Download GTU (Gujarat Technological University) MBA 2019 Winter 3rd Sem 4539201 Strategic Management Previous Question Paper
Seat No.: ________ Enrolment No.___________
GUJARAT TECHNOLOGICAL UNIVERSITY
MBA ? SEMESTER III ? EXAMINATION ? WINTER 2019
Subject Code: 4539201 Date: 28/11/2019
Subject Name: Strategic Management
Time: 10.30 am to 01.30 pm Total Marks: 70
Instructions:
1. Attempt all questions.
2. Make suitable assumptions wherever necessary.
3. Figures to the right indicate full marks.
Q.1 Explain following terms. 14
(a) Strategy
(b) Vision
(c ) Mission
(d) Driving forces of an Industry
(e) Competence
(f) Core competence
(g) Distinctive competence
Q.2 (a) Explain with example the four tests a company needs to pass in order to prove its
?competitive power of a resource strength?. 07
(b) Discuss with an example of your choice the ?low cost provider strategy? in the
five generic competitive strategic framework. How a company can achieve
cost advantage? 07
OR
(b) Explain ?broad differentiation strategy?. Give three examples of companies
practicing this strategy. In which cases differentiation strategy works best? 07
Q.3 (a) What is a strategic alliance? Why & how strategic alliances are beneficial? Give two
examples of strategic alliance. 07
(b) What is the relevance and importance of Wipro?s ?String of Pearls? strategy? 07
OR
Q.3 (a) ?Companies need to aspire for global leadership, not domestic?. Do you agree
with the statement? Justify your answer. Also explain the conceptual difference
between ?multi-country competition? & ?global competition?. 07
(b) When entry barriers are low and demand is extensive and diverse across
geographic locations, the industry get fragmented. Do you consider the
real estate development industry in Ahmedabad is facing supply side
fragmentation? What are the reasons for it? What are the strategy options for a
company when an industry is facing supply side fragmentation? 07
Q.4 (a) What are the situations or factors that signal to a company that it is a time to diversify?
What can be the ultimate justification for diversification? 07
(b) Crompton Greaves? board has approved its business to be demerged into two 07
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Page 1 of 2
Seat No.: ________ Enrolment No.___________
GUJARAT TECHNOLOGICAL UNIVERSITY
MBA ? SEMESTER III ? EXAMINATION ? WINTER 2019
Subject Code: 4539201 Date: 28/11/2019
Subject Name: Strategic Management
Time: 10.30 am to 01.30 pm Total Marks: 70
Instructions:
1. Attempt all questions.
2. Make suitable assumptions wherever necessary.
3. Figures to the right indicate full marks.
Q.1 Explain following terms. 14
(a) Strategy
(b) Vision
(c ) Mission
(d) Driving forces of an Industry
(e) Competence
(f) Core competence
(g) Distinctive competence
Q.2 (a) Explain with example the four tests a company needs to pass in order to prove its
?competitive power of a resource strength?. 07
(b) Discuss with an example of your choice the ?low cost provider strategy? in the
five generic competitive strategic framework. How a company can achieve
cost advantage? 07
OR
(b) Explain ?broad differentiation strategy?. Give three examples of companies
practicing this strategy. In which cases differentiation strategy works best? 07
Q.3 (a) What is a strategic alliance? Why & how strategic alliances are beneficial? Give two
examples of strategic alliance. 07
(b) What is the relevance and importance of Wipro?s ?String of Pearls? strategy? 07
OR
Q.3 (a) ?Companies need to aspire for global leadership, not domestic?. Do you agree
with the statement? Justify your answer. Also explain the conceptual difference
between ?multi-country competition? & ?global competition?. 07
(b) When entry barriers are low and demand is extensive and diverse across
geographic locations, the industry get fragmented. Do you consider the
real estate development industry in Ahmedabad is facing supply side
fragmentation? What are the reasons for it? What are the strategy options for a
company when an industry is facing supply side fragmentation? 07
Q.4 (a) What are the situations or factors that signal to a company that it is a time to diversify?
What can be the ultimate justification for diversification? 07
(b) Crompton Greaves? board has approved its business to be demerged into two 07
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separate corporate identities, namely Crompton Greaves Consumer Products Ltd.
and Crompton Greaves Industrial Products Ltd. Discuss the rational for this decision.
OR
Q.4 (a) What do we mean by corporate social responsibility? Explain in brief the different
categories of socially responsible business behavior. 07
(b) What is the ?Hawthorne Effect?? Enlist at least five important values of any company
of your choice. 07
Q.5
Wal-Mart has achieved a very substantial cost & pricing advantage over rival supermarket chains
both by revamping portions of the grocery retailing value chain and by outmanaging its rivals in
efficiently performing various value chain activities. Its cost advantage stems from a series of
initiatives and practices:
? Instituting extensive information sharing with vendors via online systems that relay sales at
its checkout counters directly to suppliers of the items, thereby providing suppliers with real-
time information on customer demand and preferences (creating an estimated 6% cost
advantage). It is standard practice at Wal-Mart to collaborate extensively with vendors on all
aspects of the purchasing and store delivery process to squeeze out mutually beneficial cost
savings. Procter & Gamble, Wal-Mart?s biggest supplier, went so far as to integrate its
enterprize resource planning (ERP) system with Wal-Mart?s.
? Pursuing global procurement of some items & centralizing most purchasing activities so as
to leverage the company?s buying power (creating an estimated 2.5% cost advantage).
? Investing in state-of-the-art automation at its distribution centers, efficiently operating a
truck fleet that makes daily deliveries to Wal-Mart?s stores, and putting assorted other cost-
saving practices into place at its headquarters, distribution centers & stores (resulting in an
estimated 4% cost advantage).
? Striving to optimize the product mix & achieve greater sales turnover (resulting in about 2%
cost advantage).
? Installing security systems & store operating procedures that lower shrinkage rates
(producing a cost advantage of about 0.5 %).
? Negotiating preferred real estate rental & leasing rates for store sites (yielding cost advantage
of 2%).
? Managing & compensating its workforce in a manner that produces lower labor costs
(estimated 5% cost advantage).
Altogether, these value chain initiatives give Wal-Mart an approximately 22% cost advantage
over Kroger, Safeway, and other leading supermarket chains. With such a sizable cost advantage,
Wal-Mart has been able to under price its rivals & become the world?s leading supermarket
retailer.
(a) How Wal-Mart managed its value chain to achieve low-cost advantage over rival
supermarket chains? 07
(b) What strategic options are available to the competitors of Wal-Mart in order to compete
effectively with Wal-Mart? 07
OR
(a) Make strength & weakness analysis of Wal-Mart?s strategy. 07
(b) Make opportunities & threat analysis of Wal-Mart?s strategy. 07
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This post was last modified on 19 February 2020