What forces in the external environment would have the greatest potential impact on success? Why?

Question

Competition
Political/Legal
Economic
Social/Cultural
Technological

Answer 1

That depends on the mix of all of these in the market your talking about. Overall, I think it's your reaction to them that is based on good research and taking action based on informed conclusions drawn from that research.

Answer 2

And, depending upon the business, don't forget weather, the price of oil, the demand of raw materials (impacts raw material prices), etc.