Marketing Environment

This week we are discussing the marketing environment, and while the phrase seems very generic, it's important to remember there are three aspects to the marketing environment. We have the internal environment which refers to the company's internal components and what makes those components unique is how it portrays the company itself.  The internal environment is what separates companies because it shows what they value as opposed to what their competitors might value. The video discusses Walmart and what types of microenvironmental challenges it faces with an approach that values local people around them.

Walmart has always had a desire to sell products for cheaper than anywhere else, whether it be clothing, food, or general appliances. My previous IDS class had a focus on Walmart and how they force their suppliers to produce items for very cheap. An example is in China, people are working for about 10 cents an hour, producing the green beads that we wear around our necks during St. Patricks. People don't realize the amount of work that goes into making these but that is how Walmart is able to sell one of its products for so very cheap. It's unfortunate to hear the supplier needs Walmart more than Walmart needs them. This has been a common practice for Walmart and they use this as leverage against its suppliers because they know they can just produce it in a different country for just about the same price.

From what I can understand in the text the microenvironment which is very specific to the people working inside the firm and how they are portraying the company message and how they make the company look as a whole.  You also have your suppliers which will determine the value of the products you are selling and the overall design. And last you have the customers which will determine how the product is doing. Lastly, we have the macro environment which is known to be more on the uncontrollable side of the business. The reason the macro-environment isn't as controllable would be due to consumer culture and overall taste, changes in competitor pricing, governmental rules, and regulations, also natural disasters would fall into this category.