1. Create a list describing how each component of the general and specific external environment affects Lonely Planet. For example, under technology, you could write that the rise of the Internet has caused more people to research travel opportunities online rather than with guidebooks. When you think of corporate culture, the image of suits and ties, pantyhose and pumps often springs to mind. But at Lonely Planet, the values, beliefs, understandings, and norms of the fi rm are expressed by staff members and managers who wear T-shirts, khakis, soft skirts, and sandals or clogs to work. Lonely Planet is a publishing company based in Australia with offi ces in several other countries—including the United States—that produces travel books, guides, and language phrasebooks for people who want adventure.

Lonely Planet fosters an internal culture in which employees are free to be themselves—to exchange ideas and try new approaches to problems. Take a peek inside the management workplace of Lonely Planet.