$1.$ The External Environment

Use your understanding of terminology used to describe the business environment to complete the following sentences.

The of Office Depot includes Amazon.com, where many people order office supplies, as well as manufacturers of office supplies such as International Paper Company, but does not include state and local laws affecting the sales tax it must collect from customers.

Miller and Anheuser Busch are $,$ and their ads contrasting their respective Bud Light and Miller Lite brands of beer have been very entertaining.

As part of thinking about the $,$ managers track the Consumer Price Index, manufacturing and retail inventory levels, and consumer confidence measures.