Meaning of Business
Environment
The term ‘business environment’
means the sum total of all
individuals, institutions and other
forces that are outside the control
of a business enterprise but that
may affect its p
...
Meaning of Business
Environment
The term ‘business environment’
means the sum total of all
individuals, institutions and other
forces that are outside the control
of a business enterprise but that
may affect its performance. As one
writer has put it– “Just take the
universe, subtract from it the subset
that represents the organisation,
and the remainder is environment”.
Thus, the economic, social, political,
technological and other forces which
operate outside a business enterprise
are part of its environment. So
also, the individual consumers
or competing enterprises as well
as the governments, consumer
groups, competitors, courts, media
and other institutions working
outside an enterprise constitute its
environment. The important point is
that these individuals, institutions
and forces are likely to influence the
performance of a business enterprise
although they happen to exist
outside its boundaries. For example,
changes in government’s economic
Source: The National Innovation Foundation
(NIF) – India (nif.org.in)
Rationalised 2023-24
Business Environment 71
policies, rapid technological
developments, political uncertainty,
changes in fashions and tastes
of consumers and increased
competition in the market — all
influence the working of a business
enterprise in important ways.
Increase in taxes by government
can make things expensive to buy.
Technological improvements may
render existing products obsolete.
Political uncertainty may create fear
in the minds of investors. Changes
in fashions and tastes of consumers
may shift demand in the market
from existing products to new
ones. Increased competition in the
market may reduce profit margins
of firms.
On the basis of the foregoing
discussion,
it can be said business
environment, has the following
features:
(i) Totality of external forces:
Business environment is the
sum total of all things external
to business firms and, as such,
is aggregative in nature.
(ii) Specific and general forces:
Business environment includes
both specific and general forces.
Specific forces (such as investors,
customers, competitors and suppliers)
affect individual enterprises
directly and immediately in
their day-to-day working.
General forces (such as social,
political, legal and technological
conditions) have impact on all
business enterprises and thus
may affect an individual firm
only indirectly.
[Show More]