Strategic Management

60. Why are so many firms cutting their dividend payout amounts?
Companies usually make drastic dividend cuts because of financial challenges like declining earnings or mounting debts. Sometimes companies may cut dividend payments for more positive reasons, like preparing for a major acquisition or a stock buyback


61. When someone says dividends paid are double taxed, what are they referring to?
The double taxation of dividends is a reference to how corporate earnings and dividends are taxed by the U.S. government. Corporations pay taxes on their earnings and then pay shareholders dividends out of the after-tax earnings.
62. Explain why prioritizing the relative importance of strengths and weaknesses in an IFE Matrix is an important strategic-management activity.
Generally, IFE Matrix stands on Internal Factor Evaluation Matrix that is one of the most significant and innovative tools for today’s business firms in assessing the main strengths as well as weakness in the functional areas of the business. At the same time, it is also found that, this matrix is also valuable for the companies in identifying and analyzing the connection among the various functional areas of the business. Along with this, as per the strategic management
63. How can delegation of authority contribute to effective strategic management?
Through delegation, a manager is able to divide the work and allocate it to the subordinates. This helps in reducing his work load so that he can work on important areas such as - planning, business analysis etc.
64. Which of the three basic functions of finance/accounting do you feel is most important in a small electronics manufacturing concern? Justify your position
Investment Decision, Financing decisions, Dividend decisions. For a small electronics firm, making sure that they have optimal working capital is key.
65. Explain how you would motivate managers and employees to implement a major new strategy
Educating your managers about why the changes are necessary and what has to happen to fully implement new strategies will help bring them over to your way of thinking. Be upbeat and excited about the changes and emphasize the positive results you anticipate seeing from the new approach
66. Why do you think production/operations managers often are not directly involved in strategy-formulation activities? Why can this be a major organizational weakness?
The primary reason why production and operation managers are not directly involved in strategy-formulation activities is because they are seen as strategy-implementers. ... Data is using to keep track of operations or forecast needed, which make data is useful because it gives insight about products and services.
67. Give two examples of staffing strengths and two examples of staffing weaknesses of an organization with which you are familiar.
This is a thought-provoking question. Answers will vary for each student. Staffing activities include hiring, training, testing, wage and salary administration, employee benefits, union/management relations, and employee development.
68. Would you ever pay out dividends when your firm’s annual net profit is negative? Why? What effect could this have on a firm’s strategies?
A company with negative retained earnings is said to have a deficit. It does not have any money in retained earnings, so it cannot pay out a dividend.
69. If a firm has zero debt in its capital structure, is that always an organizational strength? Why or why not?
A firm having zero debt in its capital structure may or may not be advantageous for the company, in my opinion it shall not be an organizational strength As the companies who use or have a debt in their capital structure have a low financing cost, and it also helps in the ongoing financial liabilities of the firm 
70. Describe the production/operations system in a police department In a typical organization operations is viewed as a system w/c transforms various inputs to require outputs like goods and/or services.
71. Why do you believe cultural products affect all the functions of business?

Cultural products forms part of every activity in the organisation. People get attached to the rituals,values, beliefs and Strategy formulation takes place within a company's culture, therefore, strategy would be affected the most by cultural products
72. Do you think cultural products affect strategy formulation, implementation, or evaluation the most? Why?
Considering the impact and importance of organizational culture in strategic management is critical. It is so vital that international company Third Rock Management Consulting advises its clients to contemplate the possibility of changing their organization's culture when developing and implementing a new strategy. Without cultural alignment with strategy, the new strategy would likely fail.

Strategic management is the planning process through which company leaders formulate strategies for accomplishing company missions and objectives. It has four basic elements, according to the Management Study Guide website's Strategic Management Process - Meaning, Steps and Components. These elements are environmental scanning, strategy.

73. Identify cultural products at your college or university. Do these products, viewed collectively or separately, represent a strength or weakness for the organization?
The culture of a society stems from the ethnic background of the members, geographic tendencies, food and drinks preferences and the influence of various immigrants. Some cultures in the world have been centuries old and they define how an individual is supposed to live his or her life and govern his decision making in the times of gravest problems of his life. This means that in order to change himself culturally, he will have to change the way he thinks, behaves and acts at innumerable.
74. Explain the difference between data and information in terms of each being useful to strategists.

Data is raw, unorganized facts that need to be processed. Data can be something simple and seemingly random and useless until it is organized. When data is processed, organized, structured or presented in a given context so as to make it useful, it is called information.
75. What are the most important characteristics of an effective management information system?

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  MIS is management oriented: ...
  
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  MIS is developed under the direction of management: ...
  
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  MIS is an integrated system: ...
  
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  Common data flows: ...
  
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  MIS is based upon future needs of the business: ...
  
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  MIS is composed of sub-systems: ...
  
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  MIS requires flexibility: