Exam 7: The Marketing Environment

Alex purchased a battery-operated drill,and the first time he used the drill,the battery pack overheated and exploded.After Alex's trip to the emergency room,it was determined that the explosion was due to a problem with how the drill was manufactured.Alex would like to lodge a complaint about the poor quality of the drill's construction.To which federal agency should he complain?

When Universal Studios Japan opened,health inspectors discovered the theme park had piped industrial-use water not suitable for drinking into its drinking fountains.The problem was unanticipated and costly to repair.This is primarily an example of how _____ factors can cause a business to incur unexpected costs.

In many African nations,people live on less than $5.00 per day.To grow here,Procter & Gamble (P&G)must persuade these people to purchase items they have lived without forever.As a result,P&G sells one-ounce packages of Ariel laundry soap for as little as 10 cents in this market. P&G responded to _____ factors when it developed these small packages.

Frito-Lay is considered the king of the salty snack industry with its distribution network of 42 plants,12,800 delivery people,and more than 900 tractor trailers formed into a retail delivery powerhouse.Smaller manufacturers of salty snacks find that monitoring the activities of Frito-Lay is an effective way to monitor the _____ factors within their external environments.

Dog Spa Kelly Tumlin wants to open a dog grooming salon that will offer healthy, natural pet care and holistic pet products. All of the products sold at the salon will be of the highest quality and made of all-natural ingredients. Tumlin wants to pamper pets just like a spa pampers its owners. To determine the feasibility of the grooming salon, Tumlin hired a marketing researcher who studied all the market information available and determined that single, white-collar workers between the ages of 30 and 60 were the most likely people to use the services proposed by Tumlin. The researcher also determined that the West side of the city offers the best location for the enterprise even though zoning regulations are much stricter in that area. -Refer to Dog Spa.The fact that people would actually treat their dogs to a luxurious spa treatment reflects a change in _____ factors within the external environment.

Which type of research is also called pure research and attempts to expand the frontiers of knowledge but is not aimed at a specific,pragmatic problem?

Marketers can control the external environment in which their organizations operate.

Shark fin soup is a favorite Thai food.When a San Francisco-based organization claimed that the leading producer's soup contained mercury poison,its sales plummeted.The popularity of this soup in Thailand represents a(n)_____ factor,while Thailand's lax enforcement of environmental protection and consumer protection regulations are a(n)_____ factor.

E-cigarettes Smoking inflames nonsmokers and claims the lives of more than 400,000 smokers each year, so the electronic cigarette is a welcomed alternative. Electronic cigarettes, called e-cigarettes, are battery-powered devices that emit a vapor from nicotine, flavorings, and other chemicals. It looks like a cigarette and allows smokers to inhale the nicotine vapor in places where smoking is not allowed. The product has been touted as a means to quit smoking as well. However, critics, especially the Food and Drug Administration (FDA), claim that "vaping" poses risks. In fact, the FDA claims its tests revealed a toxic chemical that is found in antifreeze as well as other carcinogens. The FDA blocked a shipment of the product from China and banned the sale of this product in the United States. In addition to the safety issue, the FDA is concerned that children might be attracted to this product because it comes in flavors other than traditional menthol, such as bubble gum, chocolate, and strawberry. The FDA wants this product to go through the same rigorous testing that drugs must go through before being marketed. However, the FDA's authority over this product is questioned. While Congress has recently given the FDA authority over tobacco products, this is not a tobacco product and the Electronic Cigarette Association is fighting the ban. -Refer to E-cigarettes.In 1964,42 percent of Americans smoked,but now that rate has dropped below 20 percent.Which environmental factor has had the greatest impact on this trend?

The average teen earns about $45.00 per week.

Generation Y was the hardest hit by the Great Recession.

Many people in the United States choose to drink light beer because they value thin and fit bodies.In Europe,light beers have had little success because flavor is valued more highly.For international beer manufacturers,this difference illustrates how _____ influence(s)marketing.

Which of the following represents the largest group of consumers in the United States?

A(n)_____ is the practice of choosing goods and services that meet one's diverse needs and interests rather than conforming to a single,traditional lifestyle.

The majority of Hispanic Americans are of _____ descent.

When mechanical gas pumps first appeared in the United States in the 1930s,their spinning dials couldn't register sales beyond $99.99.Today,some stations still use the retro pumps,but the limited dials cannot register the sales of higher-priced gas,which often mount about $100 for SUVs.The pumps can be modernized for about $650,but the company that provides this service has a huge backlog.This is an example of how _____ factors affect small convenience stores and service stations.

A baby boomer's average life expectancy is at an all-time high of 79.2 years.

The study of people's vital statistics,such as age,race and ethnicity,and location,is called:

Girls between the ages of 8 and 12 are one of the growing markets for high-end shoe manufacturers.These girls want styles that are both youthful and grown-up looking.They are:

The Natural Marketing Institute predicts that American consumers will become less environmentally oriented over the next decade as economic concerns become dominant in most people's lives.