The document discusses marketing environmental factors (MEFs) that are external to a company's marketing department but can affect it. MEFs are dynamic and changing MEFs can provide opportunities or threats. There are macro MEFs like demographic, political/legal, economic, social, and technological factors. Micro MEFs that directly impact marketing include the company's other departments, intermediaries like distributors and middlemen, marketing services, public groups, suppliers, customers including consumers and competitors. The marketing department must consider these various MEFs in its planning.