailor these packages to the specific needs of their customers is an example of product differentiation through
complexity.
consumer marketing.
product customization.
timing
A firm's ________ is really no more than a socially complex relationship between a firm and its customers and can serve as a basis for product differentiation.
location
reputation
consumer marketing
architectural competence
In the bicycle industry, the feel of high-end bicycles when they are ridden is important. As a serious rider becomes accustomed to a particular bicycle, it is very difficult for that rider to switch to an alternative supplier. This is an example of product differentiation through which of the following?
linkages between functions
product customization
product complexity
Through which bases of competitive advantage do firms attempt to alter the perceptions of current and potential customers, whether or not specific attributes of a firm's products or services are altered?
________ is the ability to use organizational structure to facilitate coordination among specific disciplines to conduct research.
Architectural competence
Cross-functional linking
Organizational coordination
Managerial leverage
Which of the following bases of product differentiation attempts to create the perception that a firm's products or services are unusually valuable by focusing on links within and between firms?
product mix
________ can be can be a source of product differentiation when a single set of customers purchases several of a firm's products.
Product placements
Product mix
Product differentiation is ultimately an expression of the ________ of individuals and groups within firms and is limited only by the ________ that exist, or that can be created, in a particular industry.
creativity; resources
resources; opportunities
creativity; opportunities
opportunities; resources
In general, firms selling differentiated products face a demand curve that is
upward sloping.
horizontal.
vertical.
downward sloping.
According to Chamberlin, firms selling differentiated products and facing a downward sloping demand curve are in an industry described as
perfect competition.
monopolistic competition.
oligopolistic competition.
semi-structured competition.
Which of the following statements regarding the impact of product differentiation on the threat of new entry is accurate?
Product differentiation helps reduce the threat of new entry by forcing potential new entrants to absorb costs associated with overcoming incumbent firms' product-differentiation advantages.
Product differentiation increases the threat of new entry by allowing potential new entrants to avoid costs associated with overcoming incumbent firms' product-differentiation advantages.
Product differentiation has no impact on the threat of new entry.
It is not possible to determine the impact of product differentiation on the threat of new entry.
When considering the impact of product differentiation on the threat of rivalry, product differentiation
reduces the threat of rivalry to zero.
increases the threat of rivalry by forcing each firm in an industry to compete directly with one another instead of allowing them to carve out their own unique product niche.
has no impact on the threat of rivalry.
reduces the threat of rivalry because each firm in an industry attempts to carve out its own unique product niche.
With regard to the threat of suppliers, product differentiation
reduces the threat of suppliers because a firm with a highly differentiated product can pass increased costs on to customers.
increases the threat of suppliers because a firm with a highly differentiated product is unable to pass increased costs on to customers.
has no impact on the threat of suppliers.
can either increase or reduce the threat of suppliers.
In emerging industries
firms that are first movers are unlikely to gain product-differentiation advantages based on buyer loyalty and high switching costs.
firms that are first movers can gain product-differentiation advantages based on perceived technological leadership.
product-differentiation efforts are focused on product refinement as a basis of product differentiation.
firms can sometimes be tempted to exaggerate the extent to which they have refined and improved their products and services.
In a declining industry
highly differentiated firms may be able to gain product-differentiation advantages by preempting strategically valuable assets.
highly differentiated firms may be able to discover a viable market niche that will enable them to survive despite the overall decline in the market.
Which of the following bases of product differentiation is almost always easy to duplicate?
product features
Which of the following bases of product differentiation is usually costly to duplicate?
links with other firms
Which of the following bases of product differentiation is by far the most popular way for firms to try to differentiate their products but is identified as almost always being easy to duplicate?
customization
distribution channels
Product features, by themselves, are
usually not a source of temporary competitive advantage, but they can be a source of a sustainable competitive advantage.
usually not a source of either a temporary competitive advantage, or a source of a sustainable competitive advantage.
usually can be a source of both a temporary competitive advantage and a source of a sustainable competitive advantage.
usually not a source of sustained competitive advantage, but they can be a source of a temporary competitive advantage.
Under which of the following conditions is the product mix advantage as a basis of product differentiation the least difficult to duplicate?
when the base of a product mix advantage is a common customer
when the mix of products is highly integrated with each other
if each of the products in a product mix has unique features
if a firm brings a series of products to market
Research on architectural competence in pharmaceutical firms suggests that
not only do some firms possess this competence, but that other firms do not; firms without this competence have, on average, been able develop it with minimal investment.
very few firms possess this competence, but firms without this competence, on average, are able to develop it.
not only do some firms possess this competence, but also that other firms do not and firms without this competence have, on average, been unable to develop it.
virtually every firm possesses this competence to some extent.
Which of the following bases of product differentiation is generally viewed as the most difficult to duplicate?
linkages with other firms
The U-form structure used to implement a product-differentiation strategy
rarely uses temporary cross-divisional and cross-functional teams to manage the development and implementation of new, innovative, and highly differentiated products.
has simple reporting relationships.
often uses temporary cross-divisional and cross-functional teams to manage the development and implementation of new, innovative, and highly differentiated products.
has a small corporate staff.
A ________ structure exists when individuals in a firm have two or more bosses simultaneously.
U-form
multidivisional
cross-divisional
matrix
The Lockheed Corporation Skunk Works is an example of a(n)
cross-divisional or cross-functional team
M-form structure
U-form structure
multidivisional structure
Ultimately the ________ of a product differentiation strategy depends on the ability of individual firms to be creative in finding new ways to differentiate their products.
sustained competitive advantage
rarity
imitation
innovation
A ________ exists when firms are committed to engage in several related product-differentiation strategies simultaneously.
policy of substitution
policy of extrapolation
policy of exploration
policy of experimentation
In developing a compensation policy used to implement a product-differentiation strategy, firms will
hold individuals responsible for experiments that fail.
punish individuals for taking risks when their projects are not successful
simultaneously use multiple dimensions to examine employee performance.
provide appropriate incentives for managers and employees to reduce costs.
More recent work in the area of strategic management regarding assertions about being stuck in the middle
supports the argument that firms that attempt to simultaneously pursue cost leadership and product differentiation will find themselves at a competitive disadvantage.
contradicts the argument and finds that firms that successfully pursue cost leadership and product differentiation simultaneously can often expect to gain a sustained competitive advantage.
partially contradicts the argument and finds that firms that successfully simultaneously pursue cost leadership and product differentiation can only expect to gain a temporary competitive advantage.
partially contradicts the argument and finds that only firms in certain select industries can successfully simultaneously pursue cost leadership and product differentiation and gain a temporary competitive advantage.
Firms that are stuck in the middle attempt to sell
high-priced products and gain small market share.
low-priced products and gain large market share.
high-priced products and gain a large market share.
medium-priced products and gain medium market share.
While cost leadership requires rewards for cost reduction, product differentiation requires rewards for ________.
creative flair
efficiency
quantitative goals
production goals
Recent research suggests that ________ firms must have competitive levels of cost to survive.
low-cost
all
domestic
product-differentiation
Recent research shows that firms can simultaneously implement cost-leadership and product-differentiation strategies if they learn how to manage the ________ inherent in these two strategies.
consistencies
similarities
contradictions
superfluousness
Cross-functional product development teams are suitable for a firm pursuing a ________ strategy.
cost-leadership
confrontation
stuck-in-the-middle
Which generic business level strategy is Coach pursuing?
cost leadership
related diversification
product differentiation
unrelated diversification
The price premium that customers are willing to pay for the superior quality and perceived prestige of Coach's products over the prices of similar products are known as
marginal prices.
hedonic prices.
heroic prices.
elastic prices.
Which of the following bases of product differentiation does Coach appear to be employing?
product features, product complexity, and consumer marketing
location, linkages between functions, and reputation
reputation, consumer marketing, and product features
distribution channels, service and support, and links with other firms
Which of the following bases of Coach's competitive advantage is likely to be the most difficult to duplicate?
Which of the following bases of Coach's competitive advantage is likely to be the easiest to duplicate?
The business level strategy Coach is pursuing is likely to
reduce the threat of rivalry to virtually zero.
increase the threat of substitutes due to premium pricing.
decrease the threat of new entrants due to the additional cost they would face to overcome Coach's reputation advantages.
decrease the threat of buyers since Coach can lower its prices due to its efficient manufacturing operations.
Given that the leather handbag market that Coach largely competes in can be considered a mature market, Coach should focus its product-differentiation efforts on
exploiting a first-mover advantage as a basis of product differentiation.
introducing radically new technologies as a basis of product differentiation.
seeking a viable market niche that will enable it to survive.
refining products as a basis of product differentiation.
Coach's agreement with Lexus to produce automobiles with Coach leather interior is an example of
cooperative strategic alliance.
architectural competence.
skunk works.
product placement.
If Coach had an organizational structure that used cross-functional teams, the members of which reported not only to their functional boss (i.e. the head of production) but also to the head of the team, Coach could be said to be using which organizational structure?
product divisional
multi-domestic
One feature of Coach's compensation policies is likely to be
rewards for cost reduction.
rewards for efficiency.
rewards for creative flair.
rewards for manufacturing efficiency.
