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Environmental Factors Paper
Stephanie Sheridan
MKT/421
October 8, 2012
Michael Ricco
(Doctoral students must include the following on the title page instead: title, author’s name, and institution name) Environmental Factors Paper
Ikea, one of the largest big box chain stores in the United States and abroad is affected by both global and domestic environmental factors. These factors, along with changes in technology, all impact and shape the organization and affect marketing decisions. This paper will identify environmental factors that shape the organization and impact marketing decisions. It will discuss the influence of global economic interdependence and the effect on trade practices and agreements. The paper will discuss the importance of demographics and physical infrastructure, analyzes cultural differences, and examines the importance of social responsibility. Finally, the paper will analyze the effect of political systems and its influence on international relations, the influence of the Foreign Corrupt Practices Act of 1977, and the influence of local, national and international legislation on Ikea’s business practices. There are many macro-economic factors that impact and shape marketing decisions at Ikea. These factors include economic, environmental, political, social, technological, legal and cultural (Unknown, 2007). These factors influence the decisions the organization makes, how it operates nationally and globally and how it will adjust to the factors to ensure the business will continue to operate smoothly. Politically, Ikea is impacted by local government and what products the local government believes that is best for the area. Because of the size of the physical store, the corporation must get special permission from local governments to ensure its size will have minimal impact on the local area, traffic and transportation.

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