A supplier having difficulty delivering on time is an issue in which environment?

• A. Global environment
• B. Specific environment
• C. General environment
• D. Internal environment

Answer: (B)

The situation tests how problems are categorized within an organization’s environments. A supplier is a direct external partner that affects daily operations, so delays from that supplier hit the firm’s immediate, operational area. This is the specific (task) external environment, which covers entities like suppliers and customers with whom the organization has regular, direct interactions. The general external environment involves broad forces such as the economy or technology, not a single supplier, while the internal environment concerns what happens inside the organization itself. So a supplier having difficulty delivering on time is an issue in the specific environment.