91. USA Gymnastics has a relatively narrow focus, constant supply of young athletes, and consistent
international competition. Its level of uncertainty is
92. Which of the following organizations would be MOST likely to face a dynamic/complex environment?
93. After September 11, 2001, many companies moved uptown or to the suburbs. This is an example of change
in the
94. The ____ is the extent to which new competitors can easily enter a market or market segment.
95. ____ is NOT one of the five competitive forces identified by Michael Porter as having an impact on the
interaction between an organization and its environment.
96. Which of the following would have the LEAST to worry about in terms of the threat of new entrants?
97. ____ refers to the nature of the competitive relationship between dominant firms in an industry.
98. Which of the following buyers would have the greatest ability to influence suppliers?
99. During the recession many people chose to eat at home more often to save money. For restaurants this is
____.
100. In Florida a vacationer could choose from over 200 time-share resorts. In Vermont the choice is limited to
15. A resort in Vermont has
101. Competitive rivalry would be exemplified by
102. Which of the following illustrates the MOST common form of environmental turbulence?
103. The Northeast region of the U.S. experienced flooding from hurricane Irene. This is an example of
104. Which of the following is the BEST example of environmental turbulence?
105. A purchasing agent is an example of a(n)
106. Hunter sells security surveillance equipment to international airports. His job is to go to the prospective
customer, examine the airport’s current security, locate problem areas, and explain how his company’s security
surveillance system would eliminate these problems. Hunter is an example of a(n)
107. Many organizations now have units that monitor a host of magazines and newspapers looking for stories
that may have an impact on the organization. These units are
108. Fast food chains make headlines when someone claims to find body parts or foreign objects in their food.
The claims are usually false, but they increase the industry
109. Which of the following is an example of an organization’s strategic response to its external environment?
110. The process of actively monitoring the environment through activities such as reading and observation is
called
111. Which of the following is an example of one of the basic mechanisms that organizations use to adapt to
their environment?
112. When two or more firms combine to form a new firm, it is called a(n)
113. Which of the following is an example of a merger?
114. Dollar Thrifty told Hertz and Avis Budget to submit their best and final proposals. In the end Dollar
Thrifty combined with one of the companies in a(n)
115. When Dayton Hudson was the target of a hostile takeover it was able to use its position of influence in the
state of Minnesota to pressure the state legislature to change the laws preventing breakup of any company
immediately after purchase. Dayton Hudson responded to the crisis using
116. An organization design that is mechanistic
117. One of the reasons so many Internet companies fail is due to a lack of standardized operating procedures.
The companies’ managements are afraid of stifling their creative employees by using a rigid structure with lots
of rules and regulations. Instead employees are given few rules and allowed to use their own judgment when
making decisions. What type of organization design would you find in most of these companies?
118. Organizations directly influence their environment by
119. Wal-Mart is the largest retailer in the world. It successfully pressures suppliers to lower prices. Wal-Mart
uses
120. National Industries, supplier to all Hometown Hardware Stores, manufactures many of the products it sells
to member stores. What kind of response to the organizational environment does this represent?
121. Blogs are used by companies to post customer feedback. This is a method of environmental scanning and
122. Which of the following statements would NOT describe a direct influence response to the organization’s
environment?
123. Which of the following is ultimately related to how well an organization understands, reacts to, and
influences its environment?
124. The organizational effectiveness model that focuses on minimizing strain, integrating individuals and the
organization, and conducting smooth and efficient operations is which of the following?
125. The organizational effectiveness model that focuses on getting materials it needs when it needs them is
which of the following?
126. Which of these is NOT a model of organizational effectiveness?
127. At 3M researchers are encouraged to generate a significant part of the company’s income from new product
development. The managers are evaluated on the degree to which they meet this standard. What model of
organizational effectiveness does this represent?
128. Which approach provides managers with a clear, objective measurable evaluation of effectiveness?
129. A company that increases sales by 20 percent and profits by 15 percent would be considered effective by
the
130. The systems resource approach to organizational effectiveness is most closely related to which part of the
organizational system?
131. The internal processes approach to organizational effectiveness is most closely related to the ____ part of
an organizational system.
132. Which part of an organizational system is most closely related to the goal approach to organizational
effectiveness?
133. The ____ approach to organizational effectiveness is most closely related to the feedback part of the
systems model.
134. An organization’s environment can be divided into its ____________________ and its
____________________ environments.
135. Everything outside an organization’s boundaries that might affect it is its ____________________
environment.
136. Organizations need to fully understand which ____________________ forces are important and how the
importance of others might increase.
137. The external environment is composed of two layers: the ____________________ environment and the
____________________ environment.
138. The specific organizations or groups that influence an organization are the ____________________
environment.
139. Cell phones have evolved from cordless phones to mini personal computers. This has affected the
____________________ dimension for people around the world.
140. The customs, mores, values, and demographic characteristics of the society in which the organization
functions is the ____________________ dimension.
141. When the U.S. federal government became a majority stakeholder in GM, it was a significant change in the
____________________ dimension for U.S. companies.
142. Interest rates impact the ____________________ element of the firm’s environment.
143. The ____________________ dimension of the general environment refers to the extent to which the
organization is affected by or involved in businesses in other countries.
144. Greenpeace draws attention to environmental activity around the world. They are a(n)
____________________ that has potential impact on organizations’ operating policies and practices.
145. An organization working together with one or more other organizations in a joint venture or similar
arrangement is called a(n) ____________________.
146. In Cranbury, New Jersey, the Volunteer Fire Department and the Cranbury Preservation and Historical
Society both try to get financial donations from residences. They represent part of the ____________________
element of each other’s task environment.
147. Anyone who pays money to acquire an organization’s ____________________ or
____________________ is called its customer.
148. Hiring and firing practices are complicated, often requiring review by an attorney.
____________________ in the area has been influenced by agencies and interest groups.
149. The board of directors is charged with serving the best interest of the ____________________.
150. Individuals elected to a board of directors for a specific purpose are typically from
____________________ the company.
151. Michael, a human resource manager, is negotiating with the firm’s union. He is dealing with an element of
an organization’s ____________________ environment.
152. In a leveraged buy-out the buyer frequently purchases the corporation with the intent to
____________________. Nevertheless the buyer is still considered the owner.
153. An organization that faces several competitors, regulatory agencies, and suppliers and is involved in
several joint ventures would, according to Thompson, have a very ____________________ environment.
154. ____________________ is important because it influences behavior when no one else is looking.
155. An organization with a task environment containing very few individual elements and changing very little
from time to time would, according to Thompson, experience a(n) ____________________ level or degree of
uncertainty.
156. An effective organization understands, reacts to, and influences its ____________________.
157. Coca-Cola and PepsiCo engage in intense price wars. They have ____________________.
158. When Merck started receiving notice of lawsuits related to Vioxx, a condition of ____________________
was created within the organization.
159. People in ____________________ roles, such as salespeople or purchasing agents, are collectively a
source of information management, one of the ways an organization adapts to its environment.
160. Each day, Blackrock uses RSS feeds to send executives links to all major news articles involving the
company. This is part of ____________________.
161. ____________________ is closely related to the monitor role of managers.
162. Mergers, takeovers, acquisitions, and alliances are all ways that organizations adapt to their
____________________.
163. A(n) ____________________ occurs when two or more firms combine to form a new firm.
164. If Starbucks acquires ownership of It’s a Grind against its will, it would be an example of a(n)
____________________.
165. The ____________________ approach to organizational effectiveness focuses on the extent to which the
organization can acquire the resources it needs.
166. The ____________________ approach to organizational effectiveness focuses on the groups that have a
stake in the organization.
167. Organizational effectiveness can best be determined by an integrated approach that considers inputs,
transformations, outputs, and ____________________.
168. Match the following. You may use a response once, more than once, or not at all.
1. The government regulation of business and the
International
2. The customs, mores, values, and demographic
characteristics of the society in which the organization
Technological
3. The extent to which an organization is involved in or
Political-legal
4. The overall health and vitality of the economic system
Economic
5. The methods available for converting resources into
Sociocultural
169. Match the following. You may use a response once, more than once, or not at all.
1. The extent to which suppliers have the ability to
Threat of new
2. The extent to which alternative products or services
3. The extent to which new competitors can join a
4. The nature of the relationship between dominant
Threat of substitute
170. Match the following. You may use a response once, more than once, or not at all.
Specific organizations that influence the target
4. Internal
171. Is it more important for the CEO to monitor the organization’s external or internal environment? Why?
172. Organizations have both an internal and an external environment. Define the external environment, and list
and very briefly discuss its two parts.
173. List the five dimensions of the general environment and give an example of each for Facebook.
174. Compare and contrast the sociocultural and the political-legal elements of the general environment.
In addition to defining and discussing the two elements, students should recognize that pressures that arise in
175. How are the environments for the national park service related to those of Tyson Foods?
176. Who is responsible for corporate governance? How does it affect the internal business environment?
177. If diversity is recognized as advantageous, then why aren’t more boards of directors diverse?
178. List the five components of the internal environment and describe how each of them impact Apple.
179. Describe the culture of your college or university.
180. Describe how on-demand movies on cable are a threat of substitute product to Blockbuster.
181. Would you rather work for a company that is admired or high performing? Why?
182. Describe an organization that you admire. Is it effective?