BUS 409W Final Exam Questions

May 2022

Final Project Option 1

Please choose (2) of the following exam questions

Question 1

Describe how Porters 3 generic business-level strategies give a company a competitive advantage over actual and potential rivals.

Question 2

Consider the case of a manufacturing firm that purchases subassemblies from a supplier, creates a finished product, and then sells that product to a wholesale distributor. What advantages might this firm gain from forward integration? From backward integration? HINT – To answer this question, use as many of the building blocks as you can.

Question 3

What are the two general types of diversification and when would one be preferred over the other?

Question 4

Identify and discuss the governance mechanisms that help align the incentives of stockholders and managers and help monitor and control management.

Guidelines:

1. Each question is worth 50 points. You are being graded on content (30 points). Proper grammar and presentation (spelling, etc.) will also be factored into the grading (20 points).Your essay requires an introduction and conclusion. Questions that are NOT answered in essay form (ex. bullets, numbers, etc.) will be penalized.
2. Answer the question fully, providing examples as needed.
3. Each essay should be a MINIMUM of 2-3 pages. They are due IN CLASSat the NORMAL START time of class.NO EXCEPTIONS. These are to be typed up and single, to1.5 spaced.

Final Project Option 2

Choose a company that is widely regarded as “excellent”. Identify the sources of that excellence and relate it to the material discussed in this class. Which building block(s) does the company seem to focus on to make them excellent? What strategies does this company use for each block? Explain.

1. This question is worth 100 points. You are being graded on content (70 points). Proper grammar and presentation (spelling, etc.) will also be factored into the grading (30 points). Your essay requires an introduction and conclusion. If you do not answer in essay form and use bullets, numbers, etc., you will lose points.
2. Answer the question fully, providing examples as needed.
3. Your essay should be a MINIMUM of 4-6 pages. Due IN CLASS at the NORMAL START time of class. NO EXCEPTIONS. Be sure it is typed up and single, to 1.5 spaced.