Business Administration
Textbook Exam Questions
Course Introduction
Business Administration is a comprehensive course designed to provide students with the fundamental principles and practices of managing organizations effectively. The curriculum covers key aspects such as organizational structure, decision-making processes, human resources, marketing, finance, operations, and strategic management. Students will explore real-world business scenarios, develop problem-solving skills, and learn how to analyze data for informed decision-making. The course aims to equip students with the knowledge and skills necessary to lead teams, adapt to changing business environments, and understand the dynamics of both local and global markets.
Recommended Textbook
Strategic Management 6th Edition by Graham Hubbard
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14 Chapters
557 Verified Questions
557 Flashcards
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Page 2
Chapter 1: What Is Strategy
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Sample Questions
Q1) Explain how agency theory relates to an organisation's managers.
Answer: Agency theory considers that the managers of the organisation are agents for the owners.It argues that managers will act opportunistically,so that controls or incentives must be established to encourage them to act in the interests of the ownersthe shareholders.An agency theory approach to the common strategic issue would regard underperformance as a problem either of managers not having sufficient incentives or there being insufficient controls over managers.By providing sufficient incentives to managers,they would be expected to develop an appropriate strategy and solve the lack of required capabilities.
Q2) The three levels of strategy are:
A)functional,business,corporate
B)global,national,corporate
C)external,internal,individual
D)industry,corporation,divisional
Answer: A
Q3) All organisations must have the three levels of strategy.
A)True
B)False
Answer: False
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Chapter 2: Analysing Business Strategy: Creating Value
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41 Flashcards
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Sample Questions
Q1) A mission statement is a statement that:
A)should be used instead of a vision statement
B)was always different from the vision statement
C)over time,became commonly focused on mundane matters
D)operationalises the vision statement for the current business situation
Answer: D
Q2) Explain the difference in strategies in the public sector between policy-direction setters and transformers.Use at least one example of each in your answer.
Answer: Policy-direction setters,like the Department of Defence,need strategy to create value by being:
-substantively valuable to key stakeholders,clients and beneficiaries
-legitimate and politically sustainable
-operationally and administratively feasible
On the other hand,transformers,like the Department of Health,need strategies to create value by:
-being network managers
-managing interactions within networks
-building or changing the network itself
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4
Chapter 3: Analysing the External Environment
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Sample Questions
Q1) What are the benefits of scenario planning as an alternative to the five forces model?
Answer: Scenario planning tries to build plausible alternative views of the future for the industry,based on identifying the key environmental influences and drivers of change,but configuring their importance differently in each scenario.For instance,one approach might be a no change-incremental change-rapid change set of scenarios.
Q2) 'Analysis of the macro-environment is a waste of time and effort for all but the largest corporations.' Discuss the relevance of this observation. Answer: The purpose of analysing the macro-environment is to form a view about the likely future growth rate of the industry and to identify the key drivers of that growth.We consider several types of trends such as economic,political,legal,technological,socio-cultural,demographic,green environment and international environmental that might have an important impact on the industry's future growth.Although the degree of impact may vary between the sizes of businesses operating in any particular industry,it is important to monitor and assess the trends that are of greatest importance.The analysis will help businesses of any size to identify opportunities and threats which will then be matched with their strengths and weaknesses.
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Chapter 4: Analysing the External Environment
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Sample Questions
Q1) Compare and contrast the assumptions of conventional economics with those of the 'resource-based view' of competition.Can they be reconciled or are they contradictory?
Q2) The definition of 'strategic capabilities' does NOT require that they:
A)create value for customers
B)create value for shareholders
C)are better than those of most competitors
D)are difficult to imitate or replicate
Q3) Which three areas have emerged as the focus of dynamic capabilities analysis?
A)Knowledge acquisition,innovation,learning outsourcing,management cognition
B)Knowledge management,learning and ability to innovate
C)Knowledge acquisition,innovation,learning by doing,management recognition
D)Knowledge management,innovation,learning organisation,management by objectives
Q4) Hubbard,Rice and Galvin recommend identifying cost drivers by:
A)looking at the cost structure by broad category of expense
B)looking at the useful information provided by functional costing
C)establishing a value chain or set of activities that the organisation performs
D)none of the above
Q5) Describe the links between resources,capabilities and strategic capabilities.
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Chapter 5: Measuring Strategic Organisation Performance
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Sample Questions
Q1) The 'winning wheel' framework of Hubbard et al.does NOT include:
A)effective execution
B)perfect alignment of systems and procedures
C)looking out,not just looking in
D)managing the upside
Q2) Once performance measures have been developed and actual performance is determined,discuss the possible standards of comparison.
Q3) In the environment area,the main measures that are emerging include:
A) CO emissions,greenhouse gas emissions,water use,customer satisfaction
B) CO emissions,greenhouse gas emissions,water use,biodiversity reduction
C) greenhouse gas emissions,water use,customer satisfaction,biodiversity reduction
D)greenhouse gas emissions,water use,cost savings,biodiversity reduction
Q4) The best use of performance measurement systems with several variables would be obtained by the development of ___ ___ ___ ___ of relationships between variables.
A) analysis of variance models
B) variance and analysis models
C) cause and effect models
D)sensitivity and polarity models
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Page 7
Chapter 6: GAP Analysis and Business-Level Strategic Options
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Sample Questions
Q1) 'Not to grow' is an inappropriate organisational desire.
A)True
B)False
Q2) Firms with well-defined business models allow them to make strategic choices concerning different parts of their operations that will support and reinforce each otherthus leading to competitive advantages.
A)True
B)False
Q3) Kim and Mauborgne developed the idea of 'blue sky strategy' - finding or creating marketplaces where there are many competitors with similar strategies.
A)True
B)False
Q4) Who are the key stakeholders of not-for-profit (NFP)organisations?
A)The community
B)The government
C)The citizens
D)The issue is not clear
Q5) Describe how to build a well-defined business model.
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Chapter 7: Strategic Decision-Making
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Sample Questions
Q1) As well as intuition,peoples' decisions are influenced by:
A)motivation,values,ethics,personal maturity
B)motivation,values,ethics,personal nature
C)emotions,values,organisational culture
D)emotions,reward systems,ethics,personal nurture
Q2) One of the negative aspects of political decision-making is that it:
A)focuses the decision maker on the need to display strong entrepreneurship to control power
B)focuses the decision maker on the need for the decision to be made at a point in time
C)both A & B
D)none of the options are correct
Q3) Complete the statement 'Rational decision-making is based on a ___ approach
(i.e.how decisions ___ made).This contrasts with a ___ approach.'
A)positivist,might be,normative
B)normative,should be,and intuitive
C)reasonable,are actually,positivist
D)deductive,might theoretically be,inferential
Q4) The rational model of decision-making is not always used by managers.Why?
Q5) What are the steps in the development of good strategy?
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Chapter 8: Dynamic Competitive Strategy
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Sample Questions
Q1) One of the main principles of game theory is to consider the unexpected reactions of the competitors.
A)True
B)False
Q2) Within a strategic game,the choice of how to define 'scope' can have the effect that:
A)areas where organisations compete directly can be used to subsidise areas where they do not compete directly
B)games are linked
C)games are independent
D)games are mutually exclusive
Q3) According to Nalebuff and Brandenburg,cooperation ______________ value,while competition ______________ value.
A)creates,divides.
B) replaces,multiplies.
C) maximises,minimises.
D)subtracts,adds.
Q4) Describe the PARTS model set forth by Nalebuff and Brandenburger.
Q5) Consider the relevance of game theory in understanding business strategy.
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Chapter 9: Corporatemulti-Business Strategy
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Sample Questions
Q1) Studies show that organisations which are vertically integrated are less volatile in activity and profitability than non-vertically integrated organisations.
A)True
B)False
Q2) 'Parenting capabilities' imply that:
A)the owned businesses usually inherit 'genetic defects' from their corporate parent
B)the current corporate owner can always create more value than a new corporate owner
C)the owned businesses carry a form of 'corporate DNA' that determines performance
D)the parent in a corporation can transfer to other businesses within the corporation.
Q3) 'Defensive managerial goals' imply diversification to focus attention on existing performance.
A)True
B)False
Q4) Compare the BCG and GE tools and contrast their relative strengths and weaknesses as analytical devices.
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Chapter 10: Acquisitions and Alliances
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Sample Questions
Q1) Success of merger and acquisition is determined by the quality of strategic analysis,search and valuation.
A)True
B)False
Q2) Hubbard,Rice and Galvin present that the joint venture will be arguably most effective when:
A)each parent has equal influence over both the strategic and day-to-day operations of the venture
B)none of the parent firms has influence over both the strategic and day-to-day operations of the venture
C)one parent has a lot of influence over both the strategic and day-to-day operations of the venture
D)none of the above
Q3) What would you advise an organisation that is holding onto an underperforming business out of loyalty?
Q4) In cross-border acquisitions,due diligence should only focus on cultural compatibility issues.
A)True
B)False
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Chapter 11: International Strategy
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Sample Questions
Q1) The most obvious immediate difficulty in seeking offshore opportunities is the difference of language.
A)True
B)False
Q2) For strategic exporters,Stace suggests that:
A)firms have a clear strategic focus on export markets
B)firms target only export markets
C)pricing in export markets yields lower strategic returns,or even losses at least in the short run
D)firms price to sell production in excess of the needs of the domestic market so long as these sales make a contribution to fixed overhead and profit
Q3) The inward-looking perspective of internalisation includes all of the following except:
A)acting as licensor to a foreign company
B)importing/sourcing
C)acting as licensee from a foreign company
D)managing as the wholly owned subsidiary of a foreign firm
Q4) Discuss the two main reasons for the rapid implementation of internationalisation of business.
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Chapter 12: Capabilities, Systems and Structure
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Sample Questions
Q1) Is outsourcing an ethical practice? Discuss.
Q2) Simons argued that control is necessary to balance the competing tensions in an organisation because of:
A)unlimited attention spans of managers/limited opportunities for the organisation
B)intended strategy/deliberate strategy
C)self-interest of individuals/the desire to contribute,achieve and create D)none of the above
Q3) Nohria et al.concluded that it did not matter which particular structural form was used.What mattered was:
A)that the structure simplified the process of dealing with other organisations
B)that the structure enhanced cooperation and exchange of knowledge across the company
C)that the structure established systems for seamless knowledge sharing
D)that the best people were not exposed to the front line
Q4) Uncompetitive cost structures are problems of strategic formulation.
A)True
B)False
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14
Chapter 13: Leadership, People and Culture
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Sample Questions
Q1) When people only see their leaders for brief periods of time,these brief meetings are not very important to them.
A)True
B)False
Q2) Which of the following is not a reason why cultures change or are not static?
A)New technologies develop.
B)New competitors emerge.
C)Organisations expand their product range and new markets emerge.
D)Organisations embrace groupthink,narrow external fields of vision,and hang on to existing markets.
Q3) According to Goffee and Jones,smart people do not object to being led.
A)True
B)False
Q4) Values statements will often reflect ethical considerations.
A)True
B)False
Q5) It is clear that attitudes,as much as abilities,are a desirable basis for choosing the 'right' people.
A)True
B)False
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Chapter 14: Change Management
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Sample Questions
Q1) Quinn developed a model of ___ ___ to explain the practical steps involved in introducing change:
A)logical incrementalism
B)systematic progression
C)random assessment
D)logical progression
Q2) ___ and ___ organisations are best placed to be able to cope with the changes required.
A)Decentralised,resourceful
B)Creative,centralised
C)Resilient,adaptable
D)Small,diversified
Q3) Under a cognitive perspective,change requires no modification in managerial and employee cognition before any behavioural change will occur.
A)True
B)False
Q4) What are the four reasons why organisations are not adaptable,as established by Hamel and Valikangas? Give an example of each in your answer.
Q5) Explain the cognitive perspective of change.
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