Organizations in different industries face widely different general and task environments. Georgia-Pacific [http://www.gp.com/], a wood and paper products firm, faces a relatively stable and certain environment. Dell Computers, [http://www.dell.com] on the other hand, faces a much more unstable and uncertain industry environment. View the two companies' Web sites, then answer the following questions:

1. Which of the five dimensions of the general environment are reflected in the Web site information for each firm?
   
   
2. Which of the five dimensions of the task environment also seem to be addressed?
   
   

Internet Exercise
The opening incident in Chapter 3 describes the challenges that local coffeehouses face when a Starbucks [http://www.starbucks.com/] locates near their stores. For the most part, the challenges have not been as great as anticipated and locals have responded effectively, creating a coffeehouse market that supports both local and international competitors. After viewing the pages related to international expansion on Starbuck's Web site, answer the following questions:

1. What unique environmental challenges does Starbucks face as it attempts further international expansion?
   
   
2. What impact will environmental factors have on Starbucks' international expansion? What impact will those same factors have on local coffeehouse competitors in the international markets?
   
   
3. In what ways are multinational firms better equipped than local firms to adapt effectively to environmental factors? In what ways are local firms better equipped?
   
   

Explore Further
View the Web site of McDonald's [http://www.mcdonalds.com/], another U.S. food-related firm that is attempting a vigorous international expansion. Choose two or three countries for further investigation. Based on what you find at those sites, describe how McDonald's is adapting differently than Starbucks. In what ways are the two firms similar in their responses? What do you think is the cause of any differences you find?