THE MANAGER'S MEMO

FROM: G. Irving, President
TO: P. Rambowski, Vice President
RE: Preparing for hard times

These days, the antigun fanatics seem to be shooting their mouths off more and more, and I'm getting concerned about the future of the Top Gun Shops. If the trend keeps up, our chain of gun and ammunition stores could be under siege, maybe from the government, maybe from community activists. And if the market gets any trickier, you can bet that the competition will be stepping up the pressure. The successful hunter keeps his eyes open at all times. So how can we do the same in our business? We need a plan for keeping an eye on what's going on, for anticipating changes, for taking action where we can. I'd like your suggestions. Where should we be watching? How should we watch? And what can we do to head off problems?

CASE DISCUSSION QUESTIONS
Assume that you are the vice president, and respond to the president's memorandum. Consider as many aspects of the environment as you can apply to this situation. Besides identifying sources of environmental dependence, describe ways in which the company might be able to manage this dependence.