0% found this document useful (0 votes)
24 views8 pages

Strategies in Fragmented Industries

1. A fragmented industry is composed of many small and medium companies. Strategies like chaining can be used to consolidate fragmented industries by building national chains. 2. Franchising is a strategy where a franchisor licenses its business model, trademarks, and brand to franchisees. This allows the franchisor to expand rapidly while franchisees gain from using the franchisor's established system. 3. Industries progress through embryonic, growth, maturity, and decline stages of the industry lifecycle. Early in the embryonic stage, innovators and early adopters enter the market when distribution channels are still developing.
Copyright
© All Rights Reserved
We take content rights seriously. If you suspect this is your content, claim it here.
Available Formats
Download as PDF, TXT or read online on Scribd
0% found this document useful (0 votes)
24 views8 pages

Strategies in Fragmented Industries

1. A fragmented industry is composed of many small and medium companies. Strategies like chaining can be used to consolidate fragmented industries by building national chains. 2. Franchising is a strategy where a franchisor licenses its business model, trademarks, and brand to franchisees. This allows the franchisor to expand rapidly while franchisees gain from using the franchisor's established system. 3. Industries progress through embryonic, growth, maturity, and decline stages of the industry lifecycle. Early in the embryonic stage, innovators and early adopters enter the market when distribution channels are still developing.
Copyright
© All Rights Reserved
We take content rights seriously. If you suspect this is your content, claim it here.
Available Formats
Download as PDF, TXT or read online on Scribd

1. A fragmented industry is composed of a large number of small and medium-sized companies.

True

2. Fragmented industries typically have high barriers to entry. False

3. By their choices of competitive actions and decisions about product attributes, managers can speed up or slow down the rate of
progress of an industry through the stages of the industry life cycle. True

4. Relish Inc. created the first national chain of fast-food restaurants in a previously fragmented industry. This is called divestment.
True

5. The franchisor typically owns and funds each of its franchisees. False

6. Alpha Corporation owns and controls several retail outlets and is thus pursuing a strategy called franchising. False

7. Through chaining, companies increase their buying power, which allows them to negotiate large price reductions with their
suppliers, which in tum promotes their competitive advantage. True

8. Franchisees essentially pursue independent strategies and do not use the business model of the franchisor. False

9. The challenge in a fragmented industry is to figure out the best set of strategies to overcome a fragmented market so that the
competitive advantages associated with pursuing one of the different business models can be realized. True

10. A new product's relative advantage refers to the degree to which a new product is perceived as better at satisfying customer needs
than the product that it supersedes. True

11. One characteristic of embryonic industries is poorly developed distribution channels. True

12. Development of a mass market is the stimulus for an industry to change from growth to embryonic. False

13. Both innovators and early adopters enter the market while the industry is in its embryonic stage. True

14. Early adopters are customers who purchase a new technology or product only when they are convinced that it will be around for a
long time. False

15. Different strategies are often required to support and strengthen a company's business model as a market develops over time. True

16. The "late majority" is typically reached through specialized distribution channels, and products are often sold by word of mouth.
False

17. Laggards are the customers who are the first ones to try and adopt a new technology. False

18. Horizontal mergers often lead to industry fragmentation. False

19. Innovators and early adopters have very different customer needs from the early majority. True

20. Laggards are technologically sophisticated customers willing to tolerate the limitations of the product. False

21. Formal price leadership, or when companies jointly set prices, is illegal under antitrust laws. True

22. The goal for companies in the growth stage of the industry life cycle is to maintain its relative competitive position in a rapidly
expanding market. True

23. In the embryonic stage of the industry life cycle, a company's investment needs and production costs are low. False

24. Product proliferation often results in lowering of entry barriers in a mature industry. False

25. Product proliferation refers to the strategy of filling the niches by catering to the needs of customers in all market segments. True

26. Market penetration involves the creation of new and innovative products to replace existing ones. False

27. A limit price strategy involves charging a price that is lower than that required to maximize profits in the short run, but is above
the cost structure of potential entrants. True

28. Market development strategy involves finding new market segments for a company's products. True
29. A divestment strategy aims at growing in a declining industry by picking up the market share of companies that are leaving the
industry. True

30. A divestment strategy's success is often dependent upon good timing. True

31. A harvest strategy requires the company to halt all new investments in capital equipment, advertising, research and development,
and so forth. True

32. A fragmented industry is one composed of a:

 Single large company that has the power to determine prices.


 Large companies and their subsidiaries.
 Large number of small and medium-sized fmns.
 Companies that operate in different locations across the world.
 A small number of single proprietorships.

33. The real estate industry comprises different kinds of firms in several locations. Some are independent and popular locally while the
others are affiliated to national chains. The real estate industry is most likely to be a (n):

 Fragmented industry.
 Oligopolies industry.
 Pure competition industry.
 Consolidated industry.
 Monopoly.

34. Which of the following is not a characteristic of a fragmented industry?

 Low barriers to entry


 Diseconomies of scale
 Brand loyalty in the industry that may primarily be local d. Very specialized customer needs
 Large mass-production operation

35. Which of the following statements is true about fragmented industries?

 They are usually characterized by large mass-production operations.


 They essentially enjoy a national brand loyalty.
 They require companies to use focus strategies because of specialized customer needs.
 They do not attract new entrants as they have extremely high entry barriers due to economies of scale.
 They are usually dominated by one or two large companies that enjoy the power to influence industry prices.

36. Firms sometimes pursue a chaining strategy to:

 Obtain the advantages of cost leadership.


 Create product diversity.
 Generate revenue by licensing the patents it owns.
 Spread overhead costs.
 Establish a number of unrelated business units.

37. Which of the following is an advantage of franchising?

 It gives the franchisor the same level of tight control over franchisees as does chaining.
 It allows the franchisor to obtain the entire profits made by franchisees.
 It is beneficial for franchisees as they do not have to face the challenge of higher capital costs.
 It helps the franchisees by relieving them of the responsibility of running operations.
 It can help the franchisor expand his or her business rapidly.

38. Which of the following is a disadvantage of franchising?

 It restricts the franchisor from expanding.


 It results in the franchisor taking all the financial burden of the franchisees.
 It results in the delegation of authority to franchisees and thus, the franchisor may not enjoy complete control.
 It does not provide sufficient incentive to the franchisees to run operations effectively as the franchisees are not
entrepreneurs.
 It requires the franchisees to create a new business model and plan strategies.
39. Which of the following statements is true about horizontal mergers?

 Horizontal mergers result from an intention to achieve economies of scale.


 Horizontal mergers result in the fragmentation of the industry.
 Horizontal mergers have been a very successful concept so far with zero cases of failure.
 Companies that establish a network of linked merchandising outlets to obtain advantages of cost leadership are known as
horizontal mergers.
 Companies that adopt the strategy of centralization to gain control over all business units are known as horizontal mergers.

40. To compete in the fragmented restaurant industry, Red Lobster Corporation built, and now operates hundreds of stores across the
United States and Canada. Which of the following strategies is Red Lobster using?

 Acquisitions
 Horizontal mergers
 Franchising
 Licensing
 Chaining

41. A company uses niche strategy when it focuses on pockets of demand that are declining more slowly than the industry as a whole
to maintain profitability.

42. One strategy used to consolidate fragmented industries is:

 Vertical mergers.
 Chaining.
 Product proliferation.
 Price signaling.
 Non price competition.

43. In a bid to expand its business and gain cost advantages, Omega Inc. has established several merchandising outlets in different
locations. All the outlets share a good network and are interconnected by information technology. The entire network of outlets
operates in the industry as one large company. Which of the following strategies has Omega Inc. most likely used?

 Chaining
 Franchising
 Horizontal merger
 Niche strategy
 Divestment strategy

44. Hydralicious, a juice parlor, has been looking to expand its business. The company has given a few entrepreneurs in different
locations the license to operate under its name. The entrepreneurs are given the permission to use the company's reputation and the
business model to run operations. The entrepreneurs will be charged a fee but will also get a percentage of the profits made. Which of
the following strategies is Hydralicious most likely to be using?

 Chaining
 Horizontal merger
 Vertical merger
 Franchising
 Centralization

45. An embryonic industry is one that:

 A number of small and medium sized companies.


 Is just beginning to develop.
 Has sufficiently developed so that early industry leaders have already been identified.
 Has initial government backing because of its importance to the general populace.
 Is characterized by intense rivalry among established companies.

46. Most embryonic industries arise from:

 A technological breakthrough.
 Product proliferation.
 Lack of high entry barriers.
 Chaining.
 Franchising.

47. Which of the following statements is true in the context of embryonic industries?

 They are characterized by very a high initial customer demand.


 They are characterized by well-developed distribution channels.
 They involve low production costs because of large volumes of production.
 They face the challenge of customers not being familiar with product benefits.
 They enjoy the abundance of complementary products that help increase sales.

48. An industry moves from embryonic to growth stage when:

 The sales of complementary products decline.


 The production costs increase.
 Companies manufacture products in very small quantities.
 Ongoing technological progress makes its product easier to use.
 Mass markets for its products decline.

49. The first group of customers to enter the market for a new product is called:

 Laggards.
 Late majority.
 Innovators.
 Early majority.
 Passive shoppers.

50. Factors leading to the slow growth of demand in embryonic industries include all of the following except the:

 Poor quality of the first products.


 Lack of complementary products.
 Customer familiarity with products.
 High production costs of the products.
 Lack of distribution channels for the products.

51. Customers who have a practical interest in using a new technology in the future and who are willing to experiment and envision
new uses for the technology are called:

 Early adopters.
 The early majority.
 Innovators.
 Laggards.
 The late majority.

52. Which of the following customer groups represents the leading wave or edge of the mass market?

 Early adopters
 Early majority
 Innovators
 Late majority
 Laggards

53. The growth stage of an industry's life cycle is the:

 Time when companies attempt to secure their grip over customers in existing market segments.
 Time when customers start exiting the markets.
 Time to plan an exit strategy.
 Opportunity to reduce investment in a product.
 Phase when the demand for products is low because of customers not being familiar with the product.

54. Which of the following factors of a particular product tends to accelerate customer demand for it?

 High observability
 Minimum relative advantage c. High complexity
 Minimal value
 Low trial ability

55. in a harvest strategy, a company:

 Significantly increases its investment in a business.


 Extracts maximum profits from its investments.
 Ventures into new market segments with new products.
 Expands the number of stores or properties.
 Significantly increases advertising expenditure.

56. Who among the following is most likely to fall under the category of laggards in the context of customer groups?

 Martha is tech-savvy and tends to actively seek out for new and innovative products in the market.
 Philip appreciates technology but tends to refrain from trying products that are extremely new.
 Allan is ignorant about the newest uses of technology and buys new products only when they become an absolute
necessity.
 Rebecca is aware about the value that technology offers; she tends to weigh costs and benefits of a product before making a
buying decision.
 Arnold tends to be a little apprehensive about buying new technology but buys nevertheless when he observes that a lot of
people are using the new technology.

57. Which of the following factors that affect market growth rates refers to the degree to which a new product is perceived as better at
satisfying customer needs than the product it supersedes?

 Complexity
 Relative advantage
 Compatibility
 Trial ability
 Observability

58. Which of the following factors that affect market growth rates refers to the degree to which a new product is perceived as difficult
to understand and use?

 Complexity
 Relative advantage
 Compatibility
 Trialability
 Observability

59. Which of the following factors that affect market growth rates refers to the degree to which the results of using and enjoying a new
product can be seen and appreciated by other people?

 Complexity
 Relative advantage
 Compatibility
 Trialability
 Observability

60. Which of the following statements is true about customer categories in the context of growing industries?

 Laggards frequently adopt new products even when the benefits are not obvious.
 Innovators are the customers who are the last ones to adopt a new product.
 A typical late majority customer group is a behaviorally conservative set of customers.
 Customers in the early majority generally do not understand the value of new technology.
 Laggards form the leading wave or edge of the mass market.

61. Which of the following statements is true in the context of growing industries?

 Innovators and early adopters have the same customer needs as the early majority.
 Innovators and early adopters are typically reached through specialized distribution channels.
 Reaching the early majority seldom requires advertising and is usually achieved through word of mouth.
 Companies serving innovators need to have large-scale mass production and very low prices.
 Companies competing in an embryonic market typically pay more attention to increasing the reliability of a product than to
its performance.
62. John, a technology enthusiast, is often willing to pay premium prices to be one among those who have new versions of software
packages. John most likely belongs to the group of customers.

 laggard
 early majority
 early adopter
 late majority
 innovator

63. Thomas tends to be ignorant about technological advancements. He was reluctant to own a smartphone even when they were
well-established and familiar in the market. However, Thomas slowly got used to the idea of a smartphone when his job demanded
him to be connected to the office network all the time. Thomas is most likely to fall under which of the following categories of
customers?

 Early majority
 Late majority
 Laggards
 Early adopters
 Innovators

64. Gadget bug, an electronic gadgets company, has established itself as one of the industry leaders. The company recently has been
facing some amount of competition from certain new entrants. The new entrants offer gadgets in different colors and with interesting
artwork embossed. Recognizing that there is a special market for gadgets that are designed uniquely, Gadget bug has now introduced
its own range of uniquely designed gadgets. In this scenario, Gadget bug’s attempt to cater to all the different segments of customers
to deter competition demonstrates:

 price signaling
 product proliferation
 harvest strategy
 limit price strategy
 diseconomies of scale

65. Which of the following shakeout strategies requires a company to limit or decrease its investment in a business and to extract, or
milk, the investment as much as it can?

 Market concentration strategy


 Share-increasing strategy
 Cost-leadership strategy
 Hold-and-maintain strategy
 Harvest strategy

66. Highest market demand and industry profits arise when:

 Early adopters leave the market.


 Innovators and early adopters enter the market.
 When laggards and late majority leave the market.
 Early and late majority users enter the market.
 When the production costs become high.

67. Nutrimax Corp., a breakfast cereal company, has designed extensive and elaborate advertising campaigns for its existing products.
The campaigns mainly focus on the aspects and benefits of the products that make them better than other products. The massive
advertising and marketing initiatives are also intended to intimidate new entrants and rivals. Nutrimax Corp. is most likely to be using
which of the following strategies?

 Market penetration
 Product development
 Product proliferation
 Market development
 Capacity control

68. Which of the following factors in an industry is most likely to cause excess capacity?

 Technologically outdated production units


 High customer demand
 Increasing age of a company's physical assets
 Lack of competition from new entrants
 Limited number of outlets in certain locations

69. Price signaling in the context of mature industries happens when:

 The government intervenes to regulate prices of products.


 Companies decide to invest in slow-growing markets.
 Companies decide to sell its patents to generate revenue.
 Company’s increase or decrease product prices to convey their intentions to other companies.
 A company concentrates on expanding market share in its existing product markets.

70. Mature industries are generally characterized by:

 Low entry barriers.


 Diseconomies of scale.
 Absence of large-scale production.
 A small number of large firms.
 Very low customer demand.

71. Which of the following strategies allows interdependent firms indirectly to coordinate their actions?

 Market development
 Harvest strategy
 Divestment strategy
 Price signaling
 Market penetration

72. Which of the following strategies helps companies with high cost structures, allowing them to survive without having to
implement strategies to become more productive and efficient?

 Price signaling
 Non price competition
 c. Capacity control
 Market development
 Price leadership

73. A telecommunications firm is working on new product concept of built-in routers in mobile phones. If the new product will be
sold to existing customers, the firm is pursuing a strategy of:

 Product development.
 Market penetration.
 Product proliferation.
 Market signaling.
 Market development

74. Which of the following statements is true in the context of declining industries?

 Not all segments of an industry typically decline at the same rate.


 A declining industry should ideally use the leadership strategy when it does not have any strengths and the competition is
low.
 Divestment strategy is by which a declining industry seeks to improve sales by improving product quality.
 Greater the exit barriers of a declining industry, lesser are the intensity of competition.
 Intensity of competition is less in declining industries that sell commodity-like products.

75. A strategy aims at growing in a declining industry by picking up the market share of companies that are leaving the industry.

 divestment b. harvest
 price signaling
 leadership
 capacity control

76. When a company decides to exit an industry by selling off its business assets to another company, it is said to be using a (n)
strategy.
 market penetration
 divestment
 niche
 downsizing
 outsourcing

77. In deciding on a strategy, a company in a declining industry must do all of the following except

 Lower prices.
 Manage industry capacity.
 Evaluate its strengths relative to the remaining pockets of demand.
 Evaluate the severity of decline.
 Monitor its cash flow.

78. Competitive intensity in a declining industry is greatest when:

 The industry is declining slowly instead of rapidly.


 The product is easy to differentiate.
 Exit barriers are high.
 Entry barriers are high.
 Technology is stable.

79. Music CDs and newspaper sales have been falling as user’s tum to the Internet for their music and news. Which of the following is
NOT a strategy for companies in these declining industries?

 Leadership
 Chaining
 Niche
 Divestment
 Harvest

Common questions

Powered by AI

Innovators are the first to adopt new products, often taking risks with unproven technologies . Early adopters follow and provide crucial feedback and validation that can sway the mass market . Both these groups are critical in the embryonic stage of the industry life cycle, helping to refine product features and driving early market acceptance .

A divestment strategy can be successful in a declining industry by allowing a company to grow its market share by acquiring the share of competitors exiting the market . Its success often depends on good timing and the ability to effectively manage and integrate the acquired assets into its operations . This strategy also involves assessing the industry decline severity and strategically managing resources .

Embryonic industries are typically marked by poorly developed distribution channels and benefit from technological breakthroughs . Initial customer demand is low due to unfamiliarity with the product . In contrast, in the growth stage, industries experience improved product familiarity and mass market development . The strategic implication is that in the embryonic stage, businesses focus on familiarizing customers and developing distribution channels, whereas in the growth stage, they focus on scaling production and expanding market reach .

Relative advantage refers to the perceived benefits of a new product over an existing one . It significantly influences the rate of customer adoption, as products perceived to offer substantial improvements are adopted more quickly . This factor contributes to the acceleration of market penetration and is crucial during the industry's growth phase .

To transition from the embryonic to the growth stage, companies should focus on developing mass market strategies by improving product usability through technological advancements, enhancing distribution channels, and increasing customer awareness . This involves investment in scalable operations, marketing efforts to educate the market, and emphasizing the product's relative advantages . Establishing complementary products and partnerships can further stimulate demand and facilitate this transition .

High entry barriers typically reduce the number of entrants, allowing incumbents to maintain market share without significant threat from newcomers . However, in a fragmented industry characterized by numerous small firms, high entry barriers can enhance market stability and limit excessive competition, allowing existing firms to focus on niche strategies and customer specialization .

A fragmented industry is characterized by a large number of small and medium-sized firms rather than a few large ones . Challenges in such industries include overcoming fragmented markets and achieving competitive advantages through effective business models . Fragmented industries typically have low barriers to entry, specialized customer needs, and often require companies to use focus strategies .

Price signaling involves companies adjusting prices to indicate future intentions to competitors, serving as an indirect means of coordinating actions among firms . In contrast, limit pricing involves setting prices low enough to discourage entry by potential competitors, but above the firm's own cost structure . While price signaling aims at stabilizing an industry without overt collusion, limit pricing seeks to deter new entrants by leveraging cost advantages .

Product proliferation refers to the strategy of filling niches by catering to various market segments . Contrary to reducing entry barriers, it often complicates market entry by increasing competition and creating a crowded marketplace . It can lead to economies of scale and brand loyalty, making it harder for new entrants to compete effectively .

In declining industries, firms can manage competitive intensity by evaluating their strengths relative to remaining demand pockets, optimizing cash flow, and managing capacity . Strategies such as harvesting (maximizing current profitability without further investment) or adopting niche or divestment strategies can help preserve market position and mitigate intense competition pressures . High exit barriers can increase competitive intensity, necessitating careful strategic planning .

You might also like