Margie noticed that sales of her company's newest electric bicycle product are much higher than anticipated. She wants to investigate why this has occurred. Margie first compares the sales to performance standards the company has set for the new product. She examined the firms' efforts, the costs incurred from marketing activities, industry sales as a whole, and competitor sales. After looking at all this data, she determined that the reason for the higher sales was two$-$fold. Industry sales averages were high, and after some investigation Margie noticed that there has been a major influx in consumers wanting to bike to work or for recreational purposes$$much more than anticipated. The electric bicycle they released also had a unique design, and she believes this design$$which is patented so rivals cannot replicate it$$makes the bicycle more comfortable for bicyclists who bike long distance.

Refer to Scenario $2\mathrm{.}6.$ At what stage of the strategic planning process is Margie?

a$.$ Developing marketing strategies

b$.$ Managing marketing implementation

c$.$ Evaluating marketing strategies

d$.$ Assessing organizational resources and opportunities

e$.$ Developing a marketing plan