Lecture 3 Flashcards
day 3 sept 13 The organizational environment and culture
Organizations that are affected by, and that affect, their external environment
open systems
Goods and services that organizations take in and use to create products or services
inputs
The products and services organizations create
outputs
All relevant forces outside a firm’s boundaries
external environment
The general environment; includes governments, economic conditions, and other fundamental factors that generally affect all organizations
macroenvironment
the immediate environment surrounding a firm; includes suppliers, customers, rivals, and the like
the competitive environment
A narrative that describes a particular set of future conditions
Best-case, worst-case
scenario
Method for predicting how variables will change the future
forecasting
Searching for and sorting through information about the environment
environmental scanning
Information that helps managers determine how to compete better.
competitive intelligence
The process of comparing an organization’s practices and technologies with those of other companies
Benchmarking
Creating supplies of excess resources in case of unpredictable needs
buffering
Leveling normal fluctuations at the boundaries of the environment
smoothing
Strategies that an organization acting on its own uses to change some aspect of its current environment
independent strategies
Strategies used by two or more organizations working together to manage the external environment
cooperative strategies
