ECONOMIC FORCES: Forces in the marketing environment that include decisions made by consumers and business organizations. The economy tends to follow business cycles of prosperity, recession, depression, and recovery--all which impact decisions made by an organization. It is critical for a business to correctly assess the current and near term trends in the business cycle. Incorrect decisions of inventory buildup, expansion, contraction, etc. can seriously impact a firm's market position and subsequent survivability.

     See also | environmental scanning | marketing environment | business cycles | recession | depression | recovery | prosperity |