- A.Offering uniquely valued attributes — quality, brand, design, service — that allow premium pricing and customer loyalty.
- B.Barney's test for sustainable competitive advantage — a resource must be Valuable, Rare, Inimitable, and supported by Organization.
- C.A 2x2 of products (existing/new) against markets (existing/new), defining four growth strategies — penetration, development, product development, and diversification. ✓
- D.A 2x2 of products (existing/new) against markets (existing/new), defining four growth strategies — penetration, development, product development, and diversification.
Ansoff Growth Matrix is a 2x2 of products (existing/new) against markets (existing/new), defining four growth strategies — penetration, development, product development, and diversification. The other options describe related but distinct concepts in Strategic Frameworks — see the deep-dive guide for the full distinction.
How to think about questions like this
Each growth strategy has different risk and resource profile. Questions like this test whether you can distinguish Ansoff Growth Matrix from neighboring concepts. The most common trap is choosing a closely-related concept that sounds similar but applies in a different context.
When you see a definition question on an exam, do two things: (1) translate the question into your own words, then (2) generate the answer in your own words before reading the options. This avoids the cognitive bias of recognizing a familiar phrase as correct just because it is familiar.