1. Which of the following is NOT a route to achieving a differentiation-based competitive advantage?
A) Striving to create superior product features, design, and performance
B) Improving customer service or adding additional services
C) Pursuing production-related R&D activities
D) Striving for innovation and technological advances
E) Separating marketing from brand-building activities
2. A differentiation strategy works best in which of the following market circumstances?
A) When buyers incur low costs in switching to rival brands
B) When most competitors are resorting to clever advertising to try to set their product offerings apart
C) When new and improved products are introduced frequently
D) When there are many ways to differentiate the product or service that have value to buyers
E) When buyers have a low degree of bargaining power and purchase the product frequently
3. Including product attributes and user features that lower the buyer's costs is one way of delivering superior value via a differentiation strategy. This option does NOT primarily include which of the following?
A) Providing financing options
B) Providing just-in-time deliveries
C) Providing cut-to-size components
D) Increasing product reliability to lower a buyer's repair and maintenance costs
E) Providing free technical support
E) Separating marketing from brand-building activities
4. A differentiation strategy works best in which of the following market circumstances?
A) When buyers incur low costs in switching to rival brands
B) When most competitors are resorting to clever advertising to try to set their product offerings apart
C) When new and improved products are introduced frequently
D) When there are many ways to differentiate the product or service that have value to buyers
E) When buyers have a low degree of bargaining power and purchase the product frequently
5. Including product attributes and user features that lower the buyer's costs is one way of delivering superior value via a differentiation strategy. This option does NOT primarily include which of the following?
A) Providing financing options
B) Providing just-in-time deliveries
C) Providing cut-to-size components
D) Increasing product reliability to lower a buyer's repair and maintenance costs
E) Providing free technical support