Exam Details

Subject Strategic Management
Paper
Exam / Course Management Programme
Department School of Management Studies (SOMS)
Organization indira gandhi national open university
Position
Exam Date December, 2015
City, State new delhi,


Question Paper

Differentiate strategy with policies and tactics giving examples.

Differentiate strategy with programmes, procedure and rules giving examples.

What are different types of differentiation? Explain each of them with the help of examples.

Discuss the advantages and disadvantages of differentiation.

3. Describe Porter's five forces framework as the most widely used tool to analyze the competitive environment.

4. What do you understand by 'International Expansion'? Discuss the different ways through which expansion into foriegn markets can be achieved.

5. Write short notes on any two of the following:

Forms of organisation structure.

Strategic alliance.

Dimensions of leadership styles.

Value chain.

6. Read the following case and answer the questions given at the end.
CASE STUDY: SAMSUNG APPLE: A UNIQUE PROPOSITION

Apple Inc sued Samsung Electronics claiming the South Korean firm's Galaxy line of mobile phones and tablets"slavishly" copies the iPhone and iPad, according to court papers, a move analysts say is aimed at keeping its close rivals at bay.

Apple is one participant in a web of litigation among phone makers and software firms over who owns the patents used in smart phones, as rivals aggressively rush into the smart phone and tablet market which the US firm jumpstarted with iPhone and iPad.

Nokia has also sued Apple, which in turn has sued Taiwanese handset maker HTC Corp.

Samsung is one of the fastest growing smart phone makers and has emerged as Apple's strongest competitor in the booming tablet market with models in three sizes but it remains a distant second in the space.

Its Galaxy products use Google Inc's Android operating system, which directly competes with Apple's mobile software. However, Apple's claims againstSamsung focus onGalaxy's design features, such as the look of its screen icons, the lawsuit said.

John Jackson, an analyst with CCS Insight, said Samsung is essentially Apple's only real tablet competitor at this stage. "It's clear that they do not intend to let Apple run away with the category", Jackson said.

Samsung faces the challenge of moving beyond being a hardware company, clever at copying ideas, to becoming more creative, better adept at software, at a time when consumer gadgets are getting smarter all the time.

It has yet to come up with the kind of original, iconic, market-leading products that powered brands such as Apple's i-series or Sony Corp's Walkrnan. Nor has it taken the kind of initiatives in software that Google and Apple did to thwart Microsoft.

The lawsuit, field on Friday, alleges Samsung violated Apple's patents and trademarks.

"This kind of blatant copying is wrong", Apple spokeswoman Kristin Huguet said in a statement.

Samsung said it would respond to the legal action "through appropriate legal measures to protect our intellectual property."

"Samsung's development of core technologies and strengthening our intellectual property portfolio are keys to our continued success," it said in a statement.

Retaliation
Hit by a lawsuit from Apple last week, Samsung returned the favor yesterday, countersuing the iPhone and iPad maker over claims of patent infringement.

In its suit filed in Seoul Central District Court, Samsung claims that Apple is violating five different patents. Samsung has also field a suit in Tokyo, citing two patent infringements, and another in Manheim, Germany, citing three instances of infringement.

A statement on the Samsung Web site says that the company is "responding actively to the legal action taken against us in order to protect our intellectual property and to ensure our continued innovation and growth in the mobile communications business."

Symbiotic Relationship
Apple has reportedly become Samsung's biggest customer in a move that can boggle the mind. How can Apple, a rival of Samsung's electronics unit, also be the largest customer And how long can this scenario go on

According to the Korea Economic Daily, Apple is poised to buy $7.8 billion in components from Samsung. These components range from liquid crystal displays, application processors and flash memory used in the iPhone and iPad.

If you bring this up in conversation, the Apple -Samsung relationship can become a headscratcher. Apple's iPhone battles Samsung's Galaxy phones. The Galaxy Tab takes on the iPad. Meanwhile, Samsung's tablets can't match the iPad on price -even though the Korean electronics provider has many parts lying around the company.

How is this Apple -Samsung thing even possible? Apple certainly wouldn't sell components to Samsung if the roles were reversed. If you carry this line of thinking out to an extreme Apple could squash Samsung with its own parts. It's strange.

Questions:

Describe the strategies adopted by Apple to become the leader in the smart phone market.

How can Samsung Electronics Counteract Apple to capture the market? Explain with relevant Rand D strategy that it can persue.


Departments

  • Centre for Corporate Education, Training & Consultancy (CCETC)
  • Centre for Corporate Education, Training & Consultancy (CCETC)
  • National Centre for Disability Studies (NCDS)
  • School of Agriculture (SOA)
  • School of Computer and Information Sciences (SOCIS)
  • School of Continuing Education (SOCE)
  • School of Education (SOE)
  • School of Engineering & Technology (SOET)
  • School of Extension and Development Studies (SOEDS)
  • School of Foreign Languages (SOFL)
  • School of Gender Development Studies(SOGDS)
  • School of Health Science (SOHS)
  • School of Humanities (SOH)
  • School of Interdisciplinary and Trans-Disciplinary Studies (SOITDS)
  • School of Journalism and New Media Studies (SOJNMS)
  • School of Law (SOL)
  • School of Management Studies (SOMS)
  • School of Performing Arts and Visual Arts (SOPVA)
  • School of Performing Arts and Visual Arts(SOPVA)
  • School of Sciences (SOS)
  • School of Social Sciences (SOSS)
  • School of Social Work (SOSW)
  • School of Tourism & Hospitality Service Sectoral SOMS (SOTHSM)
  • School of Tourism &Hospitality Service Sectoral SOMS (SOTHSSM)
  • School of Translation Studies and Training (SOTST)
  • School of Vocational Education and Training (SOVET)
  • Staff Training & Research in Distance Education (STRIDE)

Subjects

  • Accounting and Finance for Managers
  • Advanced Strategic Management
  • Bank Financial Management
  • Capital Investment and Financing Decisions
  • Consumer Behaviour
  • Economic and Social Environment
  • Electronic Banking and IT in Banks
  • Employment Relations
  • Ethics And Corporate Governance In Banks
  • Human Resource Development
  • Human Resource Planning
  • Information Systems for Managers
  • International Banking Management
  • International Business
  • International Financial Management
  • International Human Resource Management
  • International Marketing
  • Labour Laws
  • Logistics and Supply Chain Management
  • Maintenance Management
  • Management Control Systems
  • Management Functions and Behaviour
  • Management of Financial Services
  • Management of Human Resources
  • Management of Information Systems
  • Management of Machines and Materials
  • Management of Marketing Communication and Advertising
  • Management of New and Small Enterprises
  • Management of Public Enterprises
  • Management of R&D and Innovation
  • Managerial Economics
  • Managing Change in Organisations
  • Marketing for Managers
  • Marketing of Financial Services
  • Marketing of Services
  • Marketing Research
  • Materials Management
  • Operations Research
  • Organisational Dynamics
  • Organizational Design, Development and Change
  • Product Management
  • Production/Operations Management
  • Project Management
  • Quantitative Analysis for Managerial Applications
  • Research Methodology for Management Decisions
  • Retail Management
  • Risk Management In Banks
  • Rural Marketing
  • Sales Management
  • Security Analysis and Portfolio Management
  • Social Processes and Behavioural Issues
  • Strategic Management
  • Technology Management
  • Total Quality Management
  • Wage and Salary Administration
  • Working Capital Management