Hostility is a measure of how benign or malevolent the environment is. Hostile environments are characterized by precarious settings, intense competition, harsh, overwhelming business climates, and the relative lack of exploitable opportunities.

A hostile environment implies that someone or something threatens the existence of the organization.
Hostility can vary from a supporting environment to one that is predatory and out to destroy the organization. Natural causes, e.g. hurricane or flood, can be the cause of this extreme level of hostility, or it can result from the actions of others, e.g. a hostile takeover or sabotage.

• Low competition implies a benign environment
• Medium competition means a regular competitive environment
• High competition exists in very competitive environments
• Extreme competition refers to a situation where the organization has to fight hard to keep its market share