Section A Answer ALL questions. Each question in Section A is worth 2 points. For each

question, there is only ONE correct answer.

1. What is not the idea of niche management?

A. Sustainable technologies need a niche as protected space for experimentation and nurturing.

B. Managers need niche knowledge to manage sustainable technologies.

C. Niche management aims at expanding technology from a small niche into the broader system.

2. Overall, a technology strategy is about

A. Matching internal capabilities with competitors' core competencies. B. Matching the internal resources with external opportunities and threats. C. Matching technology support with innovation.

3. A top down planning process for a portfolio strategy:

A. allows to react spontaneously to emerging projects. B. needs the allocation of investments at short-term projects only.

C. requires a structured approach.

4. Learning effects:

A. Lead to a diversity of technologies becoming used by firms and users. B. Allow users to quickly switch between different technologies. C. Increase the value of a technology through its continuous improvement.

5. How should innovations in supply chain technology not impact firms?

A. Innovations should minimize the bullwhip effect. B. Innovations should expand cycle times along the supply chain.

C. Innovations should minimize capital costs.

6. What is the relationship between organizational structure and culture?

A. There is no relationship. B. Typically, a mechanistic structure is associated with an innovative culture.

C. Typically, a more organic structure is associated with an innovative culture.

7. Push-technology models of innovation processes:

A. regard technology development as the main factor for successful innovation. B. consider internal and external factors for the "push" of a technology. C. consider creativity as the main "push" of a technology.

8. How do the s-curves of technology improvement and technology adoption not relate to each other?

A. The s-curve of technology adoption precedes the s-curve of technology improvement.

B. The s-curve of technology improvement precedes the s-curve of technology adoption.

C. The s-curve of technology adoption follows the s-curve of technology improvement.

9. What does not support a culture of innovation?

A. Low turnover. C. Homogenous teams.

D. Monetary incentives.

10. How can creative energies be guided and focused?

A. By increasing divergence of ideas for supply chain solutions. B. By instructing inventors to tap into various fields of expertise. C. By defining a problem regarding supply chain technologies or issues.

11. Collaborations provide the potential for developing new competencies.

A. This potential is particularly high when firms build joint ventures.

B. This potential is particularly high when licensing technologies in.

C. This potential is particularly high when firms outsource.

12. An incremental innovation:

A. is often a competence-destroying innovation. B. meets often substantial resistance by users and companies.

C. is typically not related to an architectural innovation.

13. Complementary goods and services are crucial for a first-mover strategy, because...

A. It makes the innovative technologies more valuable.

B. It increases brand loyalty with the pioneer. C. It increases the reputation of the first-mover.

14. The risk of making a wrong decision at the beginning of a development project is higher:

A. because the decision quality typically increases later in the development process.

B. because there are more costs involved. C. because the ambiguity is lower than at the end of the development process.

15. Why is open networked innovation valuable for firms?

A. It reduces complexity. C. It creates higher independence. B. Technologies can be developed further by other actors and value captured.

16. Why do firms need absorptive capacity for the innovation of supply chain technologies?

A. To attract innovative employees. B. To recognise and assimilate external knowledge. C. To multiply the number of partners in an innovation network.

17. Managers might be inclined to have a loosely coupled organization

A. to decrease specialization and focus on core competencies.

B. to increase control over innovation processes.

C. when knowledge sharing across partners and divisions is not crucial for innovation.

18. A follower strategy is less risky, because...

A. it will always lead to success. B. it allows firms to build reputational capital.

C. it can learn from mistakes of the pioneer.

19. What is the benefit of a structured innovation process?

A. Greater freedom to improvise and autonomy of project teams.

C. Increased visibility and understanding for the innovation process across the organization.

B. Less need for information sharing.

20. Collaborations for innovating supply chain technologies have the following disadvantage.

A. They decrease the time cycle of development.

B. They increase the time cycle of development.

C. They give less control over the development.