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1. Dear students get fully solved assignments
Send your semester & Specialization name to our mail id :
“ help.mbaassignments@gmail.com ”
or
Call us at : 08263069601
ASSIGNMENT
Drive Winter2014
Program MBADS/ MBAFLEX/ MBAHCSN3/ MBA – SEM 4
PGDBMN/ PGDENMN/PGDFMN/PGDHRMN/ PGDHSMN/ PGDIB/
PGDISMN/PGDMMN/ PGDOMN/PGDPMN/PGDROMN/ PGDSCMN/
PGDTQMN – SEM 2
Subjectcode & name MB0052 - Strategic Managementand BusinessPolicy
Book ID B1699
Creditand Max. Marks 4 credits;60 marks
1(a) Define “StrategicManagement” and “StrategicPlanning”.
Answer:Business(orStrategic) management isthe art, science,andcraft of formulating, implementing and
evaluatingcross-functional decisionsthatwill enable anorganizationtoachieve its long-termobjectives. It is
the process of specifying the organization's mission, vision and objectives, developing policies and plans,
oftenintermsof projectsand programs,whichare designedtoachieve these objectives,and then allocating
resources to implement the policies and plans, projects and programs. Strategic management seeks to
coordinate andintegrate the activitiesof the variousfunctional areas of a business in order to achieve long-
termorganizational objectives.A balancedscorecardis oftenusedtoevaluate the overall performance of the
business and its progress towards objectives.

2. (b) Discuss the benefitsofStrategic Management.
Answer:There are manybenefitsof strategicmanagementandtheyincludeidentification, prioritization,and
explorationof opportunities.Forinstance,newer products, newer markets, and newer forays into business
linesare onlypossibleif firmsindulge instrategicplanning.Next,strategicmanagement allows firms to take
an objective view of the activities being done by it and do a cost benefit analysis as to whether the firm is
profitable.
2. Discussthe difference betweendefensive strategiesandpre-emptive strategies.Giveexamplesto
support your answer.
Answer:Defensivestrategiesare onlyusedbymarketleadersinstrategicmanagement.If yoursmall-
businesshasreachedamarket-leadingposition,youmayneedtouse such strategies.The goal of these
strategiesistoholdontoyour positionasthe marketleader,fighting off competitorswhotrytotake away
your marketshare.Because firmstendtotargetmarketleaders,thiswill notbe aneasytask,but fortunately
youhave multiple strategiestochoose from.
Defensive strategiesare broadly classifiedasfollows:
 PositionDefence:Thisstrategyinvolves
(b) Differentiate betweensurgical and non-surgical turnaround. Give examples.
Answer:The surgical method,more commonlypracticedinthe West,involvessweepingchangeslike firingof
staff,managers,wholesale reshufflingof portfolios,closingdownoperations,etc.Some call itbloodbathor
bloodshed.Non-surgical turnaroundadoptsthe opposite approach,thatis,peacefulmeans—revampingor
recoverythroughmeetings,discussions,persuasions,consensus,etc.
The operationsinsurgical turnaroundare like this:the firststepistoreplace the chief executive of the ailing
companyby a new‘iron’chief.The newchief promptlygetsintoaction;he assertshisauthority.He issues
pre-emptoryorders,centralizesfunctionsandspearssome convenientscapegoats.Thenhe goesaboutfiring
employeesenmasse andauctioning/sellingwholeplantsanddivisions‘until the fatissatisfactorilycuttothe
bone’.The bloodbathover,the productmix isrevamped,obsolete machineryisreplaced,marketingis
strengthened,controlsare toughened,accountability
(b) Expansion through Diversification
Answer:Diversificationisthe name giventothe growthstrategywhere abusinessmarketsnew productsin
newmarkets.
Diversificationisamuchusedand muchtalkedaboutsetof strategies.Itinvolvesasubstantial change in the
businessdefinition –singlyorjointly- intermsof customergroupsoralternative technologiesof one or more
of a firm’s businesses. . There are two categories
5. Discussthe competitive strategyin:

3. Answer: Genericcompetitivestrategiesenable afirmtooutperformcompetitorsinthe industry.These
strategiesincludeoverallcostleadership,differentiation,andfocus.A firmfollowing the costleadership
strategyneedstoachieve the lowestcostof productionperunitlevelinthe industry.Onthe otherhand,
differentiationstrategiesare aimedatmaintainingthe exclusivityof the productsothat the perceived
difference inthe productservesasa competitiveadvantage tothe firm.Usingfocusstrategies,the firmtries
to capture a particularbuyergroup,segmentof
(a) Emergingindustry
Answer: Emergingindustries are createdby technological innovations,shiftsinrelativecost relationships,or
the emergence of newconsumerneeds.Giventhe highlevelof uncertaintyandriskandthe lackof clarityin
the rulesof competition,formulating
(b) Decliningindustry
Answer:Decliningindustriesare characterizedbyasustained,absolutedecline inunitsalesoveralong
period.These declines
6“Benchmarking isthe processby whichcompanieslook at the ‘best’inthe industry and try to imitate
theirstyles and processes”
Evaluate the rationale for benchmarkingexercisesand discussthe featuresand typesof benchmarking.
Please ensure to include an example to support your answer.
Answer:Whetherit’sforinternal comparisons,orformeasuringthe effectivenessof yourcompanyagainst
close competitors,benchmarkingisavital continuousimprovementtool.Andalthoughit’ssafe tosaythat
the average executiveunderstandsthe benefitsof benchmarkingperformance,thatdoesn’tnecessarily
meanhisor her companyhas everparticipatedinsuchaninitiative.
Benchmarkingis the processof measuringproducts,services,andprocessesagainstthose of organizations
knownto be leadersinone ormore aspectsof theiroperations.Benchmarkingprovidesnecessaryinsightsto
helpyouunderstandhowyourorganizationcompareswithsimilarorganizations,evenif theyare ina
differentbusinessorhave a differentgroupof customers.
Additionally,benchmarkingcanhelpyouidentifyareas,systems,orprocessesforimprovements—either
incremental (continuous) improvementsordramatic(businessprocessreengineering) improvements.

4. Dear students get fully solved assignments
Send your semester & Specialization name to our mail id :
“ help.mbaassignments@gmail.com ”
or
Call us at : 08263069601