| Course | MRKT 3001 Marketing |
|---|---|
| Week | Week 2 |
| Paper type | Environment scan |
| Length | About 780 words, 5 pages |
| Format | APA 7 student paper |
| School | Walden University |
| Program | BS in Business Administration |
| Updated | October 2026 |
Free sample paper for MRKT 3001 Week 2
A Six-Force Environment Scan for Second Paw Pet Supply, a Two-Store Independent Retailer in Madison: Each Force Stated as a Change and Read Through the Buyer's Question, What Does This Do to the Shortlist?
Student Name
Walden University
MRKT 3001: Marketing
Instructor Name
Month Day, Year
A Six-Force Environment Scan for Second Paw Pet Supply, a Two-Store Independent Retailer in Madison: Each Force Stated as a Change and Read Through the Buyer's Question, What Does This Do to the Shortlist?
Purpose and Scope
Second Paw Pet Supply is a composite independent pet supply retailer with two storefronts in Madison, Wisconsin, selling food, supplies and fitting services for dogs and cats. Its owner wants to know which outside changes matter most to the households that buy from it. This scan reviews six forces, political, economic, social, technological, legal and environmental, a framework that traces back to Aguilar (1967), who studied how managers scan their business environment. Each force is stated as a change, not a topic, and each row ends with the buyer's question: what does this do to the shortlist of stores and products a pet household considers?
The Scan
Two rows carry less weight for this store. The environmental force affects a small group of buyers so far; it is kept to one line. The legal force matters mainly through renters and is folded into the social discussion below.
Table 1
Environment Scan for Second Paw Pet Supply
| Force | Change | Source | What this does to the shortlist | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Political | Local shelters and the county are promoting adoption through fee-waived adoption events | Shelter and county announcements | More first-time adopters enter the market each year, many with no store loyalty yet | |
| Economic | Household budgets are tighter after several years of high food and housing prices | U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics consumer price data | Shoppers compare store-brand food against the premium bag they once bought without thinking | |
| Social | A large share of households treat pets as family members and spend accordingly | American Pet Products Association survey | Buyers weigh advice and service, not just price, for products tied to their pet's health | |
| Technological | Online retailers offer automatic repeat delivery of food and litter | Retailer websites | Routine refills drift online unless the store gives a reason to visit | |
| Legal | Rental leases often restrict pet size or breed and require proof of vaccinations | Local lease practices | Renters choose smaller dogs and need clear advice on what their lease allows | |
| Environmental | Interest in recyclable packaging and lower-impact products is growing | Industry reports | A minority of buyers add sustainability to the shortlist; most do not yet | |
Composite store. Rows summarize sources discussed in the text.
The Forces With the Largest Effect
The economic force is the most immediate. Food prices rose faster than general inflation in 2022, and pet food was no exception, as the consumer price index series for pet food and treats shows (U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, 2024). When budgets tighten, pet owners do not stop feeding their animals; they compare. A household that bought a premium bag out of habit now looks at the store brand on the next shelf, at the warehouse club and at the online retailer's subscription price. For Second Paw, this means price is now on every food shopper's shortlist, even among loyal customers.
The social force is the store's opportunity. Survey work by the American Pet Products Association (2024) finds pets in about two of every three U.S. homes, and its surveys describe owners who see pets as members of the family. Those owners are willing to pay for advice and service when a product affects their pet's health or comfort: a harness that fits, a food change that does not upset a puppy's stomach. Where price pressure pushes buyers toward the cheapest source, the social force pulls them toward a store that knows what it is talking about. The two forces meet in first-year adopters, who have the most questions and the least experience.
A Force to Watch
The technological force is slower but steady. Automatic repeat delivery makes routine purchases easy to move online, and once a household sets up a subscription, it rarely revisits the decision. Second Paw is unlikely to win those routine refills on convenience alone. It can compete where the online retailer cannot, at moments that need hands-on help: fitting a harness on a squirming puppy, choosing a crate size for a dog that is still growing or planning a food change that will not upset a new pet's stomach.
What the Scan Means for the Store
The scan points to one group: households in their first year with a new pet, especially renters adopting dogs. They are entering the market because of shelter promotion, they are sensitive to price but also need advice, and they have not yet set up online subscriptions. The next assignments will test whether that group is large enough and reachable enough to plan around.
References
Aguilar, F. J. (1967). Scanning the business environment. Macmillan.
American Pet Products Association. (2024). Pet industry market size, trends & ownership statistics. https://americanpetproducts.org/industry-trends-and-stats
U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. (2024). Consumer price index: Pet food and treats. U.S. Department of Labor. https://www.bls.gov/cpi/
MRKT 3001 Week 2 instructions, in plain terms
In Week 2 you scan the outside environment for one business. Use the six forces of a PESTEL-style framework and state each as a change, not just a topic. Cite a source for each. For every force, explain what it does to the buyer's decision, such as which stores or products make the shortlist. Rows with little effect on buyers can be kept to a line, with a sentence saying why. Discuss in depth the two forces with the largest effect, and note one force to watch. Close by saying what the scan suggests about which buyers the business should focus on.
How the MRKT 3001 Week 2 example is put together
The scan introduces the store and cites Aguilar for the framework. A six-row table states each change, its source and its effect on the shortlist. A short paragraph explains why the environmental and legal rows carry less weight. The economic section explains how higher prices push shoppers to compare store-brand and premium foods, citing consumer price data from the Bureau of Labor Statistics. The social section cites the American Pet Products Association on pet ownership and argues that owners pay for advice when health is at stake. A section on online repeat delivery flags the threat, and the conclusion points to first-year adopters, especially renters.
Where the marks sit in the MRKT 3001 Week 2 rubric
Environment scans are graded on whether each force is specific, sourced and connected to buyers. Forces stated as vague topics, such as "the economy," earn little; a change with a direction and a source earns more. The strongest scans translate each force into a consequence for the buyer's choices, which turns a list into marketing analysis. Students should rank the forces and explain the most important ones in depth rather than giving all six equal space. A closing section that points toward a target group shows the scan's purpose. Tables should be complete and consistent with the prose, and sources should be credible.
MRKT 3001 Week 2 help: mistakes that cost marks
For each of the six forces, ask what has changed recently and how you know. Write the change as a sentence with a direction, such as budgets tightening or delivery getting easier, and find a source. Then ask what a buyer does differently because of it. That is the column that makes a scan useful. Some forces will matter little to your business; say so briefly. Spend your words on the two that change buyer behavior most. Common weaknesses are listing topics without changes and skipping the buyer consequence. Tell us the business you are scanning and we can help build the table. Check that each source is recent enough to describe the change you claim; a five-year-old survey may not show this year's budgets. Where local figures exist, prefer them to national ones.
Get a MRKT 3001 Week 2 example written to your instructions
Send the Week 2 scan prompt and rubric, and a finished PESTLE table with its ranking prose comes back within 24 to 48 hours, the first at no cost. Name the business and town you are scanning for and the sources get pulled for that market; otherwise the sample works from an imagined store in an unnamed county.
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MRKT 3001 Week 2 questions, answered
Where can I find a free MRKT 3001 Week 2 sample paper?
The six-force table and the analysis around it are posted below at no cost.
What business does the MRKT 3001 Week 2 scan cover?
A composite independent pet supply retailer with two stores in Madison, Wisconsin.
Which forces matter most?
Economic, because tighter budgets put price on every shopper's shortlist, and social, because owners who treat pets as family pay for advice.
Which force should the store watch?
Online repeat delivery, which moves routine refills away from stores once a household sets it up.
What does the scan suggest?
That the store should focus on first-year adopters, especially renters, who are price-sensitive but need advice and have no buying habit yet.