This assignment is based on the External Marketing Environment, and is designed for students to demonstrate the process of scanning the external environment in a practical manner. To avoid losing their competitive advantage, all organizations should engage in scanning the external environment, which typically involves continually collecting and evaluating environmental information in order to identify future market opportunities and threats. Task: Choose a familiar product manufacturer that interests you. Use the Internet or magazines to conduct some research; identify potential (specific) opportunities and threats in that manufacturer's external environment using any three (3) of the factors below. Discuss and explain thoroughly, using material covered in the week's lessons about the External Marketing Environment, to support your ideas/arguments/rationale. Social trends (such as changes in buying behaviors and the demand for time-saving goods and services) Demographic shifts (such as changes in age groups and ethnic groups) Economic factors (such as a recession) Technological factors (such as the use of social media marketing) Political and legal factors (such as laws that protect consumers) Competitors (both larger and smaller)