It is now commonplace to depict the contemporary world as one of rapid, increasing, and frequently cataclysmic change. Such forces as disappearing colonialism, revolution in communications and technology, international technical assistance, and spreading ideology cancel out centuries of relative...

This paper reports preliminary results of a study of how relatively large U.S. international firms asses noneconomic environment, how the resulting evaluations are integrated into decision making or planning, and how the process affects managerial strategy. A mailed survey of 455 firms was...