- parent firm's current results, such as for sales growth, rate of return, and so on
- parent firm's overall goals
- importance of business unit to parent
- parent firm's reasons for entering the particular business, such as excess capacity, need for vertical integration. wish to exploit distribution channels, and so on
- economic relationship between parent firm's units, such as vertical integration and shared R & D
- values or beliefs of top management
- common generic strategies used by parent company
- sales targets, hurdles for return on investment, and constraints oncapital due to the performance and needs of parent firm's other units
- diversification plans
- parent firm's organizational structure. including the relative status, position, and goals of particular unit
- control and compensation schemes for divisional management
- type of executives commonly rewarded (which reinforces certain types of strategic behavior)
- recruiting strategy
- antitrust, regulatory, or social sensitivities
- top management 1s emotional attachment to unit