Environmental Factors and Marketing Decisions Will a successful marketing plan in one country work in another country? This is unlikely to happen due to the many different cultural, political, economic, technological and competitive environments. Marketing mixes require adjustments to meet local conditions, and companies that understand these environmental factors can create advantages in positioning their products or services. Wal-Mart is a global organization and uses market research to understand market environments before making marketing decisions. Introduction Wal-Mart operates more than 6,100 stores worldwide, employs 1.8 million associates, and operates in 15 different countries (Annual Report, 2006, p. 12). Lee Scott, president and CEO, said: "Today we operate 2,285 international stores, source products from 70 countries and do 20 percent of our business overseas. Wal-Mart's market is clearly the world." (Annual Report, 2006, p. 13). Wal-Mart stores are primarily providers of services that include physical goods. Without offering these tangible goods at everyday low prices, sales would likely decline significantly. The national brand advertised by Wal-Mart is "Everyday Low Prices." However, if Wal-Mart distributed the same products in every store in the world, it would not generate the sales and profits it does today. Wal-Mart must adapt the marketing mix based on the main elements of the marketing environment. Environmental Factors Environmental factors around the world affect the marketing decisions of the organization. These factors important to marketers include social, economic, political/legal, technological, and competitive environments. The social environment focuses on groups or...... middle of paper ......: An Introduction (7th Edition) University of Phoenix E Book Edition. Pearson Education, Inc. Retrieved February 15, 2007, from University of Phoenix, Resource, MKT 421 — Marketing Website: https://ecampus.phoenix.edu/secure/resource/resource.asp.Bansal, P. (2005 ). Building sustainable value through fiscal and social responsibility. University of Phoenix EBook Edition. Retrieved November 24, 2006, from University of Phoenix, Resource, FIN. 475—Managerial Finance I website: https://proquest.umi.com/pqdweb?did=967695271&sid=5&Fmt=3&clientId=2606&RQT=309&VName=PQD&cfc=1#fulltextBearden, Ingram, Laforge, (2003) Marketing in a Dynamic Environment (4th edition) University of Phoenix E Book Edition. McGraw-Hill Companies. Retrieved February 15, 2007, from University of Phoenix, Resource, MKT 421 - Marketing Website: https://ecampus.phoenix.edu/secure/resource/resource.asp.