An underlying assumption of the introduction to marketing course is that students learn best and retain more when they actively apply and work with the concepts presented in the course materials rather than simply read about them. Therefore, the purpose of this assignment is to apply concepts and knowledge learned in class to real situations to enhance your understanding.
A marketing environment analysis is an examination of the major external forces and trends that have impacted or may impact a market and thus present opportunities and threats for marketers. It involves an assessment of the key components of a company’s task (micro) environment and macroenvironment (see Chapter 3). This information is necessary input into the development of a strategic plan for companies who are involved or plan to become involved in the industry.
Project Summary
Your short paper should contain the following two parts.
Part 1.
Part 2.
Examine the current market micro and macro environmental situation for an industry of your choice (for example, please see the list on page. 5). That is, explore the market, customer, competitive, distribution, demographic, economic, ecological, technological, political/legal, and cultural situations for the industry with particular emphasis on those changing environmental factors that may provide opportunities and threats for companies in the industry (see Chapter 3 for more details; This is primarily sections II and III below).
Demonstrate your understanding of core marketing concepts that you have not incorporated into Part 1. A partial list of the concepts that should be addressed is provided below (Section IV). You are not limited to this list. Examples, both real (preferable) and conjectural (i.e., things that you think are likely), should be provided to demonstrate your understanding. Most of these concepts should be addressed in your industry analysis (i.e., Part 1). You do not need to repeat any of the
References: (i.e., sources of information) must be cited in the main text (include author’s name, year) and listed in a reference section (section VI). As with all written assignments, your analysis will be evaluated on its professional appearance, readability, and apparent effort, as well as on its content.