All businesses are affected dy their immediate environment.many factors influence them,for example,availability of labour (that is,how easy or bifficult it is to find workers); labour costs (how much it costs to employ people) and availability of raw materials, such as oil and wood.the amount of money a company has topay the government in taxes is another factor.businesses are also affected by the state of the economy.in a period of economic recession many businesses suffer,their profits fall and they have to make cuts.in this climate there will be a rise in unemployment.these factors can affect sales and prices and change the trend, or direction,they move in.