Which of the following is the first activity in strategy evaluation?
a. Measuring organizational performance
b. Taking corrective actions
c. Examining the underlying bases of current strategies
d. Monitoring the internal environment
e. Monitoring the external environment

As a project manager for a large construction company, shaun decided to make the performance appraisal process as painless as possible for his crew. he spent a considerable amount of time creating performance standards he felt were reasonable, and after six months' time, he scheduled individual appointments with each worker to discuss strengths and weaknesses and areas that needed improvement according to the standards he privately set. some employees were sent to vestibule training, and one even got a promotion with additional compensation. what did he fail to do correctly

You are chairman of the board of a successful technology firm. there is a nominal federal corporate tax rate of 35 percent, yet the effective tax rate of the typical corporation is about 12.6%. your firm has been clever with use of transfer pricing and keeping money abroad and has barely paid any taxes over the last 5 years; during this same time period, profits were $28 billion. one member of the board feels that it is un-american to use various accounting strategies in order to avoid paying taxes. others feel that these are legal loopholes and corporations have a fiduciary responsibility to minimize taxes. one board member quoted what the ceo of exxon once said: “i’m not a u.s. company and i don’t make decisions based on what’s good for the u.s.” what are the alternatives? what are your recommendations? why do you recommend this course of action?

Six years ago, an 80-kw diesel electric set cost $160,000. the cost index for this class of equipment six years ago was 187 and is now 194. the cost-capacity factor is 0.6. the plant engineering staff is considering a 120-kw unit of the same general design to power a small isolated plant. assume we want to add a precompressor, which (when isolated and estimated separately) currently costs $13291. determine the total cost of the 120-kw unit. (hint: skip $ and comma symbols)