Companies have widely different organization cultures, and take different approaches to issues of diversity and multiculturalism. View the web sites of Porsche and Merrill Lynch, and then answer the following questions:

1. How would you describe the organization culture of these two organizations, based on the information found at their web sites?
2. Which dimensions of diversity seem to be present in these organizations?

Internet Exercise

The opening incident in Chapter 6 describes the organization culture at Old Navy. Old Navy is just one piece of The Gap, Inc. that consists of three brands: The Gap, Old Navy, and Banana Republic. The Gap, Inc. created three separate brands in order to provide each company with a distinctive image and organization culture, to better attract different customer segments to their stores. Access the three subsidiaries’ web sites, and then answer the following questions:

1. Based on the content and appearance of the three web sites, what organization culture is The Gap, Inc. trying to create at each company?
2. If you have visited one or more of these stores, how successful was The Gap, Inc. in creating a unique organization culture for each?
3. Most companies try to extend their brands, working to create a "super-brand." Would it be wiser for The Gap, Inc. to create one "super-brand", which would be larger and more powerful? Or do you think their current approach is more likely to lead to higher performance? Why?

Explore Further

Examine the web sites of other clothing retailers and compare their cultures with that of The Gap, Old Navy, and Banana Republic. An interesting comparison would be the family-owned Italian firm Benetton, which operates the United Colors of Benetton stores in the U.S.