Key Environmental Forces

Question 1

Write a 1,050-word report using your company or one with which you are familiar (if you prefer, your facilitator can assign one to you). Answer the following questions for your chosen organization.

The Organization is Apple Store

• Explain what the specific key environmental forces are that created an opportunity for Apple Store company.
• Identify if there have been changes in the purchasing patterns of Apple Store’s organization’s target market in recent years.
• Conduct an environmental scan for Apple Store company to identify key trends. For each of the five environmental forces (social, economic, technological, competitive, and regulatory), identify trends likely to influence your company’s marketing efforts and product offering in the future.
• Explain what differentiation strategy Apple Store company should undertake to encourage their target market to choose them over other competitors.
• Analyze what lessons you might learn from the Geek Squad case study.

Include at least three references, at least one of which must come from the University Library.

Question 2

Prince Sports is looking to increase sales of it tennis products and gain market share in both the domestic and international markets. Your marketing firm has been retained to assist the company in developing a marketing plan to achieve its’ directional strategy. The following should be taken into consideration prior to constructing the plan: 21st century trends in the environmental forces (social, economic, technological, competitive, and regulatory) that work for and work against the success of Prince Sports in the tennis industry; possible promotional activities the company can use to reach recreational and junior players; actions Prince Sports can take to gain broader distribution and sales in mass merchandisers and specialty tennis shops; and criteria for selecting countries and actions Prince can undertake to reach these foreign markets.