Please read carefully the files attached and do a general environment research of Microsoft company.
General Environment Example Trends
1. Demographic: the most visible and quantifiable elements of general environment.
- Populations growing.
- Aging Population.
2. Socio-Cultural: influence the values, beliefs, and lifestyles of a society.
- Higher percentage of women in the workforce
- Dual-income families.
- Increases in the number of temporary workers.
- Greater concern for healthy diets and physical fitness.
- Greater interest in the environment.
- Postponement of having children.
- Increased educational attainment.
3. Economic
- Unemployment is about 4%
- Interest rates
- Stock Market valuations
4. Political-Legal
- There is a trend toward deregulation
- There is a trend toward personal responsibility
- There is a trend toward full disclosure
- Increases in the federally mandated minimum wage.
- Expansion of the number of temporary visas available for highly skilled foreign professionals (Almost ½ of the visa are for professionals from India, and most of them are computer or software specialists). [Davies, A. 2000. Business Week, October 16: 64]
5. Technology
- Personal computers are faster, cheaper, and more powerful
- Hackers are increasingly more of a threat
- There is a trend toward miniaturization (recorders/cameras)
- Wireless technology is growing.
- The combination of information technology (IT) and the Internet have led to increased productivity in the United States. IT is helping to offset the inflationary effects of wage increases.
6. Global
- Globalization: the free flow of capital, people, and information
- Increase in regional trade agreements. (Declining trade barriers.)
The economic emergence of India, China, and Latin America!
