(Only letter D)

External Analysis:

Macro and Industry Analysis

STAPLES

Prompts:

a. What are the macro-environmental factors impacting your case company's industry? How are they likely to affect industry conditions?

Some macro-environmental factors that can impact Staples Inc. include a range of governmental factors, technological factors, political issues, and demographical issues. As climate change becomes more of a talk of discussion Staples has faced controversy about how eco-friendly they are. This provides an opportunity to bring in more eco-friendly products, adding to their 20,000-item count. Competitors are constantly coming out with new technology raising the technological threat Staples may face. There is also the threat of fluctuation of currency due to Staples being such a large company that expands over different countries. These countries include Austria, Brazil, China, France, Germany, India, Italy, Norway, Portugal, the United Kingdom, and the United States.

b. Who are your key rivals and what are their strengths and weaknesses?

c. Apply the following models to evaluate the key opportunities and threats in the industry?

d. Porter's five force model