Higher levels of empowerment will be effective when:

A) there is a more transactional tie to customers.
B) the technology is more standardized or routine.
C) the business strategy is to customize and differentiate.
D) the business environment is very predictable and stable.

Empowerment is most effective when a business strategy is to customize and differentiate. This is because higher levels of empowerment give employees greater discretion and freedom to make decisions about how to best meet the needs of a diverse customer base. If a business is seeking to differentiate itself by offering unique, tailored products or services, then higher levels of empowerment are necessary to meet those individual customer needs. The other options of a more transactional tie to customers, standardized technology, and predictable and stable environments do not necessarily require higher levels of empowerment to be effective.