MGT 8803 BUSINESS STRATEGY FINAL
PAPER 2026 CERTIFICATION EVALUATION
QUESTIONS AND SOLUTIONS GRADED A+
●● Strategic Planning.
Answer: Long-term, broad planning driven by the organization's
mission, vision, and values, focused on achieving overall goals and
competitive advantage.
●● Tactical Planning.
Answer: Short-term, narrow planning focused on specific activities and
resource allocation to implement functional plans.
●● Functional Planning.
Answer: Strategic planning at the level of specific departments or
functions within a business unit (e.g., marketing, finance, operations).
●● Competitive Parity.
Answer: A situation where a firm's performance is equal to the average
of its competitors.
●● Differentiation.
,Answer: A competitive strategy that aims to create unique value for
customers, allowing the firm to charge a premium price.
●● Focus Strategy.
Answer: A competitive strategy that concentrates on a narrow market
segment and pursues either a cost leadership or differentiation strategy
within that niche.
●● S.M.A.R.T. Goals.
Answer: Goals that are Specific, Measurable, Achievable, Relevant, and
Time-bound.
●● SWOT Analysis.
Answer: A framework that combines the analysis of a firm's internal
Strengths and Weaknesses with external Opportunities and Threats to
inform strategy formulation.
●● Residual uncertainty.
Answer: The uncertainty that remains after all feasible analysis has been
conducted; the truly unknowable.
●● Open innovation.
, Answer: An approach to innovation where a firm collaborates with
external partners and shares intellectual property to accelerate
development and adoption.
●● PESTEL Analysis.
Answer: Framework analyzing Political, Economic, Socio-Cultural,
Technological, Ecological, and Legal factors.
●● How do strategic and tactical plans differ?.
Answer: Strategic plans are long-term, broad, and developed at senior
levels, focusing on overall direction.
Tactical plans are short-term, narrow, and developed at lower levels,
concentrating on specific actions to implement strategic goals.
●● T or F: Functional plans are strategic plans that are developed within
specific departments..
Answer: True
●● 3 components of a business model.
Answer: (1) value delivery (how customers are reached and served)
(2) value creation (how the product/service is made),
(3) value capture (how the firm makes money).
PAPER 2026 CERTIFICATION EVALUATION
QUESTIONS AND SOLUTIONS GRADED A+
●● Strategic Planning.
Answer: Long-term, broad planning driven by the organization's
mission, vision, and values, focused on achieving overall goals and
competitive advantage.
●● Tactical Planning.
Answer: Short-term, narrow planning focused on specific activities and
resource allocation to implement functional plans.
●● Functional Planning.
Answer: Strategic planning at the level of specific departments or
functions within a business unit (e.g., marketing, finance, operations).
●● Competitive Parity.
Answer: A situation where a firm's performance is equal to the average
of its competitors.
●● Differentiation.
,Answer: A competitive strategy that aims to create unique value for
customers, allowing the firm to charge a premium price.
●● Focus Strategy.
Answer: A competitive strategy that concentrates on a narrow market
segment and pursues either a cost leadership or differentiation strategy
within that niche.
●● S.M.A.R.T. Goals.
Answer: Goals that are Specific, Measurable, Achievable, Relevant, and
Time-bound.
●● SWOT Analysis.
Answer: A framework that combines the analysis of a firm's internal
Strengths and Weaknesses with external Opportunities and Threats to
inform strategy formulation.
●● Residual uncertainty.
Answer: The uncertainty that remains after all feasible analysis has been
conducted; the truly unknowable.
●● Open innovation.
, Answer: An approach to innovation where a firm collaborates with
external partners and shares intellectual property to accelerate
development and adoption.
●● PESTEL Analysis.
Answer: Framework analyzing Political, Economic, Socio-Cultural,
Technological, Ecological, and Legal factors.
●● How do strategic and tactical plans differ?.
Answer: Strategic plans are long-term, broad, and developed at senior
levels, focusing on overall direction.
Tactical plans are short-term, narrow, and developed at lower levels,
concentrating on specific actions to implement strategic goals.
●● T or F: Functional plans are strategic plans that are developed within
specific departments..
Answer: True
●● 3 components of a business model.
Answer: (1) value delivery (how customers are reached and served)
(2) value creation (how the product/service is made),
(3) value capture (how the firm makes money).
