strategy - Answers the set of goal-directed actions a firm takes to gain and sustain superior
performance relative to competitors
Strategic Management - Answers the initiatives (strategies) taken by executives on behalf of owners
involving utilization of resources to enhance performance of firms in their external environment
Multinational Enterprise (MNE) - Answers a (for profit) firm that deploys resources and capabilities in
the procurement, production, and distribution of goods and services in at least two countries
(sustainable) competitive advantage - Answers when a firm is able to outperform its competitors or
the industry average over a prolonged period
stakeholders - Answers the organizations, groups, and individuals that can affect or are affected by a
firm's actions. Effective stakeholder management can benefit firm performance
1. Analysis - Answers diagnosing the competitive challenge. strategic leadership: managing the
strategy process, external analysis, internal analysis, competitive advantage
2. formulation - Answers formulating the processes to address the competitive advantage. Business
strategy: differentiation, cost leadership, innovation, entrepreneurship. corporate strategy: vertical
integration and diversification. Global strategy: competing around the world
3. Implementation - Answers Executing actions that implement the formulated processes.
Organizational design: structure, culture, control. Corporate Governance and business ethics
Why is strategic management important? - Answers stakeholder management increases firm
performance
strategic leadership - Answers executives' use of power and influence to direct the activities of others
when pursuing organizational goals
vision - Answers a statement about what an organization ultimately wants to accomplish; it captures
the company's aspiration
mission - Answers a description of what an organization actually does- the products and services it
plans to provide, and the markets in which it will compete. Describes how it will accomplish the vision
values - Answers a statement of principles to guide an organization as it works to achieve its vision
and fulfill its mission; often includes explicit ethical considerations.
An organization's _________ states the standards by which it will operate.
CEO - Answers responsible for direction and entire operations of the company. They account for
about 22% of variance in firm performance. Often referred as "CEO in-context effect."
upper-echelons theory - Answers CEO's characteristics and traits influence firm performance
bounded rationality - Answers CEO's rationality is confined by cognitive limitations and the time
available to make these decisions
leadership structures - Answers Corporate: Headquarters, "global CEO and where to compete";
Business unit: SBU 1-3, "local CEO and how to compete"; functional unit: Business function 1-4, "local
functional heads and How to implement business strategy"
Illusion of control - Answers a person's cognition has a tendency to overestimate their ability to
control events. Attribution theory: suggests that CEOs/executives tend to attribute their success to
their own abilities, and attribute negative events or poor performance to external stimuli
escalating commitment - Answers when an individual or group faces increasingly negative feedback
regarding the likely outcome from a decision, but nevertheless continues to invest resources and time
in that decision often exceeding the earlier commitments. "just one more effect" "gambling"
confirmation bias - Answers people tend to search for and interpret information in a way that
supports their prior beliefs
reason by analogy - Answers when people use simple analogies to make sense out of complex
problems
representativeness - Answers people make conclusions based on small samples, or even from one
memorable case or anecdote
groupthink - Answers when opinions coalesce around a leader without individuals critically evaluating
and challenging that leader's opinions and assumptions
How do you work around biases? - Answers devils advocacy(team 2 finds holes in team 1 plans) and
dialectic inquiry(2 teams concurrently form plans)
strategic management process - Answers method put in place by strategic leaders to formulate and
implement a strategy, which can lay the foundation for a sustainable competitive advantage