Environmental Scanning
Environmental Scan Companies that use environmental scanning are much more likely to have a higher percentage of business conducted within their market, than companies that are shooting at the broad-side of a barn, hoping against hope to hit the target. Researching a company's target market is a much better, & more profitable approach. Environmental scanning can help you identify the trends in the marketplace, that are most likely to affect the stakeholders - whether it be a good trend, or a bad trend. "In rapidly changing environments, one rule of thumb applies: If you don't adapt, you don't endure. That's the core idea behind environmental scanning. Definitions of the term abound, but in essence it refers to the means by which organizations gather information on changing conditions and incorporate those observations into a process where necessary changes are made. The right information, combined with the right adaptations, can determine an organization's future viability." (Dalton) And that is exactly what environmental scanning is - a procedure to determine your market's reaction and reliability. This information can later help the shotcallers within a company determine a better 'SWOT' Analysis of their company, which in turn will drive a more effective campaign for marketing. The Boy Scouts of America is one real-world company that uses the environmental scan correctly and effectively. They provide a service for young men who wish to learn survival skills and in doing so, help those young men achieve a personal state of satisfaction with themselves. The BSA have used the environmental scan correctly by doing research on just about every single aspect in that market that you could think of. You can read about their environmental scan online at: http://www.scouting.org/About/Research/environmental_scan.aspx Disneyland is another big-name company that uses these marketing strategies very effectively. The original Disneyland was opened by Walt Disney on