Discussion Questions

  1. Please describe in detail the dimensions of the patterns and events occurring in the environment that influence organizations.

Some patterns and events occur in the environment that influences organizations. These patterns and events can be described along with several dimensions. One of these dimensions is the stability of the environment. Stability of the environment is the rate at which the changes in the environment occur. In an unstable environment, change is fast. Stability affects how the patterns and events in the organization environment respond to change. The other dimension is whether the environment is homogeneous or heterogeneous. A homogeneous environment has the same composition and form while heterogeneous has different composition and arrangement. The last dimension is based on whether the environment is concentrated or dispersed, simple or complex.

  1. Please summarize the perspectives for understanding inter-organizational relationships.

The know-how of inter-organization relationships is essential in a sense; it helps one to have a clear picture of why and how organizations come together. Inter-organization relationships entail two or more organizations collaborating in response to a specific environmental condition. The understanding of the inter-organization relationships helps one to understand that such relationships are significant for the survival and growth of organizations. These relationships help organizations to boost innovativeness and gain a competitive over other organizations working in the singular. Understanding these relationships is essential to managers as they can understand the type of relationships to engage with other organizations.

  1. Please describe and discuss in detail the four stages of international development.

The first stage of international development is domestic-market establishment. This stage involves building a strong foundation in the domestic market upon which future export market expansion activities will be based.  The second stage is known as export research and planning. It entails analyzing how successful the proposed product or service may be in a potential market. The third stage is known as the initial export sales. This stage involves testing the targeted market to familiarize with the mechanics of exporting and the target customers. The final stage is referred to as the actual expansion of international sales and the actual investment.