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External Environment

In: Business and Management

Submitted By slider5000
Words 2830
Pages 12
Table of Contents

Introduction 2

External Environment: laying the foundations 2

Task Environment 3

General Environment 4

Non-Profit vs. For-Profit: perspectives on competition 5

Environment Characteristics 6

Opportunity or Threat? 8

Conclusion 8

References 10

Introduction
“No organization can exist in a vacuum” (“Key forces in the external environment, Chapter 3”, n.d.).
To a certain extent all types of organisations; whether private or public services, governmental bodies or charitable groups, are subject to and influenced by specific environmental factors.

In this day and age with many existing classes of organisations utilising different approaches to management, there is a feasible assumption that a common change in the organisational environment may likely affect two separate organisations diversely.
This response will identify how the environment directly impacts organisations, in relation to leadership roles and organisational performance. For the purpose of comparison, the point of focus will revolve around two major classes of organisations namely; ‘profitable’ verses ‘not-for-profit’ groups.

The primary aim of this paper is to construct a foundational view of the external environment from a manager’s perspective. Theoretical key principles discussed will attempt to identify with the following statement - “In comparison to profitable groups; not-for-profit groups possess a different degree of vulnerability to the external environment”.

The External Environment: laying the foundations

In the world of leaders and business, the external environment comprises a comprehensive array of forces which encompass the organisation. Leaders or managers may view these existing forces as “conditions, entities, events, and factors surrounding an organization which influence its

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