A 5 page paper. Following introductory comments about environmental factors, the essay focuses on the Vermont Teddy Bear Company. The comprehensive environmental analysis is presented using the SWOT technique (strengths, weaknesses, opportunities and threats), with suggestions included in the analysis. 2 Tables included. Bibliography lists 7 sources.
Name of Research Paper File: MM12_PGvttd2.rtf
Unformatted Sample Text from the Research Paper:
included in the analysis. Environmental Forces are the dynamics of the larger context within which organizations must operate. They include the individual forces of social, business and economic, political,
governmental, technological, and demographic (Anderson and Anderson, 2002). Each of these forces that make up the category of environmental drivers has been written about separately. These authors, however, offered
categories of catalysts or driving forces and this is one category. Demographics, for instance, have changed dramatically in the workplace (Swenson, 2005). The workplace is more diverse in all ways
(Swenson, 2005). Another demographic that is having an impact on business is the aging of the population, the senior citizen is the fastest growing population; they are an important market
niche for companies (Swenson, 2005). Technology and Information & Telecommunications technology certainly changed the way we do business and it continues to do so (Swenson, 2005). In fact, technology is
responsible for the speed at which changes in the marketplace occur and it has contributed greatly to the global marketplace (Swenson, 2005). This is a knowledge/information economy and one in
which employees need continual retraining (Swenson, 2005). Environmental changes "create new requirements for success in the marketplace as customers demand new services or products" (Anderson and Anderson, 2002). To meet
these new demands from customers as well as the requirements of the new marketplace, an organization must change its structure, processes, technology and/or systems (Anderson and Anderson, 2002). Swenson (2005)
suggested "change drivers consist of global, demographic, economic, technological, information, and other factors." Of these, Swenson (2005) suggested globalism has been the largest scale change driver. These forces or drivers
of change can be viewed as something that must be dealt with or they can be viewed as opportunities to create greater competitive advantage (Kotelnikov, 2004). They can be viewed