The outside layer of the diagram represents the external environments
that influence the marketing process. The state of the economy, trends in society,
competitive pressures, political and legal developments, and advances in
technology all affect the performance of a product or service. Firms cannot
control these environments, but they must monitor the changes and trends in
the respective environments and look for opportunities and threats. Later in
this chapter the different environments and some of the current trends that
affect hospitality and travel firms will be examined in more detail.