Perform an analysis of the Social/Demographic, Technological, Economic, Environmental/Geographic, and Political/Legal/Governmental segments to understand the general environment facing Great Lakes. Describe how Great Lakes will be affected by each of these external factors.
Social Demographic
Great Lakes began as a small oil and gas exploration company named McClanahan Oil Company. It was based in Michigan. In 1948 Charles Hale took over the company and changed it into a chemical and bromine business. In 1958 Emerson Kampden became the CEO. Hale found bromine and rich deposits in Arkansas. The company subsidiary with Octel Associates allowed the company to produce lead additives which afforded it the opportunity for growth. The company went from $50 million in revenues to a multinational company with $1.8 billion in sales.
Technological
Great Lakes was the top bromine business. This product allowed Great Lakes to produce a wide array of products as well as household items. Great Lakes also produced several specialty chemicals. Some examples of its products are water treatments, specialty household cleaners, polymer stabilizers, and performance chemicals. Octel gave the company the push it needed by producing tetraethyl lead (TEL). Octel produced lead additives. These additives were used as color stabilizers and as fire retardants. The salt water and bromine extraction process is what made the company international.
Economics
Some countries were developed and some were not. In the twentieth century, leaded gasoline was banned in most of the developed worlds. People were beginning to talk about the dangers of lead gasoline. They also protested about lead being sole to underdeveloped countries. Protestors felt as though the government and business were making a profit on the less fortunate. The government was making money off of helpless undeveloped countries. The lead additive helped developing countries economically but posed ethical health issues. The cost of the transition to unleaded gasoline would not be as expensive as they thought. However, the cost of unleaded gasoline would be more than leaded gasoline but productivity would be less. It would also be good for the economy of developing countries. Environmentalist felt that some of the profits should have been used in the transition.
Environmental/Geographical
In 1996 leaded gasoline was still sold in Africa, the Middle East, Asia, and Latin America. Environmentalist focused on the long term effects of the lead gasoline.
Some of those affects are:
• It adversely affects the neurological system, the kidneys, and the cardiovascular system. In adults, lead exposure causes increased blood pressure, hypertension, and a higher risk of cardiovascular disease.
• Children are most adversely affected by lead exposure. Children between one and two years of age absorb 40 to 50 percent of ingested lead, whereas adults absorb only 10 to 15 percent of ingested lead.
• In developing countries where leaded gasoline, leaded paint, and other major exposure routes were still common, all children under the age of two and more than 80 percent between the ages of three and five have blood lead levels that exceeded the World Health Organization (WHO) standard. It also affects intelligence level, learning disabilities, hearing loss, reduced attention span, and behavior abnormalities.

Political/Legal/Government
One challenge that Great Lakes had were that the developing countries government could support the discontinuance of leaded gasoline. This would be a profit for the company but they would still have to deal with the protestors and environmentalist. Great Lakes could have also pushed the countries into unleaded gasoline by a policy change. They felt that this could have put them in a bad position. If the company continued to sell the lead additives, then it would be seen in a bad light or as unethical. The Clean Air Act and the Lead Based Pain Poisoning Prevention Act was implemented in the United States.

Analyze the lead additives industry in the U.S. using the Five Forces of Competition Model. Describe the impact of each of the five forces on the industry based on this analysis; determine if the industry is attractive or unattractive.
Threat of new entrants
There was a great threat of new entrants. The new entrants would produce a product that was safer for the users’ health as well as for the environment. Great Lakes would be less of a demand because its product would be replaced. This would be an unattractive for Great Lakes.
Bargaining Power of Suppliers
The bargaining power for Great Lakes would be reduced because it is banned in the United States. The forces on the industry would be negative due to less people needing the product or additive of the product. Unattractive for Great Lakes
Bargaining Power of Buyers
The bargaining power of the buyers in the U.S. would be reduced. The bargaining power in underdeveloped countries would also be reduced once the countries ban leaded gasoline. This would be unattractive for the Great Lakes industry.
Threat of substitute Products
The threat of substitute products would be high. If unleaded gasoline was used it would be safer for the environment and it wouldn’t cause harm to people.
Rivalry among competing firms
Great Lakes did not have any competition at the time. It outsold Dow Corporation. This basically decreased Dow to be seen as a competitor.
Describe who Great Lakes immediate, impending and invisible competitors are and how Great Lakes measures up against these competitors.
Great Lakes immediate competitors were Dow Chemical and Ethyl Corporation. In my opinion its impending and invisible competitors were the same. It would be a company who created unleaded gasoline. It’s impending and invisible competitors were also companies that could create substitute products that perform the same as its products but that are environmentally safe. Great Lakes would not measure up well against this product because it has ruined its name and the trust that people had for the company. It went against its environmental responsibility which was stated in the company’s vision. To build up its credibility it would have to create a product that is safer and environmental. It would also have to try to correct some of the wrongs that were created by the harmful product that it produced.
Describe the main capabilities of Great Lakes
Great Lakes is a chemical company. Its main capability is its ability to produce an abundance of products although they are hazardous and unsafe for the environment. These products were produced using bromine and lead additives. Great Lakes also had the capability of functioning internationally.