Essay on Analysis of Toyota Corporation (Swot, Pestle)

External environmental factors are the macro environment affecting a business; they are factors outside the company and which they have no control over (Kotler & Armstrong, n.d.) these external factors bring about impacts to the company thus a company should always be prepared to react.

Legal factor - In a situation where for example a government creates a new law which could limit the demand for your product like the banning of smoking, this can seriously affect the growth of the company.

Technological factors – New technologies may create new products and new processes (Company Regulations.com; 2011). Technology will reduce cost, improve quality and lead to innovation. Developments such as Wi-Fi hotspot in the mini buses, MP3 players, online devices

All businesses will be affected by factors in its environment. The following are the 3 main factors affecting businesses;

General Motors (?GM? or ?the company?) has a rich history longer than a century starting with its corporate organization in 1908. Following its organization, GM acquired its first brand, Old Motor Works, which was followed in 1909 by the purchase of Cadillac for $5.5 million. Two years later, GM organized both General Motors Truck to handle sales of GM?s Rapid and Reliance products and General Motors Export Company to handle export sales out of the US. In 1918, GM purchased Chevrolet Motors. In 1926, GM entered Australia, New Zealand, Japan, Egypt, Uruguay and Argentina through the General Motors Export Company. General Motors Truck became the modern GMC in 1943 when GM acquired the assets of Yellow Truck & Coach. In 1945, GM finally established all of its historical core brands (Buick, Chevrolet, Cadillac, GMC, Oldsmobile, and Pontiac) when the Buick-Oldsmobile-Pontiac Assembly Division, which would be renamed the General Motors Assembly Division in 1965, was formed.

General Motors was founded in September of 1908 by William Durant during a time that there were less than 8,000 in the United States. Durant was already known in Flint, Michigan for his horse drawn vehicles. “At its inception GM held only the Buick Motor Company, but in a matter of years would acquire more than 20 companies including Oldsmobile, Cadillac, and Oakland, today known as Pontiac.”(History & Heritage-Creation,” 2014) General Motors set the tone in the automobile industry with design, production and marketing. “With the philosophy and strategy of “a car for every purse and purpose,” and a series of landmark innovations that changed the automobile itself, GM’s vehicles went beyond transportation, becoming statements and

Businesses continually adapt to a changing environment to maintain their market position (Appelbaum, Habashy, Malo, & Shafiq, 2012; Biedenbacha & Soumlderholma, 2008). Change is inevitable considering the current rate of technological advancement and the growth in global competition (Appelbaum et al., 2012; Armenakis & Harris, 2009; By, 2007). Increasing competition and the need for strategic flexibility and globalization is affecting almost every organization today, regardless of size, market, focus, and so on (Jaros, 2010).

This reflects the laws and regulations that govern the foreign environment that the company may find itself. This may include how well established the rule of law is, how easily or quickly laws and regulations are changed and what the costs of regulatory compliance are for that particular

Every organization has to analyze its business environment before making policies and strategies for its day to day operations, marketing and promotional efforts, and competing with the industry rivals (Loudon, Stevens, & Wrenn 2004). The key factors of the business environment that affect the business operations of a company include political, economic, technological, environmental, cultural, and demographical factors. In addition to these factors, an analysis of the competitive forces is also essential in order to assess the potential threats and intensity of rivalry present in the industry (Ritchie & Crouch 2003). If an organization does not give importance to the analysis of its business environment, it may not be able to compete in the industry for a long period of time (Hill & Jones 2007).

General Motors was once a back bone of American economy. It was one of those organizations who were the driving force of American automotive industry single handedly. But like any other enterprise, it has its strengths and weaknesses. Global presence with an impeccable distribution system which ensures a highest reach out couple with strong research and development gives it a competitive edge over its rivals however it has also borne its share of trouble mainly caused by recession. But now that market is picking up again, GM is also showing steady growth.

In this term of our discussion we’re talking about business environment. It’s like an overview of the whole business environment. Simply environment of a business means the external forces including the business decisions. They can be forces of economic, social, political and technological factors.

In 2009 Toyota Motors (TM) posted a net loss of $4.6 billion ("Market watch," 2014). From 2009 to 2011 Toyota encountered a number of factors contributing to their economic downturn. It began with recalling millions of vehicles, for quality related problems, followed by natural disasters hitting northeastern Japan. These disasters wiped out Toyota’s production capabilities (Tabuchi & Vlasic, 2014). While these events were occurring, the cloud of the 2008 global financial crisis was still being felt. This crisis weakened demand in the automotive industry. This weakened demand increased the competitive landscape for all automotive manufactures. This drove down automotive prices and effectively contribution margins (i.e. sold less

We will start the external analysis with the PESTEL analysis of the automotive sector followed by the Porter’s five forces analysis and we will end by having a look at the key competitors and competitor pricing.

In today's world, no business operates in isolation without interacting with the environment where it operates. Irrespective of the nature of business whether public or private organization; manufacturing; service industry; local or international firm, its operations are inhibited by the environment in which it operates.

Technological - how the rapid pace of change in production processes and product innovation affect a business.