Chapter 3. Understanding the Organization's Environment

The task environment consists of elements that influence a given organization. Which of the following would be part of the task environment of a media company that makes videos? Check all that apply. - Trade agreements governing export of videos - Consumers of video content - Suppliers of cameras and lights - Social values around family-friendly content

- Consumers of video content - Suppliers of cameras and lights

Top Dog Academy is a dog day care provider. Which issues are part of its general environment? Check all that apply. - People increasingly acknowledge the role of pets as part of the family. - Top Dog Academy employees a trainer and two caregivers. - As consumer confidence improves, people feel they have more discretionary income. - PetCube is a technological innovation that provides dogs with a safe environment for play at home even when owners are away.

- People increasingly acknowledge the role of pets as part of the family. - As consumer confidence improves, people feel they have more discretionary income. - PetCube is a technological innovation that provides dogs with a safe environment for play at home even when owners are away.

All organizations operate within an environmental context. Which dimensions are associated with the general environment? Check all that apply. - Technological - Economic - Buyers - Regulatory

- Technological - Economic - Regulatory

New Entrant, Competitors, Suppliers, Buyers or Substitutes? Corporate jet purchases are made by a small number of affluent individuals with many transportation options.

Buyers

Event: An increase in business for alternative energy companies that make fuels that can be substituted for oil Task Environment Dimension: Customers, Regulators, Competitors, or Suppliers?

Competitors

Event: Other oil companies increasing their market share while BP focused its resources on addressing the oil spill Task Environment Dimension: Customers, Regulators, Competitors, or Suppliers?

Competitors

Event: Reluctance of other energy companies to pursue deep-water oil drilling due to public outrage about environmental risks Task Environment Dimension: Suppliers, Competitors, Regulators, or Customers?

Competitors

New Entrant, Competitors, Suppliers, Buyers or Substitutes? Financial services firm Morgan Stanley acquired E*Trade.

Competitors

New Entrant, Competitors, Suppliers, Buyers or Substitutes? New app providers come into the market every day.

Competitors

New Entrant, Competitors, Suppliers, Buyers or Substitutes? Teledoc Health now offers 24/7 online medical appointments that are covered by insurance.

Competitors

Event: Advertising that highlights BP's commitment to sustainable energy sources, such as biofuels Task Environment Dimension: Customers, Regulators, Competitors, or Suppliers?

Customers

Event: Providing conveniences at service stations (such as banking machines and fresh coffee) to encourage motorists to patronize BP stations, even after the oil spill Task Environment Dimension: Suppliers, Competitors, Regulators, or Customers?

Customers

Event: To appeal to drivers who are concerned about climate change, using wind and solar power in the operation of gas stations Task Environment Dimension: Customers, Regulators, Competitors, or Suppliers?

Customers

Event: Declining tourism along the entire coastline of the Gulf of Mexico General Environment Dimension: Political/Legal, Technological, or Economic

Economic

Event: Low investor confidence in oil companies after the explosion General Environment Dimension: Political/Legal, Technological, or Economic

Economic

Event: Harm to industries throughout the Gulf Coast region, including commercial fishing, seafood processing, and tourism General Environment Dimension: Technological, Economical, or Sociocultural?

Economical

Which of the following are elected by shareholders to represent their interests? Regulators Members of the board of directors Owners Employees

Members of the board of directors

New Entrant, Competitors, Suppliers, Buyers or Substitutes? Website services such as Wix allow users to easily create professional-looking websites for free.

New Entrants

Event: An established process for determining whether oil companies are responsible for oil spills and a requirement that guilty companies pay large fines General Environment Dimension: Political/Legal, Technological, or Economic

Political/Legal

Event: President Obama's placement of a 6-month moratorium on offshore drilling General Environment Dimension: Political/Legal, Technological, or Economic

Political/Legal

Event: A requirement by U.S. Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) that workers engaged in environmental cleanup be protected from heat, fatigue, and other hazards Task Environment Dimension: Customers, Regulators, Competitors, or Suppliers?

Regulators

Event: An environmental group's staging of protests outside BP service stations to call attention to the oil spill's effects on wildlife Task Environment Dimension: Customers, Regulators, Competitors, or Suppliers?

Regulators

Event: The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) monitoring the level of oil contamination in the Gulf Coast region Task Environment Dimension: Suppliers, Competitors, Regulators, or Customers?

Regulators

Event: Increased public concern over environmental impacts of the energy industry General Environment Dimension: Technological, Economical, or Sociocultural?

Sociocultural

Event: A joint operation between BP and state employment agencies to train people to monitor beaches and pay them to perform environmental cleanup as needed Task Environment Dimension: Customers, Regulators, Competitors, Strategic Partners, or Suppliers?

Strategic Partners

Event: An alliance between the University of Texas at Austin and BP to support leading-edge oil and gas industry research projects Task Environment Dimension: Customers, Regulators, Strategic Partners, or Suppliers?

Strategic Partners

Event: BP providing funding and data to companies developing new technologies for deepwater drilling Task Environment Dimension: Regulators, Suppliers, Customers or Strategic Partners?

Strategic Partners

New Entrant, Competitors, Suppliers, Buyers or Substitutes? Recognizing the rapid growth in sales of milk substitutes like almond milk, dairy-milk processors developed a $50 million ad campaign to promote the protein benefits of cow milk.

Substitutes

Event: A BP contractor changing its practices to satisfy the environmental and ethical requirements set by BP Task Environment Dimension: Customers, Regulators, Competitors, or Suppliers?

Suppliers

Event: A potential BP vendor documenting that it meets BP's environmental and ethical standards Task Environment Dimension: Customers, Regulators, Competitors, or Suppliers?

Suppliers

Event: Conformance with BP's environmental and ethical standards to be included on BP's list of approved vendors and contractors Task Environment Dimension: Suppliers, Competitors, Regulators, or Customers?

Suppliers

New Entrant, Competitors, Suppliers, Buyers or Substitutes? Aardvark is the only commercial supplier of paper straws.

Suppliers

New Entrant, Competitors, Suppliers, Buyers or Substitutes? Firms can sign long-term contracts to stabilize prices for orders over time.

Suppliers

Event: Development of new methods to measure oil pressure in deep-sea wells after existing mechanisms had failed General Environment Dimension: Political/Legal, Technological, or Economic

Technological

Event: The ability to use deep-sea submersibles to take pictures of the oil leak a mile below the surface of the waterGeneral Environment Dimension: Technological, Economical, or Sociocultural?

Technological

Event: The development of polymers that bond with oil to form a sponge-like material that is easily removed from the water General Environment Dimension: Political/Legal, Technological, or Economic

Technological

When a company expands internationally, it may lack knowledge of the other country's laws and customs; therefore, it may enter into a joint venture with __________ who can provide this information.

a strategic artner

FamHealth, a nonprofit organization that provides family counseling, contracts with another nonprofit with expertise in the treatment of substance abuse to make videos for its clients. The nonprofit that is making the videos is __________ of FamHealth.

a supplier to

A manager who is considering entry to a new market must carefully consider all aspects of the environment as it relates to that market, including any obstacles posed by __________ who already have established relationships with suppliers and customers.

competitors

The resources over which a company and its __________ vie include raw materials, access to capital, or real estate for a store location.

competitors

The video game company Electronic Arts has the slogan "Challenge everything." This slogan is part of the company's __________.

culture

The degree to which a government regulates business relates to the __________ of the general environment.

political-legal dimension

A new method for assembling and providing products to customers more quickly would be part of the __________ of the general environment.

technological dimension