Answer to Question 1
The economic forces affect economic conditions and customers' ability and willingness to buy. Sociocultural forces are influences in a society and its culture that result in changes in beliefs and lifestyles. Political forces are the influences that arise through the actions of elected and appointed officials. Competitive forces are the actions of competitors that influence the process of implementing marketing plans. Legal and regulatory forces are the laws that protect consumers, competition, and control marketing. Technological forces are the technological changes that can create new marketing opportunities or cause products to possibly become obsolete.
Answer to Question 2
Though they are actually created through very different processes, mutual funds and exchange traded funds (ETFs) share some similar benefits from an investor's perspective. Both allow individual investors to invest in a market basket of securities at a relatively low cost. Investors who buy shares of index mutual funds or index ETFs can achieve the risk-reducing benefits of diversification without having to buy a large number of stocks in separate companies. Both mutual funds and ETFs are highly liquid, meaning they can easily be converted into cash. One difference between ETFs and mutual funds is that ETFs are not as actively managed as mutual funds are and hence have lower cost and fees. You can buy and sell them at any time, with no minimum investment required-but you pay a commission to your broker every time you do.