Market Environment and Research

 
Develop an organizational profile for a company’s marketing environment and a short analysis of the value of secondary sources. There is no page limit for this assessment.

Understanding and tracking the marketing environment is a critical marketing function, focusing on the customer as the center of the organization’s attention. The organization can, and usually does, adjust its products, pricing, promotion, and place (distribution) to meet customer needs and to react to external forces.

 
Case studies are a very effective way of applying business concepts to a real-world situation and that approach will be used for this activity. For this assessment, consider that you work as a marketing analyst for a consulting firm and that your manager asked you to develop a case study for the executive team of the organization in the case. That executive team will use your analysis and recommendations in their business planning.
Preparation
For this assessment, refer to the REI Case Study – Research Guide, linked in the Resources under the Required Resources heading. In addition, conduct independent research to develop a case study based on REI.
Your research resources should include the REI organization’s Web site, but you are also expected to use information about REI that has been gathered by organizations that are devoted to marketing research. These organizations are referred to as secondary sources. A short list of secondary sources is provided for you in the REI Case Study – Research Guide. Use these sites to get your research started. You are encouraged to explore further secondary sources.
Conduct your research on REI, focusing on the following topics:

How does the current U.S. economy affect REI retail operations? Specify potential marketing changes needed based upon emerging trends in this environmental factor.
How does the current global economy affect REI retail operations? Specify potential marketing changes needed based upon emerging trends in this environmental factor.
What types of legal and regulatory forces affect REI in the United States? Specify potential marketing changes needed based upon emerging trends in this environmental factor.
What types of social and culture trends affect REI? Specify potential marketing changes needed based upon emerging trends in this environmental factor.
What types of technology changes affect REI? Specify potential marketing changes needed based upon emerging trends in this environmental factor.

Organizational Profile Development
Based on your research, develop an organizational profile for REI’s marketing environment, analyzing the key environmental factors of the U.S. economy, global economy, legal and regulatory environment, socio-cultural forces, and technological forces.

Identify three or more of the secondary sources of information available for conducting market research on REI.
Develop a short analysis of the value of these secondary sources, specifically in gathering information on REI.

How might these secondary sources be used to develop an integrated marketing plan? What are the limitations of the identified sources?
How valuable would their information be in developing a marketing plan that would contribute to the company’s economic success? What are potential limitations of these sources for this purpose?

Based on your executive audience, your case study should be well organized and written in clear, succinct language. Follow APA rules for attributing sources that support your analysis and conclusions.
Academic Integrity and APA Formatting
As a reminder related to using APA rules to ensure academic honesty:

When using a direct quote (using exact or nearly exact wording), you must enclose the quoted wording in quotation marks, immediately followed by an in-text citation. The source must then be listed in your references page.
When paraphrasing (using your own words to describe a non-original idea), the paraphrased idea must be immediately followed by an in-text citation and the source must be listed in your references page.