Problem
It couldn't be a better day to be at Cedar Point amusement park. It's mid-September, sunny, and 75 degrees, and there's no one waiting in lines. Passing by the Millennium Force roller coaster, you stop to get a slushee and then sit down at a nearby picnic table to start thinking about the annual environmental scan. Since joining the management team of Cedar Point, a large regional amusement park located in Sandusky, Ohio, you've done this exercise 10 times. Each time, it is more difficult because the environment keeps changing, but doing environment assessment has kept Cedar Point viable. You think to yourself "We've just finish a tight season, but we manage to come out ahead. We are facing some big shifts, though both in the general business environment and in the amusement industry, so we need to build a plan to meet those environmental challenges" Pausing for a moment, you stare at the coaster's 80 degree drop. Your mind dives just as steeply into a flurry of issues: shifts toward year-round schooling; trends in the insurance industry; new forms of entertainment; new competition; the effect of changing demographics on your attendance and your work force; higher gasoline prices; and the impact of the economy in general. You've been able to increase the price of admission year after year, but how long can you continue to do that? Your straw makes a loud noise as you finish your slushee. "I guess that means it's time to head back to the office and figure out what trends are going to affect the park and how."
i. List the issues that you as the Cedar Point manager are examining as part of this exercise. Also, what other issues should you examine? (Think outside the box)
ii. Crete a list of environmental factors discussed in the chapter that apply to Cedar Point.