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RealisticTaylor

Uploaded by RealisticTaylor

Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam

2024

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business exam exam questions business management organizational management

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This document is a set of example questions, including solutions, for a business exam study guide. It is potentially related to concepts such as business strategy, corporate strategy, competitive advantage and similar business analysis topics from 2024.

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Exam See doc in Modules: Practical and General Date = Tuesday 22 October, 12:15 – 14:30hrs Inspection: To be announced in due course Exam Questions are about: slides, lectures, papers, or a combination 25 questions = 140 points 24 multi...

Exam See doc in Modules: Practical and General Date = Tuesday 22 October, 12:15 – 14:30hrs Inspection: To be announced in due course Exam Questions are about: slides, lectures, papers, or a combination 25 questions = 140 points 24 multiple choice a 5 points = 120 points Only one option is right. Selecting that gives you 5 points A wrong option gives you 0 points (no negative points) If ‘all answer options are correct’ is the right answer, than the other options give you 0 points. If ‘none of the other options is correct’ is the right answer, then the other options give you 0 points. 1 open question = 20 points 1 Tutorial = 30 points, 2 Tutorials = 60 points ONLINE ONLY: You can browse the questions and flag questions (e.g. to revisit them later) You can submit whenever you want (as long as it is within the time limit). Press submit and make sure you Exam Answer is usually almost literally in the slides, lectures or papers Questions do test understanding Argumentation in the theory section What was investigated (what did they measure to test it) What did they find On the next 7 example questions (with answers) from previous years (based on the articles from previous years). The aim is to illustrate what KIND of questions we ask. On the slides after that are some example questions (and answers) we could ask (on the basis of articles from this year) Example 1 Some questions give an example and ask you to reason about this example on the basis of a lecture or paper. The question contains all the information about the example you need. For instance: At Volvo there was ‘us versus them’ thinking, exemplified in statements like “Here he is again with his mantras”. According to the lecture on digital innovation, how could Volvo have mitigated this problem? 1. By engaging with both internal and external employees in order to create value. 2. By developing new capabilities without jeopardizing existing product innovation practices. 3. By differentiating its control or incentive systems. 4. By rotating people in and out of innovation roles. Answer 1 4 – “By rotating people in and out of innovation roles.” – is the correct answer. This was an example of an ‘example-based’ question This question also tests understanding. Even though the answer was also almost literally on the slides of that lecture, if you understand the course material, you should know the answer without knowing the literal content by heart. Example 2 This is an example of a question with “all answer options are correct” as the right answer. According to Kim and Mauborgne (2004) and the class slides and lectures, what kinds of firms can create a blue ocean? 1. Both incumbents and new entrants 2. Firms in both the products and services sectors 3. Firms in both high-technology and low-technology sectors 4. All answer options are correct Answer 2 4 – All answer options are correct. If ‘all answer options is correct’ is the right answer, then you have to select that one. Even though technically the other options are also partially correct, they are not the right answer and yield 0 points. Example 3 This is an example of a question with “all answer options are correct” as a wrong answer. According to Eisenhardt and Martin (2000), which of the following is correct? 1. In high-velocity markets, dynamic capabilities are sufficient to achieve a short term competitive advantage. 2. In high-velocity markets, dynamic capabilities are simple and have unpredictable outcomes. 3. In high-velocity markets, organizations can achieve an advantage by exactly imitating other organizations’ dynamic capabilities. 4. All answer options are correct Answer 3 2 - In high-velocity markets, dynamic capabilities are simple and have unpredictable outcomes. This question is another example where “all answer options are correct” is one of the four options. But here it is not the right answer. This question is also an example of a question that tests understanding: If you understand the argument behind this, you can infer the correct answer. Example 4 This question is an example of a question about an empirical article. The empirical article features clear findings and you should know which findings. Which of the following is correct? Lee and Meyer-Doyle (2017) find that: 1. When the incentive scheme changes from a performance-based salary to a fixed salary, merchandisers initiate a higher frequency of exploratory deals than before the change. 2. When the incentive scheme changes from a performance-based salary to a fixed salary, merchandisers bring in less revenue from exploratory deals than before the change. 3. When the incentive scheme leads to more false negatives, merchandisers bring in less revenue from exploratory deals than before the change. 4. When the incentive scheme leads to more false negatives, merchandisers initiate a higher frequency of exploratory deals than before the change Answer 4 1 – When the incentive scheme changes from a performance-based salary to a fixed salary, merchandisers initiate a higher frequency of exploratory deals than before the change. We can ask for findings of the empirical articles. Please note that the hypotheses are not always supported, so the findings are not necessarily always the same as the hypotheses. Exam On the next slides are some example questions we could ask (on the basis of articles from this year). The answers are on the last slides. Example 1 Structurally differentiated organizations need integration in order to perform. However, for some firms, this need for integration is stronger than for other firms. Burgers & Covin (2016) find that this need is stronger for: 1. Firms with higher market valuation compared to firms with lower market evaluation. 2. Firms with higher return on assets compared to firms with lower return on assets. 3. Firms with a higher number of shareholders compared to firms with a lower number of shareholders. 4. Firms with a higher number of employees compared to firms with a lower number of employees. Answer 1 4 – “Firms with a higher number of employees compared to firms with a lower number of employees”- is the correct answer. Example 2 Which of the following is correct? Gibson & Birkinshaw (2004) find that... 1. More ambidextrous business units increase the business’ profitability 2. More ambidextrous business units increase the perceived business unit performance 3. More ambidextrous business units increase the perceived business performance 4. None of the above Answer 2 2 - “More ambidextrous business units increase the perceived business unit performance ” - is the correct answer. Example 3 Raish & Tushman (2016) argue that… 1. A combination of integration and differentiation can help organizations to build up new corporate businesses. 2. Integration alone can help organizations to build up independent ventures 3. Exploring alone can help organizations to build up highly disruptive businesses 4. All of the above Answer 3 1 - “A combination of integration and differentiation can help organizations to build up new corporate businesses” - is the correct answer Question 4 Tripsas and Gavetti (2000) argue that core competencies can become core rigidities. Which of the following is a good illustration of this argument? 1. In 1992, the Electronic Imaging Division of Polaroid had developed a working prototype of a digital camera, but in 1997 development of the next-generation digital camera was outsourced. 2. After 1990, the majority of members of the electronic imaging division of Polaroid consisted of new hires with experience in digital imaging, by 1997, the majority of these individuals had left Polaroid. 3. In Polaroid, the razor/blade business model was a cause of high organizational performance in the past, but managers’ continued adherence to this business model impeded digital innovation. 4. In Polaroid, the focus on technology-driven product development was a cause of high organizational performance in the past, but later managers opted for more market-driven product development. Answer 4 3 – “In Polaroid, the razor/blade business model was a cause of high organizational performance in the past, but managers’ continued adherence to this business model impeded digital innovation” – is the correct answer. Question 5 Explain what structural ambidexterity is in max. 100 words. Answer 5 a good answer contains: 1) The ability of an organization to both explore and exploit [5 points] 2) at the same time [5 points] 3) which is achieved by having separate or differentiated (organization) units (or subunits, business units,...) for exploration and exploitation [5 points] 4) which are held together or integrated (for instance by cross- functional interfaces). [5 points] Question 6 According to the lectures, in the process of building an innovative organization ´From underperformer to Worldclass, there are three transitions: 1) from underperformer to catching up, 2) from catching up to best-in-class and 3) from best-in-class to worldclass. a) Which of these three transitions is generally the most difficult one to make for companies? [5 points] b) Which one of the six organization conditions proves to be the most challenging to adjust here? [5 points] c) Explain why this is the case [5 points] d) What are the two different approaches to address this challenge? [5 points] Key articles for Open Q O´Reilly & Tushman 2013 Smith & Tushman, 2005 Schilling, 2017 Course slides Questions: untill 8 October 2024

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