abhishreshthaa
Abhijeet S
Albemarle Corporation (NYSE: ALB) is a chemical company with corporate headquarters in Baton Rouge, Louisiana. It is a globally recognized specialty chemical manufacturing enterprise.
The Albemarle Paper Manufacturing Company opened in 1887 with the production of kraft paper, also known as Kraft, and blotting paper.
In 1921, a team of chemists performing research for General Motors discovered tetraethyl lead (TEL) had antiknock properties as a gasoline additive. As a result, the Ethyl Gasoline Corporation in Richmond, Virginia began production of tetraethyl lead in 1937. TEL remained the primary product of the Ethyl Gasoline Corporation through the next four decades. When the Ethyl Gasoline Corporation expanded its product line (particularly to include MMT), its name was changed to the Ethyl Corporation.
The Albemarle Paper Manufacturing Company borrowed $200 million in 1962 and purchased Ethyl Corporation, a company more than thirteen times its size.
Throughout the next few decades, The Ethyl Corporation, under the direction of the Albemarle Paper Manufacturing Company, further expanded their product line to include bromine (in 1969 in Magnolia, Arkansas), lubricant additives (in 1975), and aluminum alkyls (in 1976 in Feluy, Belgium). Further expansion of The Ethyl Corporation included the purchases of Dow Chemical's bromine division, Russ Pharmaceuticals, Inc., and Potasse et Produits Chimiques (PPC).
In 1994, Ethyl spun off its chemical businesses to create an independent, publicly traded company named Albemarle Corporation.
Political Factors.
When examining political factors, you need to look at any political changes that could effect your business. What laws are being drafted? What global changes are occurring? Legislation on maternity rights, data protection, health & safety, environmental policy, should be considered, for example.
As an example, take a company employing a large number of women. Changes in maternity rights may have a major impact on such a business - and the aware business will keep an eye out for changes in such legislation.
Economic Factors.
Often the political factors spill over into economic factors. For example, tax is usually decided by politicians, based on a mixture of political and economic factors. Interest rates, in many countries are decided by a central bank, but political factors may still be important. The fall of the Soviet Union caught most businesses and Western Governments by surprise - but not all. Some companies - notably Shell Petroleum - had picked up signals that all was not well in Russia. Many of these were related to economic problems within the Soviet Union.
Other economic factors include exchange rates, inflation levels, income growth, debt & saving levels (which impact available money) and consumer & business confidence. The current state of world stock markets is a typical example of the volatility of economic factors.
These areas are global, but it is also important to look at factors affecting individual industries. Are paper costs rising. For a book, magazine or newspaper publisher, the price of paper is a crucial economic measure. The UK software industry has complained of a shortage of computer programmers - driving up wage costs. Again - the global picture can be important. Some companies are now using programmers in countries like India for software development. This helps them keep costs down - and leads to competitive advantage over companies with higher costs.
Social Factors.
Finally, all this influences and is influenced by social factors - the elements that build society. Social factors influence people's choices and include the beliefs, values and attitudes of society. So understanding changes in this area can be crucial. Such changes can impact purchasing behaviour. Typical things to look at for each of these include:
* consumer attitudes to your product & industry
* environmental issues (especially if your product involves hazardous or potentially damaging production processes)
* the role of women in Society - attitudes to health - attitudes to wealth - attitudes to age (children, the elderly, etc.).
The Albemarle Paper Manufacturing Company opened in 1887 with the production of kraft paper, also known as Kraft, and blotting paper.
In 1921, a team of chemists performing research for General Motors discovered tetraethyl lead (TEL) had antiknock properties as a gasoline additive. As a result, the Ethyl Gasoline Corporation in Richmond, Virginia began production of tetraethyl lead in 1937. TEL remained the primary product of the Ethyl Gasoline Corporation through the next four decades. When the Ethyl Gasoline Corporation expanded its product line (particularly to include MMT), its name was changed to the Ethyl Corporation.
The Albemarle Paper Manufacturing Company borrowed $200 million in 1962 and purchased Ethyl Corporation, a company more than thirteen times its size.
Throughout the next few decades, The Ethyl Corporation, under the direction of the Albemarle Paper Manufacturing Company, further expanded their product line to include bromine (in 1969 in Magnolia, Arkansas), lubricant additives (in 1975), and aluminum alkyls (in 1976 in Feluy, Belgium). Further expansion of The Ethyl Corporation included the purchases of Dow Chemical's bromine division, Russ Pharmaceuticals, Inc., and Potasse et Produits Chimiques (PPC).
In 1994, Ethyl spun off its chemical businesses to create an independent, publicly traded company named Albemarle Corporation.
Political Factors.
When examining political factors, you need to look at any political changes that could effect your business. What laws are being drafted? What global changes are occurring? Legislation on maternity rights, data protection, health & safety, environmental policy, should be considered, for example.
As an example, take a company employing a large number of women. Changes in maternity rights may have a major impact on such a business - and the aware business will keep an eye out for changes in such legislation.
Economic Factors.
Often the political factors spill over into economic factors. For example, tax is usually decided by politicians, based on a mixture of political and economic factors. Interest rates, in many countries are decided by a central bank, but political factors may still be important. The fall of the Soviet Union caught most businesses and Western Governments by surprise - but not all. Some companies - notably Shell Petroleum - had picked up signals that all was not well in Russia. Many of these were related to economic problems within the Soviet Union.
Other economic factors include exchange rates, inflation levels, income growth, debt & saving levels (which impact available money) and consumer & business confidence. The current state of world stock markets is a typical example of the volatility of economic factors.
These areas are global, but it is also important to look at factors affecting individual industries. Are paper costs rising. For a book, magazine or newspaper publisher, the price of paper is a crucial economic measure. The UK software industry has complained of a shortage of computer programmers - driving up wage costs. Again - the global picture can be important. Some companies are now using programmers in countries like India for software development. This helps them keep costs down - and leads to competitive advantage over companies with higher costs.
Social Factors.
Finally, all this influences and is influenced by social factors - the elements that build society. Social factors influence people's choices and include the beliefs, values and attitudes of society. So understanding changes in this area can be crucial. Such changes can impact purchasing behaviour. Typical things to look at for each of these include:
* consumer attitudes to your product & industry
* environmental issues (especially if your product involves hazardous or potentially damaging production processes)
* the role of women in Society - attitudes to health - attitudes to wealth - attitudes to age (children, the elderly, etc.).