Exercises: Profile the potential market, define opportunities and threats...

[Karinn]

could you please help me with this exercise?! I think the right answers for the following questions are: 1. B, 2. C, 3.A, 4. B, 5. B, 6. B, 7. B, 8. A... what do you think of it?! Is there any economist that could help me? Please

1 Match the tasks below with the heading. Write A, B or C
"define strengths weaknesses of competitors"
A: Document the market size
B: Competitive analysis
C: Create a positioning strategy
2 Match the tasks below with the heading. Write A, B or C
"expand on areas of strength"
A: Document the market size
B: Competitive analysis
C: Create a positioning strategy
3 Match the tasks below with the heading. Write A, B or C
"profile the potential market"
A: Document the market size
B: Competitive analysis
C: Create a positioning strategy
4 Match the tasks below with the heading. Write A, B or C
"define opportunities and threats of market"
A: Document the market size
B: Competitive analysis
C: Create a positioning strategy
5 Match the tasks below with the heading. Write A, B or C
"list major competitors"
A: Document the market size
B: Competitive analysis
C: Create a positioning strategy
6 Match the tasks below with the heading. Write A, B or C
"identify areas where the company is weak"
A: Document the market size
B: Competitive analysis
C: Create a positioning strategy
7 Match the tasks below with the heading. Write A, B or C
"indenfity areas where the company is strong"
A: Document the market size
B: Competitive analysis
C: Create a positioning strategy
8 Match the tasks below with the heading. Write A, B or C
"profile the current market"
A: Document the market size
B: Competitive analysis
C: Create a positioning strategy

[Cerberus™]

These excercises are by no means unambiguous. I'd give the same answers as you did, except:

4: this one seems unclear, it could be either B or C, but neither one fits very well.

6 and 7: could also be C, depending on the meaning of "competitive analysis". By "the company", probably "our company" is meant; we could be identifying our strong areas so that we may formulate an effective positioning strategy. A "competitive analysis" usually means analysing the competition, that's what I take it to mean here; however, it could also mean an analysis of how to be competitive, though I think this is less common.

The terms used in these exercises seem to be quite vague, which is a common symptom of the disease that is commercialese, that is business talk. That is why the exercises are difficult, not because of any real complexity in the subject itself.

[Karinn]

Thank you for help : ). Actually I am pretty confused about the no. 6 and 7. cause the thing is- I was searching through google for something about the "competitive analysis" and I think on answers.com... there was mentioned that it should involve also ME-my company... or was it some other source?! Not sure now... anyway - I really hope you are right... this test I am doing could help me to win a trip to NY...: )
Best wishes