1. True or False. The aim of tariffs is to protect foreign industries and jobs from domestic competition.
2. True or False. The Bureau of Labor Statistics frequently provides data that OSHA uses to create new workplace standards and regulations.
3. True or False. The EEOC investigates complaints involving misclassification of exempt/nonexempt workers.
5. True or False. The message-receiving process requires us to use active listening skills.
44. True or False. Managers, executives, and lower level employees should all go through the same type of termination process.
46. True or False. The Hot Stove Rule draws an analogy between touching a hot stove and discipline.
49. True or False. If an organization offers leave benefits beyond those required by law, it should never make a declarative statement about this in its handbook
8. True or False. Wage compression generally occurs all at once in an organization.
It develops gradually and unnoticed, catching organizations unaware
9. True or False. Employers offer the voluntary benefit of vacation/annual leave because it refreshes the employee so that they can come back to work and be more productive.
Paid vacation time is a voluntary benefit that organizations offer to employees
10. True or False. Pay secrecy clauses almost immediately create motivation and job satisfaction problems because of perceptions of inequity.
11. True or False. The orientation period never runs longer than 90 days.
12. True or False. All employers pay the same workers’ compensation insurance premiums, regardless of the type of industry.
13. True or False. In most situations, there is a right or wrong decision.
14. True or False. During Kelly’s expatriate assignment, she was paid half in US dollars and half in Yen. This is an example of a balance sheet approach
15. True or False. Medicare is completely free to the retiree.
16. True or False. As part of your new position, your manager has required you to take responsibility for the money spent by the HR department. Despite this, he doesn’t give you authority to veto any purchases. This is an example of a lack of balance between authority and accountability.
17. True or False. Properly implemented preventative programs—including drug and alcohol testing—protect the business from liability.
18. True or False. Less productive employees who see others getting valued rewards for performance may be convinced to increase their own performance levels in order to get similar rewards.
19. True or False. Employers are required to pay for all of employee’s Social Security benefits.
20. True or False. According to equity theory, people compare their inputs and financial rewards to those earned the prior year for the same work
22. True or False. Lying and dishonesty are more commonplace in the American workplace today in comparison to the past.
23. True or False. Incentive plans work when they involve money, but generally don’t work if they involve non-monetary rewards.
2 ...
1. True or False. The aim of tariffs is to protect foreign industr.docx
1. 1. True or False. The aim of tariffs is to protect foreign
industries and jobs from domestic competition.
2. True or False. The Bureau of Labor Statistics frequently
provides data that OSHA uses to create new workplace
standards and regulations.
3. True or False. The EEOC investigates complaints involving
misclassification of exempt/nonexempt workers.
5. True or False. The message-receiving process requires us to
use active listening skills.
44. True or False. Managers, executives, and lower level
employees should all go through the same type of termination
process.
46. True or False. The Hot Stove Rule draws an analogy
between touching a hot stove and discipline.
49. True or False. If an organization offers leave benefits
beyond those required by law, it should never make a
declarative statement about this in its handbook
8. True or False. Wage compression generally occurs all at once
in an organization.
It develops gradually and unnoticed, catching organizations
unaware
9. True or False. Employers offer the voluntary benefit of
vacation/annual leave because it refreshes the employee so that
they can come back to work and be more productive.
Paid vacation time is a voluntary benefit that organizations
offer to employees
10. True or False. Pay secrecy clauses almost immediately
create motivation and job satisfaction problems because of
perceptions of inequity.
2. 11. True or False. The orientation period never runs longer than
90 days.
12. True or False. All employers pay the same workers’
compensation insurance premiums, regardless of the type of
industry.
13. True or False. In most situations, there is a right or wrong
decision.
14. True or False. During Kelly’s expatriate assignment, she
was paid half in US dollars and half in Yen. This is an example
of a balance sheet approach
15. True or False. Medicare is completely free to the retiree.
16. True or False. As part of your new position, your manager
has required you to take responsibility for the money spent by
the HR department. Despite this, he doesn’t give you authority
to veto any purchases. This is an example of a lack of balance
between authority and accountability.
17. True or False. Properly implemented preventative
programs—including drug and alcohol testing—protect the
business from liability.
18. True or False. Less productive employees who see others
getting valued rewards for performance may be convinced to
increase their own performance levels in order to get similar
rewards.
19. True or False. Employers are required to pay for all of
employee’s Social Security benefits.
20. True or False. According to equity theory, people compare
3. their inputs and financial rewards to those earned the prior year
for the same work
22. True or False. Lying and dishonesty are more commonplace
in the American workplace today in comparison to the past.
23. True or False. Incentive plans work when they involve
money, but generally don’t work if they involve non-monetary
rewards.
25. True or False. Organizations can have a performance or a
longevity philosophy to compensation.
27. True or False. Union shops cannot be set up in states where
“right to work” laws exist.
28. True or False. Under U.S. law, any person who pays taxes
can contribute to an IRA, and the contributions are tax-free.
30. True or False. Most country cultures mesh well with
individual incentive programs.
31. True or False. Federal notice posting requirements ensure
that employers post notices in a convenient location frequented
by employees during normal working hours.
32. True or False. Quality problems are a major issue of piece-
rate systems.
34. True or False. Some U.S. workers do not like having to
work in teams due to the individualistic nature of American
culture.
35. True or False. Dysfunctional conflict, competition, and
sabotage might be fostered in employees on individual incentive
plans.
37. True or False. EAP services are not confidential because the
4. employer pays in advance for the services provided to the
employee.
38. True or False. People tend to use the terms manager and
leader interchangeably because the terms actually mean the
same thing.
42. True or False. Entitlement-style pay philosophies motivate
employees to perform better over time.
51. Which of the following assessments does not always need to
be considered depending on the international assignment?
A. Person-organization fit
B. Personality-job fit
C. Language ability
D. Suitability of immediate family
52. The ERISA Act requires all of the following except:
A. All employees who have worked for more than one year and
are over 21 years of age must be offered participation in any
company-sponsored retirement plans.
B. Federal vesting rules must be followed, with a maximum
vesting period of 100% at five years, or 20% per year from
years 3 through 7.
C. Employee retirement accounts must be portable. When the
employee changes jobs, their retirement funds can be
transferred to their new employer or another qualified
investment.
D. Fiduciaries who manage company retirement programs must
act under the prudent man concept that says they should use
care and diligence when investing retirement funds.
E. All employers must provide some form of employee
retirement system for employees who are over the age of 21 and
who request retirement accounts.
53. Maria is conducting a job evaluation in her organization by
breaking each job down into component skills or abilities. After
5. she completes that task, she will assign points to each skill or
ability based on its difficulty. Maria is using the ________
method of job evaluation.
a. job ranking
b. point-factor
c. factor comparison
d. job hierarchy
54. Giorgio intentionally inserted an Internet worm into his
company's computer systems because he received low
evaluation scores this period. Giorgio is guilty of:
A. Gross negligence
B. Just cause
C. A mistake
D. Employee resistance to change
E. Serious misconduct
55. Variable pay is:
A. compensation based on the reduction of the company’s
variable costs.
B. compensation that varies based on the number of hours an
employee works.
C. a payment made to a supplier in multiple installments.
D. compensation awarded on the basis of individual results or
performance.
E. a payment made to employees based on willingness to work
overtime.
56. John is always working to improve his cultural competence
because his organization competes on a global scale with
facilities in many different countries and no real “headquarters”
in any country. John’s organization is in the ________ stage of
corporate globalization.
a. domestic
b. international
c. multinational
6. d. transnational
57. Signs of potential violence include all but:
A. verbal threats
B. stalking and harassment
C. alcohol and/or drug abuse
D. employee cohesion
E. intentional property damage
58. Carl was dealing with a difficult employee problem.
Doubting that he can remain objective in the situation, Carl asks
Andrei to help him resolve the situation. It appears Carl is using
the _________ ethical approach.
a. Golden Rule
b. four-way test
c. stakeholders’ approach
d. discernment and advice
59. Katrina’s organization is hiring for low-skilled jobs in an
industry where unemployment is high and it is easy to find
replacement workers. Adopting a(n) ________ organizational
philosophy on compensation could allow her to hire plenty of
workers.
a. wage compression
b. below-the-market
c. pay for longevity
d. competency-based pay
60. Management suspects it was Ramon who tipped off a safety
inspector that one of the managers had hidden chemicals from
the lab in the trunk of his car until the inspection was
completed. After the inspection, managers began changing
Ramon’s schedule and job duties daily. Ramon found that he
could not plan for his children to be cared for while he was at
work because his work schedule kept changing. Eventually,
Ramon quit. It is likely Ramon experienced __________
7. discharge.
a. wrongful
b. constructive
c. economic
d. express
61. Wynona met an old friend for lunch. During the meal,
Wynona mentioned that her company needed some help on their
tax reporting. Wynona’s friend said that she was now an
accounting consultant and had worked with many local
organizations to streamline their tax reports. Wynona gave her a
copy of the tax information for the company the next day and
showed her friend what the issues were. A week later, Wynona’s
friend brought completed copies of the tax forms necessary for
Wynona’s company to her office. It would appear that Wynona
created a(n) ________ contract when she gave her friend the tax
forms.
a. express
b. implied
c. quasi
d. collective
62. ESOPs motivate employees because _______________.
a. employees will get something for nothing
b. employees will act more like owners
c. employees can reduce their work schedule
d. employees can expect higher base pay
63._____ organizations tend to believe that their values and
culture are superior to others and they will therefore frequently
choose to staff international facilities with home-country
managers.
a. Ethocentric
b. Polycentric
c. Regiocentric
d. Geocentric
8. 64. What mechanism is used to ensure that a company
investigates any disciplinary action taken fully and fairly and
makes sure that the disciplinary action fits the level of the
offense?
A. The coaching model
B. The seven tests for Just Cause
C. Employee assistance programs
D. The discipline model
E. The code of conduct
65. Macy’s organization provides group health insurance to its
employees. According to the ________, the organization must
issue a “Summary Plan Description” that describes the plan and
how it works in plain language.
a. Consolidated Omnibus Budget Reconciliation Act of 1985
b. Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act of 1996
c. Employee Retirement Income Security Act of 1974
d. Social Security
66. Jacob’s manager asks him to organize a blood drive for the
organization. The manager tells Jacob that if he accepts the
assignment, he will be awarded Employee of the Month. Jacob
has organized blood drives in the past and knows how much
work is involved. He does not doubt that his manager can
deliver on the promise of the award. However, Jacob has always
thought that the award was silly. According to expectancy
theory, Jacob is unmotivated to accept the assignment because
_________ is lacking.
a. valence
b. instrumentality
c. expectancy
d. significance
67. Executive compensation in the form of a deferred
contribution to the executive’s retirement accounts is one of the
9. most common forms of _________ retirement funds.
A. governed
B. qualified
C. nonqualified
D. challenged
68. When a person does something because they like it, it is
interesting and personally satisfying, and they want to do it,
they are receiving _______________.
A. Intrinsic rewards
B. External rewards
C. Altruistic rewards
D. Autonomous rewards
E. Extrinsic rewards
69. Alexander did not make many sales this quarter. He
considered adding a few fake entries to his quarterly report.
However, he decided not to do so when the boss mentioned that
the new computer software is designed to catch any
inconsistencies. It appears Alexander is at the _________ of
moral development.
a. preconventional level
b. conventional level
c. postconventional level
d. neoconventional level
70. OSHA cited a manufacturing company for a __________
violation for exposing workers to unguarded hazardous
machinery. An inspection found that the company removed the
machine guarding to increase the speed of product output and
knowingly permitted workers to operate the machines in this
unsafe manner.
a. willful
b. serious
c. other than serious
d. de minimis
10. 71. Melissa’s boss told her to change the numbers on a balance
sheet to make things look better for an upcoming board meeting.
Melissa does not want to do it, but she really needs the job. She
decides to go ahead and make the change. It appears Melissa’s
justification for her unethical behavior is ________.
a. Disregard or distortion of consequences
b. I did it for the good of others or the company
c. I was only following orders
d. I’m not as bad as the others
72. Kyle is exhausted from working overtime to get his projects
done. His manager asked another employee to help Kyle with
his work so that Kyle can work regular hours with no overtime.
According to learning theory, this is __________.
a. positive reinforcement
b. negative reinforcement
c. punishment
d. avoidance reinforcement.
73. Type A personalities experience
________________________.
A. the same amount of stress as Type B personalities
B. less stress than Type B personalities
C. more stress than Type B personalities
D. immeasurable stress
74. Acme Global is closing one of its plants immediately and
laying off all 200 workers. As part of the closure, Acme Global
will give each employee at the plant 60 days of pay and
benefits. This will help Acme Global to be in compliance with
the _________.
a. Railway Labor Act of 1926
b. National Labor Relations Act of 1935
c. Worker Adjustment and Retraining Notification Act of 1988
d. Labor Management Reporting Disclosure Act of 1959
11. 75. Alfred has requested unpaid leave to care for his wife. She
was injured while serving in the Army in Afghanistan. Alfred
may be able to take this leave and return to his original job (or
an equivalent one) under ________.
a. Social Security
b. the Affordable Care Act
c. the Family Medical Leave Act
d. Medicare
76. Under the idea of corporate social responsibility, companies
must do the following:
A. provide employees with safe working conditions
B. provide consumers with safe products and services
C. compete fairly with competitors
D. all of the choices are correct
77. What percentage of international assignments fail mainly
due to the inability to adapt to cultural differences?
A. 75%
B. 50%
C. 33%
D. 10%
78. Shannon is one of the best appliance repair people in her
department. She can quickly disassemble appliances to diagnose
and fix problems. However, her manager has noted that when
other repair people ask her for help, she hesitates and seems
unsure of herself. According to situational management, her
manager should use a(n)________ management style to manage
Maria’s performance problem.
a. autocratic
b. consultative
c. participative
d. empowerment
12. 79. A mediator is a neutral third party who helps resolve a
conflict ______________ to impose a solution to the conflict
A. and has jurisdiction
B. but has no authority
C. and will use consensus
D. and has some authority
80. Which of the following types of PTO is mandatory for U.S.
employers?
A. Paid federal holidays
B. Paid annual leave
C. Paid sick leave
D. Paid personal leave
E. There are no mandatory PTO requirements for companies in
the U.S.
81. Acme Global matches its employees’ contributions to
charities. In other words, if an employee gives $100 to a non-
profit agency, Acme Global gives $100 as well. It appears Acme
Global is reaching the ________ level of corporate social
responsibility.
a. legal
b. ethical
c. benevolent
d. social
82. Samantha’s organization keeps a large amount of raw
materials in stock to guard against market fluctuations. It
appears the ________ dimension of cultural diversity is high at
Samantha’s organization.
a. assertiveness
b. power distance
c. in-group collectivism
d. uncertainty avoidance
83. One of the most common problems in incentive systems
13. design is:
A. creating a set of goals instead of focusing on just one goal at
a time.
B. picking an expedient goal that is easy to measure, but doesn’t
aim at the company’s strategic goals.
C. designing incentive goals that are capable of being affected
by the targeted employee or group of employees.
D. completely separating the incentives from base pay.
E. making the incentive goals difficult to achieve.
84. _______ contain information about the physical and
chemical properties of hazardous products.
A. SDS
B. IEDI
C. PCPI
D. FMCS
E. AFUS
85. The first major provision of the FLSA concerns
____________________.
A. underage employees
B. the unskilled workforce
C. new hires
D. the federal minimum wage
86. _____ offer health, education, training, and fitness, weight
and lifestyle management, and health risk assessment services
to employees.
A. Employee assistance programs
B. Triple option programs
C. Employee caretaker programs
D. Health hybrid programs
E. Employee wellness programs
87. Angeline manages a group of employees who she knows
14. have the ability to perform, but who also feel like their
performance doesn't matter much to the success of the company,
and are therefore not concerned with doing a great job.
Angeline may want to approach this group using a
______management style to improve their collective
performance.
A. Participative
B. Results driven
C. Consultative
D. Empowering
E. Autocratic
88. What percent of employees in a bargaining unit must sign
authorization cards for the NLRB to hold a union representation
election?
A. 10%
B. 25%
C. 30%
D. 50%
E. 51%
89. At the beginning of the quarter, Marcus sat down with his
manager and set three goals for the next three months. The
achievement of each goal will depend on Marcus. No one else in
his work group can affect the work toward the goal. Which
advantage of individual incentives does this illustrate?
a. easy to evaluate employee’s affect on team
b. ability to match rewards to employee desires
c. promotes the link between performance and results
d. may motivate less productive employees to work harder
90. __________ is the right to give orders, enforce obedience,
make decisions, and commit resources, toward completing
organizational goals.
A. Authority
B. Responsibility
15. C. Accountability
D. Ethics
91. _____________ is part of expectancy theory.
A. Goal-setting
B. Decision-making
C. Negotiation
D. Grievance
92. Since the Acme Global Corporation closed six of its plants
last year, employees at the other plants have been feeling a
great deal of stress. This type of stress falls into the _______
category of stress causes.
a. personality type
b. organizational culture and change
c. interpersonal relations
d. type of work
93. Executives at Acme Global are concerned that airline
workers will go on strike and prevent shipments of products
from reaching customers. However, the National Mediation
Board is keeping airline management and labor in mediation to
avoid a strike. The executives at Acme Global are relieved that
the ________ limits the potential for strikes of airline workers.
a. Railway Labor Act of 1926
b. National Labor Relations Act of 1935 (Wagner Act)
c. Labor Management Relations Act of 1947 (Taft-Hartley Act)
d. Labor Management Reporting Disclosure Act of 1959
94. Employee rights under OSHA include all of the following
except:
A. refusing to be interviewed by an inspector.
B. having a company representative present during any
interview.
C. have working conditions free from unnecessary hazards.
D. file a complaint about hazardous working conditions.
16. E. reporting hazardous conditions to their supervisor.
95. Harold is paid based on a percentage of the value of the
products and services he sells. He is being paid by:
A. bonus
B. base pay
C. value pay
D. commission
E. merit
96. Macy is English and works for a U.S.-based company in
England. It appears the company has made a(n) ________
staffing choice.
a. ethnocentric
b. polycentric
c. geocentric
d. domestic
97. Which of the following is NOT a progressive discipline
action?
A. oral warning
B. Termination
C. Informal coaching talk
D. Disciplinary suspension
E. Informal written warning
98. When Acme Global asked Tamera to relocate to the
company’s newest foreign plant, it paid her a salary equal to
what she was making in the United States and gave her an
allowance for extra expenses. It appears Acme Global is using
the _________ approach to expatriate compensation.
a. balance sheet
b. split-pay
c. negotiation
d. localization
17. 99. A routine component of executive compensation, common
“perks” include all of the following except:
A. stock options.
B. use of company cars and aircraft.
C. home security systems.
D. club memberships.
E. tax planning assistance.
100. Erin knows exactly what benefits she will receive when she
retires. She has worked for the organization for 20 years and
will receive 65 percent of the average of her two highest years
of pay. Erin’s retirement plan is a ________ plan.
a. defined benefit
b. defined contribution
c. vesting
d. experience
18. 1
. True or
False
. The aim of tariffs is to protect foreign industries and jobs from
domestic
competition.
2.
True
or False. The Bureau of Labor Statistics frequently provides
data that OSHA uses to
create new workplace standards and regulations.
3.
True
or False. The EEOC investigates complaints involving
misclassification of
exempt/nonexempt workers.
5.
True
19. or False. The message
-
receiving process requires us to use active listening skills.
44. True or False. Managers, executives, and lower level
employees should
all go through the
same type of termination process.
46. True or False. The Hot Stove Rule draws an analogy
between touching a hot stove and
discipline.
49. True or False. If an organization offers leave benefits
beyond those required by law, it
should
never make a declarative statement about this in its handbook
8. True or
False
. Wage compression generally occurs all at once in an
organization.
It develops gradually and unnot
iced, catching organizations unaware
9.
True
or False. Employers offer the voluntary benefit of
vacation/annual leave because it
refreshes the employee so that they can come back to work and
be more productive.
Paid vacation time is a voluntary benefit
20. that organizations offer to employees
10.
True
or False. Pay secrecy clauses almost immediately create
motivation and job satisfaction
problems because of perceptions of inequity.
11.
True
or False. The orientation period never runs longer than 90 days.
12. True or
False
. All employers pay the same workers’ compensation insurance
premiums,
regardless of the type of industry.
13
.
True or
False.
In most situations, there is a right or wrong decision.
14
.
True
or
21. False. During
Kelly’s expatriate assignmen
t, she was paid half in US dollars and half
in Yen. This is an example of a balance sheet approach
15. True or
False
. Medicare is completely free to the retiree.
16
.
True
or False.
As part of your new position, your manager has required you to
take
respo
nsibility for the money spent by the HR department. Despite
this, he doesn’t give you
authority to veto any purchases. This is an example of a lack of
balance between authority and
accountability.
1. True or False. The aim of tariffs is to protect foreign
industries and jobs from domestic
competition.
2. True or False. The Bureau of Labor Statistics frequently
provides data that OSHA uses to
create new workplace standards and regulations.
3. True or False. The EEOC investigates complaints involving
misclassification of
exempt/nonexempt workers.
22. 5. True or False. The message-receiving process requires us to
use active listening skills.
44. True or False. Managers, executives, and lower level
employees should all go through the
same type of termination process.
46. True or False. The Hot Stove Rule draws an analogy
between touching a hot stove and
discipline.
49. True or False. If an organization offers leave benefits
beyond those required by law, it should
never make a declarative statement about this in its handbook
8. True or False. Wage compression generally occurs all at once
in an organization.
It develops gradually and unnoticed, catching organizations
unaware
9. True or False. Employers offer the voluntary benefit of
vacation/annual leave because it
refreshes the employee so that they can come back to work and
be more productive.
Paid vacation time is a voluntary benefit that organizations
offer to employees
10. True or False. Pay secrecy clauses almost immediately
create motivation and job satisfaction
problems because of perceptions of inequity.
11. True or False. The orientation period never runs longer than
90 days.
12. True or False. All employers pay the same workers’
compensation insurance premiums,
regardless of the type of industry.
13. True or False. In most situations, there is a right or wrong
decision.
23. 14. True or False. During Kelly’s expatriate assignment, she
was paid half in US dollars and half
in Yen. This is an example of a balance sheet approach
15. True or False. Medicare is completely free to the retiree.
16. True or False. As part of your new position, your manager
has required you to take
responsibility for the money spent by the HR department.
Despite this, he doesn’t give you
authority to veto any purchases. This is an example of a lack of
balance between authority and
accountability.
OPPORTUNITY ANALYSIS FOR RIFFE INTERNATIONAL
INC. MAY 7, 2025
NAME OF CONSULTANTS
RESPONSIBILITIES
CONTACT INFORMATION
SIGNATURES
Carlos Ague
Major:
Business
Administration
24. Competitor Analysis
Competitor Intro/Conclusion
Market Penetration
Strategic Alternatives
Substitute Products
Cell Phone: 818-497-4444
[email protected]
Location: Northridge
Abraham Benou
Major:
Accounting
Key Problems
Marketing Objectives
New Entrants
Opportunity Analysis
Strategies
Cell Phone: 310-600-8888
[email protected]
Location: West LA
Chase Camper
Major:
Systems &
Operations Mgmt.
Competitor Analysis
Differentiation
26. Riffe International Inc. is one of the main companies in the
United States that produces spearfishing equipment and is
located in San Clemente, California. Riffe is well-known for
their speargun products because of its high performance and
quality. Traditionally, their business has been selling through
dealers and distributors only. Riffe plans to take advantage of
the E-Commerce market by opening up a direct online sales by
2016. The focus on this proposal is to take advantage of social
media and distribution channels to increase brand equity and
development in its target market and products.
KEY PROBLEMS. Our analysis began with identifying the most
salient problems in the project. The following problems and
objectives aided us in our analysis and in providing
recommendations for Riffe International Inc.
Key Problem 1. How can Riffe succeed in the competitive
online sales industry? Since Riffe will be new to the direct
online sales to customers type of industry and its competitors
are already utilizing eCommerce, there will be some areas that
Riffe needs to consider to be competitive:
How can the website be customer-friendly?
How will Riffe price its products to pull in customers from its
competitors but not diminish its relationships with its resellers?
Where will the products be stored to minimize holding and
shipping costs?
Key Problem 2. What marketing policies will increase brand
value and exposure? Riffe can increase its brand equity by
efficiently utilizing many marketing policies like social media
and distribution channels.
Key Problem 3. What products can Riffe produce that can
satisfy the needs of its target market? Since Riffe is always
27. introducing new products every year, it should consider making
a product that utilizes the changes in culture in terms of
technological use.
SITUATION ANALYSIS
INTERNAL SWOT ANALYSIS
Strengths
Riffe spearguns are durable: Riffe spearguns are known to last a
long time compared to their competitors (Interview
Questionnaire: Jill Riffe, 6 Oct. 2015).
Riffe products require little maintenance: “a lot of people also
choose [Riffe spearguns] because they require very little
maintenance and are easy to take care of” (Review of the Riffe
spearguns).
Brand equity is in excellent shape: the brand is well known to
its target market since the producer of “the best spearguns in the
spearfishing industry” was on the first page of google search
“speargun” and was listed second on a world spearfishing guide
website (Riffe Spearguns - review & Google search).
Focused positionin the industry: Riffe sticks to its core business
which lets consumers know that the company is specialized and
will have specialized products (Interview Questionnaire: Jill
Riffe, 6 Oct. 2015).
Good existing dealer locations: Riffe’s existing dealer locations
are efficient because they are near the water and its target
market; in addition, existence on amazon is a big major step
(Riffe official website and amazon website).
Unique and positive origins: Riffe’s founder is a champion of
the Pacific Coast and set three world records using his
handcrafted spearguns, which became Riffe spearguns (Riffe
Spearguns - Review).
Relationship-based company: Riffe’s team members were
introduced and were given the opportunity to share their
experience. This enables Riffe to capture customers’ trust and
confidence (Riffe Website 2015).
Reputable quality: Spearos go with Riffe for “Blue Water”
28. games: big and fast catch game. Users are in awe with its
accuracy, durability, power, quietness, and other distinctive
qualities including its long-range capability; in addition, Riffe
produces mask that can accommodate a GoPro (jbl vs riffe).
Useful Resources Links: Dive/Spearfishing Magazines, Forums,
Clubs/Associations, Freediving Courses, Oceanic Safety
System/Recovery Vest (Riffe Website 2015).
Weaknesses
The need for low cost products: the balance between creating a
more affordable product that meets Riffe’s quality expectations
(Interview Questionnaire, Jill Riffe, 6 Oct. 2015).
Solution
: Employ a cost-decreasing method of production. E.g.
investment on better information technology (like 3D printer) or
on improvement on marketing logistics/physical distribution or
on development of green supply chain.
Lack of brand exposure: it is difficult for consumers to find
information about Riffe because of inefficient use of
networking and marketing tools.