Consider the following series of independentsituations in which a firm is about to make a strategic decision.Decisionsa. Julian Phones is about to decide whether to launch production and sale of a cell phone with standardfeatures.b. Flint Computers is trying to decide whether to produce and sell a new home computer softwarepackage that includes the ability to interface with a thermostat and a refrigerator. There is no suchsoftware currently on the market.c. Maria Cosmetics has been asked to provide a “store brand” facial cream that will be sold at discountretail stores.d. Jansen Computers is considering developing a special line of computers that can be both a tablet anda computer.1. For each decision, state whether the company is following a cost leadership or a product differentiationstrategy.2. For each decision, discuss what information the management accountant can provide about the sourceof competitive advantage for these firms.

tch Pad Zynex Co manufactures a range of electronic devices, which it sells to online stores and retail outlets. It has a risk-seeking attitude and its objective is to maximise profit. Six months ago it released a new version of its smartphone, the ZV. Zynex Co's main smartphone competitor has announced that it will launch a new version of its smartphone in one month's time and Zynex Co is concerned about the effect of the launch of this rival product on future demand for the ZV. For each of the previous ten smartphones launched by its competitors, Zynex Co's marketing team has analysed the impact on Zynex Co's sales performance. This data was retained specifically for the purpose of forecasting future demand of Zynex Co's smartphones and is stored in the company's financial database. Based on this analysis, the marketing team has identified three possible outcomes for the impact on the demand of the ZV: a small decrease, a medium decrease and a large decrease. Production volumes for…