Match List – I with List – II.

Choose the correct answer from the options given below : 

A-III, B-IV, C-I, D-II

The correct answer is Option (2) - A-III, B-IV, C-I, D-II.

* Political environment- General stability of elected govt and its attitude towards business. Political environment includes political conditions such as general stability and peace in the country and specific attitudes that elected government representatives hold towards business. The significance of political conditions in business success lies in the predictability of business activities under stable political conditions. On the other hand, there may be uncertainty of business activities due to political unrest and threats to law and order.

* Economic environment- Change in interest rate, inflation and disposable income. Interest rates, inflation rates, changes in disposable income of people, stock market indices and the value of rupee are some of the economic factors that can affect management practices in a business enterprise. Short and long term interest rates significantly affect the demand for product and services. Some components of economic environment are Existing structure of the economy in terms of relative role of private and public sectors, The rates of growth of GNP and per capita income at current and constant prices, Rates of saving and investment, Volume of imports and exports of different items, Balance of payments and changes in foreign exchange reserves, Agricultural and industrial production trends, Expansion of transportation and communication facilities, Money supply in the economy, Public debt (internal and external), Planned outlay in private and public sectors.

* Social environment- Consumption & habits pattern of household. The social environment of business include the social forces like customs and traditions, values, social trends, society’s expectations from business, etc. Traditions define social practices that have lasted for decades or even centuries. For example, the celebration of Diwali, Eid, Christmas, and GuruParv in India provides significant financial opportunities for greetings card companies, sweets or confectionery manufacturers, tailoring outlets and many other related business. Values refer to concepts that a society holds in high esteem. In India, individual freedom, social justice, equality of opportunity and national integration are examples of major values cherished by all of us. In business terms, these values translate into freedom of choice in the market, business’s responsibility towards the society and non-discriminatory employment practices. Social trends present various opportunities and threats to business enterprises. For example, the health-and-fitness trend has become popular among large number of urban dwellers. This has created a demand for products like organic food, gyms, bottled (mineral) water and food supplements.

* Technological environment- Scientific improvements and innovations. Technological environment includes forces relating to scientific improvements and innovations which provide new ways of producing goods and services and new methods and techniques of operating a business. For example, recent technological, advances in computers and electronics have modified the ways in which companies advertise their products. It is common now to see computerised information kiosks, and World Wide Web multimedia pages highlighting the virtues of products. Similarly, retailers have direct links with suppliers who replenish stocks when needed. Manufacturers have flexible manufacturing systems. Airline companies have Internet and World Wide Web pages where customers can look for flight times, destinations and fares and book their tickets online. In addition, continuing innovations in different scientific and engineering fields such as lasers, robotics, biotechnology, food preservatives, medicine, telecommunication and synthetic fuels have provided numerous opportunities and threats for many different enterprises. Shifts in demand from vaccum tubes to transistors, from steam locomotives to dieseland electric engines, from fountain pens to ballpoint, from propeller airplanes to jets, and from typewriters to computer based word processors,have all been responsible and creating new business.