 Describe the environmental forces that affect the company’s ability to serve its customers  Explain how changes in the demographic and economic environments affect marketing decisions.  Identify the major trends in the firm’s natural and technological environments  Explain the key changes in the political and cultural environments  Discuss how companies can react to the marketing environment

 Demography is the study of human populations in terms of size, density, location, age, gender, race, occupation, and other statistics. The demographic environment is of major interest to marketers because it involves people, and people make up markets.

 Explain the importance of information in gaining insights about the marketplace and customers.  Define the marketing information system and discuss its parts  Outline the steps in the marketing research process  Explain how companies analyze and use marketing information.  Discuss the special issues some marketing researchers face, including public policy and ethics issues.

 Ethnographers are looking for “consumer truth.” In surveys and interviews, customers may state (and fully believe) certain preferences and behaviors, when the reality is actually quite different. Ethnography provides an insider’s tour of the customer’s world, helping marketers get at what consumers really do rather than what they say they do.

Survey research  Experimental Research

 Online Marketing Research  Online focus groups  Sampling Plan

 Customer Relationship Management  Distributing and Using Marketing Information  Marketing Research in Small Businesses and Nonprofit Organizations

 International researchers deal with diverse markets in many different countries. These markets often vary greatly in their levels of economic development, cultures and customs, and buying patterns.

 Intrusions on Consumer Privacy  Misuse of Research Findings

 Apple Case Study  Model of Consumer Behavior  Characteristics Affecting Consumer Behavior  Types of Buying Decision Behavior  The Buyer Decision Process  The Buyer Decision Process for New Products