General environment and task environment

Chapter 3 (p.82 Q. 1,2,3,4 & 5)

2. Describe the organizations' general environment. For each dimension, give at least one specific example, other than the examples mentioned in your text.

3. What are the major forces that affect organization-environment relationships? Describe those factors.

4. Describe the four approaches to organizational effectiveness. Give a specific example of something that a company should measure in order to evaluate its effectiveness under each approach.

5. Elements from the general environment affect al organizations, but they may not affect all organizations in the same way. Choose an industry and discuss the impact of at least two different elements from the general environment on firms in that industry. Are all firms affected equally? Explain.

Chapter 4 (p.112 Q. 1,2,3,4 & 5)

1.Discuss managerial ethics. three areas of special ethical concern for managers, and how organizations manage ethical behavior. (bullets in text)

· Ethics are an individuals personal beliefs about what constitutes right and wrong behavior

· important areas of ethical concern for managers are how the organization treats its employees, how employees treat the organization, and how the organization and its employees treat other economic agents

· the ethical context of organizations consists of each managers individual ethics and messages sent by organizational practices

· organizations use leadership, culture, training, codes, guidelines, and justice to help them manage ethical behavior

2. Identify and summarize key emerging ethical issues in organizations today.

· one emerging ethical issue is ethical leadership and its key role in shaping ethical norms and the culture of the organization

· another involves corporate governance and focuses on the need for the board of directors to maintain appropriate oversight of senior management

· third, ethical issues in information technology relate to issues such as individual privacy and the potential abuse of an organizations information technology resources by individuals

3. Discuss the concept of social responsibility, specify to whom or what an organization might be considered responsible, and describe four types of organizational approaches to social responsibility.

· social responsibility is the set of obligations an organization has to protect and enhance the society in which it functions

· organization may be considered responsible to their stakeholders, to the natural environment, and to the general social welfare

· there are strong arguments both for and against social responsibility

· the approach an organization adopts toward social responsibility falls along a continuum of lesser to greater commitment: the obstructionist stance, the defensive stance, the accommodative stance, and the proactive stance

4. Explain the relationship between the government and organizations regarding social responsibility.

· government influences organizations through regulation which is the establishment of laws and rules that dictate what businesses can and cannot do in prescribed areas

· organizations rely on personal contacts, lobbying, political action committees, and favors to influence the government

5.Describe some of the activities organizations may engage in to manage social responsibility.

· organizations use three types of activities to formally manage social responsibility: legal compliance, ethical compliance, and philanthropic giving

· leadership, culture, and allowing for whistleblowing are informal means of managing social responsibility

· organizations should evaluate the effectiveness of heir socially responsible practices as they would any other strategy

Chapter 5 (p.144 Q.1,2,3,4 & 8)

3. Describe the various types of political controls on international trade. Be sure to highlight the differences between the types.

4.Explain the relationship between organizational size and globalization. Are large firms the only ones that are global?

8.Use the internet to locate information about a company that is using a global strategic alliance or global joint venture. (Hint: Almost any large multinational firm will be involved in these ventures, and you can find information at corporate home pages.) What do you think are the major goals for the venture? DO you expect that the firm will accomplish its goals? If so, why? If not, what stands in its way?