Companies commonly prepare a macroeconomic forecast first, followed by an industry forecast,
followed by a company sales forecast. The macroeconomic forecast projects inflation, unemployment,
interest rates, consumer spending, business investment, government expenditures, net
exports, and other variables. The end result is a forecast of gross domestic product (GDP), which
the firm uses, along with other environmental indicators, to forecast industry sales. The company
derives its sales forecast by assuming it will win a certain market share.