1.According to the five forces framework, forward integration by suppliers may lower the industry profitability by:

Making the industry more concentrated

Decreasing the cost of production

Granting suppliers power to increase the prices of their supplies to the focal firm

Reducing the number of potential suppliers

2.Assume that there is a R&D company specializing in computer technology development. It has strong R&D capabilities to develop many elements of modern computing. Such capabilities are often rare and very difficult to be imitated or substituted. However, the company may fail to achieve an advantage in computers despite having substantial such capabilities. In applying the VRIO framework, which might be the root of the problem for the company?

Group of answer choices

The capabilities weren't rare (rivals had them too)

Rivals got lost on the tour of the facility

Strong supplier power prevented them from entering

The company failed to exploit the resources they had

3.Assume that a firm has developed valuable and rare resources, and it has also developed an appropriate business strategy that fits the industrial environment. However, its firm performance is still not as high as expected. Based on our discussion of competitive strategy in class, which is theleast likelyreason of the lower-than-expectation performance?

Group of answer choices

The strong competition from other firms makes the firm's business strategy less effective

The existence of firms that have similar resources and adopt similar business strategy

The firms pay too much attention to competition from other firms

The firm has received severe imitation from other firms