Abstract
According to Stonehouse and al (2004: 142) ‘the macro environment is the part of the environment over which the business can rarely exert any direct influence but to which it must respond'. The essential framework to critically analyzed Unilever's external business environment is the PESTEL one; it is concerned with changes and trends in political, economic, social, technological, environmental and legal factors. The two main relevant factors to analyze correctly the macro-environment of Unilever are the economic and the social ones.
In terms of the economy, the emerging market/economies are growing so rapidly, for example the Indian market represents $300b a year. According to the Economist in 2007, ‘the world is experiencing one of the biggest revolutions in history, as economic power shifts from the developed world to China and other emerging giants. Thanks to market reforms, emerging economies are growing much faster than developed ones. There is a widening gap between their growth rate and that of the sluggish developed world.' By being a part of these particular markets, a political aspect is also involved, above all by contributing to the GDP and in the employment rate (e.g.: South Africa); negotiation or special treatment with the government can be an advantage.
