Exam 4: The External Environment

All of the following, except ____, are examples of the general environment.

____ is especially important in highly competitive consumer industries and in industries that experience variable demand.

Sectors of the environment which have direct impact on the organization are called the:

Organizations in which of the following types of industries would face the greatest amount of environmental uncertainty?

Boundary-spanning roles:

One outcome of high differentiation is that coordination between departments becomes more difficult until integrative devices are put in place.

____ is a way that high uncertainty influences organizational characteristics.

In the ____ sector, regulations influence every phase of organizational life.

The boundary-spanning role is designed to bring information to the organization about changes in the environment, but not to work in reverse to take information into the environment about the organization.

Complex + Unstable environments = high uncertainty

Case 4.0 AligatorAde, a regional soft drink bottling plant in Clovis, California, produces according to the forecast given to them by corporate planning in Michigan. The company uses the focus strategy, designating a market of persons involved in athletic sports. AligatorAde sponsors Clovis Little League, and has a reputation for positive support of sports activities. On the few occasions when production exceeds demand, corporate warehousing juggles the distribution so that the regional producers such as AligatorAde experience no significant loss. Although competitors have switched formulas several times, AligatorAde has not changed their formula because market demand for their product is stable. (Top management at corporate headquarters is considering adding a more fruity-flavored drink to their product line, but a decision is not yet made.) On the line, the Manufacturing Department produces large batches of their drink. The product is prepared for distribution in both cans and bottles. Occasionally at the end of a run, some bottles will have special team labels affixed by machine; profitability on those few special runs is particularly high. The plant's organization chart shows that there is a plant manager with four department heads reporting to her: Manufacturing Manager, Administrative Manager, Marketing Manager, and Warehousing and Distribution Manager. The purchasing function is carried out in Manufacturing, and what little R&D takes place at the regional plant is done in Marketing. -Reference Case 4.0 to answer the following question. Using the framework for environmental uncertainty, analyze AligatorAde's environment, and then make recommendations to the regional management of the plant based on your application of the framework. [Hint: Application of the textbook is what gets points!]

Which of the following is a proper dimension of the framework for assessing environmental uncertainty?

Describe the roles of boundary-spanning and the different approaches to boundary spanning.

A(n) ____ involves the purchase of one organization by another so that the buyer assumes control.

An interlocking directorate is a formal linkage that occurs when a member of the board of directors of one company sits on the board of directors of another company.

"Generation C" refers to people born after:

Allowing customers in an auto dealership service department to talk directly to the mechanic rather than to a service manager:

Explain the pro and con arguments to creation of buffering roles.

The technology sector refers to techniques of production, science, computers, information technology, and e-commerce.

A(n) ____ is a formal linkage that occurs when a member of the board of directors of one company sits on the board of directors of another company.