Choose a company from Fortune 500 list and perform a comprehensive analysis of the company’s external environment. Make sure you address the following questions when conducting the analysis:
1. What is/ are the company’s industry/ industries?
2. Which companies are immediate competitors of the firm? base your selection on the market capitalization and market share comparisons.
3. Who are the company’s suppliers? Do they have much bargaining power? does the company have other available alternatives to switch to? are there any associated costs if the company decides to switch? how about the quality of the incumbent suppliers’ materials compared to possible or potential alternative suppliers? Would there be any disruption and other inconveniences caused if suppliers decides to cause trouble for the firm and put pressure on it to bargain on prices? simply be comprehensive, through, and accurate.
4. Repeat step 3 but for customers. (what is the segment/segments, audience, audiences that the firm serves) and so on.
5. Describe the regulatory environment of the firm.
6. Describe the general environment of the firm
7. Explain how socio-economic factors and political factors might have affected, or would affect the firm and how the effect takes place?
8. Explain any demographic issues related to the firm’s business practices, employment, strategic objectives, products, services, etc.
9. Thoroughly describe and evaluate the firm’s dependence on technology, it’s technological tools and equipment, and the extent to which it depends on technology now, and how will that change in the future, and why?
10. How many companies operate in the same sphere? is rivalry intensive? what does that mean?
11. Are there any substitutes for the firm’s products and services? are they of the same quality and prices? Can these substitutes be actual threats for the company in the future, how? and what can the company do or should do?
12. Are there any political events that effected or would affect the way the firm conducts business? elaborate.
